Hello Everyone!
Well, Michael Hopkins Caricature's first airshow appearance is in the books. While it was far from profitable, overall it was a very positive experience I made a few great contacts and I learned some valuable lessons
The journey started April 5th when I left Reno, Nevada (home) for Laughlin Nevada (home of the 2024 Laughlin/Bullhead City Airshow). The first lesson learned was that I need a Van. Trying to pack all of my event supplies (canopy, tables, chairs, canopy weights and walls, drawing supplies, luggage, etc., etc. etc.) into my little Ford Focus was almost impossible. In fact, technically it was impossible, as I left several items at home because they wouldn't fit.
Since I couldn't pack any food in an ice chest (again, because there was no room for an ice chest in the car) my first stop was Mc Donald's for breakfast and even though I had brought coffee from home, I did order the meal (which included some more coffee from McDonalds).
FACT! One cannot have enough coffee for a road trip. Also, being a friend of, “if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong” , I had two portions of coffee now and as such, I would be safe in case of an emergency. You know, in case my car broke down in the middle of the Nevada Desert?? Even though I'd be stranded in the middle of the desert, out of water, dying of heat stroke (well kinda, it was early April…and cloudy) I would at least have a robust supply of caffeine (still relatively hot in my mug) until I reached Tonopah, Nevada (approximately 240 miles)
When I started approaching Tonopah, I could tell there was a minor traffic stop ahead for some road repairs (if I remember correctly from my previous trips, it was needed) and some road construction work in Tonopah itself (again needed). Thank God I had an additional supply of coffee for those 15 minutes of waiting…
After a stop in Tonopah for fuel and more caffeine (this time in the form of Coca Cola), the remaining journey was a breeze. Actually, I should say the drive to Las Vegas was a breeze. You see, I was under the impression that Laughlin was close to Las Vegas. It's not (*well, relatively speaking it is, it's about 100 miles) however in my mind it was a lot closer and my mind was the device calculating the need for restroom stops.
Just a thought…why isn't there an road trip app that would calculate your age, beverages drank and miles driven and in-turn suggest the need and locations of rest stops??
All of this info didn't matter until I passed Las Vegas, glanced at Google Maps and realized I had an hour and a half till I Laughlin Nevada (WTF?!?!?) I was certain a YouTuber had informed me Laughlin was close to Las Vegas??? Well, so much for that YouTuber’s dependability (*again, relatively speaking, Las Vegas is close to Laughlin however when the brain is being influenced by the bladder, an hour and half, isn't close at all!!!) Thank God for Searchlight Nevada, an overpriced Chevron station and McDonald's! Fuel purchased, coffee replenished and bladder emptied! On to Laughlin!
Lesson learned? When one's been drinking all morning (coffee, coffee, water, Coca Cola, lukewarm coffee and water) while driving over 500 miles, make liberal use of all rest areas!
Anywho…here’s some pics from Michael Hopkins Caricatures first Airshow! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment