What can I say about today? I think it might be easiest to write a quick summary for each tank of fuel:
Last day at Camp Perry, and riding West
Last day on Perry: Rifles picked up, I’ll next see them in Portland. There’s some fab people in the US… Doing favours and helping others out is par for the course out here. RV was picked up, again, nice bloke, no problems, job’s a good’un. Took some photos of the bike on the range, probably won’t see that range again, at least for some time…
The ride west from Perry was … long & straight. Got the front fender of the bike riveted back on: Again, American hospitality at it’s best: stopped off at an auto repair place and he didn’t charge. Clearly, gave a tip instead, but… Scenery wise, there was nothing more than low undulations, through maize & arable fields & the occasional patch of woodland. Cost wise, I think I spent more on tolls on the Ohio Turnpike and the Illinois Turnpike than I did on petrol for the 300 mile trip. Have to say, I’m liking the mid-west less and less…
World Individual Long Range Championships
This post is a placeholder – to be updated later.
When it’s updated I’ll mention it in a new post…
World Individual Long Range Championships – Opening Ceremony & First Day
I suppose I ought to put up some posts about shooting. I mean, that’s why I’m here, right? It’s not just some extended jolly, swanning about the US on my bike, enjoying myself? There has to be an *excuse*…
So, backdated posts have been put in for the Mid-Range, Long-Range and Fullbore (TBC) competitions.
That said, the big one starts today: The opening ceremony for the Worlds. And quite a good one, at that… There’s a little something you have to know, to understand what makes this quite as special as it is: There’s a young lady, Sherri Jo Gallagher, who is about as friendly and helpful a person as you’ll ever meet. She’s also a bit of a top shot – World Champion at long range shooting (about 8 years back), holder of I don’t know how many National Records in the sport over the years, and who has been a top shooter in the Army Marksmanship Unit, up until about 2-3 years ago. Then, she went and won the Army Soldier of the Year award. By the end of that year, she was given an opportunity, which she grabbed (and unsurprisingly excelled at): Joining the Army Parachute Team – the Golden Knights. So, who was the first one down, hitting the target inch-perfect, and doing the display talk-through? Sherri. And we got to see a Golden Knights display, right onto the range we were about to shoot on, later in the day. Fandabidozi – click the pics to see full size versions:
As for the shooting, there was a practice in the morning, getting zeros and making sure kit was working as planned. Had a few shots just to settle in, but having shot for the preceding 2 weeks, had most of the morning off…
The first competition, this afternoon, went smooth enough. Dropped a couple of V’s more than I should have, but score was adequate: 75.10 out of a possible 75.15. A solid start.
Amish Country – a day out
Today was a culinary feast. I like days like today :o)
It was a leisurely start (well, to be more accurate it was a stressful but late start, due to dealing with the fallout of a bank in the UK who are almost impossible to deal with: Lloyds, who do not have a method of communicating by e-mail, so when their international payments go awry – 50% so far – you have to phone, in UK time, from wherever you are, and deal with the fact you have to chase every other day for over a week…). Meh. Moving on.
Got going around 10:45, and the going was pretty much what I expected for the first hour: Flat, straight, … more of the same. Slowly, though, the rolling hills started. Small at first, no more than 20 foot elevation, but there’s some pretty scenery there. Corn and Soya grown in abundance, and something else in places with a very pleasant smell (not sure what it was). The towns were pleasant, good sized plots and shiplap wooden houses set back from the road. There was the occasional historic quarter (buildings over 80 or so years, made from stone or brick). Gradually, the hills got more pronounced, and the countryside more interesting, until suddenly I spotted a horse-drawn buggy up a side road – Amish Country!
There’s a short video compilation of some buggies, and some of typical roads & scenery. Most pleasant to the eye – video behind the cut:
Fullbore National Matches
This post is a placeholder – to be updated later.
