A Great "First Time"

Lambeau Field, Green Bay WI. 

I don't generally veer off the topic of bicycling here on this blog. However; I hope you will indulge me on at least this occasion to allow me to tell you about my experiences of the last couple of days. And if you don't like the Green Bay Packers, you may want to skip today's entry.

That is because I was in attendance at the game in Lambeau Field this past Thursday. It is something I never thought I would ever be able to experience. So, it was a very big deal for me, especially since I am a fan of the Green Bay Packers. 

I will not get into all the history I have with the team, going back to my youth. I won't get into all the reasons why I never went to a game before this, nor why I never thought I ever would go attend any NFL game. It was just something I figured was beyond my reach both financially and travel-wise. 

But Mrs. Guitar Ted and I have some old friends who have been avid Packer fans, and season ticket holders, for many years. They offered to take us to the game if we paid for lodging. So, the plan was set, and even the day before we left I found the entire idea so unreal I could not believe it. And sitting here writing this, I still kind of feel like it all was a dream. 

Mrs. Guitar Ted being silly at Titletown next to Lambeau Field

A huge statue of Curly Lambeau, the stadium's namesake. 

The plan our host had was to guide us on a kind of overall look at Lambeau Field and its surroundings. We walked about 3/4's of the way around the building, saw Kroll's tailgate party, went to Titletown, and the Johnsonville Tailgate Village. 

The Johnsonville Tailgate Village

A giant Lombardi Trophy replica greets you as you enter the stadium at the American Family Insurance gate.

We entered the stadium and saw a 50ft high replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy which represents the championship trophy of the NFL.. The trophy was named in honor of the famous coach of the Packers when the Packers won multiple championships in the 1960's. 

Then we went through the Atrium. A large open area where we came across a drum corp banging out a cadence at a deafening volume. It was the ultimate pep rally! If you weren't hype after this, you were dead. 

The drum team was awesome, and LOUD!

 Then we began the slow climb upwards towards our seats......

A view within the original "bowl" of Lambeau Field, erected in 1957. It originally held a little over 32,000 fans.

 

My view from my seat on the 7th Level. The stadium now holds 72,515 fans.

Our seats were in the South End Zone area, the newest part of the stadium. It was pretty high up there and I was glad there was a Jumbo-tron so I could actually see what was happening on the field a little more clearly. 

Now, a few random impressions I gathered from my experience:(No particular order)

• Lambeau Field is considered one of the "must see" stadiums of any kind in the world, and certainly in the NFL. I would agree that it is very impressive. 
• This place is cleaner than anyone's home you've been in. There is not one piece of trash anywhere on the ground. There are no little corners filled with dust, random spider webs, or anything. It's an amazingly spic and span joint. Shout out to this stadium's caretakers. You rule!
• The stories you hear about the fans are true. Nice, fun, and gregarious. We had a Panther fan sitting in front of us and he was treated with all due respect as a human. Nice! 
• Lambeau gets LOUD. The televised crowd noise does not do it justice. The vibes are real. 
• The game moves quickly at times and then you get the "TV ad breaks" which slow things down tremendously. It's a contrast which is noticeable at the field. 
• Prices for concessions are very expensive. 
• The Milwaukee Brewers, who had just won the World Series the evening before, showed up with the Commissioners Trophy in between the first and second quarters wearing cheese heads. The crowd lost their minds. 
• The Packers defeated the Carolina Panthers 27 - 19. 

So, that is where I've been and with travel, what I've been up to for two days this week. I hope you've enjoyed this tiny look at Lambeau Field and the experience I had there. Tomorrow I will return to regular content again. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions. 

A Trip To See A Long Missed Friend

A barn in Illinois along HWY 20

 "I can't believe you are sitting here in front of me! It's like a dream or something!", exclaimed Ari Andonopoulous as we sat in a local bar eating burgers. His reaction to my presence can be explained because it had been seven years since we'd seen each other. That's a long time! Especially when we were used to seeing each other at least once a year, if not more.  

