One Last Camping Trip Before Winter

The Bluffs at our Campsite

We went on our second and final camping trip of the year the weekend of October 16. I took the day off work so we could travel to western Kansas, where we have camped previously. This would be our third trip to Hipcamp C2T Ranch on the Saline River. We love it there, and this proved to be another great camping trip just north of Hays, Kansas.

We once again rented a U-Haul to pack our items so we could all go in one car. Erin, Greg, Carrie, and I left Friday morning around 8 a.m. and headed west. We made a few stops along the way, including our usual spot in Alma, Kansas, where we stopped to get some snacks, check out the cheese, and prepare for the rest of the trip.

Later, we made what is becoming our annual stop at Russell Stover in Abilene, Kansas. With snacks in hand, we were ready to finish the rest of the drive, which was another hour or so to where we would be eating.

Take on Chicken Pot Pie

We first went to The Handle Bar Tavern in Plainville, Kansas, last year when we went camping. We liked it so much that we decided it would be our first stop on our camping trip back to the area. The drinks did not disappoint, and the food was delicious once again. If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by The Handle Bar Tavern.

Following a late lunch, it was time to head to our campsite, which was another 15 to 30 minutes from where we had lunch. When we arrived, the camp host greeted us and took us down to our campsite. This being our third trip to the same site, we knew exactly where we were going, but the host was gracious and took us down anyway, making sure everything was to our liking.

Everything was perfect.

We unloaded everything from the car and U-Haul so we could start making camp. It did not take us long to get the tent set up and everything situated for the evening. It was a little windy to start, but as the sun went down, the wind stopped. It was a beautiful evening with no clouds, and we could see stars all the way down to the horizon.

Ready to Eat

At the site, we get unlimited firewood for $30 for the whole weekend. We also once again bought hamburgers from the camp host that come from cattle raised on the ranch. They are wonderful!

We cooked the hamburgers and enjoyed the evening talking, listening to music, and looking out over the landscape. What a great way to spend an evening.

Saturday morning, we all slept later than we normally do when camping. I think we started getting up around 9:30 or 10. We did not have much planned for our only full day at the campsite. Again, the wind was blowing pretty good throughout the day, but it was not too bad.

Erin and Carrie Gathering Firewood

We cooked hot dogs over the fire, and then Greg and I listened to the KU and Washburn games throughout the day. I believe the KU game started at 11, so once it finished, we switched over to listen to the Washburn game. Both teams ended up losing, but we had fun listening old-school style on the radio.

Getting Chili Ready to Cook

Saturday evening would be chili that Greg cooked for us. We started preparing everything while there was still some daylight. While the chili cooked, we went on a short hike to check out some of the other campsites. We did a little photo shoot of us walking that turned out great.

Selfie on Hike

Silhouettes of Us on the Trail

Following our short hike, we got back to camp and tended to the chili as it finished cooking over the fire. Once it was ready, we all grabbed our bowls and ladled out some chili. It was so good that I had two full bowls. I was very full, but it was so worth it.

Warm Fire and Evening

We huddled around the fire after dinner and listened to the playlist we had all built. We started with two songs each from five friends, and then added songs from two bands recommended by co-workers, with us picking which songs from those bands to include. I think we came up with a pretty good playlist.

Listen to our camping playlist on Apple Music

I ended up falling asleep while we were sitting around the fire. I had started drinking some beers earlier while listening to the football games, so everyone else had fun making fun of me for falling asleep. I was warm and cozy, listening to the playlist, so sleep came easily.

Sunday morning, we all slept later again than we normally do when camping. None of us was feeling particularly motivated to start packing up and heading home. Eventually, we got everything packed back into the U-Haul and loaded into the car.

We left our campsite around 11 a.m. and headed into Hays, Kansas, where we wanted to find a place for lunch.

We ended up finding a spot called Las Hefas Latin Cuisine that showed up in a search. It was so good that we want to go back to Hays just to eat there again. The owner/operator was our waiter, and it was interesting talking with him. He grew up in Hays, went to Fort Hays for college, and eventually opened the restaurant.

