2012 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game- Wisconsin vs Oregon 1-2-2012
After watching my Wisconsin Badgers lose the 2011 Rose Bowl, I decided to return for the 2012 edition of the game. Wanting to make the trip memorable for me and the boys, we decided to also catch the Rose Parade. The parade has been on my bucket list for years and I could not help but make time for it. We drove to the light rail station and took the train to the parade route, arriving about 1 hour before the start. This years parade was supposed to be overrun with "occupy" protestors, and promised to be an interesting cultural experience for the boys.
We walked the parade route for about 30 minutes getting a feel for the crowd. We finally settled for a spot on the corner of Colorado and El Molino, placing ourselves just behind the people that had been camping all night. Although it was in direct sunlight all morning, the spot turned out to be great. The floats were awesome, the bands were great and the atmosphere was electric. The parade lasted about two and a half hours, and did not disappoint.
After the parade ended we walked up Colorado Blvd to see the aftermath. Trash was everywhere and the swat team was on hand to deal with the protestors. We walked to 3+ miles to the stadium and enjoyed the tailgate activities before the game. The B-2 flyover was amazing, the game was amazing, and although our team fell short again we had a memorable day.
Click here for a video of the flyover!
Click here for a video of the flyover!