First Roo, my thoughts....

I've been reading some threads on here since roo '10 ended and noticed lots of people upset by things that happened to them this year. I also seen lots of people state that you must go with the flow and I agree with that comment.

I drove down from Ontario with some friends. It was a long drive needless to say. And to add to that travel, I was WAY up in Northern Ontario for work the day before we drove down. Before I even got into the car, I already had about 6-7 hours of travel under my belt in the 48 hours leading up to before I left. We crossed in teh Sault and our journey began at around 7am... we got to our hotel in Murfreesboro around 10 wednesday... so about 15-16 hours to get there. The next morning we waited in line at least 4-5 hours. I don't know the exact times, cause I didn't care. I just went with it all and we all kept saying to each other... it is all part of the experience.

We were never searched on the way in.

We were put at the end of Walnut near pod 9 (more like way behind pod 9). We lucked out for some reason and because the hydro lines were near... we probably had way more camping space than most. We were the group at the very end of Walnut with the Red and Purple flags.

The walk to centeroo was brutal for us... we are from the North and are used to heat, but not humidity... the walk to centeroo killed me everyday. Fortunately by friday, we made friends with one of the cabbies, Lauren. She was awesome. We could text her (she gave us her cell) and she would be there to pick us up ON site within 15-20mins, despite most cabs not coming down walnut. She would also stop to pick us up when she saw us walking along. The cost of the cabs (and tips) was not something I planned for, but it helped me deal with the heat way more. I like to think we got this treatment from her cause we were pleasant and appreciated her awesome help.... we didn't have a sense of entitlement to this service, but were extremely grateful.

In roo.... IT WAS HOT. I'm not used to that heat at all. Friday and Saturday it really took a toll on me. However by Sunday I figured things out a bit and learned how to stay cool, I was actually coolest on Sunday even though it seemed like the hottest day. Being prepared and knowing limits helps. I had a camelback on me... that i filled with ice and gatorade at my campsite. When I went through security, I opened the front pockets on my bag for the security guy so they can easily look in, EVERYTIME. However my camelpack has secret pockets all over so I was able to bring *everything* I needed with me. They generally took a quick look in my bag and that was it. Maybe I didn't get the grinders cause I didn't act like I was trying to hide something and was prepared when I walked up to them. I'm also a nice guy

To deal with the heat, I had to change my game up a bit. I can be a heavy drinker, however I don't think I even got a single jag on at roo, maybe a mild one. But for the most part, I knew drinking alcohol in that heat was a bad idea. So I just enjoyed the green treats I brought with me.

With that said... I do have to complain about the water situation inside centeroo... although I did have gatorade with me towards the end... the first day I tried to get water in centeroo, stupid idea. If I'm feeling dehydrated, the last thing I need is to wait in line, in direct sunlight, for water. Also to those filling large water containers... you suck!

In terms of friendliness, I found it a little low, but I wasn't overly talkative either due to the heat which was fine with me.

I heard about the thefts... though I feel bad for people and know this shouldn't happen. There is over 70 thousand PEOPLE there. Someone is going to try and steal your stuff. Act accordingly. My laptop (which I only brought cause of the work trip prior) was in my locked car the whole time, which has an alarm. I slept in centeroo, with my camelpack somehow secured to me the whole time. I don't like to think someone will steal my stuff, but it will happen. Be prepared.

Yes, the toilets were nasty, but that is also part of the experience, I totally expected it based on what I read here.

It is now tuesday night and I'm back on manitoulin island. Sunday we packed up our camp in the AM and spent the afternoon in centeroo. After DMB we went to a hotel in Murfreesboro. Because of things out of my control, the ride home was way loooonger. Took over 20 hours. But I'm home suffering from post-roo depression.

I heard about 'free' stuff at roo, but didn't personally experience any of it. Aside from the pat on the back I got from someone at DMB band after passing them a piece of glass that I couldn't bring home with me. They didn't have any and were borrowing ours so I let them have mine. At first they didn't want it, but I insisted and told them we had to cross the border.

I guess to cap it off... to those of you complaining, suck it up a little. It is all part of the experience. I went to roo with no sense of entitlement and full of intention to just go with what ever happens. No expectations. I HAD A BLAST!!!!

Maybe see you next year if the lineup is worth all that craziness,
Cheers from Canada.