Vacation 2016, #2 - Green Bay Packers Training Camp

For the past 6 years now, we've gone up to Appleton Wisconsin to a lovely little campground called Apple Creek. I have blogged about it in the past, from 2012 here,  and another time that I cannot seem to remember, or find!

I thought it was every other year, 2012, 2014 (when I wounded my pinkie finger) and then again last summer in which I have really been there yet, because I'm on vacation post number 2 from last summer...

Anyhoo...  

I've always wanted to attend a Green Bay Packers training camp while we're up there and this year, the stars aligned and it was made possible.  In the past we had thunderstorms roll thru on a morning when we would have otherwise been available (which moves practice indoors and henceforth, closed to the public), or the schedule started a week after we were there.

So it worked out that the weather was fine, beautiful until nearly the end of the tour, on a day when we had nothing planned and so, we made the 20 minute pilgrimage from the campground to Lambeau Field and began our day.

As is custom at Packers training camp, local kids bring their bicycles up and security puts them in the area where the players come out of Lambeau to head across the street to the practice facility.  The players then select a kid, or the kid selects the player (not sure how that works) and the player rides the bike to the practice facility while the kid carries the players helmet.  Pretty cool tradition and just another thing unique to Green Bay.

This girl got to run with Eddie Lacy riding her bike AND wearing her helmet.  Gone seems to be most of his belly that he finished the previous season with!  He looked good.

I believe that's wide receiver, Randall Cobb who unlike Eddie, made the girl carry his helmet.  He was also riding pretty fast, but she wasn't intimidated!!

I'm sort of guessing here, but I think that's tight end Justin Perillo.  I gave him some crap for not riding that little cute cheerleaders bike!!  I received a look from him...

I'm unsure who this fella is, but he rode the tiny bike like a BOSS!!!   Thankfully for the little girl, he couldn't go very fast either.

Here we have number 54 cheating with 3 kids within a stones throw!  You'd think that he would have been selected by the Patriots or Seahawks with the desire to cheat in an easy-going situation like this.  Think of what this fella could do on the field of play!

Then there's these fancy "discount double-check" bikes!

Silhouettes of my peeps overlooking the stadium from the press box.

The atrium, which I think is cool because the marble on the floor is a life-sized replica of the playing field, regardless of how hard it is to see here.  I have a picture from 150 years ago when we toured the stadium for the first time (pre-Caleb!!) where I'm laying down on the floor, but I can't find those pictures for whatever reason.

This is out by where the final destinations of Packers bike-riders are.  The outdoor practice facility.

Same spot but looking back towards Lambeau.

I believe this was the receivers group doing various route drills.

Quarterbacks between drills.

The best shot I got of Aaron Rodgers.

Full team scrimmage.  The offense pretty much smoked the defense in these drills which made me suspect of how their season would go!

Mama, Robby and Caleb!

A different view of the varmints in the press box.

Robby with some of the display jerseys up in the lounge (I think...).  This is the room where the tour guide asked who was the oldest NFL franchise.  Robby spoke up and said, "The Arizona Cardinals!".  He was laughed at by some of the other folks on the tour until the tour guide commended him for being correct.  That's my boy making papa proud!! They actually started the same year, 1920, as the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) but that's the year the NFL began with teams such as the Akron Indians, Columbus Tigers, Canton Bulldogs, Dayton Triangles and others.  The Cardinals truly began in 1898 and if my feeble memory serves me correctly,  they were originally called the Morgan Athletics or something to that effect.  I could look it up, but then, so could you!

Both lads, one happier looking than the other, in front of some more lengendary Packers' jerseys.

In the visiting teams locker room.

The tunnel to the field.  I get goose bumps walking down this tunnel because they play crowd noise that gets louder and you get to the field, much like the sound the players would experience at the games.

There is something about standing on the sidelines of a football field and looking around/up at the stands/scoreboards/ring of honor.  We have toured Lambeau and Soldier stadium and I get the same amazing feeling in both places.  I cannot imagine what coaching a game with the full crowd and the noise going on.  

The GIGANTIC Lombardi trophy facing the East side parking lot.