Southern Maryland in May 2007

What could be better than making crazy memories on Memorial Day? Nothing, thats for sure. Especially if you're friends with the Speedycop. This time around I was glad to get an invite for an event that I could actually attend because all previous years I found myself at work putting in boring hours while everyone else was having fun with their families, well no more!

There wasn't much planning involved leading up to this trip, I didn't even get a chance to get my car washed, but I figured after 256 miles drive through several Mid-Atlantic states it would get dirty anyway. So on Monday morning May 28th I headed down the Garden State Parkway to Brandywine, Maryland. I met up with my buddy Vin in Central Jersey and we hit the New Jersey Turnpike all the way down.

The drive was event-less, knock on wood. I was the lead car and we cruised at 80mph without bothering anyone along, and without being bothered ourselves by the police. We got to Jeff's house an hour and a half before we planned to do so, but the fun started that much earlier for us than everyone else...

The first thing me and Vin experienced was just how crazy the Speedycop really is. We jumped in his newly aquired (just for the event mind you) Jeep Cherokee, and hit the trails in his back yard at full speed. I almost lost my glasses on that ride, bouncing around the rear seat. We were going so fast, into so many different directions over no particular road, hitting tree stumps, loose gravel, ditches and mudd, it was the most fun I've had in years.

Once everyone showed up for the BBQ and after a few burgers, we started our paint ball games. The first two teams of 5 went out on the huge redneck back yard, we had two Jeep Cherokee's now (one older Jeep Wagoneer was bought just that morning from Jeff's neighbor just for the event) that were modified just for this battle which included removing all rear windows so that the gunners can shoot out of the back and started playing bumper cars with full size vehicles, it was insane. I drove one of the Jeeps the first game as the other four guys manned the windows, one sat next to me shooting out of the passenger window, two guys behind me shot out of each side window and the guy in the middle covered the back. It was incredible to say the least until of course I found myself going full speed into the ditch, that wasn't fun at all because as soon as the truck stalled we started taking fire and one of the paint balls splattered all over the back of my head. Another kid, one of my own crazy gunners, tried to fire forward and hit my driver side mirror splattering the front of my mask as well. It was nuts!


Besides the offroading, four wheeling, and smashing up junked cars, there was also a huge swing for some amazing pendulum fun, test driving other people's modified cars and catching up with old time friends and some new faces from the Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland area... the Beltway Bandits, many of whom wear a badge for a living in the District of Columbia.


The following day I went home via Reagan Regional airport dropping off one of Jeff's buddies. The drive there was awesome and I was very impressed with the George Washington Parkway that follows the Potomac River on the Virginia side, it reminds me a lot of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in New York and New Jersey. I went into downtown D.C. to do a little sightseeing, but decided to head home as the traffic the day after Memorial Day was supposed to be real bad, sure enough it really was. I did get to see Marine 1 on the front lawn of the White House with the propeller on, I think GW was heading to New York City metropolitan area too, but his travel time was far shorter.


It took me nearly twice as much time to get home as it did to get down there, but it was cool nonetheless. The trip also almost paid for itself because I bought my dad some smokes at nearly half of what he spends locally so everyone was happy. I got to do this more often. The last time I think I was at Jeff's house is when I did a ride along with him in Washington D.C.

Be sure to check out video's from the event on YouTube:

- The video of me taking fire as I'm shooting.
- Vin's video of the Jeff Paint Ball Game

And check out Jeff's web site at: www.Speedycop.com