Royalty returns to Minneapolis to see the Vikings play after a brief stay in Winnipeg!

Opening Kickoff

The King and I enjoyed our return visit to Winnipeg. It wound up being a short stay but a sweet one just the same.

We took care of "business" if you will by visiting the MTS Centre which brought us back up to date with all the current NHL rinks.

We left Winnipeg around 10PM Saturday night. We dodged the local traffic from the game and the downtown area as we made our way back to the States. We were only a mere 460 miles from our next destination of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

We got to the border around 11:30PM. In a matter of minutes, we were back in our country. The lady at customs asked us some easy questions and we responded accordingly so another visit to Canada was a success for us.

We proceeded to drive back to Super 8 in West Fargo, North Dakota to get some sleep. I was originally counting on a real good night sleep but once I found out the game time of the Viking game was changed to Noon central time, I was forced to adjust my game plan to account for the late change. I did know in the back of my mind it was a possibility so it didn't catch me by surprise. I made the necessary adjustments and thanks to help from mother nature we achieved our goal.

As a result, the King and I settled for three less hours of sleep. We ate a quick breakfast at the hotel and on the road we went back to the Twin Cities.

We arrived in Minneapolis just before 11AM Sunday morning. We drove around the somewhat slippery downtown area to see what parking options we had. After driving for a short period of time, we finally found a free spot within a mile and a half of Mall of America Field as it's known these days. It used to be called the Metrodome for those who still refer to it that way.

The King and I rounded up a few tickets and inside the building we went. It was officially Tebow Time as the Vikings were hosting Tim Tebow and the red hot Denver Broncos. We barely got in on time but in royal fashion, we saw the opening kickoff and the final play of the game.

As for the game we saw, it was very entertaining from start to finish.

From an early safety to the game winning field goal. This was a great game to be at. It gave the Packers and Giants a run for the money as it turned out to be an amazing prelude to that game on Fox thanks to flex scheduling. This game was originally supposed to be on CBS but NBC changed the Sunday night game they were showing. As a result, Fox became the benefactor. As for the King and I, the exciting game keep us awake despite the fact we lacked some additional sleep that we really could have used.

The Vikings looked good despite their horrible record. In particular, their rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, who was a surprise early first round pick in the April draft out of Florida State. He threw for a Viking rookie record 381 yards passing but instead of padding his record he threw his second interception of the game which led to the game winning field goal by Matt Prater who made a 23 yard field goal at the final gun to give the Broncos another improbable victory, 35-32. As for Tim Tebow, he did what he's does best. He started slow but as the game wore on, he made one big play after another to put his team in position to win. Like him or hate him, he's been very intriguing to watch. One moment he looks awful, the next moment he looks a force to be reckoned with. Keep the faith, Bronco fans I think you've found your quarterback of the future.

After we saw the Tebow show, the King and I went back to the car and we took Natalie Kaess' advice as we took a ride out to Woodbury, Minnesota where the Machine Shed she told us about was located. It was slightly out of the way but it was well worth making the trip there.

After we had a hearty dinner in salute to the American farmers, we took another joy ride this time to Welch, Minnesota where we killed some time at the Treasure Island Casino since we weren't going home until Monday morning.

Stay turned for the w/o 12/5 in review for the final details of this classic weekend getaway and the rest of the week as it unfolded.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is heading back to Minnesota and Winnipeg to see hockey and football!

It's going to be December in a few weeks, Royalty will be spending the first weekend of the month in the Upper Midwest.

The game plan is as follows:

The King and I are going to the Twin Cities and North of the Border.The main purpose is to see MTS Centre, home of the new Winnipeg Jets who in the off season relocated there from Atlanta. The King and I were there once before in March 1996 when we saw the original Winnipeg  Jets play at the old Winnipeg Arena. This time we're going there so we can say we've been to every NHL arena again.

Friday, December 2nd we have a flight booked on American Airlines that departs NY LaGuardia Airport at 11:50AM Eastern Time and it's scheduled to land in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 1:45PM Central Time.

Upon arrival, I'll be renting a car and we're going to drive to St. Paul to see the Minnesota Wild play the New Jersey Devils in a hockey game that starts at 7PM local time.

After the game, we'll be driving halfway to Fargo, North Dakota to get some sleep before we continue North to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Saturday morning.

Saturday, December 3rd Devils at Jets 6PM Local Time

After the game we're driving back to Fargo to spend the night.

Sunday, December 5th, we'll be at Mall of America Field formerly the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis to see the Minnesota Vikings take on the Denver Broncos. Kickoff is now scheduled for 12 Noon local time thanks to the flex scheduling. Less sleep for the weary.

After the game, I'll be spending the night in the Twin Cities before we head back East to go home.

