Jarrett
Most Obnoxious Member 2016
Since I nixed Skyrush from the top spot in my bucket list earlier this season, the next biggest priority for me was to ride an RMC. Any RMC. I will be getting two in my general region next year so I know I'll be on one of their products sooner or later, but I wanted my first RMC to be a different one. With the timing of everything, Outlaw Run was the only attainable one for my winter trip, so Silver Dollar City was the obvious choice. I invited my friend Ben from Ohio and my girlfriend Emily (QueenOfSkyrush) from Canada. Emily had to work but Ben was able to go...and then Emily talked work into letting her go! We also planned to do the Gateway Arch on the way down and City Museum on the way back to break up the nine-hour drive.
Day 0
I woke up after a hard night at work, ready for the grueling run around Ohio to get Ben from his hometown and Emily from Toledo's Greyhound station. To my unpleasant surprise, I woke up to see that my parents had waited until the day of the trip to take issue to any of my plans, having completely screwed up our driving and sleeping arrangements. Frustrated, I went with it and hopped into the rental car we didn't need yet to drive to Ashland to grab Ben.
The drive to Ashland was annoying and the radio in my rental sucked but I got Ben! I gave his parents a thank you card for helping us out with the trip and we headed to Toledo to go get Emily.
I knew Emily was nervous to meet me in person for the first time, and while I usually am, I told her I wasn't. However, in the moment, driving along the Ohio Turnpike left me terrified. I spent the whole time freaking out and screaming voice messages at her as Ben held down the button and laughed while dropping the occasional dirty one. We neared Toledo when I got a message from Emily saying that their bus would be an hour late! Ugh! Literally the last thing I needed, another hour of this wait killing me!
Ben and I stepped into the station for a bit, used the scariest bathroom ever (think the Saw movies), and grabbed a Hershey bar as I freaked out in the car outside.
After waiting for an hour, I stepped back into the station and started really succumbing to my nerves. I started pacing back and forth, my hands shaking, telling Ben how I was freaking out as he told me that "it's just Emily," and that I shouldn't be worried. Finally, the lights of a bus came in and I got a message from Emily confirming that there were nerves on both ends. Finally, people started coming off the bus.
https://www.facebook.com/The.one.and.on ... 790618786/
The video of us meeting in person ^
Emily was the last to step through the door. I saw the girl I had been dating over Skype since November wearing her purple (her favorite color) coat. I couldn't not just run to her screaming her name and throw my arms around her. Everybody in the station stared as we embraced. I told her how much I loved her as Ben filmed. She went over and hugged Ben too before we got back into the car to head south on 75 back to Dayton for the night.
We stopped in Bowling Green (where Ben goes to school) on the way back to Dayton and turned Emily American at Waffle House!
After a grueling two-hour drive, we finally pulled up to my house! My parents got to meet Ben and Emily before they went to bed. We stuck Ben in the living room on the air bed as my sister shot him the death stare from her laptop and went to bed. Emily and I crashed on the hideaway couch in the TV room. I could hardly sleep that night, not only from my sleep rhythms being way off but also not being used to having Emily there in person since we had only slept together on Skype. I snuggled up to her and got a couple of hours of sleep (not nearly enough for the massive drive to Missouri on the plate for the next day) and hoped for the best.
Day 1
After accepting that I wasn't getting any sleep, I drug myself out of bed. We woke Ben up, got dressed, and after a quick stop at PNC, got on the road!
Taking Emily to American Taco Bell!
After clearing Indiana, trouble started. A massive stretch of 70 West was closed due to flooding in southern Illinois, forcing us to hop around the highway until we could get back on. But after the drive, we saw the Gateway Arch peer over the river and we were in St. Louis! Driving to the arch and parking was a pain and we took one wrong turn but we did get there in the end.
The park around the arch was being landscaped which screwed me out of nice pictures of it but I did get a few.
Boarding passes for the gondolas!
Needless to say, I clung to Emily like a little **** in these cramped things! Me and tight spaces are a no!
The view from the top was gorgeous!
Courthouse that's somehow important!
Us at the top!
Ben and Emily!
The arch was absolutely beautiful inside and out and I'm so glad we went! Definitely do this if you're coming through, you can't miss it!
Selfie with this thing walking back to the car!
Once we got back, we left St. Louis to drive across the entire state of Missouri at night. It was dark, boring, and despite one stop for Panera and one for gas while it was snowing, we just shredded right across it and got to Branson around midnight!
Emily trying on my signature button-downs in the hotel!
