The Baseball trip 2014 / Day 9

Saturday, July 19, 2014.

We decided if we couldn't camp on our last night that we would head home. That's a long drive, but we were both up for it. We have never been shut out of camping on any of our trips. Frustrating.

Oh I have seen things: White pickup trucks barreling down on me eighty-five miles an hour in forty mile an hour speed zones running up my rear end what's the matter with you lame-o out of towner move that heap of junk Subaru out of the way or I'll push it for you. Rain, seven of nine days fine mist or gloppy drops incessant downpour mid sixties temps (what's that in Canadianese?) this is no summer baseball games cancelled or played indoors. No you can't camp here must be some kind of Canadian weekend holiday everyone in the nation off fishing and hunting this site reserved go home. Okay, okay, we have had enough, we surrender, we are going home leadfoot it from Ontario to Chicago, Illinois. We are leaving, we are leaving...

But before we do, lets stop at the casino in Sarnia and see what damage we can do...

Not much. Again, I lost fifty bucks. It turns out this is a charity casino and they don't let you bet more than $100.00 at a time. Which is anathema to Randy's blackjack system.

Random Observation from Randy:
"I guess I'll just go over to the roulette table and lose all my money."

Here's the metal tube-like building that houses that casino:

Weird looking, no?

Yes, enough is enough. No campsite available. let's get a nice dinner at a real restaurant and go home. We fins our place in Saranac, Michigan, called Germaine's.

Germaine's. Saranac, Michigan.

The battered fish was delicious.

Random Observation from Randy:
"I hope you left a donation to the Battered Fish fund."

As we were leaving, a group was walking out beside us and a lady asked why Randy was taking pictures in the restaurant. She said it was kind of creepy. I think she was joking with us...?

Favorite Town Names:
Imlay, Michigan
Avoca, Michigan

Favorite Signs:
Join us for Frisky Friday
Poor Man's Restaurant: Closed for the Year

So here's what we have:

3,146 miles.
Ten states and one Canadian Province.
3 ferry rides
One Major League baseball game and three minor league games.
2 Horse tracks
No campsites
7 days of rain.
1,000 bridges that go straight up for two miles and then straight down
12 military memorial weapons, 0 grand openings. Go figure.

I don't know what to make of this, except it was an adventure. I guess. Hey, I got a picture with Denny McClain.

Random observation from Randy:
"Blind Drive. This ought to be fun."

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 8

Friday, July 18, 2014

Wondrous find! The Dundas Diner, just a skosh down the highway from our hotel, is a great breakfast place. (That's right, I used the word skosh.) The home fries had this garlic and chives accent that made my whole trip. Consider those with eggs over easy and some bacon. Damn tasty! We promised the proprietor we would give her a thumbs up on Tripadvisor.com.

The plan is to take the lakeshore route into Toronto, visit Woodbine, one of the classiest horse racing emporiums in the world, and then shoot into downtown to see the Blue Jays take on the Major League worst Texas Rangers at night.

Favorite Sign:
Radical Road

Random Observation from Randy:
"Road work is like Sisyphus. You will never get on top of it."

Woodbine was fun, but I wasn't as successful as I was in Boston. I lost about fifty bucks, but it could have been a lot worse if it weren't for a horse named Lady Go Go. I should always bet horses with two go's in their name.

Lady Go Go

Here's some pictures of Woodbine:

Front gate.

Infield lake.

Tote board.

Anyway, we heard there was a probability of rain that evening and the Rogers Centre dome would be closed for the ballgame. We've already seen that movie. No thanks! We'll just travel on to another Provincial Park and finally get to camp. Only...

Sold out.

Sunset at a campground where we can't stay.

Random Observation from randy"

"This is the trip of no."

Favorite Sign:

Tomorrow: who knows.

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 7

Thursday, July 17, 2014

The hotel we finally found at 2:30 am was a massively overpriced Courtyard Inn in Middlebury, Vermont. To give you an idea of how we found it, consider this:

We took the nighttime ferry (hence no pictures) across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY, which is near the middle of the lake. We drove down the western shore towards the bottom of the lake only to cross the bridge back east into Vermont. Oh well.

