The Baseball Trip / Day 8

Friday, July 12

We are heading home west and south (and sometimes the other way around) on every conceivable road that is not marked with a number. Gravel farm roads kicking up dust and stones blacktop with no lines past farmland and flooded fields old rusted tractors and irrigation metal monsters twisted towering over the crops. Five miles an hour because I'm stuck behind War of the Worlds-looking crop sprayers that sit on tires that seem to rise three stories tall. I am fascinated by these machines. I want one:

And this was a small one.

Creepy Church name: All Tribes Missionary Worship

Random observation from Randy:
This is also the trip of bland sausages. Why would anyone pay for bland sausage?

Weird animal encounters: Giant Buzzard in the road picking apart some species of carcass.
Also: Big old hawk trying to fly off with a large piece of deadness, but can't quite lift off. We creep up slowly to him, but he is determined he will not leave it, even at the risk of becoming roadkill himself. I finally just parked the car in the road, right next to him. He kept trying, and almost achieved liftoff a couple of times. He only left it and flew off when I tried to exit the car to get a picture. He sat up in a tree and screamed at us til we left the area.

Favorite town name: Paw Paw, MI

We finally hit Lake Michigan at New Buffalo, famed resort town. Figured we'd have the traditional last day root beer float and mill around the beach.

 No such luck. You have to pay to see the water in New Buffalo. The only part of the town that wasn't lining the beach with lake houses and gated communities was a small marina that charged ten bucks to park. No way.

Random observation from Randy:
We are the 99 per centers.

After that experience, we rolled up 41 into Chicago, onto the South Shore drive and, finally, Lake Shore Drive.We were hoping to make to Randy's place before the Cub game lets out, but it was looking grim. Three separate detours and a drawbridge opening for a barge put our goal in jeopardy.

 Drawbridge up over the canal.

I did manage to get to Wrigleyville during the eight inning, so I dropped off Randy and made my getaway.

Wrigley Field, across the street from Randy's place.

So here's the sum of it:
2200 miles.
Six states and one Canadian province.
Perfect weather and take shelter conditions.
Three major League ballparks and three minor league fields.
BBQ (almost) every day.
The corn is growing taller and the security is growing tighter.
 I don't know which is tougher: getting back into the country from Canada or getting on the beach in New Buffalo.

Final observation from Randy:
It says,'Do your best and let God do the rest.' Okay, then I'm done.

The Baseball Trip 2013 / Day 7

Thursday, July 11

A perfect day - cool temps in the low 80's, clear skies and two baseball games. The weather is a sharp contrast to yesterday's hell-storm. We are traveling north from the Toledo area into Michigan, toward Detroit to see the White Sox take on the first place Tigers.

Favorite town name:  Maumee, OH
Favorite sign: Beef Jerky Unlimited!

Here's a few pictures of Comerica Park in Detroit:

Giant tigers.

 Street level-from center field.

 Front gate.

Sox ace Chris Sale is on the mound against the Tigers today, so we thought this might be a good game. But hopes were dimmed when Miguel Cabrera hit a home run off Sale to make it 3-1 Tigers. Sale was so mad he flung a 95 mph fastball just past Prince Fielder's chin. Random observation from Randy: Isn't there always a brawl when we see these two teams? Sure enough, the Tiger's pitcher fires one behind Alexi Ramirez and all hell breaks loose. Benches empty, bullpens empty. Of course, it's a typical baseball fight...no punches, lots of milling around. Sound and fury...

So down 3-1, Sox recent call-up Josh Phegly comes to bat with the bases loaded. Random observation from Randy: He's been up less than a week and he already has 2 homers. I say grand slam. And of course, on the next pitch...gone. Deep left field. Sox are up 5-3 in an instant.

Randy is now two-for-two. We need to find a lottery outlet.

Sox eventually win, 6-4.  More pictures from Comerica Park:

 Center field jumbotron. Ford Field, home of the Lions, is behind.

Grounds crew, before the game.

It's 4:15 when the game lets out and we have two hours and forty-five minutes to get to Lansing for a 7:00 game between the Lansing Lugnuts and the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League. Ninety miles or so, should be no problem. You would think.

Stuck, any way you try to leave town. Stop and go traffic, bumper to bumper for miles.

Random observation from Randy:
These are all people trying to leave Detroit or avoid it altogether.

We finally get rolling somewhere west of the city and start barreling toward Lansing. We have a shot to make it there somewhere in the second inning. We stopped for water at a 7-11 gas station establishment along the way, and their parking lot was overflowing with cars. I mean, cars lining the driveway, double parked, the store filled with customers waiting in the checkout lane backed up to the washroom. What's up with that?

A patron told me, "It's 7-11."  I know where we are...I know this is a 7-11.
"No, the date...it's 7-11...and the 7-11 is giving out free slushees."
That's what this is about? Free flavored ice chips, and the Earth falls off its axis. I wish I could have taken a picture, but my camera battery died in Detroit.