When it’s updated I’ll mention it in a new post…
Camp Perry – Long Range
For more details of what prone target shooting comprises, see the Shooting Page. To set the scene for those unfamiliar with US Long-Range (LR) shooting, it’s basically like MR shooting, except the range is 1000 yards (occasionally 800, 900 and 1000 on some ranges, though this is also called Palma shooting in some places). Like MR, you’re expected to pull targets (mark) for your fellow competitors, so in the course of a day you’ll shoot one range, score for your companion, then head for the pits to pull targets for the other 2 on your target. LR shooting at Perry is a bit less intense than MR, as there are only 2 details in a day, but it’s still quite a day…
The LR shoots carried on straight after the MR finished, so no break. By now, I was starting to get the hang of it though. A day-by-day summary is behind the cut:
Camp Perry – Mid Range
After arriving yesterday afternoon, it was somewhat of a rush to get everything sorted and into place in time for an 08:30 start the following morning, including getting register cards, food shopping, eating, unpacking, getting the rifle set up, etc. Still, just about made it…
For more details of what prone target shooting comprises, see the Shooting Page. To set the scene for those unfamiliar with US Mid-Range (MR) shooting, it’s open to people with (by UK standards) pretty much any rifle, with a scope or with iron sights, though the results are separated for each rifle type (any sights, iron sights and Palma – being iron sights with 0.308” calibre). It’s shot unsupported, the weight of the rifle taken by a sling (as in the UK). There are 2 unconvertible sighters and 20 shots to count, on a US target (which is both smaller and more punishing than the UK target). Ranges vary from 300 to 600 yards, and shooting is string shooting (one to the mound) with a time limit of 22 (?) minutes. You’re expected to pull targets (mark) for your fellow competitors, so in the course of a day you’ll shoot one range, score for your companion, then head for the pits to pull targets for the other 2 on your target. Repeat for 3 ranges and it’s a fairly intense day… Day-by-day summaries below the cut:
Camp Perry – Arrival Day
Having been bored to tears by the interstate yesterday afternoon, and only having about 130 miles to do today (before 1300, when I needed to arrive) I thought I’d take the scenic route, along the lakeside. It’s quite pretty, in that the houses on the lakeside are majestic. One might almost say grandiose, potentially bourgeois. For some, particularly those with 40-foot marble-effect columns holding up a grand (but probably fibreglass) entrance porch, the word pretentious might be more appropriate, but this is America, and a clearly wealthy part of it at that… I think what it lacks is probably a sense of community (those outside were generally mowing the lawn on their ride-on mowers with headphones plugged in, attention straight forwards to get the manicured lines absolutely straight and equal) and the place hardly felt inviting or friendly – a wonderful holiday home, but IMO not somewhere to live… Shops & cafes? Nothing on the lakefront road, I suspect if you want to meet people you either go round each other’s homes to sit in air-conditioned comfort (or out the back overlooking the lake) or go to the mall…
Still, after a couple of hours at the speed limit (25mph or 35mph) I don’t think I’d gained or lost more than 5 foot in elevation, the lakeside homes were still rolling by (and still very nice) the lake was still off to the right behind the grounds of the majestic homes, so the interstate beckoned.
Across NY & OH
It’s funny, isn’t it, how the little things matter so much:
Yesterday, Comfort Inn: Helpful, friendly, gave a discount when asked (cheeky but you have to!) and there happened to be free dinner on. With free help-yourself wine. Staff were friendly & talkative, I was made to feel included, happy punter…
Today, Holiday Inn, Mentor, near Cleveland OH. Lovely big reception area – clearly this is a wedding venue (wedding rehearsal on this afternoon – do they really do wedding *rehearsals* over here?). But… More money for the room, reception are unreceptive to anything, attitude was very much “we’re over 90% full, take it or leave it”. The room itself is less well finished, bed is not as comfy, there is no info in the room (about anything: restaurant, hours, room service, bar, etc) there’s a couple of eateries nearby but they’re classic drive-to-the-mall-and-eat places. Generally, the place feels like a chain (take that how you read it!). And guess what, having got a take-out from across the car park, there’s no cutlery or crockery (despite there being a microwave in the room) and the dining hall is closed. The bar (being a 3′ wide portable cabinet, in what I thought was a reception / small function room) had a bloke standing behind, helpful enough, but it doesn’t do any beer other than tiny & overpriced bottles of Bud Light; wines are only by the bottle and not by the glass, and it’s “red or white or rose”. Looked like they were selling more canape-type snacks than drinks, and I’m not entirely surprised… (Looked like wedding reception type snacks… Wonder where they came from???)