PHOENIX -- The Penn State colors were all over the place at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, along with some happy bowl travelers.
"We are so excited. We love Penn State. We go to all the home games and usually the bowl games," said Bobbie O'Donnell of Dunmore.
The plane waited before dawn. The temperature only 7 degrees.
"7 degrees and it's 77 degrees there. I love it," said O'Donnell.
This crew was excited to see the forecast for Phoenix and excited to join many other Penn State fans there.
"You get to see people you see during the season that you don't live near that you don't see at Penn State and you get to recap with them and spend a little holiday time with them," said Ken Gentilezza of Scranton.
Travel during this busy holiday week took us through a bustling Charlotte Airport.
Then, after hours in the sky, came the views of the American Southwest, certainly not the mountains we're used to back home.
"Seeing the mountains and seeing nothing but dirt, it's kind of cool. We're going to do some sightseeing, go to the Grand Canyon, and when Saturday comes around, we'll be ready for the game," said Penn State senior Seth Hildebrand.
Thousands of Pennsylvanians will be landing in the Valley of the Sun this week as Fiesta Bowl fun awaits.
In the days ahead, the Phoneix Airport will have more and more blue and white as the nittany invasion begins. This is becoming Happy Valley, west.
Hildebrand traveled with a crew from Luzerne County's Back Mountain, now looking forward to seeing Arizona's mountains, sunshine, cactuses, and a Penn State win.
"I've never been to this part of the U.S., nor has anyone I'm with, so it's going to be fun," said Hildebrand.