We'll be flying back home on Monday, December 5th. Our flight on American Airlines departs Minneapolis at 8:50AM Central Time and lands at LaGuardia at 12:30PM Eastern Time.

Please feel free to check back for all the details of how this adventure played out. As long as mother cooperates, this will be an instant classic roadie royalty style.

If you want to join us, please let me know so I can arrange to make it happen.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty finally sees the Jets win in Denver, 24-20!



I'm in the building at 5,280 feet



It took three tries but I finally saw the Jets knock the Broncos off their horse.

Back on 11/8/92, the King and I saw the Jets there for the first time at Old Mile High Stadium. Browning Nagle was the Jets quarterback that day. Needless to say, they lost.

On 1/19/99, they had a 10-0 lead at halftime, then came the endless third quarter when they totally collapsed with a trip to the Super Bowl awaiting the winner. Even on John Elway's worst day as a pro he still found a way to win. He completed only 13 out of 34 passes that day.

Now with the Broncos in their new stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High which opened in 2001, we saw the Chargers play there in 2002 but it was time to see the Jets there.

In Broncos Country on this day, it was Orange Sunday. They told everybody to wear Orange. I was going to see the Orange get crushed.

In the end, I finally got my way much to the chagrin of the natives who were on hand.

Unlike Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Howard, the Jets survived a scare and found a way to win the game in my third visit to Denver to see them play. It made their record 5-1 which is nice but it didn't earn them a trip to the Super Bowl just yet.

As for the game, it was a see saw battle through out. This game had some history to it as Nick Folk of the Jets kicked a team record 56 yard field goal. Matt Prater of the Broncos booted one from 59 yards out. That was the longest field goal I've ever seen in person. The altitude helps when you're a mile high.

With the Jets down 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Mark Sanchez marched the Jets down the field with possible help from the officials but he was able to scramble and buy time as Santonio Holmes was able to get in position to catch a pass at the 2 yard line. Holmes missed the pass but the yellow flag flew out indicating there was pass interference on the Broncos.

Earlier in the game, the Jets were called for three pass interferences.

With the ball at the Bronco 2 yard line, a familiar foe and former Charger, LaDainlian Tomlinson got the ball and he put the Jets ahead as he scored a touchdown with 1:13 remaining.

The Broncos had the ball near midfield with 43 seconds to go. They called a timeout. The next play their quarterback Kyle Orton couldn't handle a bad snap and the Jets recovered the ball to preserve the 24-20 victory. What a sigh of relief that was.

The monkey was finally lifted off my back.

What a way to end a great weekend.

It should be noted before the game I was able to meet up with a friend of ours, Dick Harding, whose from the Denver area. He came to the game with some friends so he couldn't join me for a post game dinner this time. It was still nice to be able to meet and greet him.

Another great weekend adventure is in the memory bank.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the "Other" Cowboys in Laramie, Wyoming!



I'm in the building at 7,220 feet



Upon my late arrival into Denver, my unrealistic chance of going to Fort Collins, Colorado to see Colorado State play UNLV at Noon went bye bye.

In retrospect, I'm glad it did.

As a result, I was able to drive through Fort Collins on my way to Laramie, Wyoming and I was able to take my time so I could enjoy the breath taking scenery that only the West can offer.

I arrived in Laramie around 2:30PM which gave me plenty of time to get ready for the football game that was starting at 4PM.

The Wyoming Cowboys were hosting the Utah Utes who were ranked number 10 going into this game.

I didn't have a ticket in advance. I figured I shouldn't have a problem finding one outside. Needless to say, I didn't. They had tickets available at the box office for $30. I saw someone outside who wanted $20. I decided to wait it out for a short time. I was able to talk someone down to taking $10. I did good and I proceeded inside to check out the venue. It was nothing special. I did enjoy seeing their mascot Pistol Pete and Cowboy Joe though.

As for the game, the Cowboys managed to hang around for awhile but in the end they proved to be no competition for the Utes who went on to win, 30-6!

I was fortunate to meet a few people who were from Casper, Wyoming. They were Dan & Ardys Sterkel. Ironically, Ardys told me she's coming to NYC for the first time at the end of the month with her sister who's been here four times. I exchanged contact information so we can hopefully hook up when they visit. I want to help may her first visit as memorable as possible. I hope she contacts me so I can do so.

After the game, I drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming to have dinner before I drove back to my hotel in Denver.

Stay tuned as I recap the Jet/Bronco game I saw that Sunday.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 10/11 in review

Monday after having to work on Columbus Day, it was time to go back to the New Meadowlands Stadium for another Monday night football game.

This one was going to be interesting since we knew for a few months that former Jet quarterback Brett Farve was returning as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. In addition, the Vikings in deseparate need of a wide receiver decided to reacquire Randy Moss from the Patriots.

The addition of Moss added to the MNF matchup.

