A Fond Farewell to Spring Training 2019

2019 has been quite the year for Arizona Spring Training. Not sure what the Grapefruit League saw in Florida but the Cactus League saw cool (sometimes downright cold) temps, some heavy rains that caused rainouts as well as snow on the higher hills surrounding Phoenix, and crowd numbers lower than last year (at least at Surprise Stadium). On the flip side the rains brought spectacular flowers in the desert, cool temps meant great hiking and biking conditions, and the smaller crowds meant the stadium offered better seats to all who came. So, all in all, not bad.

I'll be heading north back to Colorado in the next couple of days all still contingent on Mother Nature's weather whimsy. Speaking with my wife last night she tells me that there is snow in the forecast for today and tomorrow with conditions getting better by Sunday. We'll see!

Google lists the fastest route from Phoenix to Denver going through Flagstaff then north to Moab and then via I-70 over the mountains to Denver. 826 miles and 13 hours. Alternatively it gives me the Flagstaff to Durango then up through Buena Vista and then to Denver on 285 route which adds 14 minutes but is technically 42 miles shorter. The route I'll actually take will be the third option which is 13 hours and 3 minutes taking me from Flagstaff through Albuquerque and Santa Fe then north on good old I-25. The first two options are absolutely far more scenic but at the end of March and given this year's weather the time estimates could go to heck in a handbasket if I run into Colorado's potential for inclement winter driving conditions.

All of the routes north at this time of year offer pros and cons. Some of the scariest driving conditions I've ever experienced was during a Thanksgiving ice storm between Santa Fe and Raton, New Mexico. The road, which is flat compared to the more mountainous routes, was covered in ice smooth enough the Avalanche could have played on it. The plow drivers had given up - not much they could really do given the conditions, so we crept slooowly on and on until bailing for a hotel room to wait until conditions improved.

This trip I'm hoping for better conditions. I'm also hoping to take the right turn off the highway at Exit 233 to visit Meteor Crater between the snow-covered peaks of Flagstaff and the wide expanse of Winslow, Arizona (made famous in the Eagles hit "Take it easy"). While I won't be seeking "...a girl my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me...", I will be looking to see the world's best preserved impact site. Having driven by it way too many times on my trips south without stopping I figure I'm about due.

I've attached a short wrap-up video of my Spring Training adventures below. I'd be remiss if I didn't give some Kudos to two ladies I worked with, Karen and Jennifer, who let me drag them around the Ford Canyon loop hike the other day. Neither had been on the trail before and though I had tried to be as honest about the difficulty as I could one really knows what one is capable of until one gives it a try. I'd even sent them the link to the video I had done on the trail when I first came down. Sore feet and aching muscles notwithstanding they made it around the 10+ mile loop and I hope after a couple of days to recuperate they'll be glad for the experience. Toward the end, as we were making our way down the Mesquite Canyon section, we came across a hiker heading uphill who appeared to be

What? Snakes in the desert? Imagine that! Photo by Jennifer

stymied in his efforts to proceed any further by the mother of all rattlesnakes who had deemed it appropriate to take up residence smack dab in the middle of the trail where it could absorb the sun's rays and occasionally raise it's rattle to warn off stupid hikers who felt that this was their trail. This was the first snake I had encountered while actually on a hike so staring at the business end of a big rattlesnake with its forked tongue tasting the air and beady eyes fixed on the three of us as we listened to what is truly one of the most distinctive rattling sounds in Nature, is something I'd truly recommend to nature lovers everywhere. However, all good things must end, so eventually Mr. (Mrs.?) snake had had enough of us and decided to head off into the underbrush allowing us to complete our desert stroll.
So there you have it. Six weeks in the Arizona desert with some Baseball thrown in for good measure. This time next week perhaps I'll be high in the Colorado Mountains which I have sorely missed. I'll trade my hiking shoes for snowshoes, the snakes for bears.  All things considered, not bad - not bad at all.

Oh, and what will I miss the most? My friends of the desert, the Coyote, who's mournful but energetic howls lulled me to sleep under the stars. May you continue to sing in the night forever.

Nature's time

The desert can seem a quiet, even lonely, place. Time seems to stand still but if you are willing to watch, wait, and listen there is activity all around. The stillness of White Tank Regional Park can be such that you can hear the patter of paws as coyotes pass through your campsite. Listen especially close and you can hear the scurry of lizards and the slither of snakes just off the path. The wind sings through the canyons before spilling out onto the plains as the myriad flowers dance along to the melody of an Arizona Spring day.

