Compare and Contrast...

As much as I love the desert I’m still a Colorado boy at heart. I’ve been down here in Arizona not quite a week and while I’m glad to have escaped some of the cold and snow I confess I am missing the Colorado High Country. It’s another bright sunny day, though not hot by Arizona standards with today’s highs expected to reach the mid-60’s. I’ll be heading off to the Ballpark here momentarily but thought I’d share a little compare and contrast between the where I am and the where my heart is...

Take me out to the ballgame....

This is just a short feel good moment for those still locked in winter’s cold embrace. There are a lot of rituals in baseball but perhaps one of the most ubiquitous is the 7th inning stretch. It’s usually a great chance to sing (or whatever passes for singing in your local ballpark) along with the old standard “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”. The song was first played at a major league game in 1934 during the World Series and has been recognized as one of the 365 Top Songs of the 20th Century. It remains one of my favorite parts of baseball so here’s yesterday’s rendition from Surprise Stadium. You can almost smell the hotdogs and taste the peanuts and Crackerjack... Feel free to sing along!

What’s that round white thing?

High 80’s to the mid-90’s. That was the ‘heat’ that was being thrown across home plate as the Kansas City Royals faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in yesterday’s opening day game of the 2018 Cactus League Spring Training. Spoiler alert... the Royals beat the Folks from the city of angels in a pretty good game.

The Phoenix area is experiencing a little bit of a cold snap with the temperature at first pitch a not-balmy 59 degrees. The forecast for today’s matchup between the Texas Rangers and my hometown Colorado Rockies is a little better with highs in the mid 60’s. Still, with lots of folks coming in from colder climes to root for their favorite teams temps in the 50’s and 60’s beat what they left at home. Give it a week or so and it’s likely the temps will closer match the ‘heat’ being thrown at nervous batters trying to make a favorable impression on eagle-eyed scouts.

As cold as it relatively was by Phoenix standards it was great to see the crowds flocking to the ballpark. With the cool temps the best seats yesterday were the cheapest with folks throwing down blankets in the grass sections overlooking the outfield. Those folks at least had the sun shining on them most of the game while those in the usually more coveted covered sections shivered along with the action.

I’m working for Aramark who has the retail concession for Surprise Stadium. If you’re lucky enough to come visit during Spring Training there are four locations inside the ballpark where you can load up on all the new 2018 Spring Training merchandise. A favorite every year is the ‘patch’ hat which is the same hat worn by the ball players on the field. Of course you can find shirts, pins, baseballs and all sorts of other stuff to please the most discriminating of fans.

This year’s schedule has been mixed up a little from the norm and will feature four night games rather than two and two doubleheaders. I like working Spring Training since, unless your a player, the games don’t count. And since they don’t count almost everyone’s in a good mood and content to sit in the Arizona sun in the middle of winter and see grown mean swing toothpicks at little white missiles streaking by.

On a more somber note a less pleasant change is that there are now metal detectors at the gates and yesterday’s game featured a moment of silence for the victims of the tragic school shooting in Florida. I guess it’s a sign of the times and it certainly tends to give one pause. Still Spring Training reflects if nothing else a chance for rebirth and hope for the future. So when the ump calls out “Play Ball!” for the first game of the season hope springs eternal for everyone gathered, players and fans alike. All in all, not a bad way to start.

Getting There Is Half The Fun

Getting there is half the fun. The other half is a snowstorm, dense fog, pouring rain, some sunshine, more rain, more snow, more sun, and a forest fire thrown in for good measure. Such is the price of admission for working this year’s Spring Training in Arizona.

Castle Rock - it's
really out there
somewhere

The weather in February in Denver is always problematic and you never know what you’re going to get when you set out for a drive. This year’s weather has been so mild I thought I’d have the same easy trip I had last year. Alas, the weather gods were not with me. Last Monday it was in the 60’s and I should have left then but decided to wait for Tuesday which according to the T.V. weather prognosticators would still get me out of Denver ahead of the next storm. I’m old enough to know better but taking the gurus at their word woke up Tuesday morning to snow coming down and streets that rivaled the surface the Colorado Avalanche skate on at the Pepsi Center. Heading south on I-25 the snow wasn’t enough so why not throw in some pea soup fog? Needless to say it was a slow trip south through Colorado Springs and Pueblo. It wasn’t until I reached Trinidad that the clouds broke and sunshine poured through.

