Review: The Fab Faux

F*ing. Great. Show.  

Dave Cookson and I travelled to Chicago to see The Fab Faux this past Saturday for a dose of some good Beatles songs. It had to have been one of the best shows I've seen in quite a while, with great music and some pleasant surprises. 

The Fab Faux is far different than your ordinary Beatles tribute act. The group attempts, and is successful almost always, to precisely perform an accurate reproduction of the music of the Beatles. There's no costumes. There's no wigs. There no phony English accent. Just music of the Beatles. And as a huge Beatles fan, that's all I want.

The band is comprised of Will Lee, bassist in Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra (featured on the Late Show with David Letterman) and Jimmy Vivino with Max Wineberg's band on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Three other professional musicians, Rich Pagano (drums/vocals), Frank Agnello (guitar/vocals) and Jack Petruzzelli (keyboards/guitar/vocals) round out the main core of the band. Then include the Creme Tangerine strings and the Hogshead Horn and you've got one hell of a band.

From what I know of the group, it was originally conceived by Will Lee. He had lived in the same building as Jimmy Vivino and while the two were sharing an elevator ride going to their respective gigs, Will brought up the idea to him. Jimmy, trying to be polite, pretty much said that he didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but Beatle tribute acts have already been done. But the difference was that the band would attempt to recreate the music as precisely as a symphony would recreate Mozart. Thus the band was on its way. And in order to learn the songs and how they were performed, they downloaded bootlegs of studio outtakes of the Beatles off the Internet.  

Dave and I left a little earlier than we had originally planned due to expected sleet/snow in the forecast. So I drove the truck which would prevent us from driving on Lake Shore Drive. Instead, I found an alternative route into the city, which I think got us there faster than LSD. Once parked, and that took a while with a big ass F150 in downtown Chicago, we ate at a place called Rockstar Hot Dogs. It was just down the street from the Park West, the venue for the show. It was a small place, but had quality dogs, brats, Italian sausage with rock star names to them.

We then went across the street to Gamekeepers for a couple of beers. We stayed close to the Park West as we wanted to be the first in and get a good spot in front of the stage. The Park West is a small, but nice place for a show. It is all general admission, but there is a balcony and on the main floor is a dance floor, booths and tables. And it has been kept up and maintained, despite the outside design (it looked like some late 70s or early 80s futuristic design).

There was some confusion about when the doors open and the band starts. At any rate, we were there very early. All was not lost as we got to hear some of the soundcheck and last minute rehearsals. Among this was the horn section working on Got To Get You Into My Life and the string section doing I Am The Walrus. We also heard some pieces of Day Tripper and Helter Skelter.

Once they opened the doors, Dave and I bolted for the front of the stage like we were two teenagers. And once there, we were the only ones standing in front of the stage. Everyone else took a booth or table. We wondered if we were going to be allowed to stand in front of the stage. And when I say standing in front of the stage, I mean it literally. There was no fence or barrier. We actually could lean on the floor monitors.

Having a Heineken and waiting for the show to start, I noticed what looked to be a guitar pick on the floor. I went to pick it up and found it to be a Cheap Trick pick. We were perplexed and wondered it belonged to one of the roadys or something. Then checking out all the gear and equipment, we noticed a guitar amp with a Cheap Trick sticker on the side of it. 

But finally, the show started. The band walked out and took their positions and started things off with Got To Get You Into My Life. At this point you could tell that Will Lee is the major frontman of the band, though he only sings lead on about 20% of the songs. We could see the set listing as we stood front and center in front of the stage. Dave even held his hand out and Will Lee came down to shake it; we were that close. 

I wouldn't look at the set listing as I wanted to be surprised with the selection of songs. And it was a good selection. Not only did it have many Beatles favorites and popular hits, but also a dose of some obscure and less known work. My favorite might have been Martha My Dear off of the White Album. In the song when the tempo picks up and the horn section and guitars kick in, it just sent shivers down my spine.

