Red Rocker Back in the Sac

Yesterday, I was driving back from Ceres after a live shot... a good 90 mile (or so) drive. After a jolt, the CHECK ENGINE light came on in my Jeep, and the engine sounded like it was struggling. It seemed unable to shift into the higher gears, becaue driving at 60 MPH was putting it into 6000 RPM... the red zone! I litterally COULD NOT DRIVE 55... and it took forever to get back to the station. This is a true story.

The following day... Sammy Hagar made an appearance in Sactown (technically Roseville) for a book signing. Coincidence? I think not...

And when the Red Rocker comes to town, the people come out IN FORCE! Hundreds of people lined up in what might have been the worst weather of the past year... wind, rain, even tornadoes here and there... to catch a quick scribble from Van Hagar himself. One guy even flew in from Washington for this event. Damn.

But then, Sammy is no stranger to the Sactown region. You may remember his appearance at Raley Field last Memorial Day? It was good to get re-acquainted with the guy... although he wasn't available for an interview before the signing (AKA he didn't get a chance to chat with the Yellow Rocker Alfonzo Beta). Oh well, perhaps on his next visit.

Sure... Dan Aykroid, Chuck Liddell and Amy Smart made time to chat with him... but I'm sure Sammy's a busy man.

But no hard feelings, it was great to see Mr. Cabo Wabo himself in town (I went "way down South" years ago to his club in Cabo.... I can honestly say it was the most excellent quesadella I've ever had), and I would be more than happy to step out on the town and see him again. Perhaps next time he can scribble that lil' John Hancock across everybody's favorite yellow local celebrity.

Until next time, Sammy... we'll be waiting!

The (Simulated) Force

The Force isn't something you mess around with. It requires great training and discipline, for with great power comes great responsibility.

That's why Modesto PD brought their Force Options Simulator to town. Time to train some officers in the ways of the Force!

This big rig video game allows officers to play through a variety of scenarios while equipped with a gun, a tazer and pepper spray. Perched in the back of the truck is a mysterious puppet master, who watches and listens to the officer's performance and, with a stroke of the key, can change the situation from calm to hairy.

I was invited to give this training program a little go-round today. Fortunately, I've been training for this day since my early childhood days of playing Hogan's Alley on Nintendo.

So I climbed into this virtual reality trailer and faced off with... an intoxicated homeless woman wielding a pipe. And damnit, I wasn't about to back down! I AM THE LAW!

So yeah, suppose I'm not Force material. But hey, that lady won't be stealing my cans anytime soon! Case closed.

Land of Milk and Potatoes

I've never been one to turn down an adventure, and I've found that one of the quickest and easiest ways to find yourself on an adventure is to strap a board to your feet and hurl yourself down a mountain. Ever since I was 10 years old, I've been tearing up the slopes of Lake Tahoe (although it took several years before I really figured out how to do it (and stopped complaining to my dad for making me)). But eventually I caught on and it became one of my favorite adrenalin sources to tap into.

So a few years back, I decided that I was gonna start seeking adventure by way of throwing myself down the side of this country's finest mountains. 2 years ago, I ventured out to Beaver Creek in Colorado, opened the mountain with Ski Patrol, and tore that rocky crag to pieces.

What, that's all you had to offer? That John Denver's full of shit, man! Although I will say that Beaver Creek's ridiculous altitude certainly made the booze kick in quickly! Hoo-wee!

The following year, my mission for adventure drove me out to the snowy lands of Snowbird in Utah. I had to dodge a few Mormons and consume an abundance of low-alcohol beer in order to find that adventure, but damnit I wasn't about to be stopped!

For all it may lack, Utah certainly makes up for it in vertical dropage!

So for year 3 (or 4 if you include Tahoe), I made my out to the land of milk of honey: Sun Valley, Idaho.

I gotta say, this place is amazing. I always thought that Tahoe was great, but imagine Tahoe without any lines, without douchey snowboarders and without the traffic. After January's trip to Northstar (with at least a 30 minute wait at each lift), this place was such a breath of fresh air! Everybody seemed to be old and skiers, but that just means that nobody is going to be crashing into you after doing something stupid.

All the lodges were gorgeous too, and held a real sense of history. It felt like this old place (celebrating its 75th anniversary this year) was what all the other ski resorts were modeling their new develoments after. Just a really awesome place to hit the slopes.

So with that, I check off another state that I've adventured in, and slap another ski patch on my snowboard bag. Mission: Accomplished.

So what's next? I hear there may be a trip to Ol' Canada in the works for 2012. Oh yeah, we're going international... all in the name of adventure!