From Eating Egg Guts to a Hydrant Crash 30+ Years of Egg Ride Fun

After 30+ years of riding in the Q-106.5 Pine Tree Camp Egg Ride, I can tell you there have been some memorable moments.  

In the early days of the egg ride, listeners were allowed to designate which DJ got their ‘egg’ donation. That was great news for the rest of us, but not so good for our fearless leader, Bob Duchesne. I remember one year when I had less than 20 and Bob had more than 100. I think that may have been the last year we did it that way. (Bob’s decision) Now, we all carry the same amount.  

We had been doing the ride for years when a TV guy demonstrated a ‘perk’ to the eggs that we had never considered...throwing them! WABI-TV's Tim Throckmorton reached into his suit and pulled out an egg, as we all raced across a field, and threw it behind him. What?! Why didn’t WE think of this? Suddenly eggs were flying through the air and we were all laughing. That is, until the year that one of those eggs got sucked into a sled’s carburetor. Then, we stopped doing it. (that’s our story and we’re sticking to it) 

Speaking of Tim, the only time I’ve been grossed out by the Q-106.5 Egg Ride was when he reached down with his glove, scooped up some of the raw egg guts, at the end of the ride, and ate them. I’ll tell you what, I’ve worn egg guts and cleaned them out of some pretty private areas, and it’s never turned my stomach. I've belly bumped plenty, spilling egg guts all over the place without an issue. But seeing him eat those guts almost made me lose my breakfast. Ick.  

Should I admit to the fire hydrant? One year, we were driving our sleds through downtown Newport, when we had to climb an icy embankment onto a sidewalk. The slope was steep and there was a large tree at the top of it, so I gunned the ignition and pulled the skis to the left. Only, I didn’t straighten them out fast enough and ran right into a fire hydrant. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough (in downtown Newport), I didn’t know how to put the sled in reverse and had to sit there, with a line of sleds behind me, until someone realized what was going on and came up to help. Boy, was my face red.  

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Getting to the Q-106.5 Pine Tree Camp Egg Ride sometimes offers its own challenges, since the weather in early February is often unpredictable. There was the year that a Maine beauty queen was supposed to ride with us, except her vehicle went off the road on Union Street. She hitched a ride to the club, then caught a ride with camp staff, and joined us at the end. She didn’t get to ride, but she was a trooper. Scott Miller’s first year at the ride, he was waiting to park the Q-106.5 van when it slid backward and into a snowbank. Luckily, there are always a lot of trucks around and they helped pull him out.  

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the year I was tackled by a Game Warden/TV Star. Warden Jonathan Parker rode with us one year and, as we were gathering for the group picture, was the last to arrive. (he was signing autographs) He rushed over and meant to just belly bump me a bit but, he says, he slipped on the ice. The result was an egg-covered game warden knocking me to the ice. I wasn't hurt and it was pretty funny. And, hey, how many people can say they were tackled by a Game Warden and, yet, didn't get arrested?

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the year that most of us dressed up like unicorns. It was a no-snow year, so we ended up sitting on hay bales on a flatbed. The Pine Tree Camp staff brought along these huge unicorn costumes, for anyone who wanted to dress up. I can’t imagine what people must have been thinking as they saw us riding by...a bunch of big blue unicorns on hay bales, waving, laughing, and throwing eggs.  

We hope you’ll donate to this year’s Q-106.5 Pine Tree Camp Egg Ride and help send a lot of kids to camp this summer.  

 Click here to learn all the different ways you can make your donation.