The scene in Happy Valley: Wet (Also, link to Gazetteonline's live chat tonight)

ALTOONA, Pa. -- So there I was hanging around the entrance of the Wal-mart in Altoona early Saturday afternoon.

It's what I do. You know, to meet the people.

Actually, it was to wait while Gazette photographers Cliff Jette and Brian Ray bought some plastic garbage bags to protect their equipment in the rain they'll face at State College tonight. They reminded me I'll be nice and dry in the press box. I thought it was good of them to remind me.

Anyway, I'm sort-of people-watching and out comes a guy in Iowa Hawkeyes garb with a brand new pair of boots. Rain boots. So even if Iowa loses tonight, someone will have a special reminder of his trip to central Pennyslvania.

I don't want to brag about how we go first-class, but let's be realistic. No cost is spared to bring tonight (and tomorrow morning's) coverage of this big Iowa-Penn State game to you.

That's why we're staying at an Altoona motel (45 miles from Beaver Stadium), where you can immediately gauge the weather the moment you open your room's door. Trust me on this: It's wet. And slippery. And pretty flipping dangerous if you have second-floor rooms like we do. The railing separating us from the ground below is only a a few feet from the room doors.

But Indiana has a 23-21 lead at Michigan, so who has time to complain about such trivialities?

We'll be leaving for State College in less than an hour and will begin posting actual news and scene-setters. We'll also have our weekly live-chat from the press box, and to access that you can go here: