WE LEFT CREW HQ AROUND 4AM WEDNESDAY THE 14TH AND ARRIVED AT THE FIRST OF MANY GAS STOPS THIS ONE IN JERSEY CITY NJ JUST OUTSIDE THE HOLLAND TUNNEL AROUND 5AM...OH FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS...SAME GAS THIS MORNING IS $4.24!!!

NOW BACK TO THE STORY....LEAVING JERSEY IT WAS ALMOST A NON-STOP "FLIGHT" TO BORDEN INDIANA AND THE HOME OF: OLD PAL, "22 CREW" MEMBER AND EDUCOM VOLUNTEER BRYAN-WN9Y.

WE GOT OFF THE INTERSTATE AT BRYAN'S EXIT WHERE HE WAS WAITING AND WE SIMPLY FOLLOWED HIM HOME:

840 MILES IS A LONG WAY AND A LOT DIFFERENT COUNTRY FROM THAT FIRST GAS STOP EARLY IN THE MORN....ARRIVING AT BRYAN'S HOUSE WE GOT THE FULL TOUR AND EVEN GOT HIM TO STAND BY HIS TOWER:

WE ARRIVED AT THE SUPER 8 AROUND 9 PM ON WEDNESDAY THE 14th..WHAT A DAY.....TOTAL OF 991 MILES FROM 4 AM TO 9 PM ... PROBABLY A RECORD ONE DAY MILEAGE FOR THE "CREWMOBILE" ... LITES OUT AS A WHOLE NEW WORLD WAS TO OPEN UP TO US ON THURSDAY:

WHAT WORLD YOU ASK...THANKS TO RICK-WQ8Q,THE ENTIRELY NEW WORLD OF GUNS AND TARGET SHOOTING:

THATS WQ8Q GETTING EVERYTHING READY ONCE WE ARRIVED AT THE RANGE....SEE THE FUNNY THINGS ON HIS HEAD..THATS NOT THE LATEST HEIL HEADSET...ITS EAR PROTECTORS..I FOUND OUT YOU REALLY NEED THEM AND I ALSO FOUND OUT YOU DON'T SHOOT AT THE ORANGE CURTAIN YOU SEE OUT IN THE FIELD OR EVEN AT THE TREES...YOU HAVE TO HIT A TARGET:

THAT LITTLE IDDY BIDDY RED DOT IS WHAT UR SUPPOSED TO HIT BUT OF COURSE A GOOD IDEA IS TO WAIT TILL RICK DOES THE TARGET HANGING AND RETURNS TO THE BENCH....

AND HERE IS THE VERY FIRST GUN I STARTED WITH:

AND IF YOU NEVER DID THIS BEFORE IT IS NOT AS EASY AS TV MAKES IT LOOK:

IT ALSO HELPS IF YOU OPEN UR EYES!

THAT LIL PISTOL WAS GREAT BUT THEN RICK BROUGHT OUT THE HEAVY ARTILLERY:

AND WHEN THE "BIG ONE" WENT OFF IT GAVE A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO THE WORD "KICK" AND "LOUD"

ALSO...JUST LIKE DRIVING...YOU REALLY NEED TWO HANDS:

I REALLY DID HIT THE RED DOT A FEW TIMES THAT DAY BUT THE "TEACHER" DID A LOT BETTER:

THANK YOU WQ8Q....WHILE THE ULTIMATE GOAL WAS DAYTON IT SURE WAS A "BLAST" TO STOP HERE:

AFTER A GREAT DAY ON THE RANGE IT WAS BACK TO THE SUPER 8 TO FIND THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE ALREADY IN PLACE:

YES...THE CREW WAS ASSEMBLING IN THE SUPER 8 LOBBY FOR THURSDAY NIGHT...OUR FIRST PRACTICE RUN FOR THE "SATURDAY NIGHT 22 CREW EYEBALL"

REMEMBER...WE WERE AT A NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR FOR THE EYEBALL...SO ANYTHING COULD OF HAPPENED ... TURNS OUT.... ONCE AGAIN WE GOT VERY VERY LUCKY...

THE NEW LOCATION:

COULD NOT OF BEEN BETTER IN ANY WAY...SIMPLY PERFECT AND WE WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR...BUT LETS LOOK AT THURSDAY NIGHT:

WA2JVF-GORDIE AND WA4LT-WALTER WERE THE FIRST TO ARRIVE......WE THOUGHT....

UNTIL WE WENT INSIDE AND FOUND:

KI2X-RICH AND HIS ENTOURAGE

WE ALL MOVED TO THE BACK  DINING ROOM AND THE THURSDAY NIGHT PRACTICE SESSION WENT PERFECTLY:

AND NO..GORDIE WAS NOT GETTING UP FROM PASSING OUT HE IS JUST TALLER THAN ALL THE OTHER HAMMYS AND SHRUNK DOWN FOR THE FOTO OP!

IT WAS TRULY A SUPER GREAT THURSDAY NIGHT AND AFTER DINNER NEVER MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT HAM RADIO HERE IS W2HLD  THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR OF THE "22 CREW" WORKING ON YET ANOTHER NEW RECRUIT:

THAT WAS WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY...BRITE AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING ITS OFF TO THE HAMVENTION...

NOW TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING ALL AT ONCE WE DONT WANT TO SPOIL YOU SO TO SEE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OF DAYTON....

MAKE SURE TO GET APPLE SLICES 22 AS THE SAGA CONTINUES.......