QueerRudie Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 (edited) Well, folks, here it is. My very first formal TR of Teh Big Dipper Coaster, and a journey throughout the western parts of the USA: Arizona, California and Oregon. I decided, as the new TPR Challenge is starting today, to post up a 'journey' of how Teh Big Dipper coaster is looking for a new home- and the different places it has been 'spotted' in the past few weeks. SATURDAY: 21 May 2011: An early morning departure puts me and TBD at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, for a trip to LAX and onto San Francisco. It was warm. REALLY WARM, as at 8:00 in the morning it was already 82 degrees. I was happy to get out, as we all know, too much heat can cause a coaster to warp and dry out! Boarding Pass, Check. TBD, Check. Breakfast from PHX to LAX- I hope this is an Elissa-Approved Breakfast! LAX showed me the best, as usual. Having to change planes, I found that Southwest Airlines did a marvelous job of placing my connecting gates AS FAR AS POSSIBLE APART. I don't blame Southwest, though. I blame LAX. It sucks that much that it forces good airlines to do bad things. Welcome to LAX. We've turned off the sun today. Sorry for the inconvienience. Perhaps taking a private plane would have been better! The 'Escape from LA' Plane- and look! More clouds! Some kinky airplane porn. Arriving early at SFO, a trip to the wine country was not only wanted- but needed, too. So, leaving SFO, we drove up to Sonoma, and to the Benziger winery therein. Tasting many wonderful wines in some of the best weather I've ever had was a great way to unwind from the travails of travel. A short side trip then took us to the Imagery Winery- where I found some of the niftiest wines- as did TBD! Benziger's beauty knows no bounds. Imagery Winery, Sonoma, CA. RECCOMMENDED HIGHLY! YOU MUST GO (So long as you're over 21, that is!) Wow OUI! from Imagery Winery. If you go there, ask for Carolyn in the tasting room. She's a hoot! SUNDAY, MAY 22: Off to San Jose, and to see a good friend of mine in a stage play there. The weather was, once again, flawless- in the 70s and low 80s with lovely breezes. A nice lunch in San Jose (across from where the nasty, evil Sharks were getting their butts kicked by Vancouver) and then off to see Much Ado About Nothing. Following the show, it was time for a nice evening food-fest at Fernando's in San Mateo, CA- where one can have their eardrums blown out by a Mariachi band so loud you can hear them... In Havana. Peggy Sue's is a -phenominal- place to have a burger, fries and soda- and at some of the best prices in the Bay area. Highly reccommended by TBD and myself. TBD gets to see Much Ado About Nothing- and liked it! After a great show, Fernandos in San Mateo is our next stop- for some great food and a mariachi band so loud you could hear it... in Cuba. THURSDAY, MAY 26: After a time warp opened up and ate up three days (Sorry, folks, those days aren't interesting!) we were off to Oregon- and the Shakespeare Festival therein. It's about a 7 hour drive from SF to Oregon, so one tends to leave mid-day for an evening arrival in Ashland, OR. Along the way, we meet up with some interesting things... I see a StarFlyer and a mutated Impluse coaster... Oh, and one of those B&M thingies. Teh Big Dipper does look good amongst trees... TBD is also Pet Friendly... perhaps for a Wild Cat or a Wild Mouse? For a hotel, their food was actually quite good- and reasonable, too! FRIDAY, MAY 27: A wet, chilly and generally gray morning awaits us in Ashland, as we begin a tax-free shopping trip to Medford. Along the way, we see some interesting sights- including the weirdest car in the world. That evening, we opened up our show odyssey with a few plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival- which much like a good theme park, there's some winners... and some losers. I keep waiting for this car to squeak at me. TBD looks GOOD on it, though! WHeeek! WHeeeek! WhEEEEEEEEK!!! SATURDAY, MAY 28: This Morning started out bitterly cold- and rainy. A nice breakfast of Carbs, Carbs and more Carbs started out our day, followed by some lovely scenery in Lithia Park. Plays abounded, seeing "The Language Archive" followed by "Julia Caesar (Yes, they DID do a gender-inversion for this one..) MMMMMmmmmm Waffles! Perhaps Teh Big Dipper would look good next to a creek? The Dam weather was rather gloomy and wet. I wanted to cross over a bridge to the other side of the creek... but this sign was posted. I wondered WHY? A few yards away, there was THIS sign... and I decided to not cross the bridge. Seeing yet another show. Teh Big Dipper coaster did