Random Observation from Randy:
"That's the trouble with vacationing by the seat of your pants.You usually end up on the seat of your pants."

Nonetheless, the next morning we drove though the Adirondacks, enjoying the scenery and just taking it easy. Of course, we had to take another ferry back across Lake Champlain into New York.

Original ferry house at crossing.

Lake in the Adirondacks.

We are on our way to Canada, hoping we can finally do some camping. Even though it rained again this morning, things are clearing up.

Favorite Town Names:
Paradox, NY
Severance, NY
Oswegatchie, NY

Favorite Sign:
Faust Motel

Random Observation from Randy:
"I wonder what you have to pay to stay there?"

Our third ferry ride of the trip takes us into Picton, Ontario. The border guard there was hilarious because he was overzealous and reminded us of Dan Aykroyd impersonating a cop on Saturday Night Live. Same accent and phrasing.

"How do you guys know each other?"
"We're BFF's."
"Are you carrying any knives, tasers, or firearms for your personal protection?"
"No."
"Do you know those are illegal in Canada?"
"Yes."
"Where are you from?"
"Chicago."
"Do you own any of those weapons for your personal safety at home in Chicago?"
"Ummmm....no."
"Any tobacco or alcohol?"
(Here's where I wanted to do my Blues Brothers impersonation.)
"We've got half a pack of cigarettes, two Heineken's, and a pint of Jameson. It's raining and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it."

But I didn't. The second time I visited Canada my college roommate smarted off to the border patrol and ended up with a strip search.

There were three Provincial Parks where we could camp along the lake highway. None of them had an opening. Another damn hotel.

At least I got a picture from the ferry of this cool schooner on Lake Ontario

Military Weaponry:
1 tank, 1 jet, 1 howitzer in Kingston, Ont.

Tomorrow: Toronto

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 6

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

This is a trip of firsts:
First game rainout.
First time I wore pants. I mean long pants. I mean I usually wear shorts. Never mind. It's been cold and rainy.

Random observation from Randy:
"Next year, let's do this in summer."

We left Scarborough, disappointed that we did not see baseball in Maine. However, we did stop at the Dunstan School for breakfast on our way out of town. Apparently, it's a cooking school. Every morning they serve a breakfast buffet to the public for a nominal fee. It should be less. It really was mostly meh. Even the coffee was bad. It's a sorry state of affairs.

 

The Dunstan School: diner on left, school at right.

We traveled west from Maine through White Mountain National forest in New Hampshire. Here's some of the beautiful scenery we witnessed as we rolled westward:

 

Covered bridge.

 

Mist on the mountains.

 

Road through the forest.

Our destination is Burlington, Vermont, to see the A ball Vermont Lake Monsters face the State College Spikes. The Lake Monsters are an affiliate of the Oakland A's, which means these kids were drafted by Billy Beane. You know, the Money Ball guy. The Spikes belong to the St. Louis Cardinals, another organization  known for developing talent. Every Oakland A's minor league team is in first place right now...except the Lake Monsters. They are in last, and they are terrible.

They lost 7-0, and they got their first hit in the eighth inning. We thought we might see a no-hitter, but it was not to be. However, it was Freihofer Night at the ballpark. Freihofer, you might ask? I did. Froheimer is a local bakery, and every patron with a paid attendance received a sweet tote bag with a box of chocolate chip cookies. Oh yeah.

Well yes, the Lake Monsters have a mascot. His name is Champ, for Lake Champlain. Legend has it that there is a sea monster at large in Lake Champlain, and I think he was a subject on that stupid reality show...River Monsters? You know, that guy goes around hunting dangerous fish monsters but and the end of each show it's a letdown because all he really finds is a normal fish? That's the deal, I guess. Anyway, I didn't want to wait in line to get my picture taken with Champ so I had Randy take a picture while I photo-bombed him signing a kid's mitt. The security guard next to Champ thought I was a predator or something and he kept checking me while Randy was setting the camera.

What in tarnation is going on here?

