It's high tide – or high time – I share my inaugural Parrothead experience! Finally going through pictures and reliving the experience that is a Jimmy Buffett concert.
The morning of July 20 dawned hot and humid with 82 degrees at our house at 9 a.m. It's not wonder the big, bad storms blew through that day. In fact, we were watching dark clouds in our rearview mirror most of our way down to Alpine Valley. Later we learned off all the storm damage in the Rapids area and even our neighborhood, but were assured our house and trees were OK. So we stayed in Margaritaville.
We met up with our veteran crew – friends Kyler and Julie and their pretty much annual Parrothead gang – outside of Alpine Valley so we could caravan in together. There's a system to everything and they knew what they were doing!
As you can see, you gotta park certain ways so you can set up you canopies – quite useful in hot sun and, in our case later that afternoon, driving rain.
Here's our crew. Parking side by each we managed to have 6 cars (3 rows) so we (they) could set up the canopies, tables and grills. It's a system, like I said.
No lack of food or beverage, that's for sure. Though the sweet stuff got soaked later!
Here's Kyler and Jim, who worked together a dozen years at the publishing house in Iola.
And a rare photo while the sun was shining.
Because yes, this was the view before the clouds broke.
All these smart people with tents!
After the rain, we walked around to catch some of the Parrothead Party surrounding us. Fins to the left, fins to the right!
So many parrots.
Whatever they were doing with stuff inside ice, they told us they couldn't use a chainsaw this year. Uhm, probably good unless you can find a sober operator.
These people even brought in their own beach sand! It's serious business.
Me: Look at the lighthouse! Jim: No, you can't have one.
Kyler's wife Julie and I befriending a shark! We have a unique fin-ship. Ha.
How much stuff can they fit in their cargo shorts and can they find it?
Time for the concert. Follow the crowd of interesting outfits.
We had general admission seats on the lawn – on the hill. My first time ever to Alpine Valley. It's quite a hill. You can see behind us that we positioned ourselves sort of center stage. But far away.
A panoramic of the hill.
And here's our gang!
And goofy-ness.
And well-behaved. Momentarily.
Concert-time temperature. Wow.
See, we could catch glimpses of Jimmy on stage.
But for the most part, watched on the screens.
There was entertainment in the crowd, too. Lots of beach balls boppin' around and later, these light-up fins making their way through the crowd.
And the crowd... always standing. Always singing. Always having fun.
It was a great time. The only downers were getting stuck in the mud trying to get out of the parking lot. And they having that process of leaving take some 2 hours.
We were so exhausted by then that rather than get home at 4 a.m., we found a cheap hotel in Madison and crashed for a few hours. Woke up somewhat refreshed... craving Cheeseburgers in Paradise.
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