Never been so glad to see
Trinidad...

The pavement stayed dry over mighty Raton Pass but an hour out of Santa Fe the heavens let loose with the kind of rain that only New Mexico seems able to deliver. Still, rain trumps snow when you’re trying to make the miles pass under your wheels so it was on to Albuquerque to sample their rush hour. Albuquerque may not have Denver’s population but they certainly have the knack of getting what population they do have all together on the same stretch of Highway all at the same time. Then throw in some road construction and it felt like I hadn’t left Denver at all.

Switching from I-25 to I-40 out of Albuquerque the skies still had their promising blue hue but that was not to last. I had a reservation in Gallup, New Mexico for the night. Thank God for that because about 20 miles out of Gallup I noticed a sinister black cloud strategically hovering over the same pavement I had to travel to reach my abode for the night. Getting closer I noticed the dark cloud extended all the way to the ground. It almost seemed Biblical as I drove smack into my second snow storm of the day. I’m not talking flurries here. The snowflakes were so big they could have been delivered in pizza boxes. Within a mile of entering the cloud traffic had ground to a crawl and by the time I made it to the first Gallup exit the highway was closed and everyone was being pushed into town. Beyond the New Mexico State Troopers waving traffic off the highway I could see numerous jackknifed trucks blocking the snow swept roadway. Once off the highway it took only about an hour to cover the six miles before reaching the comfort of the Red Roof Inn where I had never been so happy to say “Hi there, I have a reservation!”.

Checking the forecast for Wednesday I was pleased to see it called for sunny skies and temps in the 30’s so I was cautiously optimistic I’d be able to continue my journey in the morn. The alarm blasted me out of bed and I staggered to the window where what to my wondering eyes did appear but clear sunny skies as promised and the same sheet of ice on the roads that I thought I had left at home. The hotel clerk was nice enough to point out that Gallup really doesn’t get that much snow and that this was the first they’d had since Christmas. With luck like this I should buy a lottery ticket.

Doesn't the pool
at the Red Roof
Inn look
inviting?

The drive to Flagstaff started out as everything you could hope for. If you were doing 30 mph you were taking your life in your 0hands but that was ok because all the trucks that had been stuck in Gallup overnight we’re only doing 20 and there was only one highway lane visible. Still, with the sunny skies I was hopeful that the sun’s rays would eventually melt the ice and that’s what happened. By Flagstaff the roads were dry and the snow was a distant memory. Still, lesson learned - if you see an ominous cloud over Gallup - turn around!

On to Flagstaff

Flagstaff  sits at about 7,500 feet elevation but from there it's all downhill to Phoenix so I knew it would be clear sailing. Did I just say that? What do I know.
I-17 is the major north-south highway and of course, given they have clear skies and dry pavement there would be the required road construction. But what's an hour's delay between friends? Fortunately there was also a fire burning on the horizon so we didn't get bored.

Lake Pleasant campground -
rest your weary head...

Well, to make a short story even longer, I actually made it to Lake Pleasant Park in time to roll out the sleeping bag and catch some zzzz's. From Lake Pleasant, on the north side of Phoenix, it's only a short 30 miles or so to my final destination of White Tank Park where I'll spend the next six weeks. This morning I went to Surprise Stadium to check in and get my STAFF shirt and schedule. Let me tell you, it was nice to see and smell the immaculately kept green grass of the ball park. Haven't seen that shade of green since last summer...

Surprise Stadium - 1st game
Saturday!

The Cactus League gets
ready to go!

Play Ball!

So there you have it. Last year I did the 900 plus mile drive in one day. This year I thought I'd take it easy and spread it over a couple of days. I've really got to stop thinking...

Work, work, work...

Waking up this morning and looking outside at roads that appeared to be sheets of ice. Well, it is February and we are in Denver. I think this storm caught the forecasters a little by surprise (weren’t we only supposed to get a dusting?) but it’s supposed to be near 60 degrees by the end of the weekend.

