Death Valley is nearly perfect.

Oct 1, 2006, 9:21 AM

When you turn from Highway 76 onto Perimeter Road it feels and looks like you are on the Blue Ridge Parkway or in a National Park. The rolling land is nicely landscaped, covered in lush grass and just beautiful. There are landscape gardens on your left and picnic- pretty hillsides on your right. A bit farther and you pass a lovely, manicured golf course.

The pastoral scene is not normal, though, for out on the nice grass, under the trees, sitting in parklike splendor are thousands and thousands and thousands of cars, tents, tables, grills, and a good part of the Clemson family. It could be the world's largest picnic at the worlds best picnic grounds, but we all know it as the world's best tailgate party.

After I got parked late yesterday, I saw kids playing ball while Moms and Dads were laughing and joking with friends. I saw food, smelled meat cooking on thousands of grills, and sniffed the faint and pleasant odor of beer and strong drink. I saw more than a few 19 and 20 something kids trying hard, maybe too hard as young people often do, to have a good time. That show by itself was fun to watch. There are some good parties in the grass there outside Death Valley. Still, even the hard partying has a friendly feel of well mannered lightheartedness about it.

I had dinner with some friends and then walked over and into Clemson Memorial Stadium...into Death Valley. It was nearly perfect. Our stadium is huge, nicely proportioned, clean and comfortable. The concourse areas beneath the stands are colorful, uniformly clean, open, inviting and full of friendly people. You can watch TV while waiting to buying a drink, some ice cream or a tee shirt. There are clean and comfortable restrooms everywhere. Overhead there are pictures of our heros from days gone by proudly displayed that help you conjure up memories of other Saturdays from long ago.

If you walk around inside the stadium you'll see mature trees along manicured brick and concrete sidewalks. I noticed kids with brooms and dustpans sweeping up last night while the party was still in progress. I like standing under the new West End Zone club on the big patio and looking out across the sea of orange to the huge jumbotron on the hill. I like standing out back of the West End zone and watching the sunset over the big party. I like feeling the breeze from Lake Hartwell and the mountains blowing out across the west stands and down into the Valley. I like seeing the hundreds and hundreds of nicely located, convenient places for our wheelchair fans to park their chairs and watch the game.

I like the sound of Death Valley. I like hearing the bands playing, the PA blaring a bit, the crowd murmuring and roaring, clapping, cheering, laughing.

I love it that nearly everyone wears orange. I like it that the noise becomes deafening before the game starts. I like the frenzied bedlam of the fans after a great play. I love the shared tension of 80,000 people watching talented men play a game.

It's not really 'nearly perfect.'

IT IS PERFECT.

Go Tigers!!

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I met two "new" Clemson fans last night at halftime from Columbia. They are originally from Kentucky, and had attended a couple of games at WB after moving down there.

They said the WB experience left them "unimpressed", and they just couldn't make themselves pull for the chickens.

Looking for a team to call their own, they put on the orange and headed up I-26 yesterday. I listened to them rave about Clemson for the better part of halftime last night.

I asked them to compare the two experiences (DV vs. WB), and there response was, "There is NO comparison. This place is gorgeous; the stadium, the fan ammenities, the scenery. I can see why everyone refers to it as God's Country."

Once again, it made me extremely proud to be a Clemson Tiger.

Death Valley is nearly perfect.

Great post Harley...One other note....

Just briefly......

Re: Death Valley is nearly perfect.

Somebody did not read to the end..... :-)***

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