After leaving the Ace Run Ranch we headed down to Orlando and stayed at Turkey Lake Campground. The heat continues. Gregg Hosfeld put on a disc golf / K9 / Freestyle event on the lovely grounds at Cypress Gardens. The disc golf included 12 holes out in the 'islands.' About five of the holes played to an actual island green about 50 feet in diameter. We only played 24 holes for each of two days, which left plenty of time for sightseeing.

The final 9 sent us through holes in Cypress Gardens proper. They had to stop crowds from walking on a few holes in order for us to play. Many of the people were curious to know what we were doing and it was good promotion for the sport.

Al ended up winning the tournament. I tied Hos for the last cash spot. Dave didn't cash.

Next up was the Waco Charity Cup in Waco, Texas. We drove straight through on I-10 with a few stops along the way for food and gas, finally arriving in Waco to a campground for the next five nights. The campground was on Lake Waco so Hyzer was able to spend several days swimming and being wet, muddy and happy. We practiced the course. On Friday I rented a car and drove down to Houston to visit my Mother. Mom is in Houston receiving radiation and cancer treatments for the next month. We had lunch and went shopping. I missed the Friday doubles at Waco but that was okay because it rained all day. Al and Dave teamed up for the doubles and tied for second place, winning some money.

First round Saturday saw me shooting a -9 to tie for the tournament lead. Al and Dave shot -3. As the tournament continued my scores got worse and worse, and my mood turned black. Unfortunately, I let it show.

Al had a strong second round, but his 3rd and 4th rounds were only mediocre. Dave’s rounds got progressively better and he shot the hot 4th round of the tournament with a -10 in the long setup. This sent him into 9th place. Al ended up 13th and I was 19th.

The weather for the weekend turned out great. It rained a little bit during the first round but was warm and sunny for the rest of the way.

A split pool format allowed us to watch Sue play and she managed to beat Juliana in 2 of the 4 rounds. Juliana however, crushed on the two rounds that Sue didn't. Sue ended up second in a strong field of Women. It was also Sue's birthday this weekend and we threw a surprise party inside the Winnie after the second round on Saturday. There were party hats, crepe paper and presents. I think she was surprised.

Last year at Waco I snapped a picture of Brian 'Maceman' Mace giving a frisbee full of water to a longhorn steer at the course. This year I got a snap of a fellow walking his black bear. Texas.

The Waco Charity Cup went off without a hitch. Craig Leyva and some others took turns throwing discs over the Brazo river. I don't know how anyone, including Stokely, can throw farther than Craig Leyva. The guy flat out crushes the disc. We piled back into the Winnie. Dave’s girlfriend Diane picked him up on her way to her internship at Yellowstone National Park. Dave is riding up to Wyoming with her, then catching a bus back to St. Louis and meeting us after the team challenge.

We drove up to Kansas City to hang with Halbaby Kurz and Crazy John for a couple days and play some challenging courses. Next we'll head for St. Louis to drop off the Winnie, kennel the dogs, and drive the Blazer up to Lac Du Flambeau where we will help Team InFlight repeat as team challenge champions. Sandy Point’s ringer team may offer us some trouble. Michelle Cozzens has been emailing me repeatedly, saying that I’m 'going down' this year. I don't think she is speaking romantically. ;)

Post Script: With all our Winnie troubles in Maryland I never got around to describing what a pretty course Seneca is. There are a lot of pine/fir/cedar trees to get stuck O.B. in. The preferred throws stay on the ground and roll. The park is set far from other park users which is nice. Benches to rest my weary touring bones on were timely. Most importantly all the locals are real cool and offered their help whenever we needed it. Craig Gangloff is also one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet. He emailed me every week before the tournament with information to make our visit easier. We'll be back to Seneca next year.... I've just got to work on my rollers!!!!

- Todd

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