TAMPA, Fla. -- Pittsburgher Jim Durkin has set out on a road trip to Super Bowl XLIII. Experience the trek with him by checking back often to read updates to the blog!

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Feb. 4: Day 8

2:30 p.m.

Well, the long road to the Super Bowl is finally over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it was capped off with a victory parade in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, where a crowd of over 350,000 showed up.

The parade showed just how crazy Steelers fans and Pittsburghers are for the team! Pretty much the entire team showed up, riding in large trucks and walking the streets, shaking hands with the fans.

Ben Roethlisberger was filming again with his video camera, while guys like James Farrior walked the street, thanking the fans for their support.

Anthony Smith and Casey Hampton were riding on a pickup with their shirts off in the freezing weather, but I bet they were plenty warm on the inside after clinching the NFL’s most coveted title!

Jeff Reed, Marvel Smith, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu were all there, too. And toward the end of the parade, Polamalu jumped off the truck and crowd-surfed.

Seeing all of these fans line the streets for the Steelers makes me believe that Steelers fans are truly the best.

I’ve added hundreds of new pictures and several new slideshows to the blog, so check them out. We’ve got “Super Bowl Celebrities,” “Super Bowl Game Photos,” pregame photos and much more! They’re all in the sidebar to the left. Or you can CLICK HERE to access the content.

I hope everyone enjoyed my Road Trip to the Super Bowl blog. I had such a great time sharing the moments with you and hope you felt the same. Let's hope we can do it again next year!

-- Jim

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Feb. 2: DAY 6

11 a.m.

On the road again and heading home to Pittsburgh to join the rest of Steelers Nation in the celebrations! And I still can’t believe the Steelers pulled out a win Sunday night!

What a truly amazing game. I can’t even tell you how excited I was when the final second ticked off the clock, and the Steelers were crowned champions of Super Bowl XLIII.

SLIDESHOW: Super Bowl XLIII
SLIDESHOW: Super Bowl Celebrities

The offensive line took criticism all year long, but as Ben Roethlisberger said, none of that matters anymore. The line did a good enough job to help their team win the biggest football game of the year!

Also, how about the great job Roethlisberger did leading his team down the field in the final two minutes of the game. In Super Bowl XL, the Steelers were victorious despite Ben’s horrid passer rating. Now, he can say he’s up there with the best of them, leading his team on a game-winning drive in what could be the last Super Bowl of his career.

Let’s be honest: Not many players get a chance to make it to the Super Bowl once, let alone twice in their career. Not even 26 years old yet, Roethlisberger has won the championship twice, and he savored every moment of it.

Before departing Pittsburgh, he had his video camera out and filmed the entire trip. Even in the locker room following the game, Ben was filming those who were filming him, saying he wanted to capture every moment in case he doesn’t make it back.

On the field, I was amazed at how emotional the win was for everyone. Hines Ward had his kid in his arms as he talked to news crews. He was crying, and couldn’t believe his team won another Super Bowl. It was a sight I won’t soon forget.

Brett Kiesel, Aaron Smith and Heath Miller were all basking in the glory on the field as reporters swarmed Roethlisberger and Holmes. Other players fled for the stands, gripping up family members and loved ones.

I was also happy to see players on injured reserve like Rashard Mendenhall and Kendall Simmons on the field following the win. Although they didn’t play in the game, they were there the whole time, giving their teammates the support they needed.

Switching gears now, how about that stellar performance from Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald? The kid can play and has proven himself throughout the regular season and again in the Super Bowl. He had well over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

All of the Cardinals receivers made some big plays, but I have to say the Steelers’ defense could not have played any tighter. It just seemed that no matter how great the pass coverage was, their receivers were able to pull the ball in.

When all was said and done, however, Fitzgerald was visibly heartbroken. You could see him mouth the words “no” when Holmes came down with the game-winning score. Fitzgerald sprinted to the locker room as the game ended, and for a moment, I felt for him.

The feeling didn’t last long though, because shortly after, I saw the look of triumph on the faces of Mike Tomlin and Roethlisberger. When Tomlin addressed the media and took hold of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, anybody could tell he was genuinely excited to be standing on that podium. Or saucer. Or whatever the heck that stage looks like.

The Steelers put their blood, sweat and tears into this season and appear to be a tight-knit family. As a Pittsburgh fan, I am truly happy for the team and hope they savor the moment for as long as they possibly can. They deserve to!

