(Sorry this is long. If this bothers you, then do not read. Meant to help those Tenn fans traveling to Oregon)
First off, I did not personally go to the 2010 UO-Tenn game at Tenn. But my roommate did and called me 10-12 times before-during-after the game, giving me the low down. Fact- Tenn fans treated Oregon fans really nice. UO fans were actually blown away. (remember this point because it may indeed come back to protect you). My roommate said that during the storm some nicer- older Tenn guy took him in his pickup to shelter him from the rain and offered him tons of wisky to get him warm. lol My roommate does not drink but he appreciated the gester very much. And I heard very many other reports, from him, talking to other Ducks there, the same thing happened to them. Tons of nice Tenn people offering shelter in a bad storm offering them booze.
Such kindness of Tenn people left a great impression on us.
For those flying down, here are some things you should do, and what to expect:
For 1, do not spend much time around Eugene. Sure, stay the night before, or arrive in the morning game-day, for sure. But Eugene is nothing to write home about, imo. Portland and it's area is where it's at. Even if you only have 1-3 days to visit, you want to spend your time where I suggest: A)A half hour East of Portland is Multnomah Falls. Bring a camera. Your welcome in advance. If you have more time then a couple hours, Drive over into the State of Washington, head East on Hyway 14(i think it is), that runs along the Washington side of the Columbia River. If you like a good hike, stop at Beacon Rock, hike it. If not, drive all the way unto the Bridge. I think it costs like 1 buck to use it, crossing yourself into Oregon over the River. And you will see the most beautiful views all along the way. Then while heading West on I-84, stop at Multnomah falls. Again, if you like to hike, and see great sites, spend the 1-2 hours hiking up to the very top of the falls. If you want lunch, stop at the Bridge of the gods, & there is a little restaurant there. That small loop, I personally call my Holy Trifecta, and I have taken many women on that loop impressing them with our lands beauty. One girl from Chicago, who was from India, but only had lived 1 year in Chicago, said that was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and the single best day of her life- me taking her on that little loop. But bring Camera. I also took her to Portlands famous Rose Garden after, later at night. I will get to that in a sec.
And spend most of your time around Portland. Downtown, anywhere. You will enjoy it and what you see. If it were me, go to NW 23rd street, off of NW Burnside St. That street is like it's own village. And then while there, go check out our famous Rose Garden. I say this for guys taking their wives. And it has great views there of the city. Plus that neighborhood that one drives through there is very nice to see. It is near our Pro Soccer Stadium. Enter through Salmon St. And check out that park, Washington Park there. That is my favorite park.
But on top of just East of Portland- Multnomah Falls(probably our most famous signature postcard picture area) and on top of our City- Portland- the next awesome thing to see is out West of Portland- to the Coast. Drive hyway 26(about 1.5-2 hours to the coast from Portland) towards Seaside. For those coastal mnt's ones see's along that drive will have you in heaven. And Seaside is our most touristy famous Beach. It is the spot, during spring break that all the Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana college kids go to to have a good time on spring break. And while in that area, drop south on Hyway 101 along the coast, only a few miles South and check out Cannon Beach. That is where the most famous pictures are taken of the Oregon Coast- that beach, with its huge massive boulders in the water- on the Ocean-on the beach. But do not expect to swim. Our Ocean water is very cold, except in a Elnina year.
And all of the above could easily be done in one single day even, as the traveling distance is not far, if you woke up early. And I write this because I know Tenn is land locked and many probably want to see the Pacific Ocean, just to say they have been there. Seaside to play the Tourest, Cannon Beach to take pictures, imo is where you want to be.
Our food in Oregon is nothing special. But our Micro Beer and and Coffee is. We are beer and Coffee snobs out here. Portland is the #2 Coffee city after Seattle and the #1 Micro Beer City in America. But we do it a little different in Oregon- our beers have tons of hops. It is a acquired taste, lol. And for anyone not liking beer, just stop by any Mcmenamins Pubs(there are tons) anywhere from Portland-Eugene. Their food used to be great, but it went downhill- going cheap. But their Beer is 2nd to none. As for samples- free of any. But you really want to try their "Ruby". One cannot buy it in stores. Even if your wife hates beer, even she will love this beer. There simply is no better tasting beer on planet earth than this beer. Again, your welcome.
And while in Eugene, gameday, while we have the best Tailgating in the PAC-12 by far, truth is, it is nothing close to SEC level. Keep in mind, during most of the CFB season it is very cold/rainy here, so there are reasons for that. But while you visit your own Tenn ALum tent, party with your own kind, check out the Mo center, a few feet away from the stadium to your left. It is our indoor Football practice building that we convert to one large Beer/food/ Duck garden on gameday.
While at the game, or after, you may indeed have a few younger(under 30) guys, who are drunk get in your face, or hear "you inbred Southern SEC hick" kind of stuff. What you do is this: (that is why I opened this thread with explaining how you treated us). You simply inform said drunk piece of crap Oregon bandwagon fan that your own people treated Oregon fans very nicely, even offering them booze and shelter from the great rain and storm. And by saying that to them, it will silence them. Yes Autzen can be a little hostile sometimes(but mainly only to Udub fans) but you inform those bandwagens how you treated us while we visited, and you will be fine.
Most of you may not even get bad treatment, as most of our Duck fans are very, very nice people. However, do note: Some fans that came on to us in 2009-2010 are bandwagon type. And you MAY get some bad treatment from a FEW people. Please disregard that, imo. It is just that out West we hate the SEC with a passion of a thousand suns. And you are a SEC team. And they are not too bright knowing that Tenn fans actually were EXTREMELY kind and considerate to us. And also, we have had many LSU fans, while playing at Dallas, pick fights with our fans. And Auburn fans were terrible to deal with in general during our National Champ game. So be warned a little. But do not be scared. Word has spread much on how you treated us, and there are many, many true Duck fans that will bend over backwards to make sure you are all-right- and are treated in the same way as you treated us.
One last thing: While many National Reporters have said we have the single loudest Stadium in the country, know this: Classes do not start at UO until Sep 30th. Thus, there may not be that many students at the game. Our student section is our strength, very loud. But they may not be there as we are on a Quarter system at UO, as in all State Oregon schools, and not Semester. So translation, it may not be normal loud for this game. However, to get a small taste of how loud it can be, I suggest, wherever you are sitting, during the first quarter, to take a small walk down from your seats near the bottom, while your team is on Offense, just for a second. Why? Well, it can be ok loud in the stands, but the real noise is only captured down on the field. Our field is in a pit kind of, really sunken down low into the ground with a wooden wall around it. The sound enters and stays down there. Your players will have their ears ringing for hours after the game. And to be down on the field or up in the stands is night and day. So take a small walk down, during the game, during first down with your team on Offense,,,,,then by 3rd down, you will arrive to the bottom, but you cannot enter the field. But you can stand there for a min and take it all in. We may not have the highest peak sound- such as for a good play, such as LSU or such, but we have the most constant loud, all game, while we are on Defense- and whisper quiet while on Offense. If you cannot do that, then perhaps talk to your Tenn players when they fly back if our Stadium was as loud as the hype...
I hope any of this helps. Questions, just ask me:
