It was not yet 6 a.m. when the first "E-A-G-L-E-S" cheer of the morning pierced the quiet of a Northeast Philadelphia strip-mall parking lot.

By the time a seven-vehicle caravan left the lot, the mood was buoyant. Of the 150 or so Eagles tailgating friends heading for Giants Stadium, only about 20 actually had tickets to go inside to see yesterday's Eagles 23-11 divisional playoff triumph.

But that hardly mattered, said the tailgating crews, groups with names like the Scotty Express, One Crazy Fan, Tat Man, and Green Legion.

"It's more fun on the bus than it is inside," said Bob Sahasaylo Sr. "This is the place to be."

"It's all about the experience of being Eagles fans at Giants Stadium," said Megan Novelli.

Sahasaylo, 56, of Huntingdon Valley, is one of the owners of the Scotty Express, an old school bus painted green and tricked out yesterday with a bar, three televisions, two kegs, and a buffet full of food. The vehicle is named for Scotty Griffin, Sahasaylo's nephew, who died in a car accident in 2006 at age 23.

A lifelong Eagles fan, Griffin and his cousin Bob Sahasaylo Jr. used to tailgate from the back of a minivan. They talked about buying a bus someday, and when Griffin died, Sahasaylo Jr., his father, and two friends decided to go for the dream in his cousin's honor.

About 30 people - more than usual, the regulars agreed - packed the Scotty Express for the trip up to North Jersey. Vodka-spiked hot chocolate and beer flowed, with bratwurst, chili, meatballs and cheesesteak soup on the menu later.

When the bus slowed for a toll or someone spied a car flying an Eagles flag, people hung out the windows and started to cheer.

Beth Novelli, Megan's sister, perched on a cooler and said the tailgating crew felt like family. The 27-year-old from Plymouth Meeting has been partying in parking lots for a season and a half.

A hairdresser who works at a salon in Doylestown, Novelli has already taken time off for the Super Bowl and a potential parade.

"I don't want to get fired and I can't miss anything," she said, nursing a cup of spiked hot chocolate she'd poured from a giant jug.

As Giants Stadium came into view, Ben Povlow, 31, of Bridesburg, better known as "Cheesesteak Head" for the hat he sports at every game, jumped up.

"Let me at 'em!" Povlow said.

Povlow knew the Eagles were going to win, he said, slipping on a silky green dress - his costume for the Bryson Brigade, a Mummers comic club. When Povlow stays away from Giants blue, wearing the dress plus his Eagles shirts and jeans, he said, the Birds win.

"I won't even let my girlfriend use a blue towel after the shower," Povlow said. "And nothing gets washed - I don't wash anything but socks and boxers."

As the bus pulled into slushy Lot 14, Bob Sahasaylo Jr. took one look at the sea of Giants fans shaking fists and fingers at the caravan and shouted a message to the bus.

"People are going to throw stuff at us, but we can't throw back," he said. "You get arrested, we're leaving you behind."

Right. There were plenty of dirty looks and some "Fly, Eagles, Fly" action when a brave Giants fan waded into the thicket of Eagles fans grouped together, but mostly things stayed civil.

Damien Kalpokas walked around with a video camera and an Eagles gnome he takes to playoff games. Kalpokas, 33, a Feltonville native who lives in Lancaster, met the Scotty Express crew through Green Fans, a documentary he and partner Luis Ortiz have been filming for two years.

Yes, he pretty much lives for this, Kalpokas confessed. And, yes, the plans for Arizona had already begun even before the kickoff at Giants Stadium.

"We're going to Tampa," Kalpokas said, rubbing his newly grown facial hair. "All the way!"

It was the coldest tailgating day the crew had seen in at least two years, but friends Jake Ketner and Joey DiMatteo of Lancaster were too engrossed in the game and talk of Eagles' luck turning to feel it.

"Every year, I cry," DiMatteo, 26, said. "This year, I cried at the Redskins game. I'm not crying now."

Ketner, 24, said he didn't lose faith.

"I got this tattoo because the team needed some hope," said Ketner, rolling up several layers to reveal the Eagles logo on his forearm, art he had tattooed before the Dallas game, for luck. "Now I'll have a great story to tell my kids and my grandkids."