Drinking, Debauchery and the Derby.

The Kentucky Derby is awesome. Flat-out, unequivocally, drop-what-you're-doing-next-May-and-go awesome.

We headed up in an RV Friday afternoon with Jeff "Dad" Hughes behind the wheel. After a stop for some liquor on the way up (yes, supplies had dwindled by that point) we pulled into our campground on the southside of Louisville in time to fire up the grill for dinner.

It was a lot of fun that first night, but nothing compared to Derby day. We got up Saturday morning, parked the RV at the Expo center and took a shuttle to Churchill Downs.

Upon arrival, Howie hobbled off to the betting window with a maniacal grin on his face and promptly lost money on his first race of the day. I got a kick out of it, but he more than made up for that loss later on in the afternoon.

So, after staking out a spot in the infield it was time to enjoy the Derby. People were everywhere and everyone was having a great time. Some a little more so than others.

I did learn two important things over the course of the afternoon, the first being that my alcohol tolerance is not what it used be. The second is that my father is one sneaky son of a gun. You may be wondering why I say that, so let my fill you in.

You see, years ago, dear old Dad went to the Derby and came back bearing a set of glasses for the family to enjoy. It was one of those Leave it to Beaver-type moments when a father reaffirms his love for his family by bringing back souvenirs from his travels.

The real story, now that I've been to the Derby, is that ol' Dad did not in fact have the love of his family on his mind...he drank a pantload of mint juleps, all of which come served in a nice little glass bearing the names of past Derby winners. Nice try Dad, but you're busted!

All kidding aside though, it was one hell of a weekend. Thanks to everyone for making it a great trip. We had an amazing time, and met a ton of people, the most notable of which were Susie from New Orleans and an incredibly drunk guy from Boston (pictured above) who may have been in the running for drunkest guy at the Derby. Awesome.

The infield with the famous spires of Churchill Downs in the background.

Proclaiming victory over a passed out Jeff Hughes.

Jeff's passing out led to a group pose with some of our new friends.

After he woke up, Jeff entertained the local media.

Two random guys who passed out near us....

...which of course led to pictures.

The scene after the Derby.