Jeff Ivey for the Post-Gazette Jeff Ivey, Salvador Perches, and Rich Rudek on Super Bowl Sunday. Jeff and Rich are from Columbus, Ohio. Salvador is from Juarez, Mexico. "This is why the Steeler Nation is great," Jeff writes. Click photo for larger image.

The Steelers' run to Super Bowl victory has been chronicled from the fan's point of view throughout the playoffs by Jeff Ivey and Rich Rudek, two die-hard members of the Steelers Nation from Columbus, Ohio.

Readers were introduced to the intrepid duo after the Steelers' 21-18 playoff victory over the Colts ("Jeff and Rich's Excellent Adventure (to Indianapolis),") when the season-ticket holders submitted pictures to the Steelers Nation fan photo gallery and an account of their travels to the Steelers Mailbag.

A second chapter ("Rich and Jeff's Excellent Adventure continues ") was filed from Columbus, where they watched the Denver game on TV in hopes they would have to buy Super Bowl tickets to see the Black and Gold in Detroit.

Chapter Three

We're back from Detroit. Here is the overview of the trip:

Rich and I have lunch Wednesday at noon. At 3:30, he calls me from Pittsburgh to announce he has our tickets. Bedlam ensues. We spend the rest of the week wondering why we didn't go to Detroit right away.

12:00 p.m. Saturday: We leave Columbus. We probably didn't need a car, we could have run to Detroit.

One minute into the trip, Mother Nature shows up. So much for the mild winter. A blinding snowstorm promises to make the drive a lot of fun.

Rich finds a program from the Indianapolis game in his coat, all about how this is the Colts' year. We laugh.

We suddenly realize we're going to drive through Findlay. A certain Steeler QB named Roethlisberger might be from there. Good karma.

	Jeff Ivey fior the Post-Gazette The Roethlisburger -- before and after. Click photo for larger image.

A stop at Tony's in Findlay comes complete with a "Roethlisburger", which we order site unseen. It is the largest hamburger we have ever seen. And it didn't stand a chance.

Arrive in Detroit around 3:30. Check out the deluxe accomodations. We have heat and running water, so we consider it a success. Eminem may be from Eight Mile, but he has nothing on us -- we're staying inside Six Mile. Convince Rich our chances of being shot are relatively low.

Hit Downtown -- ratio of Steeler fans to Seattle fans is something like 8000 to 1.

Finally find some Seahawk fans in a restaurant, which wasn't easy because none of them are wearing any team colors. When they get a little mouthy, I ask them why they aren't at Starbucks, and congratulate them on beating the Toronto Argonauts to win the Canadian Football League title.

Enjoy some Greek food in Greek Town, except we don't get fries with our gyros because they're out of potatoes, which prompts a late night discussion on how exactly does a restaurant run out of potatoes?

See our first Seattle fan wearing a team jersey. Shaun Alexander's? No. Hasselbeck's? No. Steve Largent? No. This guy is wearing a Trent Dilfer jersey.

Trent Dilfer?

Sunday morning -- Rich claims he has been shot during the night, but it's only a flesh wound so he's good to go. Good karma continues.

	Jeff Ivey for the Post-Gazette Rich finds kielbasa for breakfast. Click photo for larger image.

Eat the greatest breakfast of our lives at a place called Steve's Three Brothers Restaurant on Warren Avenue. Kielbasa, pierogies, eggs, and potatoes for breakfast.

No, you won't find it on a directory of fine dining establishments in Detroit, but we give it five stars.

Head to the game at 10:00 a.m. Find a reasonable place to park near a bar that has been renamed The Blitzburgh Bar. More good karma.

	Jeff Ivey for the Post-Gazette Rich Rudek, Brian "Brianna" Kreck of Carnegie, and Jeff Ivey. Click photo for larger image.

The bar actually serves Iron City and IC Light. And is instantly filled with Steeler fans, including Steeler girl Brianna, who is undefeated when she attends games. A picture is proudly enclosed.

Make the very educated decision to buy the kids some stuff before the game, and take it back to the car. Quick thought: chances of us managing to carry three bags worth of pennants, programs, and other stuff all day and night and having it survive: zero.

At 3:00, decide it's time. Discover the entry to the stadium is a lot like a Disneyland ride line.

Breathe an incredible sigh of relief when our tickets scan successfully. We're at the Super Bowl!

Watch the ABC pregame show. My shout of "Hey, there's Troy Aikman" is followed by us watching him put on his make-up. Suddenly, he doesn't seem like too tough a guy.

See Bill Bellichick getting ready for TV. He's also putting on his make-up. I mean, you figure they do that because they're on TV, but then you think maybe they just wear it all the time.

Quick poll on whether Cowher would wear make-up. We laugh.

	Jeff Ivey for the Post-Gazette Rich and Jeff inside Ford Field for the Super Bowl: "Proof we actually went to the game," Jeff writes. Click photo for larger image.

Get to our seats. Same seat location that we had in Indy. Karma continues.

Game starts. Takes Rich about 3 minutes to tell me the Steelers are in trouble. He will tell me this at least 500 times today.

3-0 Seattle. Moral victory since they didn't score a TD.

Ben makes incredible pass to Ward, first checking where the line of scrimmage is, and then he scores, it's 7-3. Even though we're in the opposite end zone, over 100 yards from the play, we get convinced he broke the plane.

Halftime. That stage the Stones played on? Took about five minutes to set up and five to take down.

Correctly guess what the Stones will play -- Satisfaction, Start Me Up, and some new song you've never heard of -- and that was our prediction on Saturday.

Parker goes 75 yards untouched. Pandemonium.

We're driving, driving, driving -- this game is about to be over. And then ... interception. Tell Rich that Ben just did that to make it interesting and that he wanted to make another big tackle.

Steeler offense goes three and out. Gardocki nails a fine punt. We decide Butch Davis should get a Super Bowl ring for letting him leave Cleveland.

Run into ESPN's Chris Mortensen in the men's room. Tell him I enjoy his NFL reports, to which he says thanks. I'm sure he will treasure this encounter forever.

Randle El hits Ward for a TD. 21-10. It is starting to sink in.

Watch Seattle's last gasp -- they must think they have more time on the clock or something. Then remember they play out west, so maybe they think the fourth quarter is played on Pacific Standard Time.

Ben takes a knee, and it's over. Shock sets in. One for the thumb!

Celebrate outside in Detroit with our 50,000 new best friends, until we remember it's like 5 degrees and we're freezing. Doesn't Miami host this next year?

Survive a second night. No gunshot wounds, but we put a bunch of stuff in front of the door "just in case".

Drive back to Columbus Monday morning. Have hour-long debate on where to stop, KFC or Wendy's. That's about all we can debate at this point.

So that's it. What a run the last few weeks have been. In a way, I'm glad the season is over-couldn't have had a better ending for Bettis, and really happy for Coach Cowher. The post-Super Bowl diet starts Tuesday.

After all, training camp is just a few months away.

More pictures -- and tales -- in the Steelers Nation fan photo gallery.

Learn more about how to submit your pictures to the Steelers Nation gallery.

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