Anyways, why do all these mascots have to be cross-eyed, drooling, staggering acid casualty parade balloons influencing children to grow up brain dead? Who said it was ok to let them drive all-terrain vehicles? Why was it ok for Champ to make inappropriate pelvic thrusting to ACDC's "Thunderstruck?" Who approves this? George Lucas probably got the idea for Jar Jar Binks after watching a minor league game. Jesus, help America.

Favorite Town Name:
Orange, VT

Favorite Signs:
Hooker's Plaza
Welcome to Richmond, Home of the Round Church

BTW: The Vermont Lake Monsters play at the University of Vermont's home baseball field. We got to the game two hours early because we thought it was a five o'clock game. So we took a stroll around the campus. Here's an old administration building:

But I also saw this house just across from the baseball field, with a message painted across its front:

It says, "Cut Consumption Not Foreskin!" What does that mean? I like the paint job, too. Actually, I had to google it and this is what I found:

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/whiskey-tango-foxtrot-why-does-a-house-across-from-burlingtons-centennial-field-tell-passers-by-to-cut-consumption-not-fore/Content?oid=2140872

So here are a few pictures of historic Centennial Field, as it is known:

Afterwards, we took the ferry across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY, because there are about 7,000 hotels there. And not one of them had an open room. It seems there was some kind of fishing competition going on, and every room was booked. Of course, there is no other city close by remotely large enough to support a motel. We found a Marriott Courtyard at about 2:30am.

Random observation from Randy:
"Let's not go to Quebec. I don't have the patience for French people right now."

Tomorrow: Canada.

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 5

Tuesday, July 14, 2014

Like gluttons for punishment, we drive back into the Boston area metroplex (specifically, Brookline), but not for any baseball game or horse racing. Oh no. This time we return to visit the Museum of Bad Art.  The Museum has a mission, but rather than having me explain it to you I will quote from their website: "Since 1994, the Museum of Bad Art has been dedicated to bad art. It is only through the efforts of the worldwide Friends of MOBA that we have been able to carry out our mission: to bring the worst of art to the widest of audiences."

And that they have done. Here are a few examples:

Woman with iPod

Faceoff

 

Green Goddess

On the way we passed through a nice college town, Medford, home to Tufts University. This is where we stopped to have some ice cream.

Random observation from Randy:
"I want illegal sweets. They're illegal because my doctor will kill me. I don't care; I spit on the Grim Reaper."

So we had ice cream, at J. Licks. Really, that's the name.

 

You can kind of read the sign.

Favorite Town Names:

Swampscott, MA

Ipswitch, MA

Favorite Sign:

Ahead

Now done with our Boston area extravaganza, we beat hell out of town and head north for Maine. It took us a lot longer than we thought because we kept driving in circles through the coastal Massachusetts resort town hell. Marblehead, Swampscott, etc. Nice little towns with oceanside condos, marinas, antique shops and absolutely no main roads.

Anyway, it didn't make any difference that we were late: the game was rained out! No Ocean Beach Guides A Ball tonight. I was going to post a picture of the field anyway, but there's nothing sadder than a rained-out ballpark. Except maybe the '69 Cubs.  So I leave you with this:

 Tomorrow: Burlington, Vermont.

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 4

Monday, July 14, 2014

Monday we shot south into Boston. We are not going to Fenway because we've been there twice already. We are, however, headed to Suffolk Downs, horse racing emporium to the Boston area. The plan is to get there midway through the program and bet a few races, and to then head over to Lowell to catch the A ball Spinners (Red Sox affiliate) face the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians.) Don't you just love minor league team names?

By the way, our voyage takes us through three of the Seven Sisters  colleges locale:. Smith, Vasser, and Amherst. We are too old to care.

We arrived in time to bet the 7th, 8th, and 9th races. I picked the winner in the 7th, Go Anna Go, and also hooked her up with the favorite for an exacta. Bingo...85 bucks!  here's a picture of my new favorite horse:

 

Go Anna Go

She was pretty feisty in her warm up; I thought she was ready to fire. Pure luck. My second and third bets failed, but I still walked out with a profit. A good day.

So we rolled out of Boston toward Lowell - birthplace of Jack Kerouac. How apropos.

Random observation from Randy:

"This radio sucks. I want to hear some Skrillex."

