CAC 2005 Part 1

Getting ready to go to a Cauliflower Alley Club Convention has been the biggest event to prepare for. I usually pack not only clothes but also my trusty briefcase and my laptop computer to take along. I usually have anywhere from 75 to 90 pounds of luggage by the time I get everything packed.

This year was no different, as, Tuesday night, April 12, I began a ritual of packing and repacking and changing stuff around. I had certain things to get ready to take along for friends and fans.

Wednesday, April 13, I arrived at Toledo Express Airport to board the first leg of my journey to Las Vegas. My flight was scheduled to leave at 4 in the afternoon, and I was there at 2:30 to make sure that no problems would hinder me in getting through security to the plane gates.

When I tried to check my one huge bag, I was told that I was in excess of the baggage limit of 50 pounds and was asked if I wanted to pay an additional $25.00 to check the heavy bag through to Las Vegas. I stepped back away from the counter and began to undo the top layer of clothes and grabbed by extra duffel bag packed in the middle to come home with.

I repacked some of the contents and checked both bags with no penalty. I went through security and headed to the gate where the Atlanta shuttle was just deplaning folks coming in from down south. I boarded a short time later and settled into my seat for the first leg of the trip. Arriving in Atlanta an hour and a half later, I made my way down the corridors to the final leg in my flight.

At 8 p.m., we were in the air and headed west for a 9:15 arrival in Las Vegas. We caught a good tail wind and had climbed to a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet and, four hours later, touched down at McCarran Airport. The local time was 9 p.m. Pacific, which made it 12 p.m. Eastern. I was met at the baggage claim by Barry Orton, youngest son of Bob Orton Sr.

After claiming my bags, we headed to the Orton compound about ten minutes away. It is snuggled in a gated community to the northwest of the airport. Bob's bungalow, separate from the main house, is very modest and laid back. It is kind of quiet in its own right compared to the hustle and bustle of the strip some five minutes away.

Grabbing everything, I entered by the private door used only by Bob and his family. There he sat in his huge recliner, watching some show by satellite that had to do with finances and futures. He is huge in the major money markets and does well with investments.

He stuck out his big hand and grabbed mine with a mighty grip that told me that he still had it going for himself, even at 75 years of age. Barry went to the refrigerator and brought us some bottled water that Bob has brought in from a spring some 7,000 feet up in the central California mountains. Bob claims this is the stuff that keeps you young and pretty, like me!!!!

I was then handed a huge bowl of freshly picked apples, oranges and bananas. Bob is very much into that kind of a diet to keep his body operating at peak efficiency. He had Barry stick in a VHS tape of his grandson Randy at the recent Wrestlemania 21. It had excerpts from the Hall of Fame induction of his son, Cowboy Bob Orton.

We began to chat, and, before you knew it, the midnight chimes on his Westminster clock began to sound off. It was 3 a.m. by my watch, and I had been up 22 hours thus far. I excused myself and retired to my bedroom, where I quickly sank into a deep sleep.

Five hours later, I rose on cue to start another busy day. I had a small breakfast on doctor’s orders and opened my laptop to begin a small project I started the day before while in the Atlanta airport. At 9 a.m., Bob Orton knocked on my door and asked if I was ready to go to the Riviera around 10 for the start of the three-day CAC reunion.

I readied myself in the master bathroom that included a sauna, a whirlpool and a hot tub. At 9:30, Rhonda Orton arrived to be our driver for the morning jaunt to the hotel. Bob wanted to enjoy the buffet, as he loved the almost endless salad and fruit bar along with the omelets they cook one at a time.

I readied myself for the day by filling my plates with an array of fresh cut melon, tomatoes and Jell-O. I found my favorite food, biscuits and gravy, and filled myself to near capacity. Suddenly, I looked up, and there in the doorway stood Big Ox Baker and his wife, Peggy. They joined us, and it wasn't long before Bob and Ox started to chat about their days of friendship in the wrestling business.

Of course, we were bothered by people wanting autographs from both superstars. I even had a few people that had attended last year’s event come and bring me pictures and get me to sign stuff for them as well.

Around 11:30, we went to the CAC workout area, where over 100 new and old wrestlers were. Bob sat in the rear of the room and was joined shortly by Nick Bockwinkel. Fans started to converge around these two veterans and took many pictures and had the two very busy signing things.

As I watched Les Thatcher and Harley Race, along with Scott Casey, put these young people through their paces, I began to get the urge to climb back into those ropes and join them. We broke for their lunch break, and I went next door to the nostalgia room, where some of the guys and gals were setting up their wares to be sold.

I suddenly had two arms come around my waist from behind and turned to see the face of Chief Paul Farber from just south of Chicago. He had Lee Roupas with him, and the two began to speak of an upcoming golf outing for Alicia's House in September. As we were speaking, "Mr. Karate" Juan Hernandez came into the room, along with Penny Banner, a recent author of her own book.

To be continued…

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