Big Ol' Bug Smacker

I will let you know up front, last weekend was a very eventful weekend so let me start from the top.

On Thursday I had a couple of free passes for the Pig Gig. So after we set up camp at the Bay City State Park,  I ran inside the event to grab a rack of ribs from Aussom Aussie. These have been my favorites several times in the past so I knew I couldn’t go wrong. My niece Ashley and I pigged out on these on the way to Grandpa Tony’s to join the family for pizza. I didn’t know it then but these were the best ribs I had all weekend.

We went back out to the Pig Gig on Friday at noon for the annual Special Celebrity Rib Cook-off. We were sitting at a picnic table in the State Farm tent. We were finishing up a rack of ribs when all of a sudden my wife begins to slouch in her chair and gasp for air. She is having some type of heart problem. I called out for help and a woman with a State Farm volunteer shirt on came over. I informed her of our situation and that we needed to call 911. She said she would get help.

Several minutes passed which seemed like an eternity. I then asked her again if 911 had been called. She replied that they were. I thought to myself that even if they had been called, I was calling them again. I got them on the phone only to discover I was the first to contact them. I was shocked.

When someone is having heart problems every minute counts. These people didn’t seem to understand this. The State Farm woman had lied to me. Someone had gone to the stage to make an announcement for a doctor in the crowd and never bothered to call 911. All the time she informed me otherwise. As you can see the workers at the Pig Gig truly had no game plan ready for emergencies.

After the ambulance arrived, my wife and I got a ride to the hospital. By the time we arrived she was doing better. The episode had passed. They ran a bunch of tests and sent us home. Hopefully that is the end of that story.

The Navel Sea Cadets were managing the parking at the Pig Gig this year (I use the term “managing” very loosely). I hope they manage better out on the water than they do on dry land. Their only job was to keep track of how many spots were available for parking. After the parking lot was full all they had to do is let one car in for every one that left. When we arrived back at the Pig Gig on Saturday we were stopped at the gate by the Navel Sea Cadets and informed that we could not come in.  We were told that they had lost count and were just turning everyone away until they could figure out what was going on and how many spaces were available for parking.

Once we got into the Pig Gig we ran into Wendy Dore who runs the event. She was with her dad, Art. Wendy had heard of our situation the day before. We explained how dissatisfied we were with how everything was handled. We went on to tell her how unorganized the event has become. She apologized. Her dad then asked how my wife was doing and said”I guess we should have asked that to begin with”.

Back at the Bay City State Park we had several tents come in on Friday and setup on a couple of sites behind us. It was quite a large crowd of people. They took up a large area. A few of their tents were actually on our site.

Throughout the day these people would travel across our site to get water, use the rest rooms or shower. They would come within a few feet of our awning as they passed by. They had no respect for our privacy at all. Though we really didn’t like this, we didn’t want to make a fuss about it. I was not sure if they would even understand me. They were not speaking English. They spoke whatever language people from India speak.

The next morning I woke to find a large pile of trash was placed on our site during the night. I thought to myself that even if these people don’t know the rules of camping in a State Park they should have some sort of idea about what is to be just plain rude.

Once again I just let it slide. That was until one of them in an automobile decided to drive right through our site to get to their site behind us instead of going around on the road. I was sitting outside with my wife and parents when all four of us in unison yelled out “Hey, Stop right there!” Every big brown eye in the bunch was wide open, just like a deer in the headlights. They quickly apologized for causing problems.

You would think that would have been the end of it but, ten minutes later they were back to crossing through our site again.

To top it off we went down to Mussel Beach for a couple of cones of our favorite ice cream. It cost us over $8.00 for two cones where the ice cream barely crested the top of the cone. But it is somewhat hard to complain because Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream is really good.

We are camping this weekend at Gladwin City Park and Campground. When we pulled into the park we found only 3 available sites. The first spot was barely big enough to pitch a pup tent on.  Luckily enough the other two sites were actually quite large when compared to the others at this park. There is an upper and lower section. The upper is less level. The sites offer water and electric. The electrical service is only 20 amps.

After we setup camp, we headed over to the Riverwalk Grill which is located inside of the Riverwalk Place.   We were seated at a table overlooking the Riverwalk.  The grounds are nicely landscaped and from our seat we could watch people floating down the Cedar River. For dinner we enjoyed a couple of very good sandwiches. My wife had the “Philly Roast Beef Sandwich” and I enjoyed the “Riverwalk Reuben”.  Both came with homemade chips. This is a very good place to grab a bite to eat while in Gladwin.

The park has partnered with Gladwin Boat Rental which offers canoe, kayak and tubing right from the park. The Cedar River flows right through the campground. The river is fairly shallow and only about 20 feet wide. The current is quite swift.

We did not bring our kayaks this trip. The Cedar River looks like a nice ride. We will be returning sometime soon to give it a try.

I can’t go any further. Our 10 hour trip is now pushing 15 hours. With the stop and go traffic due to accidents and construction this has turned into a VERY long day.

We did stop for a bit to grab a bite to eat. I certainly don’t have any regrets there. The place we ate at was Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q. We had heard a lot of good things about this place and wanted to give it a try next time we saw one. I didn’t realize that the place we happened to choose was also in the place it all started, Gainesville, Florida.

I did not know what to try when we arrived. The waitress suggested the all-you-can-eat BBQ. She said I could try all the favorites that way. That is exactly what I did. The all-you-can-eat included Sliced Pork, Bar-B-Q Sliced Beef, Sweet & Smokey Ribs, Bar-B-Q Chicken, Pulled Beef Brisket and Pulled Pork. My wife ordered the Baby Back Ribs. Between the two of us we tried all the best BBQ Sonny’s had to offer and let me tell you it was exceptional.