He told us that locals do not really come to his restaurant and that people passing through Hays make up more of his regular crowd. The locals do not know what they are missing.

Fantastic meal, and we will definitely be back.

Carrie Photo of our Campsite

Overall, we had a great camping trip. It is always fun to be outside, enjoy nature, sit around a fire, and get away for a few days. I am sad that we were only able to go camping twice this year. Next year, I want to go four, five, or maybe even more times.

Until next time, have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week.

Coming Back to Gaming After All These Years

I am going to write about something that is not necessarily new to me, but something I had not done in a long time. I grew up with the Atari game console when I was little. In 2002 or 2003, I got back into gaming after not having played for years and spent a few years playing games on the PlayStation. After that, I went through a long stretch where I did not play games much at all.

Well, this past week, for some reason, I felt the urge to play games again. We have been using an Apple TV as our primary device for entertainment, and I knew it could support a PlayStation game controller. Over the years of having the Apple TV, I have played a few games here and there, but it was never ideal using the Apple remote. Because of that, I decided to buy a game controller specifically for the Apple TV. It arrived this past week, and I have been playing games each day since.

It is amazing to see the graphics in the games I am playing now compared to what I experienced growing up with Atari and even later with the PlayStation. My favorite games to play are sports games, and the first one I tried with the controller was PGA Golf. I also enjoy action role‑playing games, so I downloaded a few of those and have been spending time playing them as well.

I had forgotten how quickly time can fly when playing games. Granted, I am still learning the controller and how it works with the Apple TV, but there have already been a few times when I completely lost track of time. Before I knew it, it was past my bedtime and I was still playing. It has been a lot of fun, but I realize I will need to set a timer to make sure I do not play too late.

Through this process, I also realized that I can use the Steam app on my computer and play games from my Mac on the Apple TV using the controller. I am still working through this setup and have downloaded a few free games, but nothing too exciting yet. My home Mac does not have a lot of storage space, so I need to try out each game to decide whether to keep it or remove it to make room for something else.

For now, I am enjoying a renewed appreciation for gaming consoles and the ability to use a game controller with the Apple TV. I am sure there will be more games for me to download, learn, and test as I continue this process. I look forward to improving my skills and continuing to learn along the way.

Until next time, I hope you have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week ahead. This was a slightly different post for me, but I wanted to share my refreshed enjoyment of gaming and learning something new.

Returning to C2T Ranch: A Perfect End to Camping Season

We went on our last camping trip of the season and returned to a place we had only visited once before but loved so much that we had to go again. We stayed at C2T Ranch on the Saline from October 17 to 19. This is a HipCamp site we first visited in 2022, and we were excited to go back. This spot never disappoints. It is on a working ranch where we saw and heard cattle roaming the land. At night, after going to bed, we heard coyotes in the distance. It was a fun spot, and we ate well too.

We decided to rent a U-Haul so we could all travel together in one vehicle, which worked out great. We went with Erin and Greg, who joined us on our first trip to C2T Ranch in 2022, so we all had good memories to revisit. We left early Friday morning and already had plans for lunch in Plainville, Kansas, where we ate at The Handle Bar Tavern and Eatery. It is an excellent spot north of Hays, Kansas, where we enjoyed drinks and delicious food. The Handle Bar Tavern and Eatery has a large menu, and everything the four of us ordered was excellent. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in western Kansas.

Check-in for our HipCamp was at 2 pm, and we arrived right on time. It looked just the way we remembered from our first visit. We set up quickly and were ready for the evening with fresh hamburger meat delivered by the HipCamp host. We did this the first year and remembered how good the burgers were on the open range. Along with the meat, we ordered potatoes to cook over the campfire.

Since we had an early start Friday morning, we did not stay up very late that night. I think we were all in our tents by 1 am. It was getting rather cold, so we were ready to call it a day. It was a fun first day of travel, camping, and relaxing.

