Travelling Rider Fans

One of the things that makes Ridernation so unique is how fans travel from all over the country to take in games. It's not uncommon for someone to drive not only a couple hours but all day or night or even hop on a plane just to get to Mosaic Stadium. I am also one of these fans. I live three hours away in Saskatoon. I'd love nothing more than to be at every single game, but it's not always possible due to driving hours versus work hours. It's not only the time but the money involved in getting to games. It's an all day adventure.

Game Day Eve we start to get ready. I make sure I have bottled water and snacks for the trip. I make sure our tickets are packed. I actually make sure the tickets are there repeatedly. How bad would it be to drive three hours to only realize the tickets were forgotten?! Ack! We also have a special Rider satchel to carry our seat cushions in which handily has enough room for all the other stuff too. Because I have a condition called Solar Urticaria, there is also an ample supply of sunblock. You have to look after the skin!

As I said, going to a game is an all day affair when travelling from Saskatoon. Hubby is an accountant and has crunched all the numbers and for this reason we don't buy food at the stadium. Oh, we'd love to! It smells awesome! We also do not indulge in wobbly pops. We are there to enjoy the game and driving home can be treacherous enough as it is. We do, however, make sure to have a substantial breakfast or lunch before jumping in the car.

Hmm...is it Steve?  Is it really?

Last week, since the game was an early game, I found a recipe for “Egg Muffins”. I'd seen them posted on Pinterest but never really knew how they actually tasted. They are FREAKING AMAZING! You cook them in the oven in a muffin pan and they pop out and are totally portable and freezable for another time!

My Egg Muffin Recipe

Prepared Egg Muffins...YUM!

6 eggs

1 cup diced omelet/pizza mix from the Co-Op deli

1/2 cup grated tex mex cheese

dash salt & pepper.

Whisk or mix the whole thing up. Portion out by soup ladle into a muffin pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cook in 350 F degree oven for 15 minutes or until the centers are solid. Makes 9 egg muffins @ 56 calories each.

Anyone ever go to the A&W on Albert Street? It seems to be our stopping off place once we've arrived in Regina. It really helps that a few weeks back we were delivered a whole page of coupons in the mail. This is our pregame meal. Usually we'd have a Teen Burger combo or something similar, but last game we managed to get to Regina earlier than expected and they were still serving breakfast...probably because there wasn't a check stop in Chamberlain. Anyone who knows me knows I love pancakes or waffles. I was so happy to be able to have pancakes on game day. The syrup it's served with is pretty great too. 3 pancakes for $2...sign me up! My only complaint about that A&W is the size of the restrooms. I've been in bigger broom closets.

I get parking lot rage. I admit it. I cannot stand driving around looking for a place to park and I detest having to walk miles from the car to the stadium. So because of this The Hubs and I catch the Fan Express from the Northgate Mall. It's pretty handy. The first bus comes 90 minutes before game time and for $3 drops you right outside the south gates. The price went up over last year though. Now it's a $12 bus ride for us. Still it's a great option. We just hop on after the game and get delivered back to the mall and before you know it we're back out on the highway heading for home.

On the car ride home we eat sandwiches (honey ham for that trip with a smattering of mustard) which we packed picnic style and listen to the post game show on ckrm with Michael Ball and guests. It helps to keep the mind occupied while driving and winds us down and helps us rationalize all facets of the game. The callers make us angry and make us laugh but most importantly, it's broadcast long enough to get us to our doorstep and for that we are thankful.

The game? Well the Roughriders/Argonauts game was highly entertaining. I've never seen our offence so dialled in. It was amazing. Kevin Glenn performed awesome and I'd argue Durant couldn't have done better. Argo's Trevor Harris played calm and cool and collected. Many have complained about the officiating and phantom penalties, but I'm not going to go there. What I do see is a very strong Rider team and I think if they clean up the penalties this team will be the team to watch. The defence and coaching of Corey Chamblin was under question but I really didn't see a failure there at all. Remember there is no fan base as finicky as Rider fans.

After all, it's not the start of the season that matters...it's how you finish!

What's your game day regime? Have any tips for those of us travelling? Let me know! Maybe I'll include them in future editions of this blog.

Until then, I remain faithful. I believe. And I predict a win in BC Friday night.

Go Riders Go!