Because Enterprise couldn't commit to pick us up within the next hour, we hailed a pedi-cab which was waiting at the docks for a ride to the Enterprise Rent-a-Car office about 8-10 blocks away. Quite a ride with two suitcases and a cooler! We signed out our car and left for Gainesville, about 5 hours away, the home of the Univ of Florida. We were going to get our football fix for 2014 watching the MU vs FL SEC football game Saturday.
We had been considering the MU - South Carolina football game in the summer but it was so early in the season, we were still in the Chesapeake. MU-FL turned out to be a great alternative.After locating hotel and checking in, we walked next door to the Red Lobster for dinner. The crowd wasn't bad, considering it was the night before a football game. Only 3-4 Missouri cars were at the motel???
We took at our morning walk then drove to the U of FL campus to determine if we could walk to the game--no way. We went to a large mall across the street and ate lunch Jason's Deli. Sally liked the fare and after seeing a lot of fans dressed in blue and orange attire, I asked one where a fan with no knowledge of the area could park close to the stadium. The nice fan eating in Jason's with his family told me about several parking spots; the lot we choose was only 6-8
blocks from the stadium!!! We signed up for the Tiger's pre-game Tailgate Rally at the student union. I think we walked in circles through campus to the rally but after getting there, we had a great time. Truman the Tiger, the Golden Girls, and (mini) marching Mizzou!!! After getting our meal, we started looking for a table and randomly sat down at a table with another couple. Turned out it was Caroline Shaw and her husband from Bowling Green, MO which is only 10 miles from Louisiana!
We got to our seats and if you blinked, you missed the first MU score, a kick-off run-back for touchdown #1. The final score was 42-14 with MU winning the games with only 120 total yards of offense!!! Hey, we'll take a "W" no matter how we get it!Needless to say by the end of the game, most of the Florida fans had departed. The FL fans were chanting to get rid of Coach Wil Muschamp, who was fired a couple weeks later. Getting back to the motel was a piece of cake as there was very little traffic leaving the campus at the conclusion of the game.
The next morning we took our morning walk and still didn't see many Missouri cars. We did see a Missouri pick-up truck towing a bar on wheels, complete with big-screen TV, bar stools, etc. I guess Missouri fans travel in style!
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