What's a title year without an epic road trip?! We were invited to present a Puppy Obedience Training class at Kink U in Cincinnati and to present rope suspension demos at the bar during the social times. How could we say no? Flights were prohibitively expensive, and we almost did. But we looked at the calendar and a map and decided to make the drive.
We started out on this ever-changing road trip on Wednesday morning. Before we left to head east, we had to detour north to Boulder to pick up Luckey's phone that he left in his friend's car the night before. This set the tone for the entire trip - be flexible and have fun! Our original plan was Denver to Kansas City, MO, then Indianapolis, IN, then Cincinnati, OH, Kink U, and reverse the directions. Needless to say, that changed about two hours into the trip. We decided to swing over to Columbus after Kink U was done and visit our friend Pup Dino. Then take the northern route to the west and drive to Des Moines in one day, and finish up with a quick jaunt to Cabelas in Nebraska on our way back to Denver.
The roads were easy and the weather was great. We got to Kansas City with no issues and stayed with Chad and Richie for the night. Next morning we were driving and thinking about lunch and realized we'd be close to St. Louis. Luckey contacted Auntie Karen (Karen Ultra) and we met her for lunch before finishing up the drive into Indianapolis and staying with our friend Kyle. The next day was a short drive, so we went out to the 501 Eagle for a visit after dinner. Met some great people out for the pool tournament - Pup Spaz showed us around the bar, and the Falcons made us feel at home. After breakfast (amazing red velvet pancakes with chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting) we made the quick drive into Cincinnati.
Now, I'm going to say this, and I may take some grief for it. But if you ever visit Cincinnati and they offer to take you to eat Cincinnati Style Chili - DON'T DO IT. We ate Skyline Chili, a local institution. It is the stuff of legends. Legendary gas and legendary gastric distress. I enjoyed the taste, but I could not live with the results. I was terrified that I would accidentally sneeze and totally explode for the next three days - and I have a strong system. Just don't eat it.
Friday night continued at On Broadway bar, where our friends brought in a portable sling stand. Luckey tied and tied and hung several people up in rope that night.
We kicked off Saturday at Kink U with our Puppy Obedience Training class at the Below Zero Lounge. That was a lot of fun! We had a good sized room and several pups and handlers right up front. After talking through the class part, we had demo time and put the ideas into practice. Classes continued through the day on dungeon furniture, rope bondage, flogging, shackles and handcuffs and restraints, relationship dynamics - three bootblacks worked the entire day and night - there was much fun for everyone. Le Chateau brought their store so there was shopping available and Alexis to squeeze. Once we got everything loaded out from the education area, it was time for dinner.
Second food warning - if the locals take you to Kentucky for Mexican food, listen to your hosts about portion size! Luckey and I decided to split an order of fajitas for dinner, so we ordered it for two. They warned us that we could not finish the giant order for one, but we were silly and didn't listen. Oh my. We got the most enormous plate of food ever! We ate and ate and ate, and maybe put down a quarter of it. It didn't look like we ate anything! Leftovers for days!
After eating more than we should, it was time to get dressed in tight leather for the Black & Blue Ball. The locals at the Below Zero Lounge were a bit surprised by the leather invasion, but good natured about it. When it was time to wind down and cool off, the temperature cranked up at The Serpent. We wrapped up the night at this sexy men's hot spot. Brunch on Sunday was back at Below Zero, and then it was time to hit the road. Congratulations to Matt and John and all the local team that pulled together Kink U in Cincinnati! You guys did a great job!
Pup Dino was excited that we were coming to visit, and we decided to go to the zoo! There was a dinosaur exhibit, lots of hot and sexy men, and a stingray petting exhibit! You could even feed them! That was a blast! Then we headed back to his place in the Short North for dinner and some bar time. Turns out, it was Columbus Pride weekend. Luckey grabbed some rope, and soon Dino was tied up and paraded around Exile, shirtless and helpless to resist. I suspect he loved it. The bar was crowded and friendly and I had some great conversations with people. Fun times!
Early on Monday, it was time to leave. Far too soon for my taste, but we had a long day ahead of us. This day brought us some weather as we approached Iowa. There was some serious rain. The kind where we were white knuckle driving slowly with both of us looking for the white lines to make sure we stayed on the road kind of rain. But we made it through safe, and enjoyed grilled kabobs and an amazing baked cauliflower dish with Jeremy and Aaron and friends while watching True Blood and relaxing.
Tuesday put us on the road to Denver, but we had a quick side trip to Sidney, Nebraska to visit Cabelas. It was fun to see such a huge outdoor sport store and stretch our legs for an hour. It seemed that the last leg took far too long, as my bed was calling me. Safely home, we unloaded the car and had a quick dinner, and crashed into sleep.
It was great to spend the week with Luckey on the road. It was awesome to spend time with Chad, Richie, Jay, Kyle, Demarius, Nuzz, Vidhra, Dylan, Hercules, Matt, John, Bella, Gabriel, Zech, Rocky, Bryce, Dino, Jeremy, Aaron, and Evie. I'm sure I've missed some, but please know we love you all. Thank you for making this such a wonderful trip.
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