- May 15th, 2017, 1:58 pm
#530935
Now that we have our first FBS schedule lined up for 2018, I thought it might be fun to look at road trips from a fan's perspective. Obviously we have more attractive destinations although we will miss the Charleston & Myrtle Beach roadies. Adios FCS away games!
So here's some initial thoughts:
September 8 - @ Army
Michie Stadium
Built in 1924 - Seats 38.000
Not going to lie, this is the road trip game that Mrs. Sly have already circled on the calendar. I get the excitement about UVa & Auburn. But I have always wanted to go see a game at West Point. It has one of the coolest settings on the oldest continuously operated military post in North America. George Washington called this the most important location in the Revolutionary War. Jefferson established USMA in 1802 while in the White House at the same time he was designing Poplar Forest. The school's alumni include a who's who of military history: Grant, Lee, Jackson, Sherman, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton. For history buffs, this is an incredible place to visit much less watch the Flames take down a brand name team.
But what has my wife jazzed is the proximity to New York City. This would make a killer weekend away with your spouse in the City. Flights to one of NYC's four major airports are generally always competitive. Then when you factor in Amtrak it adds yet another list of possibilities.
September 29 - @ New Mexico
University Stadium
Opened in 1960 - Seats 39,224
The two universities are located well over 200 miles apart and have completely different vibes. Unquestionably this date is in the more attractive place to visit. Albuquerque is actually a very cool city with easy flight access. It would be fun for Coach McKay to share some suggestions for Liberty folks based on his UNM experience. But I can tell you that Albuquerque is definitely a completely different world from Lynchburg. The Native American component is huge and creates some awesome cultural experiences.
But the Route 66 city has plenty of awesome stuff nearby including the Sandia Mountain Tramway/La Luz Trail, National Petroglyph Monument and even the national nuclear museum for the B&W folks. But the coolest place form tourist perspective nearby is Santa Fe. It is just an hour away and is flat out spectacular. And here is where the planning comes into play. If someone is willing to make a week out of it, New Mexico would be an incredible vacation combined with road game #3 for the Flames ....
October 6 - @ New Mexico State
Aggie Memorial Stadium
Opened in 1978 - Seats 30,343
We will obviously be playing games here in Las Cruces (Spanish for The Crosses) in both 2018 & 2019 and likely in many years to come. So this will be a great place to consider moving forward. The key element to remember is that Las Cruces is much closer to El Paso International Airport (ELP) than Albuquerque. So if you were planning combining these back-to-back games in New Mexico into one trip, you'd probably want to fly into Albuquerque and flight out of El Paso which is just an hour away. Even though it might be tempting to slip across the border into Juarez when you are driving from the airport to Las Cruces, it is not recommended AT ALL. But there are other cool places to visit in Southern New Mexico. White Sands National Monument is nearby and it has its own spectacular beauty.
Carlsbad Caverns is also a few hours away and there are countless Navajo places to visit across the state. I know we have several posters with El Paso ties including bozlady. It definitely offers some interesting experiences as well.
November 3 - @ UMass
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Opened in 1965 - Seats 17,000
First things, first. They no longer play home games in Gillette Stadium. And this stadium is nowhere close to Boston. Instead it is located in Hadley which is a shade under two hours driving time from Logan Airport. The airports at Springfield & Hartford are actually closer if you are planning on flying in. But Western Mass has its own appeal and this game is an attractive trip as well. It would be easy to visit the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. If we didn't have some other attractive options, I'd probably make this trip myself from Texas. As the pirates who don't do anything so eloquently pointed out, who wouldn't want to see Boston in the fall?
November 10 - @ UVa
Scott Stadium
Opened in 1931 - Seats 61,500
Obviously this is the best known location on our schedule outsid eof Lynchburg. Any LU fans in the Commonwealth should not miss this game. Enough said.
November 17 - @ Auburn
Jordan-Hare Stadium
Opened in 1939 - Seats 87,451
The last trip of the year is certainly the most grand. SEC venues tend to be awe-inspiring and Jordan-Hare certainly fits that bill. The Bo Jackson & Cam Newton refereces are everywhere around this place for obvious reasons. But for East Coast folks curious what all of the SEC hype is all about, this is a terrific opportunity to experience it at its finest. After Army, this is my most attractive date on the calendar. For strictly the stadium experience it would easily be #1. Yeah, I have experienced Scott Stadium and it is not in the same class for intensity and awesomeness.