Saturday morning we all got up somewhat early to make pancakes. Waking to the sound of cattle far off in the distance was something I had never experienced before. We all talked about how, during our previous visit, we did not recall hearing any cows. We guessed they were in a different pasture in 2022, which is why we did not hear them then. This time they were loud throughout the night and most of Saturday. Mid-afternoon the winds started, just as we expected, and that helped drown out the cows, but then we had to deal with gusts up to 40 to 50 mph. Chairs were flying around, items blew off tables, tents came unlatched, and even a few tumbleweeds rolled through our campsite.

We managed to play some cornhole Saturday afternoon before the winds really picked up. We had a few tournaments, but as the wind strengthened, we realized the game had to end because the bags were turning in the air and landing in random directions. It was still a fun afternoon as we listened to the sounds of the ranch, played music, and enjoyed games.

Saturday night we planned to cook pork tenderloin for dinner over the campfire. Greg took the lead in preparing the pork, and we got the fire ready for cooking. The pork turned out juicy and flavorful, and everyone enjoyed it. Erin and Carrie made instant mashed potatoes that paired perfectly with the pork.

After dinner and cleanup, we sat around the campfire enjoying the warmth. Having an unlimited supply of firewood is a real treat at this HipCamp because it allows us to keep the fire going as long as we want without worrying about finding more wood.

When Sunday morning rolled around, we were all sad to pack up and head home. As we packed, we talked about how we need to do the Hays, Kansas trip again and stay for more nights. We will see when we can fit that into our camping schedule since this year was busy with multiple trips. We enjoy camping so much, and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week.

A Week in Review: Busy Days, Sports Highlights, and Sweet Treats in Chicago

Sleepy Oliver

What a busy week it was last week! The week flew by and it seemed like it was nonstop every day into the evenings. After being away for part of the prior week, I was playing catch-up at work. Carrie shared a picture of Oliver with me while I was away, showing him sleeping on the couch with his tongue out. I felt like Oliver after such a hectic week.

This week is shaping up to be busy too. Work will be demanding as I try to complete projects, and then we have the NCAA D2 tournament starting for Washburn, followed by the Big 12 tournament. It will be a fun week!

Washburn had a disappointing first round in the MIAA tournament this past week, so I'm hoping they can get off to a good start in the NCAA D2 tournament. Washburn went 26-2 for the season but experienced their third loss in the MIAA tournament. I'm hoping the loss in the first round of the MIAA tournament will help the team focus on the NCAA D2 games.

Kansas basketball has had a down year. After starting the season at number one, we lost 11 games in the regular season. We lost three games at home and are 4-8 in away games. The games this season have been tough to watch at times, and we have blown a few leads.

Staying on the topic of sports, I have enjoyed listening to many of the Royals spring training games. With spring training happening, it means it's time for fantasy baseball drafting to begin. I have my first fantasy baseball draft this week. I only participate in three leagues, and last year I struggled in all of them. I didn't draft well or make good decisions during the season, which left me at the back of the pack in all three leagues. Still, it's a fun time and I enjoy following players on the various rosters.

Dessert at Gibbsons in Chicago

At the end of February, I went to Chicago for a conference. The conference was great, and I hope to go back next year. It was my first time attending the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) conference. I met many people from other Midwestern colleges and had good discussions. It was a smaller conference than I expected, with only about 65 people attending, but it was well worth the trip and time.

On Thursday night, the conference took everyone out to dinner at Gibbsons Steakhouse. The steak was excellent, but the thing everyone who had been in prior years talked about was the dessert. The dessert was shared with the table and it was fantastic. The picture to the left does not do it justice, as the slice was huge. We had a slice of ice cream cake and another of carrot cake. Both were really good. I want to take Carrie to Gibbons and also go back to Chicago. It was a fun trip and I ate well too.

A bit of a rambling post on this Sunday afternoon. I think that's all for today. Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week. Hoping we can keep the warmth and avoid any more cold or snow.

Lanebreak from Peloton Announced on February 17 and My Experience with Lanebreak

Earlier this week, Peloton announced Lanebreak which is a new game mode that Peloton has offered to create a game mode for when doing bike ride. I tried the new Lanebreak on Thursday evening for my ride. It was a fun ride using the resistance knob to change lanes, it is a fairly easy process and allows for gathering points by changing the resistance knob to hit certain markers in the game. Turning to the left (less resistance) takes you to the left and turning the resistance knob to the right takes you to the right. Easy enough to follow and do the game. 