Towards the end of the first set, they played the last 3 tracks off of the Sgt. Peppers album. During the Sgt Pepper Reprise, I saw out of the corner of my eye someone casually walking onto the stage. For a split second, I thought "that looks like Rick Neilsen (from Cheap Trick)." He turned around with a Gibson Les Paul, sporting a bow tie and ball cap... it was Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick. That blew our minds. Dave was so surprised, he first thought it was Bun E. Carlos (the drummer of Cheap Trick). So I guess that explained the guitar pick I found and the Cheap Trick guitar amp. They closed the first set with A Day In The Life. Very cool!

The second set was as entertaining as the first. During both sets of the show, we managed to score some Fab Faux guitar picks that Will Lee would throw out to the audience. Standing next to my right were 4 kids, with approximate ages of 5 to 8. They were very into the show. And the band members usually paid more attention to them and made sure the kids got guitar picks. I even helped them out at times to make sure they got one.

As the second set was starting to come to a close, Rick Neilsen joined the band on stage one last time to play Day Tripper (which Cheap Trick had done a cover of) and Helter Skelter.  It was during Helter Skelter where Jack Petruzzelli who was singing lead, took a semi-hollow body guitar and slid the strings against the microphone stand to make added noise for the ending of the song. He then lowered the guitar into the audience to let the kids next to me play. They were a bit hesitant, but I told them was ok and prodded them a bit to go ahead on play on it. Then Dave and I couldn't resist and we started playing on it. So I guess you could say that we had a guest appearance with the Fab Faux.

But then one last surprise... they closed the show with Surrender, a song of Cheap Trick from the late 70's. Once the show ended, Dave and I was able to shake hands with Will Lee, Jack Petruzzelli and Rick Neilsen. 

After the show, Dave headed to the rest room while I waited in the lobby. I bumped into a couple of the kids that were standing next to me in front of the stage. "That was cool, wasn't it?" I said to one of them. "Yea" he eagerly responded. He asked if I was able to get any guitar picks that were thrown out. I told him that I had got a couple of the Fab Faux picks, but none of the Cheap Trick ones, with exception to the one I found on the floor. "Here, you can have this one," he said and handed me a hot pink colored Cheap Trick guitar pick. I told him to keep it, but he said that it was ok because he got 2 of them. I still told him I had others from other shows, but he insisted. I then asked him if he played anything musically as I told him I played in a band. He said he didn't, but his sister corrected him and claimed he played the drums. I asked if she played anything and she said she played piano and guitar. Dave came back and we were ready to leave. The sooner we got on the road the better as we didn't know what the weather was going to be like. I told the kids to "Rock On" and we headed back to the truck in the rain.

The ride home mostly went fast and it was very easy getting out of the city. The biggest trouble was once we got out of Chillicothe, IL. It had started snowing at that time and the visibility got so bad you could hardly see. The roads became covered so fast, you could not find any dividing lines. But we arrived home without incident and was still too pumped from the show to go to sleep.

The Fab Faux show was the bomb! So I guess it is true as the Beatles sang, "a splendid time is guaranteed for all."

Block The Block

Here is just a few of my thoughts and observations regarding the Peoria Riverfront Museum (PRM) that is being proposed.

• It has been 6 or 7 years the organizers have been trying to make this thing a reality. Not enough private donations came in, due to lack of public interest. So now they want to force it upon the public through tax increases, even still the public has no interest in it.
• Caterpillar wants to build its visitor center in conjunction with the PRM. Fine. But how is it they are laying off thousands and cutting benefits, but they can still throw $50 million into this boondoggle?
• There is NO contract with IMAX yet for a theater. Supporters are claiming the theater will be "IMAX-like." So we have no idea whether or not the PRM will have an IMAX theater.
• Museum organizers claim that the museum and the Cat Visitor Center will experience attendance of 360,000 people per year. They claim it will bring millions of dollars to Peoria and revitalize the downtown. However, they still haven't determined what the admission price will be. I don't claim to know everything, but I would think this would be a major component to determining a budget and projections.
• What happens if the PRM does not make its anticipated projections and begins to lose money? Organizers and supports do not have an answer for this question. There is no contingency plan and no exit plan.
• If it should happen, can the museum building be housed for another purpose? Very doubtful.
• Organizers claim the "Block" will create 200-300 construction jobs for 2 years.  That's great! But after 2 years, then what? These jobs dry up.
• Even if this referendum passes, there is still an $11 million shortfall with private donations. Chances are, the taxpayer will be stuck with that too.
• The referendum on the ballot calls this a "public facility tax." This is very vague and could mean many different things. The county could use this to finance other unneeded projects.
• Museum supporters never willingly state that this is a 100% tax increase.
• This referendum states that this tax will sunset in 20 years or less. As Dr. Evil once said, "Riiiiiigggghhhhtt." Here is a brief quiz: name 1 tax that has ever went away?
• Quiz #2: name one project in the past 40 years that has revitalized Peoria's downtown and made money or broke even. This is not a very good track record when you look at all the money loosing activity, ie Civic Center, RiverPlex, Midtown, Gateway Building, stadium.