Lowell are the 'Spinners', a nod to the textile industry that was so vital to this area during the industrial revolution. Now that work is done in China. Their mascot is not even related to the industry; he's an alligator. His name is Canalligator because there's a canal running behind the stadium. Yea.

Anyway, the Lowell Spinners pitcher had a no-hitter through 4 innings, and the manager took him out. Why? Nobody knows. The Spinners still won the game, 7-4, so I guess it's ok. Randy picked the Scrappers left fielder as the next phenom,; I liked the Spinners 3rd baseman. Afterward, I asked the Spinners' mascot for a picture, and he obliged. Only...he ambushed me:

Canalligator attack.

Favorite Town Names;

Quabban, Mass

Favorite Signs:

Bread Euphoria!

Justine's Frosty

Military Weaponry:

1-cannon in Hadley Mass

Tomorrow: The Museum of Bad Art and Orchard Beach Maine Baseball.

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 3

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Breakfast this morning in a small diner in Williamsport before we head out. It's called Peg and Bill's, and their food was pretty good. Nonetheless, what really distinguishes this place is Bill's habit of sitting down with the customers and engaging them in political conversations while they eat. Bill has certain conservative thoughts on welfare and overpopulation. He pretty much held court throughout  breakfast. It was awkwardly amusing. The locals are pretty much used to this because the people at the table next to us said,"Don't you sit down, Bill. Just shut the hell up and go back to the kitchen."

 

Peg and Bill's Diner

We are heading north and east out of Pennsylvania and into New York. Upstate New York is filled with quaint little villages boasting old Victorian mansions re-painted in colors that weren't invented yet when they were built. Small dairy farms dot the countryside along the two-lane roads in between towns. Cooperstown is no different, except in one very special way. Cooperstown is the home to The National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Today is a slow day, nowhere special to go, no deadlines to meet. The Hall is open from 9am to 9pm every day during the summer. I would have taken more pictures, except everything is behind glass and creates a bad glare in my camera. The plaques themselves are not behind glass, so I did take a few pictures of Chicago Cubs Hall of Famers on my phone. You know, members of the '69 Cubs: Fergie Jenkins, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks. Posting those pictures here would just make me ill. So here's the picture of the Hall itself:

 

 We actually spent close to three hours here (who couldn't?), and then took in dinner at some fancy schmancy restaurant because we really hadn't spent much money today. That's right, I said "fancy schmancy."

Favorite town names:

Loyalsock,  PA

Hopbottom,  NY

Meshoppen,  NY

Mehoopany, NY

No grand openings, no military weaponry.

We saw a giant arched, stone railroad bridge along the way - somewhere in Pennsylvania. I have never seen anything like this before. At first I thought it was a bridge we had to cross...I was ready to turn around:

 

Random observation from Randy:

"1950. I think that's when my dad stopped watching baseball,  when African Americans were allowed to play."

Tomorrow: 

Horse racing at Suffolk Downs, minor league ball in Lowell, Mass.

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 2

Saturday, July 12, 2014

O day of days! O good fortune! 

The gale winds that steer the destinies of all that is baseball geekdom and all that is pop culture geekdom have met, come together in a perfect storm in Williamsport, Pennsylvania - home of the Little League World Series. Williamsport is also home to the Williamsport Crosscutters, Single A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Tonight they play host to the Tri-City Valley Cats, a Houston Astros affiliate. The tri-cities are Albany, Troy, and Schenectady, if you're counting. Oh sure, we get to watch a minor league game and try to figure out who the next phenom is going to be while eating and drinking at one-third the cost of Major League prices. But here is what was totally unexpected, waiting for us on this momentous Saturday night:

1. It's Star Wars night at the ballpark!
2. Denny McLain, the last  30 game winning pitcher in the Major Leagues, is in the ballpark. He'll
    sign autographs and take pictures!
3. It's fireworks night!

I know! Right?

This'll wash that sour taste out of our mouths from yesterday.

Random observation from Randy:
"I'd listen to some sports talk radio, but it's gonna be 24 hour LeBron."

