The Ole Miss Road Trip Thread - Pictures and Experiences

[Clark Addison]

I was going to put this in the other thread, but that one is such a mess that I thought it might be nice to have the travelogues, experiences, and stuff in one thread. Plus I'll be posting a bunch of pics, so I didn't want to clutter up that one. If everyone else wants to post their stuff in that thread, this can just be the Clark Addison Road Trip thread.

I'll echo a lot of what Triplet Dad said in the other thread. I don't go to nearly as many road games as he does, but this one was definitely worth it, and not just because of the win.

We stayed in Tupelo, as it was more convenient than Memphis, and by the time I got a hotel the options in Oxford were limited. For those that were not aware, Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. On Saturday morning, we visited the Elvis Presley Birthplace, Museum, and Chapel, along with about 1,000 other Cougar fans. Here is the actual house:



This is the inside of the hardware store in which Elvis bought his first guitar, at age 11!



The grove was very cool. Tons of people, all of them having a good time, and the vast majority of them very, very friendly. DDD said that he didn't really see people using "Hotty Toddy" as a greeting, which was actually a bit different than our experience. Several people greeted us with a "Hotty Toddy!" as we walked by or waved. We asked one of them what the correct response would be. He said that any of "Hell Yes!", "Damn Right!", or "Hotty Toddy!" would be a good response, but maybe he was just trying to make a couple of Mormon boys swear.

Here is a typical scene, showing the crowds, but actually not giving a good representation of the vastness of the event.



Here are a couple more, which also show some of the typical outfits the folks are wearing.





Here is the "Free Beer for BYU Fans" sign that Doctorcoug mentioned. I have another one with me and three other BYU fans in front of it. They guys who were there were pretty cool.



(To be Continued)

[Clark Addison]

We went over to the arch DDD mentioned to watch the March of Champions. It was pretty cool, with a lot of excitement. The band plays in front of the Student Union, getting everyone rev'd up. Various "Hotty Toddy" chants break out in different parts of the crowd. Then, a couple of police motorcycles come down the street, sirens blazing, in front of the team buses. The players get out, walk through the arch, and through the grove in the midst of a huge throng of people. It's got to be pretty cool for an 18 year old kid.

Here is the crowd gathering, with some BYU fans, in front of the Student Union:



Across the street from us, if I'm not mistaken, was Mr. Gifford Nielsen. He's the tall guy in the background of this poor picture.



Here is the view from our seats. The guy in the Nike hat was about 6'4", maybe 240 pounds. He spent the majority of the game standing on the bench in front of his seat, with his hands on his hips, blocking approximately as much space as the mainsail on the USS Constitution. We did not appreciate that, but didn't say anything to him, as he was in a sour mood much of the day. In fact, upon watching the game on ESPN, you can get a very clear view of him at 14:30 of the second quarter. He is a bit above and to the left of the center of the screen, almost completely blocking out the two BYU fans behind him.



After the game, the fans were also very gracious. Marsupial mentioned on BYU fan who, as everyone was leaving, was holding up a sign that said "Ole Miss got Jimmered". I was kind of embarrassed because the Ole Miss fans were unfailingly polite. I didn't get a single bad comment after the game. Quite a few people wished us luck, thanked us for coming, or said something like "The better team won".

We hung around the stadium for a while after the game, which was kind of fun, as BYU fans were the only ones left. Here is Jake getting interviewed:



I also agree with DDD that if I were to do it again, I would spend more time in Oxford. We didn't get into the town until after the game, and I would have liked to spend more there. Here is the courthouse that the square surrounds:



Here is one of the streets on the side of the courthouse. We ate at a pretty good place here. There was also a frozen yogurt place that was jam-bam packed with BYU fans.



All in all, it was a great trip. Saw the Cougars win, had a great experience on the campus and with the fans, and met three Cuffers briefly. Best of all, I got no data service in the stadium, so I didn't have to read all the whining posts on CUF about how the game was going!

[pellegrino]

Make sure you do the Well Walk in Chapel Hill. I doubt it will compare to the Grove and the march of champions, but gameday in Chapel Hill is still pretty cool.

[Clark Addison]

Notables seen in Oxford/Tupelo:

Tom Holmoe: Getting his morning exercise on the side of Gloster St with someone I didn't recognize.

Gifford Nielsen: As mentioned above, watching the March of Champions

Ben Criddle: We are pretty sure we saw him walking through the stadium

Bob Davie: Looking kind of sad and lonely, wandering alone through the square in Oxford 3 hours after the game ended. Presumably looking for dinner or a drink.

The Second Counselor in My Stake Presidency: Hanging out in the Grove, suspiciously near the "Free Beer for BYU Fans" sign and a group of scandalously dressed sorority girls.

[Parrot Head]

Oh, how I should have clung to your bumper with an iron grip. Who went with you? I ended up watching the game with your would-be riding companion, my old bishop and a major pessimist (new to your ward) and have now vowed to watch alone if necessary in the future rather than take the highly pessimistic route.

Notables seen in Oxford/Tupelo:


The Second Counselor in My Stake Presidency: Hanging out in the Grove, suspiciously near the "Free Beer for BYU Fans" sign and a group of scandalously dressed sorority girls.

I heard Sunday that he went down there solo, but I didn't hear this part of the story from his daughter.

[Clark Addison]

Oh, how I should have clung to your bumper with an iron grip. Who went with you? I ended up watching the game with your would-be riding companion, my old bishop and a major pessimist (new to your ward) and have now vowed to watch alone if necessary in the future rather than take the highly pessimistic route.

Yes, you should have come. I went with the guy in my ward who I think I mentioned to you as a possibility. We would have loved to have you along.