Jim Travis is an Oregon State graduate and football fan who lives in Honolulu.

That doesn't stop him from making most of the Beavers' games each year. He's a season-ticket holder, after all.

Travis makes the trip over the Pacific with his wife.

"We try to spend the month of September in Oregon, then we go to a couple of other games," Travis said.

He said he's already booked their flights for the Penn State game.

On the rare occasions that he doesn't go, Travis meets up with fellow OSU fans Mike Purdy and Neville Vowler at a local bar and grill to catch the game. Purdy and Vowler also travel to OSU games on the mainland.

Bowl games are a must. This year is special for Travis. He has season tickets for University of Hawaii football as well. The Warriors went undefeated and landed a BCS berth in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia.

"We're going to the Sugar Bowl to see Hawaii, but we're stopping in San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl," Travis said. "We're excited about Hawaii."

Make no mistake. Travis is a Beavers fan first and foremost and the Warriors accept him anyway.

"I wear my Oregon State gear around all the time. We love the Beavers," he said. "We're all good friends. It hurt them when Oregon State beat them (last year), but they took it pretty well."

It's not unusual for Oregon State fans to travel in decent numbers to away games. OSU assistant athletic director for ticket and business operations Matt Arend said ticket sales range from about 1,500 to 2,200 for a typical road game.

Games at Oregon, Washington, California, Southern California and Arizona State almost always hit the high end of the sales.

Bowl games do well. There will be plenty of orange at the Emerald Bowl this year. The game is in San Francisco, an easy destination for local Beavers fans. Arend said OSU had sold 7,200 tickets for the game as of Tuesday.

Most of the fans are graduates who have the time and money to spend football season on the road.

Others follow the Beavers for reasons closer to home.

Mike LaRocque made all the OSU games this season and most last year along with his wife Lynn. They are the parents of senior linebacker Joey LaRocque.

Travel is a little easier because the LaRocques live in the Los Angeles area. They left the Burbank Airport on Fridays and were back in time to start the work week.

The cost of airfare and lodging piles up.

"It's been a challenge," Mike LaRocque said. "I don't even know what the cost is each weekend, but it's not cheap. But we've got a kid playing D-I, Pac-10 football and we want to support him. It's not an opportunity everyone has."

LaRocque said the Beavers tend to get good crowds in the Bay Area and he was most impressed with the turnout for the Sun Bowl last year.

"Last year in El Paso was just incredible," he said. "It was difficult for people from Oregon to get there, but there was a lot of people dressed in orange in the stands."

The LaRocques formed relationships with other OSU parents on the trips, often getting together for dinner or drinks. LaRocque said it became a social event for the fans.

He's happy with the decision to go on the road.

"It's been worthwhile." LaRocque said. "It's gone too fast. I'd be willing to do it for another few years if I had the opportunity. I know parents who have been doing it for four and five years."