Well - we're back after our second twelve hour drive in 70 hours! My friend Grant, his girlfriend Nancy, my wife Wendy and yours truly left around 7:30pm on Friday night and headed for our epic trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Our little black Ford Escape did well driving through flurries, freezing rain, snow, slush, fog, and a few dry sections making it to our destination Lambeau Field on Lombardi Avenue around 7:30am! Below is my account of our trip and a display of some of my pictures!
We arrived in the mist but found breakfast at Country Kitchen down Lombardi Ave. and then headed back to Lambeau Field for a $10 tour at 9:15am. Below is a shot of the atrium and the statues of the two great coaches: Vince Lombardi and Curly Lambeau.
The picture above is the inside of the atrium - the marble floor has the markings of the field and actually line up with the yard lines. I admit to being somewhat emotional during the tour - I actually there at Green Bay! Lambeau Field was established in 1957 and is the oldest and longest occupied NFL stadium. Only Fenway Park & Wrigley Field have longer active homefield tenures in pro sports.
Private Box Visit
The field
The tour was well worth it as we got to explore the upper levels of the complex, including a private box visit, and a walk through the tunnel on to the field sidelines!
The tunnel!
Just before you exit the tunnel the following words are enscribed on a plaque: "Proud generations of Green Bay Packer players, World Champions a record 12 times, have run over this very concrete to Greatness." Inspiring words and an emotional moment for me to retrace the footsteps of some great football players. It all seemed like a dream to me although perhaps the foggy weather had something to do with that and the fact that I drove the 12 hours previous to actually get there.
Following the tour, we visited the Pro-Shop and layed down some $$ on some Packer wear! On our way out we walked past a number of the Packers driving in their SUVs to a workout or team meeting. A number of the players stopped by their fans to sign autographs. What a day! We decided to get some more food into our system and stopped by a local sports bar/pizza joint on Holmgren Ave for some pizza, drinks and the local culinary specialty: deep-fried cheese curds! We of course were pretty wiped by this point and managed to get some rest in our hotel after sitting in the hot tub and swimming in the pool. I should note that Dec. 31 happens to be Wendy's birthday and so we celebrated that along with New Year's at the hotel restaurant with some appetizers before heading to bed!
The next morning we woke up around 9am and got ready to go to the game. First off, we had to find parking for about $10 and then walked a couple blocks past endgate parties complete with bbq'd meats of all types including ribs, sausage, and even someone with crab legs! The weather was overcast but a balmy + 2 or 3 degrees celcius. We got to our seats early to watch the warm-up and it allowed me to get down to row 1 for some excellent shots of players.
The Game
Wendy & Yours Truly!
I am not going to go into the details of the game as you can read the article link I have above but it was a great game to be a part of as a fan. Some speculate that it could be Favre's final game and I'm not convinced. But if it was - I was there! It also marked Shawn Alexander's breaking of a record for touchdowns in a season but I admit I wasn't there for Seattle even though I will be rooting for them in the play-offs. Potentially I saw a team that could be in the Superbowl. I just love the game - NFL blows away any other sport...even hockey! It is like chess and soccer combined. I should also note that I love outdoor stadiums and even though an indoor stadium may be more comfortable I think it takes away from the game - the weather should be a part of every sport.
The Canadian Packer Fans: Grant, Nancy & Wendy (I'm taking the picture)
We had some phenomenal seats: Row 13 - right on the end zone line. We were in awe at how close we were to the field and were treated with two touchdowns on our end. The fans were amazing and we felt like we were at some bizarre family reunion! When we scored everyone celebrated together, giving high fives and whoops in community. Below are a sampling of some of my shots (I took around 87 pictures with my Pentax Ist-D S and a Pentax 80-320 lens) that if I had more time I'd describe each shot more fully:
A beautiful catch!
Favre chatting with Driver
Seattle's QB: Hasselbeck throwing a pass
Fisher completes a first down!
The Legend Brett Favre
#33 William Henderson - Fullback
Wendy's favorite player: #94 Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (otherwise known as KGB)
Classic Shot of Favre & the Offensive Line
The Huddle
Final Score - Packers 23 Seahawks 17
Favre ended his career with class & character. Will I wonder - what if he stuck around another year? You betcha! But I admire him going out on top.
I consider myself blessed to have actually seen Brett Favre & the Packers play on Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Football will not be the same without him and it will be interesting to see where the Pack ends up next season but I've been a fan of the Pack for close to twenty years - 16 of them Favre has been the QB - and I will remain a Pack fan.
Wendy & I in Green Bay, WI watching the team & game I love!
