Big 10 Football Tour

Well we're sure you've heard that Iowa in one of the best atmospheres in all of tailgating.  So many options to choose from.  There are spots right outside the stadium, there are the lawns of the nearby homes, there is the reputable Magic Bus (which is apparently nearing its end), and then there are residual gameday lots near the golf course and other locations around the stadium. 

Holding true on their word, Jeff & Drew took on any challengers in bean bags with a free Big 10 Tour t-shirt on the line.  Two fellas from Michigan stepped up and basically handed their asses to Jeff/Drew.  Drew blames it on the fact that he played all morning on the regulation length and then prior to the game, it was moved back 4-5 feet.  Regardless, the Dream Team is now 0-1 (hey, even teh 72-win Bulls team lost 10 games).  The competitors from Michigan played a game of rock/paper/scissors to see who would win the shirt.

Regretful to some and thankful to others, our 5 consecutive week run of flip-cup tournaments came to an end.  No more videos of flip-cup tournaments this week.  On the other hand, the Iowa fans showed us a great new game that incorporated baseball, flip-cup, beer pong, and mentally psyching your opponent out.

Later Drew was digging through his trunk to find more beer and he stumbled upon a document he had not seen in over 3 years.  His Master's Degree!  Many people frame their degrees and hang them on the wall enamoured by their achievement.  Not this guy - Had they forgot the lighter fluid, this piece of paper may have been used to start the grill!

Every week that we travel, Jeff has a fetish with buying store-brand mini doughnuts.  Many things are better when heated - just think of warm cookies or muffins, so Drew thought he'd see how Jeff would like a cooked doughnut.  The experiment didn't work out so well...

Keep in mind, this was our first night game.  So we had more than 6 hours to tailgate - the way college footbal SHOULD BE!   So after awhile we had to get creative with our games.  We created a hybrid of the bean bags and ladder toss.  A player could score up to 21 points in a single round (4 bags in the hole and 3 lassos on the bottom rung).  Eventually we grew out of this game and started to incorporate the tailgate pong table.  The new rule was that if a player made a "3 pointer," the teammate had to rush to the table and complete a round of flip-cup before his/her oppoenent for an additional bonus point.

The local police stopped by on their golf cart and someone coaxed them into throwing a few bean bags (shown in the photo to the side.  They need to keep practicing however, because on the photo below, you'll see that while their throws came close, not a single one went in the hole (& we're only talking from a few feet away here!).

Many of the "house tailgates" closer to the stadium looked like a lot of fun.  Many vehicles were parked in the lawn, seemingly overflowing to the road.  The best park about parking here is that you likely don't pay for your parking and it seems to be the wildest crowd around Kinnick.

One of the neatest aspects outside the stadium, unrelated to tailgating, was the Hawkeye Express.  You can hop on a train that takes you right up by the stadium.  I don't know a lot about the fares or where it picks up, but you have to think this is a big plus for anyone who doesn't want to deal with the traffic or paying to park.

Finally there was the immediate area around Kinnick stadium.   Had to be unbelievable to tailgate this close, but the lines to use the restrooms were way too long.  On the south side of the stadium, there are lots of food vendors, most notably the "Big Ass Turkey Legs."  This was Drew's #1 destined stop during his visit to Iowa, but unfortunately after getting his ticket and walking down to the stand, they were sold out.  So if anyone wants to send Drew a turkey leg, his mailing address is on the merchandise page.

Drew then settled for a chicken sandwich, which wasn't all that good, but it was a free-for-all on condiments (saurkraut, pickles, onions), so he made good on that.