Before I forget, I want to say congratulations to the Arizona Cardinals on an amazing run and NFC championship! I think they’ll get their chance to win a Super Bowl soon enough, and I hope Pittsburgh shows them the respect they deserve when they do, because that team battled until the bitter end. If they played against any team other than the Pittsburgh Steelers, I am confident they would be the ones with the trophy this year.

Super Bowl Final: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23.

-- Jim

1:30 a.m.

Unbelievable! That’s all I have to say! I still can’t get over the fact that Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers won their second Super Bowl in four years!!!

First off, the game was absolutely amazing! The crowd was electric and composed mostly of Steelers fans. But the Cardinals had a decent turnout. I would say it was about 65 percent Steelers and the rest Cards.

When the Steelers jumped out in front early, I thought they would never look back, but the Cardinals made some big plays late in the game and managed to take the lead with a couple minutes left. This literally made me sick to my stomach. All I could think about was the fact that I just had the sweetest few days of my life and now the Steelers were going to lose the Super Bowl.

But that didn’t happen, and Santonio Holmes was able to pull in what is arguably the best catch ever made in Super Bowl history to secure the win!!!

Naturally, he was selected as the game’s MVP. I thought James Harrison had a shot at MVP, though, after he returned a Kurt Warner interception 100 yards for a touchdown, the longest play in Super Bowl history, but I’m sure he’s just fine with Holmes taking that title.

Where I was standing for the game, which was on the 50 yard line, I spotted quite a few celebrities in the crowd. The first was former "Saturday Night Live" star Jimmy Fallon, who was sitting next to Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight Schrute on NBC’s “The Office.”

Dwight, I mean, Rainn, was kind enough to shake my hand and take a picture with me.

That section must have been designated for NBC, because I also saw Zach Levi, who stars in “Chuck.” But when I asked Zach who he was rooting for, he said the Cardinals, because “I gotta go with the underdog.”

Come on, Chuck!

In the box above my section, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore watched the game, and one section over from me sat Hank Williams Jr.

Let’s talk about the halftime show now. Bruce Springsteen was awesome! The Boss lit things up, performing several of his hits, which pumped the crowd up tremendously. I was amazed at how fast they set up and pulled down the show!

One neat thing they did this year was attach a baggie to every seat in the stadium, which contained a flashlight. When the JumboTron prompted them, the fans turned the lights on, which created a cool-looking starry-night effect.

I’ll blog more about everything tomorrow and post more slideshows. I took more than 400 pictures, so I have a lot to choose from! Check them out tomorrow!

-- Jim

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Feb. 1: DAY 5

11:30 a.m.

Today is the day! The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. I'm nervous, because I don't think there is ever a sure thing in the NFL. I've heard a lot of talk down here, with people saying the Steelers are going to pound the Cards, and the game won't even be close, but I know better than to jump the gun.

There's a reason the Cardinals made the Super Bowl, and fans can't forget that!

There's also talk down here about Hines Ward possibly taking a cortizone shot for his knee. We all remember what happened to Bettis during the playoffs a few years back. The Bus was getting a shot and it missed its mark, causing him to miss the game. Let's hope that doesn't happen to Ward.

I posted some slideshows from the NFL Experience, so check them out. That place was awesome. I'll be logging on again after the game to update the blog and post some pictures, to check back.

And lastly, Let's Go Steelers!!!!

-- Jim

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Jan. 31: DAY 4

7 p.m.

Wow. The NFL Experience is just that: an NFL experience! We were in that place for at least five hours, kicking field goals, throwing passes, running routes and having fun.

If you’ve never been to the event or ever heard of it, the NFL sets up shop, giving fans the chance to have fun doing things the players do or competing in events that are typical of the NFL.

SLIDESHOW: Inside The NFL Experience Part 1,br /> SLIDESHOW: Inside The NFL Experience Part 2

I’ll break down what we did.

Field goal kick. I was 0-2. Josh was 0-2. My dad was 1-2. Josh’s wife, Leann, was 0-2. No luck there.

Next up was an event for receiving. You’re supposed to run a post route and catch the football. They even had a Troy Polamalu standup figure in the middle of the field to give you the feel of having a defender in your face.

My dad dropped his pass. Josh caught his, but barely. Mine was behind me a little bit, and I dropped it, but I think it would have gone under review! Leann chose to sit out this one. Again, the game beat us.

OK, so now I’m feeling confident. I knew I was due for a good event, so we hit the passing games. In one of the games, you had to throw through moving defenders and into a circular target. It wasn’t even that far away, but none of us were able to throw it through the hoop. I hit the rim though!

