skybytch 259 #1 Posted May 16, 2022 (edited) Boogies can be hazardous to your financial health. You go thinking it's just going to be a few days of fun, maybe demo a new main or two, drink some cheap beer... and you come back home and order a complete new rig. We went to a pinball festival in October, played a bunch of games and fell in love with one. In November we drove to North Carolina from California and bought one.Crazy? Yeah, but we've played the shit out of that machine already, we have no plans to sell it anytime soon and it's got a great story attached to it now - plus it's already worth about $1000 more than we paid for it.. We went to a pinball festival on Saturday, played a bunch of games and fell in love with one. Either Wednesday or Thursday, I leave to drive to Milwaukee to buy a Batman 66. We could each have a new rig for what this thing is going to cost. Happily, pinball machines are appreciating in value these days, unlike skydiving gear, so it's really an investment. Really it is. So anyway, do I know anyone who lives along I80 between Reno and Wisconsin? Happy to buy you lunch, coffee or a beer in exchange for some conversation and an hour or so break from the road. Edited May 16, 2022 by skybytch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,340 #2 May 16, 2022 I'm a couple hours north of Milwaukee, so probably not. Depending on which way you go, Skydive Midwest is a bit south of there (about 20 miles south, just off of I94). Good folks, good place. Even if you don't want to jump, hanging around with a bunch of weirdos who jump out of planes is always a good time. However, if I was doing the driving, I wouldn't go that way. 80 bends south a bit in Iowa. Going up through Cedar Falls, up 151 to Madison and across 94 to Milwaukee would be a better route. Sounds like you have found a different obsession. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #3 May 17, 2022 15 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said: 80 bends south a bit in Iowa. Going up through Cedar Falls, up 151 to Madison and across 94 to Milwaukee would be a better route. That's what I what looking at doing. So what's good to go see in the area? I've never been there and I'm going to have a couple days to play tourist. Obviously cheese and a Great Lake, but what else? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #4 May 20, 2022 If you ever find yourself in western North Carolina, you might want to visit Asheville, which is not only home to the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, but there is also a hidden gem in downtown Asheville... A pinball/video game arcade museum! They do have a bar with beer. Took my family a couple of months ago. Had a few hours of fun playing 80s era games. They do have an occupancy limit so you might have an hour or more wait time to get in. And yes, we also did the Biltmore Estate. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pick 0 #5 May 20, 2022 Dumb question of the day: Have you ever toured Sterns Pinball factory in Elk Grove Village IL? It's about an hour south of Milwaukee. It might be worth looking into while you're close. (relatively) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,340 #6 May 20, 2022 On 5/17/2022 at 8:18 AM, skybytch said: That's what I what looking at doing. So what's good to go see in the area? I've never been there and I'm going to have a couple days to play tourist. Obviously cheese and a Great Lake, but what else? Oops. Sorry I missed this. Which doesn't really matter because I don't do a whole lot of 'touristy' stuff. I know where the DZs are. SDMW & Skyknights (East Troy). Both good places. Skyknights is sorta famous because Jeff Dawson (Sans founder and world record holder) is from there. Lots of good 'nature stuff'. WI has a pretty robust state park system. If you like Harleys, Milwaukee is the home. Miller has a big plant there. To be honest, you'd do better on the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin site. It used to be the Wisconsin Tourism Federation, but they changed the name because it was shortened to WTF. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #7 May 21, 2022 13 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said: It used to be the Wisconsin Tourism Federation, but they changed the name because it was shortened to WTF. LOL! Heading to Oshkosh for the EAA Museum and Kettle Moraine State park for some hiking. And some cheese somewhere. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #8 May 21, 2022 18 hours ago, BillyVance said: If you ever find yourself in western North Carolina, you might want to visit Asheville, Heh. We were there in November. Bought our 2nd machine from a guy just down the road. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #9 May 21, 2022 17 hours ago, Pick said: Dumb question of the day: Have you ever toured Sterns Pinball factory in Elk Grove Village IL? It's about an hour south of Milwaukee. It might be worth looking into while you're close. (relatively) It's that close?!? Monday may have a new plan... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #10 May 31, 2022 Worth every mile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,116 #11 May 31, 2022 You'll get more smiles than you invested in miles, eh? Wendy P. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #12 May 31, 2022 (edited) 27 minutes ago, wmw999 said: You'll get more smiles than you invested in miles, eh? Absolutely. The videos, animation, artwork and music are awesome for old farts who remember the TV series fondly (Adam West is Batman, there is no other!). The game play is totally different than our other machines, much more laid back than the adrenaline packed fast playing madness of the Black Knight series - different designers. Unfortunately I got to play the seller's other machines... and now I might want a Jurassic Park... Edited May 31, 2022 by skybytch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiquita 12 #13 June 17, 2022 My cousin would be jealous! He loves pinball machines. And has built some game machines with a lot of the older games on it. I'm sure you've heard of it, but in case you haven't, have you gone to Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas? http://www.pinballmuseum.org/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #14 June 18, 2022 On 6/16/2022 at 8:00 PM, Chiquita said: I'm sure you've heard of it, but in case you haven't, have you gone to Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas? We have! Our visit there was one of the things that convinced the husband to get our first machine. :) 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baksteen 84 #15 June 20, 2022 On 5/16/2022 at 3:18 PM, skybytch said: Boogies can be hazardous to your financial health. You go thinking it's just going to be a few days of fun, maybe demo a new main or two, drink some cheap beer... and you come back home and order a complete new rig. We went to a pinball festival in October, played a bunch of games and fell in love with one. In November we drove to North Carolina from California and bought one.Crazy? Yeah, but we've played the shit out of that machine already, we have no plans to sell it anytime soon and it's got a great story attached to it now - plus it's already worth about $1000 more than we paid for it.. We went to a pinball festival on Saturday, played a bunch of games and fell in love with one. Either Wednesday or Thursday, I leave to drive to Milwaukee to buy a Batman 66. We could each have a new rig for what this thing is going to cost. Happily, pinball machines are appreciating in value these days, unlike skydiving gear, so it's really an investment. Really it is. So anyway, do I know anyone who lives along I80 between Reno and Wisconsin? Happy to buy you lunch, coffee or a beer in exchange for some conversation and an hour or so break from the road. So.. basically you went to a Pinball boogie, thinking it was just going to be a few days of fun, maybe play a game or two, drink some cheap beer... and came back home and ordered a complete new rig? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #16 June 21, 2022 On 6/20/2022 at 2:58 AM, Baksteen said: So.. basically you went to a Pinball boogie, thinking it was just going to be a few days of fun, maybe play a game or two, drink some cheap beer... and came back home and ordered a complete new rig? Exactly! But I came back home and drove across the country to buy the equivalent of two complete new rigs instead of just ordering one. And made the mistake of playing a few others while I was buying it. Speaking of which, anybody looking for a good used Tacoma, Corolla, and/or Yamaha XT225? Godzilla is calling me... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kleggo 138 #17 July 5, 2022 On 5/16/2022 at 6:18 AM, skybytch said: In November we drove to North Carolina from California and bought one. pinball can certainly be fun. i prefer the electro-mechanical models from the 70's. check out this image of one that I own / play Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #18 July 19, 2022 (edited) On 7/5/2022 at 2:52 PM, kleggo said: pinball can certainly be fun. i prefer the electro-mechanical models from the 70's. check out this image of one that I own / play Nice! Missed one by a few hours awhile back. Still waiting for one (or a Freefall or a Sky Kings) to pop up semi-local. Edited July 19, 2022 by skybytch Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