Can you believe it, the all-you-can-eat Bar-B-Q is only $12 dollars. Thats less than a rack of ribs anywhere else.

Mickey Mouse here we come. I was here as a kid and I returned for the Millennium Celebration with my wife and two sons back in 2000. Now my wife and I are back again to celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary. No better place on earth to do just that than with a little Disney magic at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida.

We are staying at the Disney World Fort Wilderness Resort. Our site is located on Sunny Sage Way( the 600 loop), site number 603. This puts us in the middle of the park which is nice for traveling to and from other places in Disney. You will not find a cleaner, more kept place anywhere. This is not just a campground to accommodate those with RV’s so that they may visit the Disney World Parks. This is a destination in itself. People without RVs even choose to stay here either by renting an RV or by staying in one of the many cabins located within the resort. 

We chose to stay in a premium RV site. The site was paved, level and as with anywhere else on Disney property immaculately clean. It had full hookups including cable, even though we really didn’t have any time to sit and watch TV. It was nice to be able to check out the weather every morning before we headed to the parks. The only thing missing was free WiFi.

Fort Wilderness Resort has some of the best food you can find in all of Disney World. Visitors from other resorts migrate here to enjoy some of the best BBQ ribs and fried chicken you have ever tasted.  The breakfast buffet is also something you don’t want to miss. Check out the Mickey waffle!

Following dinner we headed down to the boat dock. On the way to the dock don’t miss the tree that grew around a mower. It is something else.

 From the dock you are able to get a great view of the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. Just prior to the fireworks guests of the resorts along the water are treated to an electric light boat parade. The music for the parade and fireworks is played throughout the dockside. This is truly an added hidden treasure exclusively for anyone staying at the Fort Wilderness Resort.

Epcot has one of the most impressive firework shows of any of the parks. You don’t want to miss IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. We arrived at the Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room 2 hours before the show so that we could get a water side table. From there you will have a great vantage point to view the fireworks and feel the heat rush by you from the flame throwers. If you are lucky you may even get to meet Alice (from Wonderland fame) who lives across the street.

I want to thank my wife Terri for the magical experience. Happy 25^th Anniversary dear.

Today was still a wet traveling day. It is still raining a bit, but the wind is much milder. We made our way to Pocahontas State Park in Virginia.

 Just a few miles from our destination the GPS locked up on us. This has happened to me in the past, so I called Garmin and they were kind enough to send me a replacement unit. That one had a bad battery so this one is actually my third one. Now this one is locking up just like the first one was. After a while you become reliant on the devices. You could find yourself using it to go out to the road to get the mail out of the box.

Once we found Pocahontas State Park, we setup camp and hurried off for dinner. Today is our 25th Anniversary so I had made reservations at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. This place has one of the BEST steaks that I have ever had the pleasure of slicing into. The steak is cooked at 1800°. It is brought to your table sizzling on a 500° plate. That way every mouth watering bite is hot and juicy. The service is exceptional. You feel as if you are sitting around the family dinner table. They spend time with you and go the extra mile to provide you with a royal experience. Words can’t say enough about this place.

 Before we pulled out of the state park the next morning, we took some time to look around. The sites are very nice. Some are pull-though sites. All of them have electric and water. The park is mostly shaded and kept very clean. We would definitely go back if we were ever in the area.

We wanted to go to Outdoor Adventures Wilderness Resort for the weekend. I called the reservation office and was informed that the Wilderness Park did not open for the year until May 1^st. I happened to be calling on the last day of April. I pleaded with the people at the office to go in today with no success. They would not allow me to come in today. I really can’t understand why they would not open a day early to capture the weekend business. After all it is a Friday. We ended up going to Outdoor Adventures Saginaw Bay instead.

After we setup camp, we went into town to look for Tony’s Taco. We had heard that he had closed his restaurant and went back to his concession wagon. He is now located a lot closer to the campground. It has been a while since we had the opportunity to eat there. The mexican food was excellent as usual.

It’s time for RIBS again which brings us to our annual stay at the Bay City State Park. Like every year the park is just filled with mosquitoes. The rain this year doesn’t help matters. They can be quite annoying, but that doesn’t stop us because we’re just here to make a “Run for the Ribs”.

I had picked up 14 advance tickets for friends and family to attend the Labadie Pig Gig with us on Saturday. Wouldn’t you know that Saturday was the day the sky let loose with a torrential downpour. I mean it wasn’t raining “cats and dogs”; it was raining “hippos and elephants”. That was not enough to stop us hardcore Piggy Munchers. We outfitted ourselves with raincoats and umbrellas and headed into the storm. We arrived to discover that even the vendors and competitors hadn’t shown up yet. We were all alone and HUNGRY!

This year the Sawmill Smoke House did not show up at all, so I figured that Aussum Aussie would regain their title for best ribs. I was wrong. A new contender had arrived called Barbecue Company. I believe that even if the Sawmill had shown up that they would have had to bow to the ribs from the Barbecue Company.

The BBQ Company ribs were juicy, succulent and fall off the bone tender. They had an apple wood smoke flavor that penetrated the meat right to the bone. The ribs were grilled in a dry rub and then glazed with two different sauces until they achieve their perfection. 

One more thing that I would like to mention is about the prices. Every year the price for the ribs goes up. This year was no exception. I can understand how this is inevitable but, in a year where money is tight and hardship is abundant, this is not a good time to raise prices. The thing that gets me is that I heard the rib competitors are informed by the event organizers as to the prices that are to set.  One competitor went as far as to state that they weren’t here to get rich, just to compete and serve good food. The organizers of this event need to remember why people attend this event, to eat ribs!  If people can’t afford them then why show up. If things get too out of hand I may be forced to head over to the Tofu Festival.