NOT like it; it was very bland! SUNDAY, MAY 29: Today was our last day in Ashland, so I wanted to go and see some things. I keep on forgetting that Ashland is 'crunchier' than even my beloved Bay Area home, and that you will find strange signs and postings everywhere... Ummm.. Poor Kitty! The reason she's trying to escape is that she HATES THAT NAME! Thank you, I prefer chicken, beef or pork. Hair is too hard to eat. And when I'd thought the weirdness had ended, I found these... Confused? And we wonder why there's gender confusion in this world??? Our final play was a rendition of "To Kill A mockingbird" to which TBD coaster went to sleep... soundly. Fortunatly, escape from the land of the 'crunchy' wasn't too far behind- to which I found something truly, TRULY bizarre... Last to see... and was a good nap, too! It's Robb's Restroom! Hell, even TBD Coaster got into the act! MONDAY, MAY 30: After a late night arrival, It was time to go out and search for... DOMO! I had not yet been able to find a Domo I was happy with, so it was off to JapanTown (A small-sub city of San Francisco) to find a Domo. What I failed to realize was this: THERE IS THE MOST EPIC DOMO STORE ON EARTH THERE. We're talking Domo up to SIX FEET TALL. Domo Hats. Domo Shoes. Domo Plushies. Domo Shirts. Domo Mugs. Domo Money Clips. Domo Wallets. Domo Stationary. It was -amazing. It was there that Domo came home with me. "Is this Japantown or are you happy to see me. Oh wait. It's Japantown." A new friend is met... and over danish pastries in Japantown, too. Domo likes seeing Teh Big Dipper Coaster alongside the beach... WEDNSDAY, JUNE 1: Time to go back to work in the deserts of Arizona. THe three of us headed out to SFO, obtained our boarding pass, and headed down to the gate, leaving on a Jet Plane. TBD, Domo, and my boarding cards wait for me while I get a soda. "We just happened to catch this MD-90-30, NUDE, getting serviced at SFO" The typical Southwest Airlines 'Dinner' Service from SFO to PHX- Nuts, nuts and more nuts. Oh, and there's peanuts there, too. Domo already knew to have his seatbelt fastened at all times for takeoff and landing. So, has this trip report left you STUMPED??? You soon won't be! IF you play RCT II, you could win a set of Teh Big Dipper Coasters- and a HUGE TPR Bag of Crap- as well as the pride and glory of knowing how great an RCT II player you are! See the TPR Challenge HERE! If you DON'T play RCT II, you can get your own set of Teh Big Dipper Coasters- click on the link HERE! (No, the plugs weren't planned in, but I thought it might be nice to do so- The TR really was to try making a Photo TR for the masses to enjoy along the way!) R.D. Edited June 8, 2011 by QueerRudie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The SETGO Guys Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thanks RD! I enjoyed reading this! Some good humor, and a storyline that kept me engaged in the reading. (I sound like an english teacher) I'm thinking about taking a Stab at the Challange now that school is over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Awesome. Thanks to you and to Prince Desmond! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the ghost Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 I was thoroughly amused and entertained! EPIC WIN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayTheGForceBeWithYou Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I was LOLing the whole time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggernel Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Judging by the lack of photo proof, I call Shenanigans on the 6' Domo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueerRudie Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 Judging by the lack of photo proof, I call Shenanigans on the 6' Domo. Actually: I did try to get a photo of the over-sized Domo. As always: Before taking a photo, you ASK FOR PERMISSION first. Thus avoiding problems. The store clerk said that photography was strictly prohibited. Unlike a few enthusiasts on other sites who do things without asking, I DO ask first. So if you want to SEE said Domo-ginormous, here's the way to do so. 1.) Buy a ticket to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 2.) Go to Japantown Mall, and enter the middle building. 3.) Veer to the left past the first store with a Domo t-shirt in the window (Yes, you'll want to stop, but don't.) Keep going down that main hall, and up the set of three stairs. 4.) There is a toy-store/childrens store. Look in the window. There he is! R.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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