I set out Wednesday morning for the trip of a lifetime. Andy, Jess, Sam, Samm, Tim, and the Gaelforce driveteam took a trip to IRI, one of the oldest off season robotics competitions, and arguably the best.
The first stop on our trip was Niagara Falls. I’ve never been there before, but I know plenty of people who have. As we were 
driving there, we noticed the strange signs. We wondered, ‘What’s to the left?’ These signs turned out to be markers for Niagara Falls information 
centers. They also turned normal signs into hilarious statements.
We got closer and closer to the falls. So close that we sort of lost track of where the road was going. The road lead to Canada. We didn’t plan on going to Canada, and didn’t really want to. After asking the tollbooth attendant if we were heading to the park. His response, “Does it look like the park?” (It looked like a bridge). Eventually we got to the falls. It was smaller than I thought it would be and it was tons of water going over a cliff.
After seeing the lovely sights, we set off to our hotel in Ohio. The hotel was normal and uneventful. The next morning we headed out early for Cedar Point, the best roller coaster park in the country. They have something like thirteen roller coasters, 8 or so of which are really good. All in all, it was a very fun time. 
After Cedar Point, we went to diner at a Midwest staple, Steak ‘n Shake. It’s kind of like a Friendly’s but with really good shakes. I had a strawberry cream cheese shake that rocked my socks off. The burgers, on the other hand, were mediocre. We would eat at Steak ‘n Shake one more time during the trip. The second time I found the secret shake not on the menu. I accidently ordered a dessert as a shake, and was informed that it was not a shake, but that they did have a blueberry shake. Next time you go to one of these gifts from God, order a blueberry shake. Also, their chicken taco salad is really good.
Thursday night we got to our hotel, the Super8. Generally the place was kind of shady. The room 
did have a jacuzzi, which was used in the first 2 hours we were there. The awesome bubbles you see is shampoo. Other than the jacuzzi, the room was kind of gross.
Friday morning the competition got underway. Since Gaelforce only had their driveteam there, Andy, Sam(m) and I handled the scouting and strategy for them. It was a ton a fun working with people who are as passionate about scouting and strategy as I am. It was also hard coming up with strategy for a robot with much less traction than ours, but it was a fun challenge.
After Friday was over, we (126, Gaelforce) were doing pretty well. By the end of the competition we ere 5–2 and seeded 11th. We ended up picking in the 8th spot and were knocked out in the first round by the amazing alliance of 25, 1114, 33. It was almost unfair how amazing that alliance was. For instance, in autonomous mode they scored 82 points. It was utterly ridiculous.
On a more important note, I had my hair in a mohawk on Saturday. It’s short enough now so that it looks decent and doesn’t feel retarded on my head. I bought some really strong hair glue stuff so that it would last the whole day and not have to be totally loaded with crap. It worked out well. It even 
lasted through a dodge ball match, which was very fun by the way.
Competition was good, much fun was had, and I’ll try to return again someday. Sunday morning we travelled back to Ohio to the Rock and Roll hall of fame. We stopped at the hotel first, which turned out to be really nice.
On our way to our destination, we found ourselves in a line of cars with Puerto Rican Flags on the hoods. They were yelling and blasting air horns. Luckily, we came prepared with on air horn and joined in on the festivities. We 
eventually got stuck in traffic because the road was blocked off for the parade. It was frustrating because we could see the Hall of Fame about 3 blocks away. I decided to get out and asses the situation to see what roads were open and what weren’t. Eventually, we all got to the Hall of Fame.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t anything that special, especially if you’ve been to Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. It’s almost exactly like EMP without the cool personal headphones and info. The coolest part was the display about the electric guitar and its progression to what it is today.
I think that sums up the trip pretty well. There were of course many other hilarious moments, but I can only write so much before you get bored.