Lucky for me the lady at the souvenir store at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing let me charge the camera behind the checkout counter. Try that at a big league park. (That's right, it's called Cooley Law School Stadium. I'm not kidding.)

The souvenir lady also told me that the Lugnuts were not so good this year. She was right. They were only losing 3-2 in the seventh, but then their bullpen lit a giant fire. By the time the inning was over, the Chiefs were ahead 10-2. Yikes.

Anyway, my camera was recharged by now so I took some pictures. Thanks souvenir lady!

 Behind home plate.

 Right field line.

Left field. Like many minor league parks, lawn seats in the outfield.

I was worried that we were going to leave without a picture of their mascot, The Big Lug. Yes, that is his name. But we caught him at the gate right as we were leaving.

Big Lug and I enjoy a moment of camaraderie.

Apparently, Lansing (and the Cooley Law School) figured a lugnut as a mascot would not sell the younger crowd, so they invented some weird dragon-mutant to represent the team. As a concession to the automotive industry, they gave him lugnuts for nostrils.

What we will not be attending: The Roar on the River in Trenton Michigan. We also learned, as we left the field, that Friday night would be Family Faith Night at the ballpark. I don't know what that could possibly be.

Tomorrow: home.

The Baseball Trip 2013 / Day 6

Wednesday, July 10

Oh I have seen things, derecho from hell big as all Ohio slate black skies tinged with ugly green, forked lightning hail the size of jawbreakers bouncing off windows straight-line winds like bullet trains barrel through the towns rivers rampaging, swollen, spilling their banks and rising to the bridges. Downed trees criss-cross the streets blocking passage emergency vehicles on all corners turning traffic around into other impassible highways trucks stuck under viaducts flooded to their engines. Old man parks his car in the right hand lane so unsuspecting drivers don't tangle themselves in power lines, snapped, stretched across culvert to overflowing culvert. Store fronts blown out shards like glass confetti fall to the street. Whole trees uprooted as branches nose into houses. Basements filling with water now reaching the first floor. Roads washing away or littered with branches we can't get out of town double back backtrack out of town try another route but the tri-county area is completely devastated. Oh, there was finally an escape route and I thought we were clear, but no, no, the hotels have no power. I want to sleep and I will pull over to the side of the road and sleep in a field, fall away to sleep in the rain like a frozen gold miner, like hypothermia.

Random observation from Randy:
This is our Global Warming trip.

A storm cell hovers over the whole state of Ohio and wreaks havoc on everyone. We pulled into Cleveland's Thistledown Racino (get it- horse racing/casino?) to wager on a few races before heading downtown to Progressive Field for the Indians - Blue Jays game at 7:00.

Thistledown

Waiting for the all-clear.

I wagered one race and won 22 bucks. Not bad, right? Then all hell broke loose. The skies went spooky and weird winds whipped in from the west. Rain and hail.It finally cleared a bit and everyone was waiting for the next race to begin. But no. More "inclement" weather was on the way, and all live racing was cancelled. As we sat in the car wondering what direction to go, the more inclement weather hit. No way the Indians were going to play tonight. Head for the hills, toward Toledo. The rest is exactly as I described above. Here are some picturesof the Huron River in Monroeville,OH:

Here are a few pictures in the aftermath of the derecho in Bellvue, OH:

Favorite Town Names: Goosetown, PA
                                    Sarah Furnace, PA

Oh yeah, Pittsburgh was flooding as we left this morning. Can't wait to see what happens in Detroit. And the Indians actually played their game, without a delay.

The Baseball Trip 2013 / Day 5

Tuesday, July 9

Sad to say we will not be in Sheffield, PA, for the upcoming Fireman's Festival. Also, we will not be in attendance for the Gun Raffle in Chicora, Pa. You must be present to win.

Had a good breakfast at the Settlers Family Restaurant and started the 270 mile journey to Pittsburgh.

Random observation from Randy:
 My horoscope says I should not let my stubbornness get in the way of my enjoyment. My stubbornness is my enjoyment.

Light rain falls and the traveling weather is cool, in the low seventies. We take Rte 98 out of Batavia past  dairy farms and vineyards and broken barns.There's plenty of time to make the 7:00pm Pirates-Athletics game at PNC Park, so we take the drive through Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. Fifty or so miles of nothing but curvy two-lane blacktop domed by tall pines and birch. The Tionesta Creek, which is actually a very wide river, flows on the left all the way to, well, Tionesta.

Allegheny Reservoir in Allegheny National Forest

Bridge over Allegheny River

We took Rte 28 into Pittsburgh, from the north of town. The Pirates, who until recently were in first place, are playing another first place team - the Oakland Athletics. The Pirates are starting their young phenom, Garret Cole, and it should prove to be a good game.

