Westward, ho ho ho!

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It's the day after Christmas, and we leave for a round-trip road trip to the Rose Bowl today! Normally, I would expect a trip of this length and audacity to take a few month of planning, but that simply is not the case this time. Mostly out of necessity. You see, it was barely 3 weeks ago when the world of college football made its decisions about bowl games, and most importantly about the national championship playoff. My alma mater and hometown team, the Georgia Bulldogs, won the SEC championship and earned a berth in the playoff against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, the so-called “Granddaddy of them all.” Naturally, I decided to go because (1) I have been to every bowl game for Georgia this decade, (2) this is a big deal of a game, and I want to be there, and (3) I love a good road trip. Most people who know me are unsurprised that I am going to the game; I know quite a few people making the trek myself. But what most people ARE surprised to hear is that I am driving from Georgia to California (and back!).

I did the math for airfare + hotel + rental car, and it turns out that it will be basically the same price as driving out to California and staying at mid-level hotels every night along the way and back. As a teacher, I have the next 2 weeks off from work, so why would I turn down this trip? Plus, it means I get to see my 2^nd college football alma mater, the TCU Horned Frogs, play their bowl game in the Alamo Bowl. The only thing this trip will cost extra is time, and that is a resource that I happen to have for the next two weeks.

When I announced to the world via social media that I had an extra ticket to the Rose Bowl (I bought 2, hoping for some company), I had several people ask if they could be my plus-one. All of the offers were tempting, but the logistics were problematic—having to meet them elsewhere, or taking on massive parts of this road trip alone. I am not averse to a solitary road trip; see my previous travelblog entries for proof. But this one is a little different: distance, reason for going, etc. I don’t want to go all the way to the Rose Bowl just to sit there by myself. If I were doing that, I would definitely be flying. But dad has always wanted to go out West—namely the Grand Canyon and other associated natural wonders. So I decided to invite him to go with me.

As a result, the logistics have been easy. I have been visiting the family in south Georgia since Thursday, so I have no extra plans to make to rendezvous with anyone. He also gave me free rein on the trip as far as planning it. Good thing, too, since I have become somewhat of an expert at that.

We leave today, December 26^th, and we will be back on January 6^th (if everything goes according to plan). Twelve days. It could be a very trying time, mainly because of the lengthy car rides between places. But never fear: I have brought nine audio books for the trip! I guess it was time to get through a few “classics” of modern literature. As a fan of college football, however, I have planned on a few stops at football stadiums I have not visited before. And did I mention that we will be attending a total of FOUR bowl games? Tomorrow is the Texas Bowl (Mizzou vs Texas) in Houston, Thursday is the Alamo Bowl (TCU vs Stanford) in San Antonio, and Friday is the Sun Bowl (NC State vs Arizona State) in El Paso. All of these are in Texas, which is a testament to how big Texas is, and how big football is in Texas.

And then, of course, the whole reason for the trip: the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 1^st. I still have not received the actual tickets for this game; that has been a nightmare. But I received an email from the seller (side note: NEVER buy tickets from someone who does not already have the tickets in hand) saying that the tickets had shipped on Saturday (yes, 3 solid weeks after I ordered them), and they will be delivered on Wednesday, to the hotel we are staying at in Los Angeles. I hope that they will still be at the hotel when we arrive.

Our destination for tonight is Pearl River, Louisiana. Today is a pure driving day: no sights, just getting from point A to point B. This is a rarity for this trip. Basically, the first and last days will involve getting from here to the Mississippi River, and then back, with no stops except for gas and food. And potty breaks, of course. The more we can combine those, the better. So here we go.

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