Before voting, please become educated on this issue. Check out www.nomuseumtax.org for more info as well as checking out the Build the Block campaign. For me personally, a museum would be a good thing. But there is nothing wrong with the current Lakeview campus. In fact, I went there between Christmas and New Years to check out the Picasso exhibit. There was hardly anyone in the place. So why do we need a bigger museum?

The plan for the Peoria Riverfront Museum has too many flaws in it and too many things can go wrong. It is not thought out very well and there is little support for it, overall. If this was a business plan that someone came to me with for capital, I would decline the offer. 

The price tag is too high and a non-profit group should not be taking taxpayer money. The PRM is a want, not a need. Repairing our deteriorating roads... that's a need.

My endorsement is to vote NO on the Public Facility Referendum, commonly known as the museum referendum.

What You Can Do With Misguided Judgement And Spray Paint

I'm driving home yesterday, about mid-afternoon. As I drive about town, I notice all the political signs and taking note who and what is out there. I take special interest in the upcoming referendum on the "Build the Block" issue. Of course its known as a "public facility tax" on the actual written referendum. Regardless, I am interested to see how many vote no signs there are.

I'm at the intersection of Sheridan/Giles and Knoxville and I see that an opposition sign to the museum had been spray painted over.  The sign has in big white letters within a red block (no pun intended), "Vote No." Beneath that is the web site address for the Citizens for Responsible Spending, the group that is organized to stop museum plan. The word "No" and the web address was spray painted over with the same shade of red. Oddly, the opposite side of the sign was not vandalized.

Driving north on Knoxville, I noticed the exact same thing to another Vote No sign by Edgewild subdivision. But this is all I've seen; who knows how many signs have been damaged.

So, are the museum supporters so desperate that they now have to stoop to this level? I'm afraid to ask what could happen if this referendum does not pass.

All Paul

This past month I've been listening to SiriusXM satellite radio channel 33 which has been playing the music of Paul McCartney all the time. It includes his work with Wings, solo and promoting his new album under one of his aliases, The Fireman. During the 1990's, he recorded under this pseudo-name until recently his fans caught on that it was him. The only Beatles songs we hear are from his live concerts.

As a long time Beatles/McCartney fan, I've been listening often. Not because I love the music; not because to listen to music I don't have on CD (I've got 95% of his albums), but rather they occasionally have been playing rare and/or unreleased songs. Most that I've heard I've either known it existed and have never heard it or I have already heard it and have in my collection. But on 1 or 2 occasions, I've heard something I've never even known about. In fact, right now they're playing a song called This Loving Game, which I've known nothing about. I've also heard many remixes, including a disco-remix of the 1970's song Silly Love Songs. I can probably do with out that. But it's also fun to hear the original demo of a song and to hear how it progressed to the final product. It's also been fun to hear some songs I haven't heard in years. 

Paul McCartney undoubtedly has one of the largest back catalogs our there, if not the largest. I think the only artists to rival him is probably Frank Zappa or perhaps Bruce Springstein. So thank you Sirius for bringing Firman Radio to us. If you want to catch it, you'd better hurry as it ends in the next week or so.

Don't Be A Blockhead!