Except that a thunderstorm is rolling into town and there's some nasty lightning in the area. At exactly 7:00, when the game was slated to begin, the grounds crew rolled out the tarp and covered the infield. The rain delay was one hour and forty-five minutes.

A couple of shots outside PNC Park:

The Pirates' Pedro Alvarez hit a solo home run about 425 feet into dead center to give them a 1-0 lead in the first. The A's Brandon Moss countered with a two run shot in the third, and that was it. A's win 2-1. Pretty good game, but the home crowd was not happy.

Sausage Race at PNC Park. Creepy, no?

More views from inside and around the ballpark:

 Houses on top of the hill across the river.

 Inside the back gate.

 Downtown Pittsburgh and The Roberto Clemente Bridge.

 Center field.

Down the right field line.

Favorite town names:  Java Center, NY
                                  Java Village, NY
                                  North Java, NY

Favorite signs:  Seldom Inn
                        Lick Magic Deer Attractant
                        Cash for Criminals

Random observation from Randy:
I'd really like to find out if they have mobile homes in Europe.

After the game it pours like hell. The drive out of town gives me a headache: night, rain, unfamiliar highway.
I hear Toronto flooded after we left. Spreading joy wherever we visit.

Tomorrow: Cleveland.

The Baseball Trip 2013 / Day 4

Monday, July 8

Random observation from Randy:
I threw out the trash. I even separated the bottles and cans and put them in the proper receptacles. The Canadians will still hate us anyway.

We did not find BBQ today, but Randy has leftover ribs, so that counts.

We always notice signs in small towns announcing spectacular events that we will miss because we have stumbled upon their little burg too early ( or too late) to enjoy them. Here's what we will be missing, so far:

Porter County (IN) Fair
The Leprechaun Hunt, somewhere in Indiana - I don't know what that is.
The Hot Air Jubilee in Jackson, MI
The Tashmoo Fair in Angorac. MI - again, I have no idea.

Our campground was damp. If there is one word to describe our campground, it is damp. Everything is dewy. The air was cool and breezy last night, but somehow...just wet.

Weird animal experience: Woodpeckers in the trees above our tent. I didn't know they grew so big.

We had breakfast in a little diner called, unfortunately, Sambo's. Not the racist logo pancake house chain of yore Sambo's. This was totally independent. The logo was a guy that looked like some kind of Super Mario Brothers character, so I'm hoping it's just an Italian thing. Anyways, the poached eggs and sausage and home fries were good, indeed. Randy had eggs over easy with peameal. Peameal is what Canadians call Canadian bacon. Why don't they just call it Canadian bacon? Or just bacon? And while I'm at it, why do they dispense gas in litres? And why do they call it petrol?

Favorite sign:  St Anne's Church. No mass here. Go to St. Elizabeth.

Hey, guess what? Fort Erie doesnt start racing on Mondays til - you guessed it - Monday, July 15. Here's a picture of it anyway...

You can't read it, but underneath the sign that says "Race Track," it says, "Tiki Bar." No kidding. Pretty swanky, no? Too bad it was closed.

We found our way to the Peace Bridge to cross to the States and exchanged our weird money for real money at the duty free store. I didn't buy any perfume. Then we crossed the bridge. Or, I should say, we crawled acroos the bridge. Help me Jesus, it took a half hour. At that height. I just stared at the truck in front of me and kept repeating, "It will be okay, it will be okay."

Random observation from Randy (and absolutely no help):
If I were a terrorist, I'd blow up the bridge.

Thanks.

Peace Bridge? Misnomer.

We ended up seventy miles east of Buffalo at Finger Lakes Race Track. I bet four races and cashed a total of ten dollars. Here's a picture of the only horse that did me any favors:

Nice horsey.

After the races, we doubled back west to Batavia to see the A-ball contest between the Batavia Muckdogs and The Jamestown Jammers. The Muckdogs are the NY-Penn League affiliate of the Florida Marlins, in case a border guard asks you. Much like the Tin Caps, I had to find out where the name Muckdog comes from. Well, according to an authority (some kid ball park attendant), the Batavia area is famous for it's swampy ground. Of course, but why dogs? "Because they are ferocious."

Oh.

We arrived an hour early, only to find the game in progress. What gives? Well, lucky us, this was the end of a make-up game that was rained out the day before. A double-header! The dogs won both games, and everybody went home happy.

Dwyer Field, Batavia, NY.

Of course, I had to hunt down the mascot: Homer Muckdog. I thought I was over my fear of mascots, but you can tell from the look on my face that I am still frightened.

 Homer and me.

Favorite sign: Gigglin' Pig Furniture

Favorite town: Cheektowaga, NY

Tomorrow: Pittsburgh, I think.

