On tour with the Yankee Mackem: Carolinas 2004 Photographs

It's been a while but they're finally here, the basic story in pictures of the fantastic pre-season tour the Yankee Mackem enjoyed with nine other sunderland supporters in south and north Carolina.

You may remember that before the tour we as independent supporters appealed for some drivers to drive us down... well we had a great time and thanks can't go out enough to Phil, Arthur and Garry who came over to drive Keith, Fraser, Mark and myself on a whilwind tour of football and fun, in the sun of the carolinas!

Special mention has to go to Readytogo and the Sunderland Echo for helping us out (you may have seen the article in the recent paper about us) as well as the amazing hospitality of the Wilmington hammerheads who took the nine man tour out for some unforgettable photo shoots. Thanks should also be made to albagubrath from the SMB who's great pictures these are.

In the end, we may have had our moments, from meeting the players and management in person (a big thing for a foreign supporter), to the to the tornado warning in charlston, the amazing t-storms across the state, being outsung by seven year old girls (not something we like to talk about), dancing in the rain in Charlston, the conga line at wilmington (past the cheerleaders) and the unforgetable drive back.

Nothing could have been finer.

Carolinas Tour 2004

(and yes that is me with Hoolio)