I started off on the easy mode to see how it would work. The first thing I noticed and later read on a 9to5Mac article was that Apple Watch could not be used for Lanebreak. The 9to5Mac article went on to say how silently Apple Watch had been removed from many of the workouts on Peloton except for those that are bike riding. As I mentioned, I went on a span of a few months where I was not using Peloton at all and then the past few months I have only done bike riding. Thus, I had not noticed that the Apple Watch had disappeared from weight lifting, meditation, jogging, etc. It seems like an odd thing to do especially when Peloton is struggling and there are discussions of being bought out by another company (i.e. Apple, Amazon, Nike, etc.). Especially for Peloton to remove the option quietly without any notice of the feature disappearing. 

Back to my experience on the Lanebreak feature. I did enjoy my ride and I had a good workout. It was fun because using the resistance knob to change lanes on the track, it took away that I was increasing or decreasing resistance. I was riding and realized I was going 115 with resistance at 45 or 50 and because I was playing a game, I did not realize I had it set so high or going so fast. There is a heads up display as shown on the Lanebreak blog site showing your resistance, speed, etc., but when playing the game the focus is not on those items and instead focusing on get points. Obviously, that is the point of the game.

I do enjoy using the bike with my Apple Watch, so I know that Lanebreak is in test mode as it said on the screen there might be bugs that I had to agree to before using Lanebreak. I am hopeful that at some point Apple Watch will be included in this new feature. For now, Lanebreak will likely be something I try once or twice a month, but for my regular workouts, I will continue to do “normal” bike rides on my Peloton.

Fantasy Football Leagues Finish Up and Here are the Current Totals for Leagues I Belong #FantasyFootball #NFL #Results #blog

Fantasy football season comes to an end as the NFL regular season wraps up this week. Many fantasy games completed with the games last week. For everything that happened during the NFL regular season related to COVID-19, it was a fun season. Remembering back to drafts that took place back in early September to changes made to rosters or trades made with other owners, the season was fun. While some games were postponed to be played later, the majority of games went off without a problem or maybe a player or two not able to play because of COVID-19 restrictions.

I play in two different fantasy football leagues. Both are groups of friends of mine that have been playing for a number of years. One is free to play and the other is money league. The money league which is the Chiefs Kingdom Fantasy League, has been playing since 2016 and Beer Gut Fantasy Football League has been playing since 2011. The Beer Gut League has been playing long before 2011, but I was not part of the early leagues and then probably in 2006 - 2009, prior to my starting in that league, they played on another provider. I played a year or two on that other service and we have been on ESPN since 2010.

In the Beer Gut Fantasy Football League, I have won the league twice. I have also had a number of seasons where I have come in last, or almost last, in the league. For a while in Beer Gut Fantasy Football League we would have whomever lost be the commish the next year. A few years ago, we changed this process in this league though as we found that it was better to have one or two people that run the league each year which helps to keep things consistent. The new process has worked much better in the Beer Gut Fantasy Football League. 

No matter the league, fantasy football takes a bit of luck. I am by no means a fantasy beast. I recognize players names, know those that I like and want to draft, but stats or history is not something I follow like others in both leagues that I am a member. Luck plays into the process a great deal where one week I will play someone that gets 20 or 30 points and the next they only get 10 - 15 points the next week where they were expected to get 20 - 25. This is what makes the fantasy football process so much fun to try and put together a roster that gets the maximum points each week. It certainly also has me watching more games because I want to see what the players on my roster are doing each week.

The Chiefs Kingdom Fantasy League we have had five different winners in the five years of existence. Not too shabby! In this league, we do a random draft compared to Beer Gut where we reverse the draft each year where whomever finished last the season before gets the first pick the following year.

If you have not tried fantasy games with your friends, or random people, I encourage you to give it a try. It is a lot of fun and offers an increased interest in that particular sport.