Dallas Cowboys fans make Lot 14 their home away from home

By DAVID THOMAS

dthomas@star-telegram.com

ARLINGTON — Kim and Shauna Hedin decided to wrap up their honeymoon at a place with a scenic view: Lot 14 of Cowboys Stadium.

The Canadian couple’s older, light-brown recreational vehicle was one of about 25 RVs and buses parked in Lot 14 south of the stadium Sunday morning.

The parking lot at the corner of Division Street and Legends Way is where Dallas Cowboys fans can spend a night — or two or three — to turn a Sunday game into a complete weekend.

For Kim Hedin, who grew up in Canada as a Cowboys fan, the weekend was a perfect way to wrap up a month-long honeymoon from Calgary to Las Vegas, then through Phoenix and into Arlington — and the perfect wedding gift from his wife.

At Shauna’s suggestion, Kim bought tickets to Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons about a year ago when the two became engaged.

"I’m a Cowboys fan," Kim said, "so we thought, 'Why not take a month off and go to a game?’ "

Little more than a first down from the Hedin’s RV, two bigger, newer, fancier motor homes were the weekend residences of not-so-newlyweds enjoying their first stay in Lot 14.

Don Morris — who is retired and splits time between Rockwall, Mount Vernon and their bus — is a Cowboys season-ticket holder. At an earlier home game, he happened by Lot 14, saw the overnight crowd, and told old friend Rex Tillery of Mount Vernon that their families should bring their motor homes and make a weekend of a Cowboys game.

Why pay for a hotel room, Tillery said, when he has a rolling home?

"We can’t just let it sit there. We gotta use it," Tillery said as he pointed to his motor home with two pots of yellow mums wife Carolyn had set near their front porch — the step at the side door — to render a homey touch.

Besides, Morris said with a laugh, "We’ve been kicked out of all the places we’ve stayed." That Morris was relaxing in a chair and drinking an iced tea favored his laugh more than his claim.

Staying in Lot 14 allowed the Morrises and Tillerys to host family, including the Tillerys’ grandchildren, during the weekend.

"Here and Walmart," Rex Tillery said when asked where all he had been since rolling into the parking lot Friday night.

Other than Walmart runs, the weekend was reserved for spending time with family and friends old and new, including the Hedins. The Morrises and Tillerys provided "The Canadians," as they became known in their area of the lot, a sampling of Texas hospitality.

"It’s been a blast," Shauna Hedin said. "Everybody is extremely friendly."

Around the lot Sunday morning, flags flew atop RVs and buses, with Cowboys and Texas state flags the most popular choices. Dads and kids tossed footballs on the blacktop playing field, with painted parking slots serving as yard lines. And everybody had a grill.

Lot 14 has to be the most nose-pleasing game day spot outside Cowboys Stadium.

Richard Escamilla had fajitas and ribs on the lunch menu outside the RV he shared with five family members, including his father, for a boys weekend trip up from San Antonio and their first game at the new stadium. The six split the $150 cost for parking in the lot.

They arrived Saturday evening, then spent the rest of the night, Escamilla said, "trying to get the TV to work and drinking beer until time to go to bed."

From Escamilla’s seat outside the RV, the parking lot sloped down toward the north, providing a picturesque view of the stadium. In fact, throughout the morning, temporary residents of Lot 14 posed for photos with the massive stadium looming over their shoulders.

"It’s awesome," Escamilla said. "I can’t wait to see it from the inside."

"The Canadians" had toured the stadium on Friday.

"I can’t wait to see it full of people," Kim Hedin said.

Carolyn Tillery had her own "can’t wait" — for a return trip to Lot 14.

"We’re trying to figure out how we can do this again," she said. "It’s a blast."

David Thomas, 817-390-7760

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