Since this whole thing came together in less than a week, we didn't have any huge plans, nor did we get a hotel the night before. So at 6 am LFT on gameday, we departed from New Glarus for the 3 hour drive up to Green Bay, for my first Packers game ever, and my dad's first at Lambeau. (He'd seen one in the dump dome in the 70s/80s, and had seen them in Milwaukee.) The drive up for the most part was pretty uneventful. Had a deer cross the road in front of us just getting into Dane County, but that was the most excitement.
About an hour and 15 minutes into the trip, we dropped into Beaver Dam to grab breakfast at McDonalds. Given just how many other Packer fans were there/came in while we were there (easily 30+, drive-thru was blocked by one of the big trucks), it seemed like the popular place to stop on the way to the game.
Traffic started tightening up about 40 miles from Lambeau, though it wasn't too bad. We pulled onto Lombardi Ave, and for the first time, I actually saw Lambeau Field with my own eyes.
The first picture I snapped once we walked a few blocks to reach Lambeau from our parking.
We paid $20 to park a few blocks away, and walked over to Lambeau after getting everything together. We stopped at the K-Mart and picked up a hat for myself, and a stadium seat for dad. Then we reached Lambeau, up close and personal, and started walking towards our gate and taking in the sights.
First stop was the Miller Lite Gate, and the statues of Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi.
Another pic of the Lombardi statue
First: A picture of the Curly statue. Second: A picture of me in front of the statue of Vince, taken by my dad.
We got a couple pictures of the statues, and were going to move towards our gate, but a fence behind us caught my eye.
1 Mind, 1 Goal, 1 Purpose, 1 Heart. The driving motto of the 2010 Green Bay Packers, nicely captured just across from Lambeau Field.
After getting that picture, and the good feelings from last season from those words from Woodson, we continued towards the Oneida Nation gate, where we would enter. Unfortunately, due to my not expecting it, I missed what could've been a good picture of Charles, and this picture isn't the best, but...
A group of fans posing as Aaron Rodgers drives into Lambeau in his Ford to a loud chorus of cheers.
Woodson had drove in a few minutes before, and my camera was off since I wasn't expecting the opportunity, but that was alright.
We took in some more sights and experiences of the tailgating crowd, as 10 am drew nearer and the gates would open up.
The Oneida gate, about 15 minutes before the gates opened.
Finally, it was 10 am. The gates opened, and we lined up to get wanded. Pretty fast as long as you're not carrying a bag, from my experience. Put our freebies in one of our little cinch sacks, and then headed up and in, getting our first view of Lambeau Field in person on gameday.
I took a couple quick pics after finding our seats, and before I figured out how to get into panorama mode on the camera.
View to the left, well before kickoff.
Across the field, as the first fans make their way in.
After I figured panorama out, though, I got some pretty awesome pictures. (You can click these two to get a better look at them.)
Above:A sweep of our left side, all the way over to the end zone.
Below: A cropped sweep that went end zone to end zone, not quite executed right, but still a killer picture.
We sat and watched the warm-ups, saw Harris and Poppinga (the latter on the exercise bike before the game), and saw Masthay and Crosby practice to deal with what was a damn windy day. (There was stuff out on the field all day long.)
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Above: The team comes together before kickoff to get ready.
As noon got closer, the seats started filling up, which really helped fight the chill from the winds. To the right of us, we found out that the seats that work gave away were indeed all next to one another, as the other winner and her guest were seated next to my dad. To my left, I sat next to a sweet older lady, who's definitely been a life-long Packer fan. She's been going to games since the late 1940s, and her dad used to set up the PA system. She was there with her daughter, and they were nice enough to get this great picture of Dad and I.
Father and son enjoying their favorite football team together for the first time at Lambeau Field.
I have to echo Quiet One's impressions on the Star Spangled Banner. Too many people fancy it up and make it hard to sing to. Do it right or not at all.
Flyover was incredible, that was the first time I've experienced a flyover, and holy hell was that loud. Great timing though.
Then kickoff! Got to watch the defensive struggle that was the first quarter, and our D was certainly up to the task in spite of getting burned by former Badger Lance Kendricks. Punts either flew crazy deep, or got caught up in the wind.
After the first quarter, I get a tap on the back, and someone asks if I'm aquabreaker. Certainly wasn't expecting to meet another timesfour member just one row back from me! Shook hands, introduced my dad, and we talked a bit before the fun second quarter started. I didn't get too many in game pictures, but here are a couple from the first half.
I never saw 'the finger', and I didn't even know it'd happened until I got home! Jordy made the right moves, and just took it to the house. And watching Aaron thread the needle with those well aimed passes in person is just incredible.
Halftime was fun, but I took too long getting back and missed kickoff and the first possession of the second half. The game wound up being a back-and-forth defensive struggle with offensive miscues.
An endzone-to-endzone panorama picture of the field, both teams, and a very lively Lambeau Field crowd in the second half. (Click to zoom)
The Packers didn't score any more after the 2nd quarter, and neither did the Rams, resulting in that great 24-3 victory.
Both teams departing the field after the Packers 24-3 win over the Rams.
We nosed around the Atrium a bit after the game, and my dad took one more picture, this of the players whose numbers are retired.
Hutson, Canadeo, Starr, Nitschke, and White, five greats in an organization filled with many great players over the years.
And other than the somewhat frustrating drive home, it was an incredible experience. I never thought I'd get to go, and I've never been so happy to be wrong about something before. I hope I get to go to another game someday, but even if not, I'll take this.
