Lions lose, but Tailgaters WIN!
Team Blacktop rolled into Detroit before dawn, and began searching for tailgaters like we always do.
But the streets and the parking lots around the stadium were all dark and empty.
When we finally decided on a spot and climbed out of the Tailgating Tour Coach, we knew why...
It was cold!
And just when the day started to warm up a touch, the winds kicked in and made it even colder. Burrr! (We can't wait to come back to SuperBowl in February!)
Lenny and Nikki kept things cooking, though, as they took the Freedom Grill's rotisserie for a spin. Despite the winds, they cooked two large pork roasts for carnitas in just a few hours. And they were delicious!
Brandon and Carl from Chaser came by to meet Team Blacktop in person, and we recruited them to be our guinea pigs... errr... judges.
When it was time for the Taste-off, tailgaters from all over the lot brought their recipes to compete, hoping to win one of the great prizes we had in store: the Explorer Grill, Kitchen Tool Set, and a Dutch Oven... all from Camp Chef!
We also held a drawing for a Pie Iron and recipe book from the Tailgating Tour's newest sponsor, Rome Industries!
We met some great people and tasted some great food. And that's what tailgating's all about!
***
A word of caution
While we have had items stolen from several tailgting events, and have encountered a few less-than-honest parking attendants in our travels, we have tried to refrain from focusing on these negative subjects.
But this week, we were so blatantly scammed we thought we should discuss it so as to prevent other tailgaters from falling victim to similar tactics.
When we arrived at our lot, there was no attendant on duty, so we parked and started setting up as usual. Before long, a man came along claiming to work for the lot and collected money from us for parking. He gave us a ticket stub, as well as leaflets from Ford Field. He stayed around and talked with us for a while, asking us about the Tour and assuring us that we were okay the way we were parked.
He didn't work for the lot.
An hour later, when the real lot attendants arrived, they had no idea who the man was.
Their advice:
Always ask for ID, and make sure it matches the signage for the lot.
Same with the ticket stub. Check for a company name, and match the street address for the lot.
Our advice:
Check with the regulars. They know these guys, and know the procedures. The jerk who scammed us, we learned later, only came to our spot. He completely skipped the other tailgaters, who are there every game.
Friends of the Tour !
We had a great time sharing the tailgating lot in Detroit with the crew from BetOnSports.com. Their awesome RV and enthusiasm added to the excitement, making the event more fun for everyone. These guys are keeping an insane schedule of sporting events across the country, giving away lots of cool stuff! Hope to run into them again soon.
OnTheBlacktop.com 
Tailgate Talk... 
NEW TV Show! 
