Faith, football and freeways: Inside an Idaho couple’s epic road trip
David and Karen Potter knew from early on in their nearly 40-year marriage that they shared a love for visiting Latter-day Saint temples.
What wasn’t so clear at first was their shared passion for college football, which eventually grew so intense that they’d record and watch around 10 games each weekend.
When David recently entered semiretirement, the Potters knew they had a unique opportunity to combine two beloved activities into one epic road trip.
They purchased a small motor home (over Karen’s initial objections) and set out into SEC country (that was Karen’s pick) on what they call their “Temples and Tailgates” tour.
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Since hitting the road from Idaho Falls, Idaho, on Aug. 17, they’ve visited temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in seven states, and participated in at least one temple ordinance at each one. They’ve also attended seven games at famous SEC stadiums, including “The Swamp” in Florida and “Death Valley” at LSU.
Along the way, they’ve gotten used to life in a 150-square-foot camper, which they’ll continue to call home until Nov. 13.
This weekend, they’ll be in Austin for BYU-Texas, before visiting some Arizona temples on their long journey home.
Ahead of a planned stop in San Antonio, the Potters spoke with the Deseret News about college football, faith and the beauty of life on the open road.
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Deseret News: What made this year the right one to launch “Temples and Tailgates”?
David: I went into part-time retirement. I work for a wonderful company as an IT manager, and the company let me shift to working four hours in the morning from the road.
We bought a motor home, and we decided it was time.
Karen: I came around to the plan eventually. I hadn’t wanted to do a motor home trip.
David: For years, she said no, until I agreed to take her to a football game every Saturday.
DN: So you’ve really been on the road nonstop since August or September?
David: On Aug. 17, we left Idaho Falls in a tiny, 25-foot motor home. We try to see temples on Tuesdays, sightsee throughout the week and then go to games on Saturdays.
Karen: It really hasn’t been that bad. We just have our routine.
David: After the Florida game, we went on a cruise for a week before heading out again.
Karen: It was a little break from the motor home, but the room was about the same size.
David: Our marriage has survived living together in 150 square feet. I thought that would be the most challenging part and that we would be at each other’s throats, but it’s gone a lot better than I imagined.
DN: If I read your schedule correctly, you’ve been to seven games so far this season, plus the Rose Bowl between Utah and Penn State in January. And you’ll be at BYU-Texas this weekend. How many temples have you seen?
David: Temples in the South have really thrown us for a loop. There have been a lot of closures.
We started out with an over-the-top, special experience at Nauvoo. Then we saw St. Louis, Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta and then Baton Rouge and Houston. Today, we’re headed to San Antonio.
DN: So the temple closures affected your plan. What other challenges have you faced?
Karen: Air-conditioning.
David: Our air-conditioning went out in Iowa and we had to get it replaced.
“It’s kind of like a sweet and savory thing. The temples have been the sweet part. The savory is the football, the yelling and the screaming. The stadiums can get a little overwhelming, so we need a little sweetness to balance it out.” — David Potter
But the biggest challenge has been being away from our family.
Earlier this year, all three of our daughters blessed us with additional grandchildren. Being away from them, as well as the other five grandchildren, has been the most difficult part of the journey. Thank goodness for FaceTime.
DN: Have you made connections with people you’ve met on the road?
David: We’ve really left where to stay and what to see really loose and open because, as we go to stadiums, the people we sit by tell us where to go, where to stay and where to eat.
Karen: And they’re just blown away that we’re doing this.
DN: How has this adventure changed you?
David: I think it’s been a good relationship-builder for us. Spending three months beside each other 24/7 hasn’t been without tense moments, but I think it’s been good, relationship-wise.
It’s given me a great appreciation for local schools and stadiums and the caliber of football being played out West. In the future, we know we won’t have to travel so far to see great football.
The best experience overall has been the temples. It’s kind of like a sweet and savory thing.
The temples have been the sweet part. The savory is the football, the yelling and the screaming. The stadiums can get a little overwhelming, so we need a little sweetness to balance it out.
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DN: Which temple visit has been the most memorable?
Karen and David, in unison: Nauvoo, no question.
DN: What’s been your favorite stadium so far?
Karen: The best overall experience we had at a game was at Auburn. Auburn was very family-oriented.
But in terms of just the stadium, it was Alabama.
David: Auburn was amazing. It was a place we could take our children and grandchildren to.
DN: What about the best stadium food?
David: We have a rating system, and we rate 10 different areas of the game experience.
One of those is stadium food, but we’ve realized that most schools have amazing food at the tailgates, so nobody needs to eat in the stadium.
That’s the big difference between the West and out here. Tailgating here is over the top.
Karen: There have been chandeliers, TVs and tablecloths.
David: Ole Miss has been ranked the top tailgating experience, and it really was amazing. It was a formal dining experience over 10 acres.
DN: How do you pick your football tickets?
David: We try to sit on the home-team side around the 50-yard line. We try to get the best seats we can about 30 or 40 rows back.
We’ve balked at some of the prices, but we just tell ourselves that we’re only going to be down here once. We’re not going to drive clear out here to sit in the nosebleeds.
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DN: What are you looking forward to about this weekend’s BYU-Texas game?
Karen: We’ll be wearing Texas gear with BYU hats and sitting in the BYU area of the stadium, but we’ll be cheering for both teams.
David: You know, people think we’re crazy since we don’t really have a team we always root for. We’re just cheering for good play.
DN: What’s next for you after Saturday’s game? When do you think you’ll get home?
David: We’re going to try to make up for temple closures in the South by swinging through Arizona and seeing a bunch there.
Nov. 13 is when we plan to be home.
