Happy Endings...
It's been a long and amazing journey, and sometimes we still can't believe that this season we tailgated at every stadium in the NFC!
Somehow, it seemed appropriate to have our last stop for the regular season be the last game the Cardinals will ever play at ASU's Sundevil Stadium.
The Philly fans were out en force (maybe the AZ sunshine had something to do with it!) And the die-hard Cards were spending their Christmas Eve partying in their usual tailgating spots.
Most people were going easy on the cooking, saving room for holiday meals to come.
But we found one group cooking up Philadelphia Cheesesteaks, in honor of the competition.
We also saw plenty of carne asada on the grill, and we even found the traditional Christmas Eve treat-- Tamales! -- steaming away in the lot!
Jay recruited some of our lovely neighbors in the lot to be judges in the Taste-off.
They tasted enough Tailgating Grub fit for a holiday feast, ad awarded honors to Lawrence Hughes' Beer Butt Eagles, Cal Kalvzny's Super Bowl Chili and Andrea Cordova's Sonoran Salsa.
The crowd was thin in the lots around the stadium, which opened only 31/2 hours before the game (making for a short tailgate!) But the people we met were a lot of fun, the weather was great and the food delicious.
And as gametime approached, we could hear California calling us home for the holidays.
So we packed up and said goodbye to our neighbors in the tailgating lot, said goodbye to Sundevil stadium, and said goodbye to four amazing months on the road.
It was the perfect way to end the season... especially when Arizona came through with a win!
It was a day... and a season... with a very happy ending!
Photo of the Week...
Philly fan Phil and friends!
It sure beats space heaters inside impromptu snow shelters...
Philadelphia fans often go to extremes for their tailgating, and Phil found a great way to enjoy the Arizona sunshine before the game. He and his friends were partying in a portable hotub!
Friend of the Tour...
Eagles' punter Dirk Johnson
On the injured reserve list since week seven, he was enjoying the holiday with friends and family, while supporting his team.
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