The next event was weight lifting. They had a spotter put two 45-pound plates on a 45-pound barbell, totaling 135 pounds. My dad put the weight up about eight times. Josh put it up barely 20 times. My time to shine! I put the weight up 30 times. Score me!

There were a lot of other things going on. In fact, there were so many, I couldn’t even begin to mention them all. But, I will say this: the Lombardi Trophy was on display in a glass case for everyone to see. I got some pictures of it, so check out the slideshows I’ll be posting very early morning.

Tomorrow is Game Day, and I plan on taking tons of pictures for everyone to enjoy! I’m excited. The vibe down here is great, and I really think the Steelers have a chance to be the first team to capture six Super Bowl championships!

-- Jim

9:30 a.m.

We decided to take it kind of easy last night and hang out at Channelside, which is near the NFL Media Center on the edge of downtown Tampa.

To our surprise, there was a Bud Bowl concert event with Snoop Dogg as the headlining act. The promoters had the area fenced in, but there were huge screens showing the concert outside, and you could hear the Dogg Father clear as day. We also got lucky and were able to stand on some steps and actually see the stage.

SLIDESHOW: Behind-The-Scenes Of The Super Bowl Media Center
SLIDESHOW: In And Around The NFL Media Center Part 2

And get this: Snoop came out wearing his black and gold, showing some Steelers pride.

Although there were tons of Steelers fans everywhere on Friday, there weren’t too many hanging out in Channelside, which was kind of surprising. Maybe that’s because there were dozens of VIP parties going on around the area.

All I know is P. Diddy is in town, and he hosted the first of two parties last night at the The Venue. Apparently he put down $100,000 to secure the spot for Friday and Saturday night. “Primetime” Deion Sanders was last night’s special guest.

If you didn’t get a chance to check out my Media Center slideshow, do it. It was crazy to see how many NFL players are in town despite not making it to the Super Bowl.

Today we’re going to check out the NFL Experience outside Raymond James Stadium. It’s a huge facility that gives footballs fans the chance to play like the pros. They have special stages inside where you can catch and throw passes, kick and punt, block, lift weights and do all of the other things that typical NFL teams do on an everyday basis. I’m definitely looking forward to it!

After that, the plan is to go to Ybor City, which is where Fox has been filming "The Best Damn Sports Show" for the last week. According to my buddy, there have been many guests on the show, including Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. It has to sting a little bit being in Tampa for the Super Bowl when your team came so close to going.

Check back tonight for more updates and some new slideshows!

-- Jim

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Jan. 30: DAY 3

5 p.m.

So I took a trip down to the Super Bowl Media Center today, and it was pure madness! There are tons of NFL players walking around and talking to the hundreds of radio stations that packed into what's known as "Radio Alley."

You'll be able to check it out in a slideshow I am working on.

SLIDESHOW: Behind-The-Scenes Of The Super Bowl Media Center

Former Steelers defensive back Rod Woodson was there, and he posed for a picture. Shannon Sharpe and Michael Irvin were there, too, along with former quarterback great Jim Kelly. There were plenty of other current and ex-players, but you'll have to check out the slideshow to get a glimpse.

There are also thousands of Steelers fans walking around EVERYWHERE!!! When I got to the Media Center, it was full of Steelers fans, but when it was time to leave, Cardinals fans were the majority.

I was a little unhappy when the Cards fans started chanting "Here we go Cardinals," and no Steelers fans jumped in to outscream them. Although the rivalry is there, the Cardinals fans have shown nothing but respect to all of the Steelers fans, even wishing us luck in the Super Bowl on Sunday!

Driving around is pure madness. A Tampa police officer said the city is expecting more than a million tourists this weekend, which is crazy! It's hard to find a parking spot in most places, but I must say, handing out a Terrible Towel goes a long way. I plan on heading back to the Media Center tomorrow to see who else is in town, but not before we check out the NFL Experience at Raymond James.

-- Jim

10:30 a.m.

Ever since we arrived in Tampa on Thursday night, it has been pouring down rain. Today is no different. I woke up earlier to the sound of rain pelting the window. Although it seems to have subsided, I am skeptical.

I know, I know. It's cold and snowy there, so I shouldn't be complaining. You're right! I'll take the rain over the cold and snow any day of the week.

I'll be heading to downtown Tampa shortly, so I hope the rain continues to hold off, at least for a few hours so I can take pictures and see what the city has to offer. More updates will be coming later!

In the meantime, check out this video I put together when we stopped in Big Al's in Mooresville, N.C. Steelers fans there made their Super Bowl predictions.

