Winter is in full swing, but that doesn’t mean work slows down for the Memphis Boat Center. Right now through December 16th you have the chance to save up to $2500 on a new Malibu or Axis boat during their Year End Sales Event. Saving money is on the minds of everyone, and that money can be be saved for future use or spent on spontaneous decisions. Average Joe, the self proclaimed star of the Memphis Boat Center Year End Savings videos, hopped in the car with a handful of his companions and made the eight hour journey to Dallas, Texas on the weekend of November 13th-15th.

The trip was a brand new experience for most of the parties involved. With the exception of two or three individuals, most of the guys have never gotten to see a city quite like Dallas. “I had never been to Dallas before,” said Connor Martel. “This trip was a great first one, Hydrous was a great wake park and as cold as it was we were still able to enjoy ourselves and take a much needed break.” Enrique Martinez, a Texas native, helped locate different destinations for the crew. With the help of his former teammate Reid Wiley, a resident of Dallas, the MBC road trip team got to experience the Lone Star State like they never have before.

Before the crew could even get into the heart of Dallas, they stopped for go-karts. These were not your average go-karts, imagine live action Mario Kart but with top speeds of sixty miles-per-hour. The race track took about eighty seconds to get around even at high speeds. “Taking those corners at high speeds and not knowing if your tires are going to hold makes you live a little.” Said Enrique Martinez. After channeling their inner Dale Earnhardt the crew traded race helmets for wet suits as they cruised into Hydrous Wake Park for a short afternoon set. Basically with the park to themselves, the guys got to get an early feel for the park and make an early effort to tackle some of the features.

After a few quick laps at Hydrous the team rallied at Top Golf with the rest of their road trip party. For those of you who have not experienced Top Golf before (like me) let me break it down for you: imagine a three story driving range that puts you up against your friends through a series of arcade style challenges. Now, imagine all of this surrounded by a giant lounge area, restaurant, arcade, and for the older crowd a bar. Even though the majority of us swing a golf club like Charles Barkley on roller skates it was still a new experience that brought out a fun, competitive spirit in everyone.

The next day everyone went to Hydrous despite slight cloud cover and less than ideal air temperature. These factors would not put a damper on the crew as everyone eagerly awaited their chance to jump off the dock and take a few laps around the cable park. Towards the end of the day, the only people left in the park were the MBC road trip crew and a few locals, we basically had the park to ourselves for a few hours. The locals put on a show for us like we have never seen before, and everyone was very excited to be in the moment. “Hydrous is a great wake park with a staff who treated us with the best hospitality possible,” said Martel.

What made the trip great was the camaraderie formed by community. The crew that traveled to Texas consisted of Mississippi State students, former students, an Ole Miss graduate, and even a fifteen year old high school student. Everyone on this trip hailed from a different background, but their bond through wakeboarding brought everyone a lot closer. What really dragged everyone together was the travel time; you either love someone or hate someone after eight hours in a car with them and the people on this trip got along like two peas in a pod. “The highlight of my trip would have to be the people,” said Jackson McGowan, the lone high school student. “This trip wouldn’t have been a trip without them.”

Enrique Martinez and the Memphis Boat Center Marketing Team teamed up with Average Joe and made a video highlighting not only the Malibu/Axis Year End Sales Event, but the trip to Dallas as well. If you haven’t watched it yet you will find it below, and be sure to stay tuned for more installments of “Average Joe” and his journey through the money saving process this winter. Whether you are on the open road or the open water, life is better when you have friends in the passenger seat.