Day 9 (Testing @ the Superdome in New Orleans)

Testing today went great. The stadium was extremely close to the hotel we’re staying at, and loading all the equipment went a little easier than previous times. The turf at the stadium was actually just recently laid down and we were the first people to really be on it, besides the installation crew. Getting details on the turf was pretty easy this time around because not only did we have the turf manager, Chad Wilker, but we also had the turf installation director from Sportexe (the company installing the turf at the Superdome).

Being in the Superdome was great. I was really nice to see how they’ve recovered post-Katrina. A matter of fact, it was really nice to see the city of New Orleans recover post-Katrina. The area we stayed in, and the French Quarter from what was told to us, was not badly affected by the storm. But driving into the heart of the city you could still see some of the damage left in the storm’s wake.

Overall I think we all really enjoyed New Orleans. It had great food, entertainment, and most of all, people. We really couldn’t ask for more.

Tomorrow starts another day of driving. We drive from here (New Orleans, LA) to Dallas, TX. It’s about another 8 hour drive to get there. These past couple days have turned out to be a great opportunity to power up and make that final push for this last bit of the trip. Next stop, Texas Stadium: Home of the Dallas Cowboys!