The game was scheduled to start at 8:30PM but thanks to mother nature the game was delayed 45 minutes due to lightning in the area.

The fans were asked to get out of the seating area and to stay in the concourses for safety reasons.

Royalty came prepared for the possibility of rain by bringing a poncho just in case. That turned out to be a wise decision since the rain let up and they were finally able to play. But as the game and the night wore on, it rained again so I didn't get totally drenched like some other people who didn't plan accordingly.

As for the game, the Jets wound up hanging on for a 29-20 victory.

Brett Farve threw a few touchdown passes. One to Randy Moss and another to Percy Harvin.

In the end, Brett Farve gave the Jet faithful the last laugh when he threw his only interception of the game that Dwight Lowery took to the house for a touchdown that secured the win for the Jets.

Royalty had company on this night as my friend Jack Erbs and his girlfriend Wendy met me near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and we went to and from the game together.

We wound up meeting the King there since he went to the Devil game in Newark that started at 4PM.

Furthermore, I got to see Hans Steiniger, who was visiting the New Meadowlands Stadium for the first time. Hans is a huge football fan and he loves to tailgate before and after every game he attends.

For further details about Hans, please check out his great website, http://www.nflfootballstadiums.com/.

His site is also on my blog list. I strongly suggest that you take a look at his site. He's known for his "Quest for 31".

It was great to see Hans again. I met him for the first time last year at Giants Stadium when he came in for the Jets/Patriots game.

I do plan to see him again in Cleveland and New England when the Jets play in November and December.

After catching up on some much needed rest Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I went to Newark Friday night after work to see the NJ Devils take on the Colorado Avalanche at the Prudential Center.

The Devils fell behind 2-0 in this one and they couldn't catch up, they got within a goal but they fell short and lost to the Av's, 3-2.

Saturday morning I flew out to Denver, Colorado for the weekend to get a Rocky Mountain High on United Airlines.

After a false start, we finally took off from LaGuardia. We were going to be 25 minutes early going to Denver but believe it or not just before we were going to take off we were informed by the pilot that we needed to come back to the gate because there were bags that didn't belong on our flight. That's amazing considering nowadays they charge you to check your bags.

Thanks to that delay, we landed in Denver almost 25 minutes late which was a blessing in disguise for me.
Upon arrival, I rented a car from Alamo at the airport. I got a Toyota Corolla which was perfect for my needs. I didn't leave there until around 12 Noon Mountain time.

I was hoping to do the absolute impossible. I was hoping to stop in Fort Collins, Colorado to see the Colorado State/UNLV game that was starting at Noon. Thankfully I didn't get the opportunity to do so.

Instead I proceeded to drive to Laramie, Wyoming where I was planning to see the University of Wyoming Cowboys play the Utah Utes at 4PM Mountain time.

Sunday I went to the Jets/Broncos game at 2:05PM.

Please check back for all the details from this adventurous weekend.

Please bear with me as I try to play catch up. I've been very busy lately. When I have some free time I plan to go into further detail about this journey.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Rocky Mountain High in October!

In the music industry, they say the hits just keep on coming. In the travel industry, the trips keep on coming.

When you live the life of royalty, you never know what's coming next. I have alot of travel plans in the works but since they're not finalized yet I don't want to advertise them. Once I finalize them, I'll post them up for your viewing pleasure.

In the meantime, in the middle of October I'm getting a Rocky Mountain High.

The game plan is as follows:

As it stands now, I'll be going solo. My travel partner, the King, most likely has to work and he doesn't want to commit with the baseball post season interfering that weekend.

Saturday, October 16th I have a flight booked on United Airlines that departs NY LaGuardia Airport at 8AM Eastern Time and it's scheduled to land in Denver, Colorado at 10:35AM Mountain Time.

Upon arrival there's an outside shot that I may take a chance and race up to Fort Collins which is 70 miles North of Denver to see the Colorado State Rams play the University of Nevada Las Vegas aka UNLV in a college football game that kicks off at Noon local time.

It all depends on what time I get in and pick up my car rental.

Regardless I'm definitely planning to go to Laramie, Wyoming to see the University of Wyoming play the University of Utah in a college football game that starts at 4PM.

Laramie is 150 miles from the Denver International Airport. Fort Collins is conveniently on the way there. So if I deem it worth my while I'll give it a shot. It will be a "gametime" decision.

Sunday, October 17th, I'll be back in Denver at Invesco Field to see the Denver Broncos take on the Jets. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:05PM local time.

Monday, October 18th I'll be flying home. My flight on United Airlines departs Denver at 8:22AM Mountain Time and lands at LaGuardia at 2:09PM Eastern Time.

Please feel free to check back for all the details of how it turned out.

If you want to join me, please let me know so I can arrange to make it happen.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman