LAKE CHARLES, La. – It’s 3:15 p.m., and back in Maine, this glorious 65-degree, no-wind, not-a-puff-of-cloud kind of day would be an early spring gem.

Down here, 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, 160 miles from the state capital of Baton Rouge, and nearer to the Texas border than the famous Louisiana party town of New Orleans, the locals call it something else.

“It’s gumbo weather,” says Ella Pendarvis as she stands in front of the 43-foot Bluebird Wanderlodge she and her husband call home on football Fridays … and Saturdays … and Sundays.

Gumbo weather, for those Mainers who were alternately sleeted and snowed upon on Thursday, isn’t quite what you’d expect.

For “Yankees,” this gumbo weather seems pretty nice.

But for the Pendarvises, who live in Baton Rouge and travel to Lake Charles to watch their son, Scott, play for McNeese State University, “gumbo weather” means just one thing.

“Coooold,” Ella says, pulling her arms up against her chest to protect against what seems to be a totally imaginary nip in the air.

If this is gumbo weather, the University of Maine Black Bears will take it. And they’ll likely get a warmed-up version of it on Saturday, when they take on the Cowboys in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Game-day forecasts call for highs in the 70s, while game-time temps will dip for the 8 p.m. kickoff.

The Pendarvises were the unofficial winners of the first-tailgater contest on Friday, as they rolled into an empty grass parking lot just outside Cowboy Stadium at noon, some 31 hours before game time.

On Friday, their chores were mundane: Setting up camp, getting situated, spending time with their son … and performing some duties many parents forego when their offspring head off to college.

“We come over to do the laundry, too,” Robert says. “That’s the other thing we’ve got to do: The laundry.”

The Pendarvises didn’t explain whether the laundering would take place in their sparkling six-week-old RV that’s just two feet shorter than the largest models on the road.

But rest assured: The avid RV’ers own a vehicle that could hold half a laundromat.

And when the Black Bears drove past it on their way to their afternoon practice session, they took note.

“That’s not a Winnebago,” one UMaine player pointed out. “That’s a New York City block.”

On Saturday, the chores will turn to cooking. Lots of it. While Ella suggests gumbo to visitors from the north, the Pendarvis game-day spread won’t include it. That doesn’t mean they’ll go hungry, however.

“South Louisiana is obviously noted for its food,” Robert points out. “We’re gonna cook some shrimp and corn soup, probably some chili, and then we’ll always do sausage on the grill.”

Unfortunately for Friday’s visitors, the Pendarvises had yet to warm up the grill: They traditionally take their son out to dinner the night before games. But they made a point of extending a game-day invitation.

“Come back tomorrow,” Ella says, insistent as a long-lost aunt. “Get something to eat.”

Black Bear travel woes

While the Black Bears flew to Lake Charles via a chartered American Airlines jet, things didn’t work exactly according to plan.

First, the plane had a hard time getting from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Bangor, arriving two hours after the Bears’ scheduled 9 a.m. departure time.

But when it did finally arrive, the UMaine contingent of 106 players, staff, boosters and media had a rare treat: The brand-new Boeing 737 that arrived in Bangor had never carried passengers before.

“You’ll never fly on a cleaner airplane than this one,” quipped one flight attendant.

When the Bears finally arrived in Lake Charles shortly before 2 p.m. local time – 3 p.m. Eastern – they were greeted in style.

A two-car, one-motorcycle escort from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Department guided the UMaine contingent to the football field with lights flashing, then waited patiently for two hours until the Bears finished their workout before escorting them to the hotel.

The motorcade weaved its way into oncoming traffic lanes, ran red lights, and generally went wherever it wanted to go.

Long before the Bears arrived in Louisiana, head coach Jack Cosgrove set the tone for the Bears regarding any future travel misfortune.

“Just roll with it,” Cosgrove said as he waited in the BIA terminal with his players.

Welcome to The Hole

While UMaine did get a chance to work out, they didn’t do so on the grass surface of 17,410-seat Cowboy Stadium … affectionately known as “The Hole.”

The stadium earned its nickname because the playing surface is significantly lower than the level of the lowest row of bleachers. In addition, fans sit on grassy hillsides behind each end zone that form a natural bowl.

The Lake Charles area absorbed seven inches of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, and crews were busy preparing it for Saturday’s game. UMaine players did walk on the field and checked out a surface that seemed to have handled the rain well.

Still, one Maine player who opted to test the field with a half-speed cut – Dave Cusano – found out that looks can be deceiving: He kicked loose a sizeable divot.

Charter changes security scene

In the wake of Sept. 11’s terrorist attacks, the nation’s airport security has been a matter of debate and concern, and travelers have gladly accepted longer lines at security checkpoints in exchange for their safety.

Apparently the new security regulations aren’t applied the same way when charter air travel is concerned.

After its two-hour wait, the UMaine contingent were driven onto the tarmac at BIA in the Cyr buses that took them to the airport, disembarked, and walked onto the waiting plane. No security checkpoint existed, and no carry-on luggage was screened.