D-R-I-V-in' the USA: Boston to South Bend

And the Holy War began on September 15, 1975. Since then, Boston College & Notre Dame have competed in 17 football games to battle for bragging rights and victory of the Vatican Bowl. Between 1992-2004, this momentous occasion became a highly anticipated annual event - and not just for the players and coaches.. but for all Screaming Eagle & Fighting Irish fans, old & young alike. Although we Super Fans have helped the boys in maroon & gold to victoriously take the last 5 games, the Irish are still holding onto the series by a thread.

As part of this customary tradition, when the kickoff is slated to occur in South Bend, Boston College's [primarily] junior and senior students make the trek out to the Midwest. There's no better way to celebrate than by cramming between 6 - 10 of your closest friends in a spacious RV.. To pioneer our escapade from Boston to South Bend in October of 2002, we used Cruise America out of Middleboro, MA.

If you can recall, in my post about our vacation quarters in Lagos, I was very impressed by the size of & space in the unit. Um, this was kind of like that.. if instead of college females in their last year before entering 'the real world', we were actually baby ants.

Get car sick? Be sure to bring this to the attention of your traveling companions well before mile 1, and not abruptly before your already inexperienced driver of monstrous vehicles tries to pull out onto the first major highway of the trip. Thank goodness that Massachusetts is renowned for its lack of road rage and inviting driving circumstances.

In any case, we got off without a hitch.. for the most part. Adrenaline flowing through our otherwise alcohol-energized bodies [remember, we were seniors in college], the 9 of us were having a blast. With a surplus of food & beverage options, car games, stories, coloring supplies [like I said, remember: we're seniors in college] & trinkets to carry us across the Mass Pike, into New York State, and through the eerie & Amish Pennsylvania countryside, we were just living life on the road. The way truckers do. Except without cigarettes, beards, or flannel.

Once we reached Ohio, we decided to head to roommate Mary's house in Gates Mills. It was dark, late and we all wanted to use a real bathroom*. Enter problem 1: As we turn off the exit, we had noticed a different feel to the way our motor home was riding.. lo' and behold - flat tire. Now, being the good-natured Midwestern folks that they are, Mary's parents came out to help us.. here's a glimpse into their conversation upon reaching our troubled vehicle:

[Imagine this exchange in a Midwestern accent]

Diane: What are we gonna do, Charrrles? Oh no, that's bad. How are we going to fix it?
Charles: I don't know, Diannnne. What am I - the Good Year answer maannn?

[Words elongated for accurate reflection of accent.. help me out here.]

Eventually, we make it to Mary's house. We have a good sleep, a hearty breakfast, and get on the road early the next morning to make it to Indiana by dusk. All that I can remember upon arrival in South Bend is the Walmart parking lot which resembled an endless sea of RVs, and a night of drinks at "The Library" to unwind from our journey. Note, it was very cold that October night.. sleep before the big game didn't come without a price.

Stay tuned for Game Day & Return Trip posts.

Important Note: This post does not mean much without images. Unfortunately, I did not have a digital camera until late 2003 and will be investing in a scanner in the near future to gloss up my matte white photos that may resemble 1970 when all is said and done.

*The bathroom becomes quite symbolic throughout this tale.