The Baseball Trip 2013 / Day 3

Sunday, July 7

We stayed at a Motel 6, which wouldn't warrant a mention if it were not for our humble night clerk, Muad. Muad was very interested in the baseball trip, and he gave me his email address so I could forward him the blog link. Muad is now part of the Baseball Trip lore.

On to Toronto. Everything in Ontario looks the same as Ohio or Indiana except cleaner.

Skydome at Rogers Centre left us underwhelmed. The stadium is a big bowl with an industrial feel, somewhat like the back corridors of a mall. The temperature was fine -  28degrees, whatever that means - but the skies were threatening. So lucky us, we get to experience the whole game with the dome on. Yea.

The Blue Jays rocked the Twins with four home runs, and beat them 11-5. I'll say this, the fans are really into their team. Here's some pictures of the Rogers Centre.

Outside the dome.

Wave in progress. The windows on either side of the jumbotron are actually hotel rooms. A few years ago the fans were treated to some scandalous behavior - curtains open.

More views:

After the game, Randy and I walked around the surrounding area and took some shots. Toronto is a city of a few million people, but still growing. There were six buildings under construction in the immediate area:

Here's a shot of the CN Tower. It's too tall for a good shot, unless i walked about two miles away.

Notice the gathering storm.

Here's the scene outside the park after the game was over:

After the game we left town and headed for Rock Point Provincial Park, along Lake Ontario. Along the way we stopped at 'Bob's Place' for ribs. Also, another first: We saw an open-air prayer meeting in the middle of the town.

Random observation from Randy:
Hey, it's a Come to Jesus meeting! I don't get it. Well, you are what you know. And, you know what you are.

When we finally got to the campgrounds, we built a fire and listened to the waves roll in.

Random observation from Randy:
This fire wanted to burn.

Favorite sign: Authentic Chinese and Canadian food!

Favorite towns:  Lowbanks, Ont
                         Stromness. Ont

Tomorrow: Fort Erie, Ontario for horse racing and Batavia, NY, for A-ball.

The Baseball Trip 2013 / Day 2

Saturday, July 6

Today is a travel day: Indiana, through northwest Ohio, up into Michigan to the ferry to Canada. After that, we drive through Ontario and look for a hotel. Maybe near London. Oh yeah, yesterday we did have BBQ, We split a basket of wings with a Memphis rub and a sweet glaze. Mmmmm. However, we found out the place-Smokey Bones- was a chain! Should have known from the name.

Weird animal encounters:

• This is a first: a deer sprang out from the side of the road...close, but not threatening.
• I almost ran over a pheasant. I thought he was dead, but iIsaw him skittle off through the brush on the side of the road. He actually went under my car.
• Caribou farm!

Bull with his harem.

The weather is cool but rain always threatens...dark clouds hover but offer only a smattering of sprinkles. We are lucky.The ferry to Canada is supposed to be in the middle of a town called Angorac, Michigan, but we are diverted from our regularly scheduled route by a Fourth of July celebration gala parade that lasts, apparently, for days.

Random observation from Randy:
Angorac is starting to give me that Thurmont feeling. Remember Thurmont, Maryland? We drove all over that damn town looking for a place to eat. I'll be happy if I never see that town again.

After a few (thirty) detours, we finally end up on the other side of town and spot, miraculously, a ferry.
We drive up to the ferry. We pay $8.00. We ride across the river. We are not in Canada. This ferry took us to some weird island that is still part of Michigan. No wonder they didn't ask for ID when we got off. Oh well, it was a nice drive around the island. Besides, nobody cares:

Random observation from Randy:
This is a seat of the pants trip.

Here's the phantom ferry:

Favorite sign:   Hand picked peaches and cream corn.

No BBQ today, we have failed. Randy vows to never let that happen again. It turns out the real ferry was shut down, blocked off by the parade! But we found another real ferry a few miles down the road in Marine City. That's where we stopped for crab cakes before we moved on.

So here's a view from the real ferry:

 Looking back toward the US.

Approaching the customs station:

 

OK, so what's the deal with Canada? They have different money and different measurements. How fast am I driving? I don't know. What's with the purple and green money with the little plastic windows? And please, do they not know that coins should not be more than fifty cents? That's how it works! Dollars are paper! The two-dollar coin looks like some freeze-dried version of a Bulls-eye Caramel. Imagine my chagrin at the newspaper machine.

Anyway, the border patrol was on their game. He asked why we were in Canada, and we told him we wanted to see the Toronto Blue jays. We travel from ballpark to ballpark. So he says,"Oh yeah, what ballpark were you at before this?" We tell him Fort Wayne, we also see minor leagues. So he says, "What level are they?" Wow, tough dude. Then he asks, "What is their major league affiliate?" Damn! This guy's good!

Favorite town:  Hell, Michigan. Seriously, and there was a sign with an arrow pointing us straight to hell.

Tomorrow, Toronto.