VIDEO: Steelers Fans In Charlotte Make Super Bowl Predictions

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Jan. 29: DAY 2

11:45 p.m.

My good friend, Josh Paladin, who moved to Tampa a number of years ago from the Steel City, decided we should take it easy on our first night since there will be dozens of great opportunities to cash in on in the next couple of days.

My Dad and I agreed. I mean, why wouldn’t we? We’ve been driving for two days straight!

So, a small, local watering hole by the name of Rudy’s is where we departed for. Rudy’s has a little zig and some zag to it. The crowd was composed entirely of Steelers fans, no joke, mostly those who made the trip down to Tampa from the 'Burgh.

SLIDESHOW: Tampa Steelers Bar Packs In Pittsburgh Crowd

We were told that Rudy’s is the place to be on game day, as they throw Terrible Towels to all of the Steelers Nation who decide to watch the game there, but on this particular night, the crowd dwindled early, probably to get ready for the weekend festivities.

The bartender and waitresses donned Steelers gear from head to toe, but I was skeptical of whether they were true fans. I asked one of the bartenders if this was a regular occurrence, wearing the outfits, and they said yes. I followed with the question of whether they were real Steelers fans or just looking to cash in on all of the diehard "yinzers" that made their way to Tampa, and they told me they bleed Black-And-Gold -- just what I wanted to hear!

Make sure you check out some of the pictures in the slideshow. I think everyone needs to see that it’s not just Pittsburgh that represents the Steelers. I’d be surprised if you don’t run into a fan anywhere you go in the U.S.

Tomorrow’s plans are to wake up and head to downtown Tampa to meet more fans and check out the activities going on. Don’t worry though, I’ll make it a point to post a slideshow by the evening, so you won’t have to wait until Saturday morning to see all of the fun!

SLIDESHOW: Myron Cope's Terrible Towel On The Road To Tampa

If you know of any places I might want to visit while down here, please let me know by commenting below! I mean, I’m here for everyone in Pittsburgh, trying to give them the Road Trip to the Super Bowl experience!!!

Let’s Go Steelers!!!

-- Jim

9:30 p.m.

FINALLY! We have arrived in Tampa! After a short stop in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., we finished the last couple hours of driving about 10 minutes ago.

Now, it's time to check out what Tampa has to offer. We'll be leaving shortly to hit one of the local establishments, so check back tomorrow morning for a new slideshow and more updates!!!

-- Jim

3:30 p.m.

Word on the street is outspoken Steelers fan Snoop Dogg will be in Tampa this weekend for the Super Bowl!

The hot hip-hop artist, who once said he’d like to be a coach for the Steelers if he wasn’t so focused on his rap career, will also host Snoop Bowl VII, which pits his Los Angeles youth football team against an all-star team of Tampa’s finest.

The event is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Gaither High School in Tampa. Tickets start at $20.

-- Jim

2:30 p.m.

We just crossed the Florida state line, so hopefully the weather will get a little bit better. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa is an open stadium, so let’s all hope Sunday is a sunny, warm day!

Like I said in my previous entries, there haven’t been a lot of Steelers fans on the road, but we did get a few honks while driving in Georgia. A few minutes ago, some girls in a car with a New Castle license plate holder drove by and honked. I like to think they honked because of our good looks, not the Terrible Towel hanging in the window and Steelers tire cover on the back.

Earlier today, I talked about Larry Fitzgerald asking Hines Ward for some help in reading the Steelers defense, in which Ward joked he couldn’t do that.

Fitzgerald talked to the media today about the defense, saying, “Every defense presents a different challenge, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the No. 1 defense in the league. They present a lot of challenges for us, but we are excited for the opportunity to play in a game of this magnitude against a very tough defense.”

I guess we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see how he matches up against Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu.

-- Jim

10:30 a.m.

The second leg of the trip is under way, and I will say the Steelers are easily the talk of the country right now. Ben Roethlisberger even made the front page of USA Today!

Pretty much the entire sports section surrounded the Steelers and the Super Bowl.

If you haven’t heard, Hines Ward and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald are buddies, but Ward isn’t giving the former Pitt star any tips on how to beat the Steelers defense.

Fitzgerald doesn’t deny that he has turned to Ward throughout the years for mentoring, but he said when he texted Ward asking how he can get around Ike Taylor and the rest of the Steelers defense, Ward laughed and told him he couldn’t help out this time.

