The Upstate Life

Monday, July 11, 2005

Ocean City Edition

Do you remember a time when The Upstate Life actually ran this weekly feature? Well, despite the fact it's been far too long, The Weekend Wrapup has gloriously returned, at least for this week. TUL ventured out this past weekend to Ocean City, a place for which I have previously never been despite my four years at the University of Maryland, and despite another two after graduating. Well, after nearly six years residing in the DC area, it was due time to see what all this fuss was about.

The group had decided on a camping trip, something I wasn't the most enthralled about since just over a week prior I spent an evening in a Bedouin tent in Israel along with roughly forty other people. After that interesting evening, TUL thought he had filled his camping excursion quota until at least next year. Then again, at least the campground in Ocean City didn't have a rooster waking my ass up at four in the morning. Anyways, since TUL lacked any sort of tent, we were able to borrow one from our friend in Bethesda who hadn't even opened the box yet. Little did we know that setting this thing up at 11:30 at night would prove to be one of the most difficult challenges The Upstate Life had faced in awhile (and this is from someone who rappelled down a mountain). After several attempts and numerous volunteers, we ultimately failed in setting up this behemoth of a tent (it apparently holds six and has a mud room, a mud room!) and drank instead. Then again, any tent that has a metallic spider mechanism to connect all of the support beams should never be set up after sunset. Fortunately, one of the members of the group had an extra tent we could use rather than pitching something a catering company could've easily set up shop in.

After successfully putting our tent up, we proceeded to play some drinking games around the fire before getting some much-needed rest. This past Saturday morning was probably the first time I've woken up before 8am in at least a year I would gather. The reason: the sunlight striking our tent, causing the inside to heat up at a rate of one degree per minute. Literally, it came to the point of not being able to sleep because it got so damn hot in there. It was like leaving a sauna once I unzipped the door and made my way outside. The beach was a great time and Rachel's recently-purchased portable iPod speakers proved to be a hit with the crowd. Highlight of the boardwalk had to be Thrasher's Fries. TUL has consumed his fair share of french-fried potatoes, but these were hands down some of the best fries I've ever had. You're a sucker if you've been buying Boardwalk. One other thing: the sand sculpture of Jesus kind of freaked TUL out, and that was only one of four religious-themed sculptures that were right next to the frickin boardwalk, on a public beach mind you. I mean, confederate flags in front of every other storefront I can deal with, but this was just bizarre and a little unsettling. Well that, and seeing some 50+ year old lady wearing a bikini with a pierced naval smoking a menthol. My eyes were burning worse than when I got them wet in the Dead Sea.

As much as I was anticipating going to this place Seacret's everyone was talking about on Saturday night, it never came to fruition. We rather had some fun at the campsite instead, going through at least two cases of Miller Lite amidst a deadly but hilarious game of "Three Man". The morning greeted TUL the same as the day before, except this time I woke up with a nice heat rash that covered my neck. I'd take a camera pic of it except the resolution probably wouldn't do it justice of how foul it really appears. Since then, I've tried to limit my public appearances until this plague is in remission.

Posted by Brett at 5:10 PM |