Last month, I received an e-mail from a friend who is currently living overseas. It was a message he forwarded to me regarding the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Obviously, someone in the Peoria area keeping him updated. At any rate, he thought this was something the Peoria Jaycees could become involved. Posted below was my response:

It would be better to "plug" to the members to vote AGAINST this referendum.  Here's why (the blue text comments are mine).

 

The Contemporary Art Center enthusiastically supports The Build The Block Campaign. We invite our members to “Be a Blockhead!” by supporting and donating to the Riverfront Museum project through www.BuildTheBlock.org

 

Don't believe the propaganda and if they invite you for some drinks, don't order the Kool-Aid.  You'd have to be "blockhead" to support this boondoggle.

Why is The Block so important to our community?

• The Block is poised to be one of the most important developments in our history, annually drawing an estimated 360,000 visitors and infusing an estimated $7 million to $14 million into our local economy. 

That's what they say now... the projections have changed as much as the wind changes directions.  And they are always based on unlikely conditions.  That's almost 1,000 visitors per day per year.  I recently went to Lakeview to see the Picasso exhibit.  There was hardly anyone there... and this was over the Christmas holiday when school was out.  What makes you think we need a bigger museum?

• The Caterpillar Experience, a world-class attraction, will not be built unless the museum is fully funded.

Cat's got money.  If they really wanted their own museum, let them build it... but not on the taxpayer's dime.  The city can give them a great deal on buying the underlying real estate and then bring in real estate tax revenue indefinitely.

• The 25-month construction phase of The Block will create our own economic stimulus package, generating more than 250 local union jobs each month and $1.8 million in monthly labor payroll.

After 25 months, then what?  Construction jobs dry up.  The museum may do well the first few months, then attendance will drop.  Then revenues drop but expenses will no doubt increase.  This museum will then be unable to support itself.  To survive, the museum will then need to be funded by taxpayer money... yet another failed project to be subsidized by you, the Peoria County taxpayer.

• The Block will provide an investment in our present and our future with hands-on learning and entertainment for people of all ages.

Is that so!  Kind of a high price tag for this type of learning.  I can probably learn more by watching the Discovery Channel or National Geographic.

What is the referendum for?

The referendum is for a Peoria County sales tax increase of 0.25% (a quarter of 1%) to pay for public facilities. The tax will close the gap for public funding needed to Build The Block. 

And this is because earlier, there was not a lot of support from private donations and the public to get this thing built.  So because there is little interest and support for this project, it is being forced onto the public by the powers that be because the powers that be want a museum.

How long will the tax be assessed?

The tax would begin on January 1, 2010, and will be assessed for no more than 20 years to pay off museum bonds issued by Peoria County. 

And then 20 years from now, they'll realize the museum cannot operate on it's own and continued subzidation will be required.  Like the $55 million Civic Center addition they built a couple of years ago to extend the HRA (hotel, recreation and amusement tax) tax because the Civic Center could not operate on its own, this museum will do the exact same thing.  This tax will never go away.  Peoria County citizens will pay for it every time they step up to a cash register.  Bend over.

How much will the sales tax be?

The tax would equal 25¢ on every $100 spent on select purchases. The tax would be assessed at Peoria County restaurants, Peoria County hotels and on non-titled, non-food retail goods. Titled goods such as boats, cars, or property will not be taxed. 

Oh yea, a little bit here, a little bit there... but it all adds up in the end.  Face it, we are TAXED TO DEATH!!

How does Peoria County sales tax compare with neighboring counties?

• Peoria County sales tax would increase from 0.25% to 0.50% You mean a 100% increase?!  OUCH!!

• Current Tazewell County sales tax: 0.50%

• Current Woodford County sales tax: 1.0%

And now for those who live in the City of Peoria... add in the city sales tax too.  Be sure you're lubed up for this one.

What should I look for on the April 7 Peoria County ballot?

Only one referendum will appear on the ballot. Below is the referendum text. The language of the referendum will not mention the Peoria Riverfront Museum, but rather "public facility purposes."

To pay for public facility purposes, shall Peoria County be authorized to impose an increase on its share of local sales taxes by 0.25% for a period not to exceed 20 years?

