Beatty RV Adventures: Game Day

So on the 15th we got up early because we had heard that traffic and parking can be difficult on game day. This game was the 2013 home opener and it was Packer alumni day. This meant there were retired Packers invited back with special emphasis on the 3 consecutive championship teams. It was rainy and cool (about 60 degrees) as we drove in and we arrived near the field about 8:45 AM. Kick off was at noon and the place was beginning to get busy. We had seen tailgaters setting up the day before so were not surprised to see trucks and cars with tents out to cover the grill. Folks were cooking everything from breakfast food to dinner items. And beer...there was plenty of beer.

We had seen a tent in the parking lot of the stadium the day before that offered no cover charge. We went in there to get out of the rain, stay warm, and maybe have a drink. Keep in mind it is only 9 in the morning and we both had a cup of hot chocolate with some Baileys Irish Cream added. This may replace our current breakfast drink! When we went in there were a few other folks but we had no problem finding a table. Within half and hour the place was packed with fans. There was food and drink available and folks were in a party mood. So Diana had a Bloody Mary and I had a beer!

Amazingly to us, I saw a guy with a Virginia Tech shirt on so I started a conversation. Turns out he and his brother came to see the game from ...wait for it...Midlothian, VA. So we had a great time talking about Tech, the Squirrels and the Diamond and all kinds of Virgina stuff. One of the guys is a Redskin fan, the other is a Packer fan and they flew in for the game.

The overall atmosphere of game day is remarkable. Parties everywhere, lots of food and drink and everyone is friendly. Even folks wearing Redskin jerseys and such were treated with respect. Not a surprise, but cool to see. There was plenty of friendly banter between the Packer fans and Redskin fans but it was all in good fun. With all the beer and drinks around we saw only 1 person who was intoxicated, everyone else was drinking responsibly and very courteous to all around them. We also learned that while about 80, 000 folks go to the game even more just hang out in the parking lot and bars and watch the game never even having tickets. What an atmosphere!

The game was a blow out with the Packer dominating the Redskins from the beginning. The final score of 38 to 20 does not reflect how badly the Redskins lost.