After we checked into our condo we climbed into bed and cuddled. And by we, I mean...
Long story short, Ben pushed me off the bed, Emily was snuggling on top of me, I rolled off the edge and pulled something in my calf, Emily went flying and crashed through the closet door forcing me to put my engineering heritage to the test and fix it.
TOMORROW: Silver Dollar City! Stay tuned!
Day 0
I woke up after a hard night at work, ready for the grueling run around Ohio to get Ben from his hometown and Emily from Toledo's Greyhound station. To my unpleasant surprise, I woke up to see that my parents had waited until the day of the trip to take issue to any of my plans, having completely screwed up our driving and sleeping arrangements. Frustrated, I went with it and hopped into the rental car we didn't need yet to drive to Ashland to grab Ben.
The drive to Ashland was annoying and the radio in my rental sucked but I got Ben! I gave his parents a thank you card for helping us out with the trip and we headed to Toledo to go get Emily.
I knew Emily was nervous to meet me in person for the first time, and while I usually am, I told her I wasn't. However, in the moment, driving along the Ohio Turnpike left me terrified. I spent the whole time freaking out and screaming voice messages at her as Ben held down the button and laughed while dropping the occasional dirty one. We neared Toledo when I got a message from Emily saying that their bus would be an hour late! Ugh! Literally the last thing I needed, another hour of this wait killing me!
Ben and I stepped into the station for a bit, used the scariest bathroom ever (think the Saw movies), and grabbed a Hershey bar as I freaked out in the car outside.
After waiting for an hour, I stepped back into the station and started really succumbing to my nerves. I started pacing back and forth, my hands shaking, telling Ben how I was freaking out as he told me that "it's just Emily," and that I shouldn't be worried. Finally, the lights of a bus came in and I got a message from Emily confirming that there were nerves on both ends. Finally, people started coming off the bus.
https://www.facebook.com/The.one.and.on ... 790618786/
The video of us meeting in person ^
Emily was the last to step through the door. I saw the girl I had been dating over Skype since November wearing her purple (her favorite color) coat. I couldn't not just run to her screaming her name and throw my arms around her. Everybody in the station stared as we embraced. I told her how much I loved her as Ben filmed. She went over and hugged Ben too before we got back into the car to head south on 75 back to Dayton for the night.
We stopped in Bowling Green (where Ben goes to school) on the way back to Dayton and turned Emily American at Waffle House!
After a grueling two-hour drive, we finally pulled up to my house! My parents got to meet Ben and Emily before they went to bed. We stuck Ben in the living room on the air bed as my sister shot him the death stare from her laptop and went to bed. Emily and I crashed on the hideaway couch in the TV room. I could hardly sleep that night, not only from my sleep rhythms being way off but also not being used to having Emily there in person since we had only slept together on Skype. I snuggled up to her and got a couple of hours of sleep (not nearly enough for the massive drive to Missouri on the plate for the next day) and hoped for the best.
Day 1
After accepting that I wasn't getting any sleep, I drug myself out of bed. We woke Ben up, got dressed, and after a quick stop at PNC, got on the road!
Taking Emily to American Taco Bell!
After clearing Indiana, trouble started. A massive stretch of 70 West was closed due to flooding in southern Illinois, forcing us to hop around the highway until we could get back on. But after the drive, we saw the Gateway Arch peer over the river and we were in St. Louis! Driving to the arch and parking was a pain and we took one wrong turn but we did get there in the end.
The park around the arch was being landscaped which screwed me out of nice pictures of it but I did get a few.
Boarding passes for the gondolas!
Needless to say, I clung to Emily like a little **** in these cramped things! Me and tight spaces are a no!
The view from the top was gorgeous!
Courthouse that's somehow important!
Us at the top!
Ben and Emily!
The arch was absolutely beautiful inside and out and I'm so glad we went! Definitely do this if you're coming through, you can't miss it!
Selfie with this thing walking back to the car!
Once we got back, we left St. Louis to drive across the entire state of Missouri at night. It was dark, boring, and despite one stop for Panera and one for gas while it was snowing, we just shredded right across it and got to Branson around midnight!
Emily trying on my signature button-downs in the hotel!
After we checked into our condo we climbed into bed and cuddled. And by we, I mean...
Long story short, Ben pushed me off the bed, Emily was snuggling on top of me, I rolled off the edge and pulled something in my calf, Emily went flying and crashed through the closet door forcing me to put my engineering heritage to the test and fix it.
TOMORROW: Silver Dollar City! Stay tuned!
