Days 1 & 2: The Draining Drive
The drive was everything we expected it to be: Oftentimes dull, slightly scenic, but mostly just plain long. With ten drivers splitting time between a Pontiac Grand Prix and a Nissan Pathfinder, we clocked in around 27 hours of driving including the time we took to stop and switch drivers every three hours or so and fill up on gas.
Indiana and Illinois supplied the usual eye candy of dead fields and barren trees; St. Louis added a jolt of electric color at night; Oklahoma and Texas passed like a bad dream; New Mexico would never end and Arizona came just in time.
The drive went smooth, however, and the only people that complained were the two stuck in the back of the Pathfinder, a tight fit for the smallest of us. We made it to Tempe around seven o'clock on Sunday and got a nice look at Sun Devil Stadium on the way to the apartment complex where we are crashing (literally).
Tomorrow is the big day. The plan is to rise around 8 a.m. to pick up our tickets, tailgate until the game at 3:30 p.m. and then hit the huge block party nearby until the wee small hours of the morning. If the drive seemed long, tomorrow may drag on to (blissful) infinite. At least I won't have to fret over leg room.
And now before I pass out, here's a little taste of our road trip to Tempe:
The 1800-mile trip began in Avon, Ind. at the quaint quarters of Conor McDermott's rent's house.
The McDermott bathtub is pretty quaint too.
We drew cards to see who would start out in which vehicle and who would drive first.
Whoever drew the Jack drove first. Lucky me.
Chris Marcum shows off his pretty blanket to the boys. He's such a charmer.
Billy Bernard prepares the Red Rider with the Indiana flag. Unfortunately, it fell off somewhere in Oklahoma. We're planning on picking it up on the way back.
Illinois is a really exciting state.
I think this is what the St. Louis skyline must look like to people on LSD.
We stopped to pick up Brad Gessel outside of St. Louis, but he wasn't at his house. We waited until he arrived, but some things just couldn't wait.
Like I said, it was a little cozy in the Pathfinder. Luckily, we quickly adjusted to everyone's bodily odors except Dan's.
Dan Morgenstern cruises ahead at a cautious 72 miles per hour. There were plenty of bears behind those bushes.
Conor dreams about how his very first IU football game will be on Monday. Actually, this is what Conor looked like for most of the trip. The guy can flat out sleep.
Jeff Poteet makes a sick face. Jeff has been under the weather lately, but nothing could stop him from seeing the Hoosiers take on the Cowboys - not even a temperature of 103. A couple of early morning full moons didn't help his condition, however.
The Continental Divide is right over in that direction. Somewhere.
TGOM takes the wheel sporting the finest western hat wear that can no longer fit on his father's head.
Not too many of these geographical formations in the Midwest.
How better to unwind after a grueling trip than at the Library, Tempe's scholarly version of Hooter's?
Matt enjoys a beer at the Library. I think he enjoyed our librarian even more, however.
Some establishment messed up IU's logo in their advertisement. I guess dotting the I's and crossing the U's is secondary at a place where pole dancing is encouraged. If that isn't bulletin board material for Bill Lynch and the Hoosiers then I don't know what is.
Brent Ling, California's own, met up with us in Tempe. Brent flew in before us which explains why he looks sane.
I noticed this street on the drive back to the apartment. Is it a sign of good things to come for IU? The Hoosiers need wide receiver James Hardy to come up big on several drives to win tomorrow.
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