The scenery improved as we rode out of Cleveland and into Pennsylvania. The National Forests offer some of the more scenic roadways in America, and the temperatures were mild. No sitting in pools of our own sweat.  Just rivers, forest, mountains and small boroughs like Johnsburgh nestled into the sides of the hills, tight little bungalows cascading in terraces down the hills.We rolled into Williamsport with about an hour and a half to spare, so we grabbed a hotel room at what we thought was a Days Inn. All of the normal signage was missing except for a small neon sign out front that said "Kaba." The lady at the front desk told us that the franchisee decided he wanted to own the place outright. But that was two years ago, and the place seemed in disarray.

Random observation from Randy:
"I bet Days Inn invited him to leave."

We settled in and left for the ballpark. The wrong ballpark. Apparently we pulled into an all-night men's softball tournament. This was not on our agenda. The real ballpark was about a half mile down the street. We splurged for preferred parking, $2.00.

Star Wars storm troopers greeted us at the ballpark. They attacked me, but I held my own:

Here are  few shots of Susquehanna Bank Ballpark:

 

Front Gate

 

Center Field

 

Left Field

 

Right Field

 

Umpires, managers, and Star Wars characters going over the ground rules.

 

Batter up.

During the sixth inning I had my chance to meet Denny McLain, hero of the 1968 World Series winning Detroit Tigers. I told him I didn't want his autograph - you know, like those creepy guys who tell superstars it's for their kids and then sell the memorabilia on eBay. I just wanted a picture of one of baseball's greats:

 I'm laughing because Randy wanted a good tight shot and Denny said, "Hey, you think you're close enough?"

Oh, and that's not the end of it. We didn't stay for the fireworks because we could watch them from our not-a-Days Inn-motel that sits on top of a hill! But I did manage to get a great shot of me and Boomer, the sedated, awkward, cross-eyed mascot of the Crosscutters:

 

What the hell?

Anyway, a great day all around.

Best Town Names:

Broken Straw, PA

Shintown, PA

Best Signs:

Marsha Marsh, Realtor

Scientific Road
Scandinavian Festival and Rodeo

Many tributes to artillery in Pennsylvania:
1-howitzer in Albion
1-Howitzer and 2 cannons in Correy
1-Howitzer in Emporium
1-tank in Loch Haven

0-Grand openings.

Tomorrow: Cooperstown.

The Baseball Trip 2014 / Day 1

Friday, July 11, 2014

There are only two rules on the baseball trip:
1) No interstate highways, and 
2) No chain restaurants.
The rest is left to happenstance.

What can I say? Ten hours of driving, east through Indiana and Ohio. Nothing to see here. No giant, outsized objects, no scenery, no landmarks.  An endless stream of Dollar General stores, American Legion halls and Beck's for a more dependable yield of corn. All of this, mind you, to reach our golden destination: Cleveland. Well, Cleveland is ok because we are here to see a major league ballgame between the Indians and our beloved White Sox. The game allows us to get a close-up look at Sox rookie sensation Jose Abreu, and he ,too, fails us. 1 for 4 - a single. No majestic home runs. The Sox lose, 7-4, in pretty lame fashion. (They blew three separate leads!) Things were so bad that I left my camera in the car in the parking lot and captured no pictures of Progressive Field or the aforementioned rookie sensation. Nonetheless, I have included pictures of both at the end of this post, courtesy of Google Images. It was a fireworks night at the ballpark, however, and that was a pretty good display.

Along the way we like to count things - and by 'we' I mean Randy, my navigator and travel partner. It's a morbid form of the license plate game; we count signs of the apocalypse. This year we are counting military weaponry in town squares and grand openings (because there are none).

So far:
2 cannons in Winnemac, IN
2 cannons in McClure, OH
0 grand openings

Favorite town names:
Churubusco, IN
Defiance, OH

Favorite signs:
Rochester High School: Home of The Zebras

Random observation from Randy:
"The Bert Kliman Underpass. I wonder if that was his goal in life, to have an underpass named after him? I want an underpass named after me."

Tomorrow: Williamsport, PA

 

Jose Abreu  

Progressive Field, Cleveland

I couldn't for the life of me figure out why there were so many pictures of Flo around the ballpark until I put two and two together. Doh!

(Photos courtesy of Google Images.)