I’m getting ready to head down to Phoenix, or more specifically the city of Surprise, where I’ll be working Spring Training for the next 6 weeks or so. Surprise Stadium is a real sweetheart of a stadium and this time of year is home for the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers. People always ask why I don’t work at the stadium where the Rockies play Spring ball and the simple reason  is that Surprise has a lot nicer stadium and it’s close to great camping, hiking, and biking at nearby White Tank Park.

In anticipation of my leaving my wife had loaded me up with a winter honey-do list. One of the things on the list was to finish a log railing that separates our kitchen from the family room. We both love everything to do with the mountains and our Denver home could easily be transported to the High Country of Colorado or the wilds of Wyoming or Montana and it would fit right in. This project was a lot of fun, as well as a lot of work but I’ve always had a passion for working with my hands and working with wood. I’ve put up a series of You Tube videos on how the railing project came together. It was definitely the kind of project that would have been difficult to find the time to do if I was still working full-time. Here’s the video showing the final assembly...

And if by chance you’re in Arizona for Spring Training stop by Surprise Stadium and say hello!

Where in the world...

If you had all the time and money in the world to travel anywhere you wanted where would YOU go?

Still one of the coolest bikes ever

I remember as a kid growing up in Stamford, Connecticut riding my metallic purple stingray (or ‘banana’) bike from our home a couple of miles on quiet backcountry roads to a bridge overlooking the Merritt Parkway where I’d watch the cars heading towards the horizon. Even back then I had a bad case of wanderlust. Nowadays I still continue this habit when I ride to the bridge overlooking I-70 at Genesee and watch the Denver traffic head to the mountains to the west.

This weekend my wife and I attended the AAA Travel Show held at Mile High Stadium (I guess we can officially call it Mile High at least for a short while now that the Sports Authority signs have been taken down). The Travel Show, which was very well attended, had vendors offering trips to almost any location in the world you could possibly imagine. Based on your pocketbook you could certainly travel in the height of luxury but for those of us with more humble means there were still plenty of options.

For young and old; near and far...

Although I can’t quite convince my wife, one of the best values I discovered recently was for a trip to Bora Bora. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of thatched ‘huts’ on stilts over clear turquoise-blue ocean waters. A step up from ‘glamping’, these huts offer luxurious accommodations including a clear floor so you can  look down in the comfort of your own room and watch the sea life wander by. A week of this for two ‘starts’ at $11,000 which is a little steep for this retiree and his honey. Still, just across the road from one of these beachside slices of heaven, I came across an island entrepreneur offering wood-deck camping pads for the somewhat less extravagant price of $37 per night. My wife of course, as she always is, is right in pointing out that just perhaps we might find something somewhere that’s a happy medium between these two extremes.

Glamping in Bora Bora...

But I digress from the original question - cost aside, where would your heart take you given the opportunity? Folks at the the Travel Show could take you from the Arctic to Antarctica and everywhere in between. Want to go on an African Safari? Not a problem, and why not climb Kilimanjaro while you’re in the neighborhood? Europe more your cup of tea? There were so many choices for Europe our poor heads were spinning. How about Asia- from Indonesia to China they had it covered. How about a hike along the Great Wall or a stroll in Tianamen Square? And not to be left out there were plenty of options to visit the ‘Roos in Australia and the sheep in New Zealand. Also, plenty of trips closer to home - ride the rails on the Grand Canyon Railway or take the Rocky Mountaineer across western Canada.

Choices... so many choices

So much to choose from, so little time. But, since we can all dream, here’s my bucket list (some offered by Travel Show vendors and some not)...

-Antarctica with Patagonia thrown in for good measure
-South Pacific - Tahiti, Bora Bora, Australia, New Zealand
-China
-Trekking in Nepal, Tibet, etc. with a jaunt to Everest Base Camp
-India - the Taj Mahal and tigers, ‘nuff said
-Sail west to east around Cape Horn
-Saying hi to the Polar Bears in Hudson Bay
-Kayak the inland passage from Vancouver to Alaska. And heck, why not keep going and kayak the Northwest Passage...
-Bike across the U.S., bike Great Britain south to north from Land’s End to John o' Groats. Heck, I'll bike just about anywhere...
-Cruise the Nile from Cairo to Luxor and beyond (this was one of the more luxurious offerings at the Show)

Oh my... the list is getting a little long so I'll quit while I'm ahead. Now, what to do in.........2019?

Really, who could ask for more? Tenting in Bora Bora