This means that a consumer would pay an additional $0.25 in sales tax for every $100 of tangible personal property bought at retail. If imposed, the additional tax would cease being collected at the end of 20 years, if not terminated earlier by a vote of the County Board.

"Public Facility Purposes" is very vague.  Can mean almost anything.  And sure, this round of taxation will end in 20 years, but what's to stop them for initiating another one to take it's place?  They sure did it with the Civic Center.

What happens if the referendum does not pass?

The Block won’t have sufficient public funding to proceed. The project will lose all of the public and private funds already pledged ($67 million), as well as the Caterpillar Experience. 

Good!  Then maybe we can use whatever money we have to fix real problems, like our repairing our outdated and almost collapsed sewer system at a cost of over $100 million, or to fully fund our police and fire departments, or... the list could go on.

Note: I noticed in the e-mail message that public and private funds donated were $67 million. In the last week, I received a mailing stating $90 million was already raised. On March 7 in the Forum section of the Peoria Journal Star, a letter from Caterpillar VP Sid Banwart claims over $80 million. The numbers and figures on this project change so much, no one knows what to believe. This is yet another clue to vote NO on the Museum Referendum on April 7, 2009.

The "Hole" Story - Part Three

Wednesday, March 4 - This is to be our last full day in Jackson. Dennis and I were undecided about going skiing again. If so, we'd only do a half day as we were (1) wanting to do other things and (2) we were a bit tired. Our other options were to go on a horse-drawn sleigh ride into the National Elk Refuge and to go snowshoeing in Teton National Park. We opted to not ski and do the Elk Refuge and snowshoeing.



The sleigh ride was interesting. You get to head out on the range and come very close to wild elk. You also learn history of the Refuge and other facts about the elk that reside there. We had spent some time right in the middle of a herd of bull elk. Shortly after leaving the area, something spooked the elk and they started stampeeding. That was something you don't ordinarily see.

Next, we had scheduled our snowshoeing excursion for 2pm. Unfortunetely, we did not have an abundance of time for lunch, so we wound up at a Dariy Queen to eat. This was a Jackson Hole first.

We arrived at the Park HQ to sign up for the snowshoeing. At only $5 a person, it was very economical... until you think about that our tax dollars subsidizes the rest of the cost. So we might as well get our money's worth. We went out with a guide who explained and showed us much about the area and its wildlife. Though we didn't snowshoe an extraordinary distance, it was a good variety of terrain. It also included walking along the Snake River.

Heading back to Teton Village, we planned to stop at Jackson Airport to drop off our skis and boots on Dennis' plane. Since Dennis flew out on his own, I had him take my skis with him so I could avoid the baggage charges the airlines charge nowadays. But one mishap, Dennis forgot the keys to the plane. It was locked so we simply left the skis with the FBO. We said we'd be back within the hour with the keys to load the skis.

Our final dinner in Wyoming was at the Alpenhof once again. The food was good, but the service was terribly slow. We'd joke that the food prep was being outsourced at another restaurant. Appearently, only one waiter was working. I guess this is what happens late in the season... the ski bums are taking off for their next gig.

Thursday, March 5 - Pam and Bill's flight left early at 7am. Dennis could leave whenever he wanted since he flew out himself. He opted to leave early since a snow storm was coming in. Dennis feared if he waited too late in the day to leave, he'd be stuck in Jackson Hole until the next Saturday. Yea, stuck in Jackson Hole would be terrible. Beth and I were lucky enough to casually have breakfast and take our time. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1pm. On the way to the airport, we experienced some white out conditions from the snow storm. Turns out our flight was only delayed for 30 minutes. This was a large contrast to the Delta flight which was to leave arond the same time as ours, but couldn't because the pilot didn't show up.

All our flights made it back home without incident and we were able to log yet another fun vacation.

The "Hole" Story - Part Two

Monday, March 2 – Dennis and I planned on skiing today while Pam and Beth planned on going into Jackson to shop. Bill unfortunately took some work with him and decided to grade papers (he's a college professor for those of you who may not know). He idly thought to grade these papers while relaxing in the hotel's hot tub. But students would wonder why their papers would be so smeared and crinkled.

