Camping with Hurricane Sandy

Another weird headline, but here’s the deal: I’m heading to the Ocala National Forest in the morning for a fun, albeit abbreviated, weekend of easy-ass camping with a bunch of fellow GeoGeeks. This is not the type of camping I would have been caught dead doing as recently as five years ago, but as the Turkey ages, he has to concede that backpacking with a bad back is not very pleasurable. So, it’s the Griswolds, senior citizen style now.

I’ll drag two kayaks on an 18′ trailer. I have a Thule car top carrier in which I’ve loaded the following backpacking supplies:

• folding camo chair (my throne) with ottoman
• a hammock, where I will spend the time I would have spent hiking
• 3-man backpacking tent, just for historical reference
• cushy, thick, air cell, ThermaRest pad
• another ThermaRest closed-cell foam pad
• a real pillow!
• two sleeping bags, 20 and 40 degree rated, respectively

And that’s only the car topper. I’ve got lots of other “stuff”, but I won’t bore you with that, other than to tell you that the cooler contains a case of Sierra Nevada. Artificially Sweetened will arrive on Friday with the Martha Stewart kitchen and the gourmet food.  However, [cue minor key music played by cello] I have to say that there’s a hurricane named Sandy bearing down on the Bahamas, which threatens to thrown a wet, windy blanket over the quasi-weekend’s festivities.

My original plan, which I’ll still try to complete, has be leaving the camping area on Saturday afternoon in order to get to Mike’s Garage in time for the kickoff of this latest “Game of the Century,” the game which, if won, will cure all of Penn State’s ills, “arguably the most important game of the year” (attribution uncertain, but a lot of the sports yokels are calling it that), namely, Ohio State vs. Penn State.

“I’m good, I’m good, I’m all good. Just a little bit sore, but that’s about it. I’d say I’m full go.” —Braxton Miller

It is that game, Penn State’s potential apotheosis, that I set out to write about here. But you’ve already read all you need to know about the technical aspects of the game, and you already have your opinion as to what is going to happen in it. In that respect, it is sort of like the forthcoming presidential election. We’re all suffering from factoid spindiasis: overloaded with facts and spin, but with mind probably all but made up. (I’ve had enough “Romnesia” and “Obamamania” and all that. But I digress.)

So, because Ima go camping and because you already know what is happening this weekend, by whom, to whom, and for what. No sense being redundant. I wanna get outta here!

Braxton Miller is going to play. That’s significant. Kids are living in “Nittanyville” and there will be a white-out on Saturday. Those are significant. OSU can be scored upon. That’s significant. The Big Ten ain’t what it used to be. That’s significant. Penn State special teams suck. That’s very significant. All of this significance has driven the gambling line to dead even with a 50-point over/under.

Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) comes into this game off a near upset against Purdue. In the conference, they’ve also beaten Moo U., Nebraska, and Indiana. Meanwhile, Penn State (5-2, 3-0) is feeling pretty good about itself after a couple of lopsided wins over mediocre conference foes. Iowa is a mess, Northwestern isn’t much better, and Illinois — well, if ya ain’t got nothing good to say, don’t say it! Thing is, the Nittany Lions haven’t beaten anybody, but Ohio State has.

While there is love in my heart, there is ice in my veins. I’d sure like to go with Penn State. I really would, but…

Ohio State State 22, Penn State 21 and take the “under”.