A friend of mine who moved to Tampa from Pittsburgh a few years back said he has seen nothing but black and gold around the city. Last night, while out on the town, there was not a single person wearing Cardinals gear.

Despite being the “away” team, it’s beginning to look as though the Steelers will be playing in front of a hometown crowd!

-- Jim

8:15 a.m.

It was a late night posting the slideshows, so I plan on catching some shut-eye on the drive down to Tampa. Our estimated time of arrival is about 6 p.m., but who knows where we'll stop along the way. I'll keep you posted, so check back later for some updates.

In the meantime, take a look at the slideshows below from Wednesday night! The Steelers fans in Charlotte are a crazy bunch!

-- Jim

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Jan. 28: DAY 1

11 p.m.

We decided to call it a night in Charlotte, but not before stopping at a couple of Pittsburgh Steelers bars!

The first stop was Big Al’s, which is about 30 minutes away from Charlotte, located in Mooresville, N.C.

SLIDESHOW: Charlotte Steelers Fans Party At Big Al's

If you want to get the Pittsburgh feel away from the real thing, check this place out!

Frank, the general manager of the business, welcomed us in with open arms. I’ll admit, I called and let him know we were coming, so he put the word out and a lot of the “regulars” showed up, including a pot-bellied pig named Jazz. Ever seen a pig in a bar?

Frank calls her the “Piggsburgh Squeeler” or “Jack Hamm.” Check out the slideshow to get a good look!

Everyone there was a true Steelers fan, except for Jeff Woddington, a Cleveland Browns fan, and “Gunny,” a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corp. Gunny, as he would only answer to, made it a point to throw his two cents into Steelers conversation whenever possible, saying the Cardinals were a sure thing in Super Bowl XLIII. But he was lone outsider in a bar full of Steelers fans.

Jeff, a former co-owner of the establishment, was lucky enough to add one piece of flair to the wall before Frank could find out. Tucked away in a dark corner is a cartoon figure of a Browns player going to the bathroom in a Steelers helmet.

Regular Dennis Rumpf had nothing but great things to say about the Black-And-Gold! The man was in the bar with his son, and they had their “Iron City Baby” display on the table. The fans in Mooresville were crazy, and they were proud fans of a great football team.

After Al’s we departed the rest of the way to Charlotte and stopped at The Locker Room, another Steelers bar in North Carolina.

Owner Bobby put the word out and Steelers fans began pouring in, which included former North Allegheny resident Ryan Haley.

SLIDESHOW: Steelers Fans Crash The Locker Room Bar In Charlotte

Haley, the leader of the bunch, sat at his usual table wearing what looked like a Mexican Steelers poncho and an awesome Black-And-Gold mask.

Following his lead, the rest of the table was just as rowdy. Bar regular Mark Barry did his one-of-a-kind gravy shot. Barry says that during every game, when the Steelers score a touchdown, he downs some gravy.

Hey, it’s a Steelers ritual of his. Who doesn’t have their own?

Fans Tonya Manna and Chris Coleman sat quietly at the end of the bar, wearing Hines Ward and Heath Miller jerseys. Let me tell you, not only were these two true Steelers fans, they had a genuine love for the team -- and Troy Polamalu.

Manna, a native of Altoona, professed her love for the safety a number of times throughout the night!

Anyways, we had a great time in Mooresville and Charlotte and hope to make it back someday, especially if the Steelers take on the Carolina Panthers!

-- Jim

3 p.m.

Hello everyone back home in Pittsburgh. I must say, I’m glad to be leaving the snowy, icy weather behind and heading to the warm, energetic city of Tampa, Fla., where absolute madness is sure to ensue.

Just now as I’m typing this, outside of Summersville, W.Va., my father and I received our first “Steelers Honk.” I’m guessing that’s because we’re far enough away from Pittsburgh that people actually know where we’re headed!

Anyways, this trip is to give you, the viewer, the road trip experience, since not everyone is able to make the trek down to watch the Steelers defeat the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, I just made my prediction. Steelers 27, Cardinals 17.

So far, we’ve been on the road for about four hours and the rain and snow has followed us through West Virginia. We were able to make a couple stops to take some pictures already, but we haven’t noticed many Pittsburghers on the road today. That could change tomorrow, so we’ll wait and see.

Tonight, we stop over in Charlotte, N.C., where we’ll be hitting a couple of Steelers bars and, hopefully, meet some out-of-state Steelers fans! I’ll keep you posted!

Please check back often, as I’ll be updating the blog every chance I get!

Ask Jim questions, and comment on his blog below!!!