So here's some initial thoughts:
September 8 - @ Army
Michie Stadium
Built in 1924 - Seats 38.000
Not going to lie, this is the road trip game that Mrs. Sly have already circled on the calendar. I get the excitement about UVa & Auburn. But I have always wanted to go see a game at West Point. It has one of the coolest settings on the oldest continuously operated military post in North America. George Washington called this the most important location in the Revolutionary War. Jefferson established USMA in 1802 while in the White House at the same time he was designing Poplar Forest. The school's alumni include a who's who of military history: Grant, Lee, Jackson, Sherman, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton. For history buffs, this is an incredible place to visit much less watch the Flames take down a brand name team.
But what has my wife jazzed is the proximity to New York City. This would make a killer weekend away with your spouse in the City. Flights to one of NYC's four major airports are generally always competitive. Then when you factor in Amtrak it adds yet another list of possibilities.
September 29 - @ New Mexico
University Stadium
Opened in 1960 - Seats 39,224
The two universities are located well over 200 miles apart and have completely different vibes. Unquestionably this date is in the more attractive place to visit. Albuquerque is actually a very cool city with easy flight access. It would be fun for Coach McKay to share some suggestions for Liberty folks based on his UNM experience. But I can tell you that Albuquerque is definitely a completely different world from Lynchburg. The Native American component is huge and creates some awesome cultural experiences.
But the Route 66 city has plenty of awesome stuff nearby including the Sandia Mountain Tramway/La Luz Trail, National Petroglyph Monument and even the national nuclear museum for the B&W folks. But the coolest place form tourist perspective nearby is Santa Fe. It is just an hour away and is flat out spectacular. And here is where the planning comes into play. If someone is willing to make a week out of it, New Mexico would be an incredible vacation combined with road game #3 for the Flames ....
October 6 - @ New Mexico State
Aggie Memorial Stadium
Opened in 1978 - Seats 30,343
We will obviously be playing games here in Las Cruces (Spanish for The Crosses) in both 2018 & 2019 and likely in many years to come. So this will be a great place to consider moving forward. The key element to remember is that Las Cruces is much closer to El Paso International Airport (ELP) than Albuquerque. So if you were planning combining these back-to-back games in New Mexico into one trip, you'd probably want to fly into Albuquerque and flight out of El Paso which is just an hour away. Even though it might be tempting to slip across the border into Juarez when you are driving from the airport to Las Cruces, it is not recommended AT ALL. But there are other cool places to visit in Southern New Mexico. White Sands National Monument is nearby and it has its own spectacular beauty.
Carlsbad Caverns is also a few hours away and there are countless Navajo places to visit across the state. I know we have several posters with El Paso ties including bozlady. It definitely offers some interesting experiences as well.
November 3 - @ UMass
Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Opened in 1965 - Seats 17,000
First things, first. They no longer play home games in Gillette Stadium. And this stadium is nowhere close to Boston. Instead it is located in Hadley which is a shade under two hours driving time from Logan Airport. The airports at Springfield & Hartford are actually closer if you are planning on flying in. But Western Mass has its own appeal and this game is an attractive trip as well. It would be easy to visit the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. If we didn't have some other attractive options, I'd probably make this trip myself from Texas. As the pirates who don't do anything so eloquently pointed out, who wouldn't want to see Boston in the fall?
November 10 - @ UVa
Scott Stadium
Opened in 1931 - Seats 61,500
Obviously this is the best known location on our schedule outsid eof Lynchburg. Any LU fans in the Commonwealth should not miss this game. Enough said.
November 17 - @ Auburn
Jordan-Hare Stadium
Opened in 1939 - Seats 87,451
The last trip of the year is certainly the most grand. SEC venues tend to be awe-inspiring and Jordan-Hare certainly fits that bill. The Bo Jackson & Cam Newton refereces are everywhere around this place for obvious reasons. But for East Coast folks curious what all of the SEC hype is all about, this is a terrific opportunity to experience it at its finest. After Army, this is my most attractive date on the calendar. For strictly the stadium experience it would easily be #1. Yeah, I have experienced Scott Stadium and it is not in the same class for intensity and awesomeness.