Trans Iowa was a gravel race. But it was a lot more than that. Trans Iowa was a conduit for making friends. Many riders made connections at Trans Iowa which have lasted until now and likely will for the lifetime of those people. I have known this about others, but it also applies to myself. 

Ari came to Trans Iowa v4 in 2008. This was he and his friend, Michael Roe's, (better known as Dr. Giggles to some) first Trans Iowa. Ari subsequently attended every Trans Iowa up to v13 in 2017. We would spend at least a little time each year catching up, and sometimes a lot of time catching up. I also was able to ride the 2015 "Mud Year" at the Dirty Kanza 200 with Ari, a time I shan't easily forget. 

But Ari had to miss Trans Iowa v14, the last of the series, and since then we just hadn't been able to coordinate a meeting. Of course, Covid had a say in that as well. So, seven years! It was far too long a time. But a chance for me to tag along to Chicago for a concert trip my daughter and a friend were making from here to see a K-Pop group afforded me and Mrs. Guitar Ted that opportunity. I decided to make it happen. 

It isn't every day you see that vehicle!

I left shortly after work on Saturday. Mrs. Guitar Ted did all the driving,as I don't see all that well these days to drive. Not in 80mph city traffic anyway. Plus I hate driving in big cities. So, anyway... 

We got to our motel which was located adjacent to the lovely O'Hare International Airport and right near the All State Arena where the concert was to be held. Not a sight that would offer any hope of interesting, inspiring feelings. However; on this evening, the Oscar Mayer "Wiener-mobile" made an appearance. I can now check that off my list of things to see in Life! 

Throughout this time I had been letting Ari know where I was and when, but there was no real plan to make our meeting happen until Sunday. Things worked out to where I was able to have Mrs. Guitar Ted drop me off at Ari's home and we were able to spend the afternoon and evening together. Mrs. Guitar Ted took Ari's daughter, who was just about my daughter's age, to be with my daughter and her friend so they could geek out on K-Pop idol stuff all afternoon. When the concert time came Mrs. Guitar Ted brought Ari's daughter back and we all had a wonderful meal of local pizza with Ari, his wife, and daughter. 

Ari and I. Image taken by Giuletta Andonopoulous

In between my arrival and departing Ari shared a lunch with me at the aforementioned bar, we had a tour of his bicycles, his garage shop, and a good laugh or three. 

Ari, like myself, has worked as a bicycle mechanic for many years. He has managed to collect one amazing bicycle fleet which I was blown away by. Mostly steel road bikes, but peppered in there were a lot of really interesting bikes that were super-cool. 

And then there is Ari's "garage". You cannot park a car in it. I find that fitting somehow! Anyway, Ari has his tools all perfectly arranged on pegboard and tool boxes full of tools. Plastic storage boxes filled with parts are stored on baker's racks. It really is a bicycle geek paradise. Other folks would likely find his garage wasted space, but I would submit these people just don't get it. 

One thing I am excited about is that Ari and I recorded a conversation about how different early gravel riding was compared to today's scene. I forgot to bring my podcasting machine so I recorded our conversation in Garage Band on my phone.  You can check that out on the "Guitar Ted Podcast", link below. 

Ari's shop

There was a LOT more spoken about things not related to bicycles between us that I cannot share here. I will only say that Ari and I have an ease of conversation and we seem to be able to be pretty transparent with each other. I wish he lived closer to me or vice-versa. Seven years being away meant that there was no way to catch up. Not really. However; we did have a great time, and it was apparent to me that leaving this friendship for that long a time to be dormant is not an option going forward. 

Eventually it got late and we had to leave to pick up my daughter and her friend, and then Monday morning I left the Chicago area for Iowa again. I won't miss Chicago, if I am honest, but I do hope to see Ari again well before seven more years pass by. 

A special shout out to Ari and his family for their tremendous hospitality and kindness to myself and my family. 

Note: You can listen to some audio of some of our conversation from Ari's garage Sunday in the latest Guitar Ted Podcast HERE.