Dennis had a free breakfast provided to him as a guest of the Alpenhof. I on the other hand went to have breakfast at the Rocky Mountain Oyster which is located underneath the Mangy Moose. Normally when I'd eat here in the past, the place would be packed with people. Today there was no one except one other person getting a to go order. I have no idea if this is because of the current economic crisis or the food and/or service got bad.

Dennis and I first headed up the Tram (4,100 vertical feet) and we were among the first 4 people on when they first opened at 9am. The conditions were very warm. The snow was slushy and by the end of the day, one could literally ski in a pair of shorts. Now I wouldn't recommend it as if you'd fall, you'd then be wet and cold.

Coming off the Tram, Dennis tried out his new camera and we both took plenty of pictures. But Dennis' camera is a bit big and he didn't want to carry it all day. So we took our time skiing all the way back to the base of the mountain where he could take it back to the room. While there, he changed clothes to something that wouldn't be so hot. I didn't make that choice.

Next time up, we chose the Bridger Gondola, another 2,700 vertical feet. Throughout the day, we delt with the 40ish degree temps and wet snow. We skied quite a bit around the Sublette and Thunder lifts and even took the Tram a 2nd time as well as the Apres Vous lift. And you get to meet some interesting people going up the lifts. While going up the Thunder lift, we met a couple of girls who obviously have some colorful friends. They spoke of them and their failed desires in life once they obtained a boy/girlfriend. "I tell ya, relationships are dreamkillers," claimed one of the girls.

At the end of the day, we accomplished a little over 20,000 vertical feet. Our math was poor as we roughly tallied around 22 – 24,000 vertical. Had we known it was a little less, we would have done another run.

So we then dumped off our skis and boots and adjourned to the Mange Moose for drinks. I thought that the others would meet up with us at this time, but this was not the case. Dennis and I stopped at the Village Cafe for a drink and then eventually stopped at the Fireplace Bar at the Snake River Lodge when we ran into the others. I was well lit by the time we went to the Mange Moose restaurant for dinner.

Beth and Pam shopped all of the town of Jackson. They even stopped at the Million Dollar Cowboy bar to have a drink while sitting on the saddle (instead of bar stools, this drinking establishment has horse saddle to sit on).

Tuesday, March 3 - Another day of skiing for Dennis and I. Although, it looked to be only a half day of skiing and with a later start time. As for Pam, Bill and Beth, they didn't know what they wanted to do since they already shopped all the stores. Instead they wanted to sight see, which Dennis and I were up for; only later in the day.

Yet again, Dennis and I headed up the Tram for our first lift up. There was some fresh snow on top of the mountain and the temperatures were a bit colder than the day before. We worked our way to the Sublette and Thunder lifts where the runs were really nice. Our legs were still a bit tired from the 20,000 vertical we did the day before. As the clock ticked closer to 12 noon, the snow was starting to turn slushy and my legs were begining to turn to jelly. And it was getting time to meet up with everyone else to sight see. But we still managed to ski over 13,000 vertical feet... and even with getting a later start, this was all before noon.

We stopped into Jackson first so that Dennis could pick up a couple of gifts and we could get some lunch at the Silver Dollar Saloon. Bill couldn't resist the urge to get a cowboy hat. Once loaded up, we drove north to Yellowstone National Park. No one can drive into the park during the winter, but we decided to stop at Flagg Ranch, which is a snowmobile hub just outside the park. We thought we could stop there and get a drink or something. However, we felt like the Griswald family in Vacation as Flagg Ranch was closed. But the dozens of snowmobiles still sat in the lot.

Note: Years ago, you could rent snowmobiles and ride in the park yourself. Today, you must have a guide with you to do that.. and no doubt at extra cost to you.

On the way back home, we were lucky enough to see some moose eating a ways from the highway. We stopped and got plenty of pictures of course. We made another stop back in Jackson to look around during night time and to eat. The town square has arches made from lost elk antlers from the local National Elk Refuge. At night, they are lit up with Christmas lights. But now, they have replaced all the old lights for new, modern, LED lights... and it looks cool!

