Oh the agony of it all.
The bus just pulled out from in front of Swangard Stadium, barely a half hour after the Timbers nearly pulled off the comeback of the season. Trailing 2-0 with 12 minutes to play, the boys scored twice, including an incredible strike from Edwin Miranda in stoppage time. The euphoria enveloping the bench area and section occupied by the Timbers' Army folks who made the drive up lasted all but 20 seconds as Vancouver took the kickoff down the field and scored to snatch back the win.
There is a collective feel of dumbfoundedness among the travel party, which numbers 25 for the ride home. Loyal staffers Shonna and Diane traveled by train and bus all day to make the match and are now forced to endure a six or seven hour drive back to Portland with an estimated time of arrival between 4 and 5 a.m. They almost didn't make it as their train had to make a sudden stop to avoid a possible collision that required an impromptu inspection of the train.
Leave it to Sam Reynolds to assume the role of team mom and lessen the angst. He just broke out a box of Chips A'Hoy cookies for the group and popped a Dave Chappelle DVD into the machine on the bus.
Great showing from the Army tonight. They greeted the team bus coming and going from the stadium, gestures sincerely appreciated by the squad.
Chappelle is cracking me up, making it impossible to continue this right now. Maybe more later...
We made it across the border without incident, although I was in panic mode for a few minutes while frantically searching for my passport. It ended up being in my suitcase underneath the bus. The customs officer that I had to show it to was very excited to learn I was born in New Jersey, citing that she hadn't seen a passport with that birthplace in a couple of years. Sounds like an exciting line of work she has chosen.
We stopped at a grocery store and loaded up on supplies for the endless journey down I-5. The last time we made this leg the bus blew a tire in Federal Way, adding another hour to the trek. Fingers are crossed that Vern's lucky vest will pull us through this time.
I'm anxious to read the latest Name the Blog suggestions when I go online tomorrow. I've got an early favorite, but now that the prize has been solidified, I expect a surge in creativity in the coming days. As there won't be any travel in the near future, effectively rendering a travel blog dormant, the next update will be to name the NTB winning entry.
The Bus grew wings and flew us down the interstate in record time, pulling into the Best Western parking lot by Delta Park at 3:40 a.m. The lads will have two days of rest before resuming training in preparation for Thursday's home match vs. Puerto Rico. Be on the lookout for the contest winner in the coming days, but until then, cheers to all and thanks for reading this thing!
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