(KTVI - FOX2now.com)—
It's the ultimate "guy's trip": crisscrossing the country for an entire football season, taking in a game in every NFL stadium, and in an RV. The trio making the trek is making memories while keeping a memory alive, and they are in St. Louis this Sunday. "We had the RV break down," says Nate Thompson, while laughing about some misadventures during their adventure, "twice.""There was just thick white smoke, billowing out our exhaust pipe. And we ran through a blizzard in early October," he says, again laughing.
"The whole way up we were like, 'We probably shouldn't be doing this!'" recalls Thompson's friend Nolan Meyers.
Hiccups were bound to happen, but they bring laughter to a journey born of grief.
"You know Joe was the first true friend I lost," says Thompson.
Joe Lusk was a Westpoint graduate, a commissioned officer in the United States Army, and a well-respected Apache helicopter pilot. He was just 25 years old when his chopper crashed during a training mission in Kuwait. Joe died. He was Thompson's classmate, teammate, army roommate, and friend. He was a fellow football fanatic and a fellow dreamer.
"Down in flight school in Alabama, we had season tickets to Florida State so we would travel down," Thompson remembers. "It was about a two hour drive and one time we saw this pretty nice RV. We started brainstorming about how great it'd be to travel the nation, watching football all season long and tailgating."
Thompson is now out of the army, so this became the season. He, his brother, and a buddy are going to nine college games, 31 pro games, visiting every NFL stadium, expecting to log more than 30 thousand miles.
"I think we're probably about 25 thousand so far," says Thompson, "in about 12 weeks."
This week it is St. Louis. They will be setting up shot in the parking lot just to the north of the Edward Jones Dome, tailgating and raising money for the Joe Lusk Memorial Fund, which helps families of military men and women who've been injured or killed.
The Rams heard about the 31 Stadiums story and have given the guys access to the field before the game and suite in the Clarkson Jewelers Club featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet. They will also be featured on the jumbo tron during halftime.
They are living a dream, minus one dreamer.
"His death definitely had a big impact on the way you look at life, how fragile it is," says Thompson. "Joe liked to work hard and play hard. I think he'd be proud of this trip."
From St. Louis Sunday it is on to New Orleans for the Saints' Monday night game.