After dinner, Pam and Beth went back to the Fireplace Bar for wine while Dennis, Bill and myself went to enjoy the Flintstones-style hot tub.

The "Hole" Story - Part One

We spent the last week vacationing in my favorite place in the whole world, Jackson Hole Wyoming. This trip was originally planned months ago between Beth, her sister and brother-in-law Pam and Bill. The idea came about last year at this time when we were in Banff Canada.

Bill wants to become the upper-intermediate downhill skier. But the only time he can learn to ski is during his “Spring Break.” After getting the skiing itch last year in Canada, we headed to Jackson this year to continue the tradition.

Our trip started as early as Friday, Feb 27 as Beth and I headed to Chicago to stay overnight outside of O'Hare. This way we wouldn't have to get up as early and travel to the airport. Everything went smoothly getting out of O'Hare, though the check-in line was a bit long. Airline travel has sure come a long way; computerized check-in, you now have to pay to get a box lunch and security... just because some knucklehead tried to blow up a plane by being a “shoe bomber,” we all now have to take off our shoes before heading onto the plane. But the strip search and cavity check we have for security went swiftly.

We arrived in Jackson, WY and met up with Pam and Bill. Grabbed a rental SUV and we were off to the Snake River Lodge in beautiful Teton Village. Our first stop after checking in was to one of the finest drinking establishments on the planet, The Mangy Moose (sometimes known as “the Moose”). Sadly, it was disheartening to see that new development has now obscured a substantial view of the slopes from the Moose. The last time I was in Jackson Hole was in 2004 and there has been a lot of new development since then. This includes a new, $30 million tram that carries 100 people the top of the mountain in 10 minutes. But a few pitchers of Moose Drool, things were off to a great start. Upon leaving the Mangy Moose, Beth and Bill arranged a snowmobile tour for the next day to travel along Grey's River south of Jackson.

Later that afternoon, we met up with Dennis, which to keep a long story short, adjusted his travel plans to fit ours when his Jackson Hole travel plans fell apart. Dennis opted to stay at the Alpenhof Lodge, which is located next door to the Snake River Lodge. We all ate (and further drank) at the Alpenhof. I have stayed at the Alpenhof a few times before and found it to be an excellent place. Nowadays, it a bit of old school as it is probably now one of the older hotels in the area. They still use real, metal keys for the room doors.

Sunday, March 1 - Early in the morning, we all met in the lobby of the Snake River Lodge at 7:30 where the snowmobile tour personnel were to pick us up to begin our excursion. We also had one other stop at the local Hostel to pick up 2 more people where were on the same excursion as us. This was a Pennsylvania ER doctor, David and his 15-year old son Eli. They were very nice and fit well in our group.

Our first stop was for breakfast which was included in the tour package. And it was a good breakfast; probably the best we would have for the week. We eventually got into Alpine, Wy where our snowmobile adventure would begin. Our tour guide Dave gave us plenty of debriefing on the operation and riding of snowmobiles. It was going to be primarily trail riding, but there would be plenty of places where you could “play around” and ride up an down hills and hit some deep powder. One stop we made was up about 8,000 feet in elevation where we could take pictures.

Along the tour, poor Eli almost ran his sled into the Greys River; Pam had troubles starting her sled from time to time and Dr. David got stuck in deep powder. But no drastic mishaps took place that day.

Lunch was also included in the tour package. We stopped at a place called the Box Y Ranch... don't ask me why they named it what they did. At the front of the cabin was an baby/adolescent mule deer that you could walk up to and pet. His name was Joe. For lunch, I ordered the grilled cheese, fries and cup of chili. Very good. This had to be the best chili I've ever had. Very tomato-ie. Everyone else seemed to have ordered chili and grilled cheese as well. After some rest and a potty-stop, we were back on the sleds to continue our excursion.

It was probably around 3:30 or 4pm when we finally got back and re-fueled the sleds. Our trip back to Teton Village was probably a good hour. It may have been a long day for us, but Dave the guide had even a longer day.

We finished our day at the fireplace bar of the Snake River Lodge having drinks and eating nachos and pizza.