Memories made to order

So this past weekend I decided to wake up early on Saturday and head for a dropzone. No my friends, I'm not suddenly a licensed skydiver like my wife. But I am interested in the sport and wanted to find ways to get involved if jumping isn't in the cards for me. So Kel and I agreed it couldn't hurt for me to take a packing class.

If you've never been to a DZ, most skydivers hate packing their own parachute. They land, pick up their rig, drop it in the packing loft and head off to plan more jumps. That leaves packers to go through the arduous task of stuffing a parachute the size of a car into a shoebox. Needless to say, they can make good money doing it if they are quick and responsible.

The packing class was at a dropzone in Orange, VA, about 65 miles southwest of DC. To get there I went through Fredericksburg and two Civil War battlefields. And 10 miles out of the DZ I came across a trusty old friend; a Sheetz gas station.

What??????

Here's the story. While in college at Shenandoah University, a Sheetz gas station opened across the street from campus. This was like the gates of heaven opening for all college students in Winchester. It was a full service station with lots and lots of beer. But it also came equipped to sell their famous "MTO subs." Needless to say, we ate tons and tons of Sheetz subs and breakfast sandwiches called "Shmuffins." It was something all SU coeds lived by during their tenure on the hill.

So you can understand my excitement when I came around the corner and saw the big red Sheetz sign calling my name. I pulled in and ordered one of their trusty smuffins to take along to the DZ. Granted, I think I was the only man not wearing hunting fatigues or some type of canvas jump suit in this place, but it was totally worth it.

Now that I'm back in VA, I can once again enjoy a staple of my college days.

posted by DVS @ 11:09 AM