MONROE, La. - The more experienced members of the travel
squad had some flashbacks yesterday when we arrived at the Monroe Regional
Airport.
Three years ago, the Pioneers landed,
went to baggage claim and stood idly while two suitcases circled the conveyer
belt. Nobody in the DU travel party got their luggage until the next afternoon (see blog from 2009).
Last night, the team landed about 9
p.m. after a stop in Dallas, and half the team - including four starters -
stood at baggage claim with anxious looks and no bags in sight.
It was a strange scene, too, because
Monroe just built a brand new terminal with every tile sparkling. However, they
have not gotten around to building a baggage claim yet, so there's a roped off
area in a corner with a sign, and the baggage handlers drive a cart up and
carry each bag in.
The airline representative indicated
that there were no more bags on the plane. She made a short call on her radio
and discovered that there were indeed a few more in the cargo hold, so 15
minutes later, everyone was happily wheeling their belongings to the team bus.
Monroe is without a doubt one of the
more difficult places in the Sun Belt Conference to reach from Denver. It
involves a flight to either Dallas or Houston, followed by a regional jet to
Monroe.
Actually, regional jet was not the
correct descriptor yesterday. After the team piled onto the small plane, the
propellers started.
Freshman Jake Logan leaned forward and asked senior Travis Hallam, "It's not going to be this loud the entire flight,
is it?"
Hallam smiled and replied, "It will
stop in an hour or so." He didn't mention that the flight was only 40 minutes.
As we make this final tour of the Sun
Belt, there's somewhat of a mental checklist of towns to which DU likely will not
return.
Monroe, however, might be in the
travel plans in the future. Future WAC opponent Louisiana Tech is in Ruston,
La., which is roughly 35 miles west of Monroe. The next closest airport is
Shreveport, about an hour farther than Monroe.
In other words, the Pioneers may enjoy
the amenities of the Monroe Regional Airport, including its old school baggage
claim, for years to come.
As mentioned in previous blogs, the
team generally stays in West Monroe at a nice, well-maintained hotel across
Mane Street (yes, that's spelled correctly) from the Ag Expo.
Aside from a John Deere dealer and miniature
golf course, which has been closed all but once in our many visits, there's not
much around the hotel.
Sophomore Chris Udofia said that he went looking for a gas station to buy
some snacks last night. He took two steps outside the hotel exit, did a
complete 360 and then walked back inside after he realized he could see miles
of emptiness.
Celebrity Among Us? - While walking through TSA, the agent took the
driver's license from "The Voice" Mitch
Hyder and checked the information. As he handed it back, he said almost
under his breath, "I enjoy listening to you on the radio." Then he quickly took
the ID from the next person in line.
About Louisiana-Monroe - On Joe Scott and his coaching staff's first trip to Monroe, La.,
five years ago, Scott turned around on the bus and asked Hyder and trainer Pat
Hoxsey how to get to Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"Take a right at the turquois and pink, drive-thru daiquiri stand," the
both said in unison.
They weren't kidding. That's the landmark, which is easy to spot even
though nobody in the group has ever actually been there.
About a mile later, you take a left over a bridge on a part of a
tributary that the ULM club water skiing team uses for practice. One year, we
noticed a fairly gigantic water moccasin sunbathing on the ski ramp.
Needless to say, this place is a little different than Denver. However,
like every place we travel, the people of Monroe are exceptionally friendly.
And a few alumni from ULM have gone on to pretty big things.
Ben Sheets pitched here before winning an Olympic gold medal and
advancing to a career in Major League Baseball. Tim Brando earned his
undergraduate degree here before heading to CBS Sports. Tim McGraw was here
before moving on to country superstardom and marrying Faith Hill. (And, as the blog pointed out last year, Hurricane from
American Gladiators went to Louisiana-Monroe.)
More recently, as the electronic message board outside Fant-Ewing
Coliseum excitedly lets everyone know, Miss Louisiana Hope Anderson finished in
the top 15 at Miss America last week. In fact, the last three Miss Louisianas
are ULM alumnae.
As for ULM
basketball, they have struggled this season and are hoping to break a 15-game
home losing streak against the Pioneers tonight.
The team that
started that streak? You guessed it. The Denver Pioneers, who hope to stretch
it to 16 games this evening.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights - 15
Total Mileage by Air - 8,205
Total Mileage by Bus - 994
Total
Number of Hotels - 8
Total
Number of Different Airports - 11
Total
Number of Airline Delays - 5
Total
Number of Cancelled Flights - 0
Total
Number of Bags Lost - 4
Total
Number of Bags Almost Lost - 11
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