Even the skies overhead come alive if you're willing to watch on Nature's time rather than the much faster pace of Homo Sapiens. Here's a short glance of a day spent absorbing what Mother Earth has to offer if only you're willing to sit still and listen...

By the numbers...

Always a good crowd on hand when the Cubs come to Surprise...

Hard to believe that its the last week of Spring Training down here in Arizona. Just in time for the beautiful weather - yesterday's night game between the Cubs and Royals at Surprise Stadium saw temps in the perfect mid-70's - the 15 Cactus League teams are wrapping up their regular season rosters and getting ready to head home for their official opening days. Colorado weather, being problematic in a good year, has this year packed quite the Winter wallop so who knows what the Rockies opener will feature. There have been years when its nice but also years when Opening Day is snowed or rained out. The bookmakers in Vegas this year would tell you not to bet against the snow.

Make no mistake, Cactus League Spring Training is big business. Here's a quick by-the-numbers rundown of some of the economic impact:

- Visitors spend an estimated $315.7 million during Spring Training
- $122.6 million frequenting local bars and restaurants
- $34.7 million on souvenirs and gifts. That's a lot of Baseball caps and t-shirts!
- $22.3 million on groceries. Hey, you can't eat out all the time!

Any way you cut it it's a big slice of revenue for local communities. More than 6,000 jobs are created to serve the 1.8 million visitors to Spring Training during the six or so weeks in late February through March. Phoenix bills itself as a Baseball Paradise and for those six short weeks it truly is. Last night's attendance at Surprise was close to 10,000 but the nice thing is that many games see numbers half that so it allows a very relaxed and roomy uncrowded feel to the stadium on most days. The real draw for me isn't so much economic (what I make dollar-wise basically covers the cost of my trip) as it is a wonderful chance to escape the midwinter blues, watch some baseball, and get in some early season outdoor time hiking and biking. As I write this one of the local cycling groups has just rolled up to the White Tank Library for a potty break. About twenty deep they're all in shirtsleeves and shorts and its not even 9 a.m. Expected high today of 81 degrees.

A GREAT crew enjoying a well-earned lunch at Chiles

Most of the crew I'm working with are what are known as workampers (yes, that's how they spell it) who live fulltime in their RV's traveling the country working gigs wherever they go. There's even a dedicated site listing workamping jobs which is where I found the Spring Training opportunity 3 years ago. They seem to really enjoy their itinerant lifestyle but candidly they work pretty damn hard in what's supposed to be their Golden Years. Kudos to them but I don't think the fulltime RV lifestyle is for me.

So there you have it, Spring Training by the numbers. But to heck with the numbers. At the end of the day Spring Training is all about having fun:

-The games don't count so people are nice and could care less who wins or loses
-The beer is cold and the weather is warm
-The sun shines and the snow doesn't fall
-The 200 plus volunteer Sundancers at Surprise Stadium don't actually dance (trust me on this one - that's a good thing)
-And if you're lucky, you'll snag an official foul game ball which you could have bought at the Pro Shop for just $35.99... Plus tax.

Even in the Arizona desert you can't escape us Coloradoans!

Payback...Part Two

Kudos to my wife. Really, really, really big kudos. As I mentioned in my last blog (Payback) my wife of lo these many years was scheduled to fly down today to spend a couple of days in the Arizona sun with me during her Spring Break.

Yukon... not quite an Arizona

kind of pooch

Yesterday she took our two beloved pooches, Yukon and Bentley, up to Canine Canyon kennels as sadly they could not make the trip. Then this morning she was up at 4:30 a.m. to head down to catch the light rail from the Mineral/Santa Fe station to Union Station and from there she caught the infamous 'Train to the Plane'. When she left our house near the foothills there were just scattered rain showers and the dreaded and forecasted BLIZZARD had not yet materialized. She was cautiously optimistic that her 9 a.m. Frontier flight from DIA to Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport would get out ahead of the apocalyptic storm that was in the offing. She made it to DIA with plenty of time to spare, got through security in good order, hustled to her gate and checked in. The weather at DIA was still only rainy but they were announcing that due to the BLIZZARD the airport would be closing at 11 a.m. So she's thinking "no problem" and when they board the plane and the plane is about to pull away from the concourse she's almost ready to let loose with a big "Phew!" of relief. Around her the plane is packed with other sunseekers, many headed to Spring Training games. Some are bravely (though foolishly) traveling in shorts no less, under the misguided impression that Phoenix has been, dare I say it, actually warm this year.

So there they all are - pilots and crew and passengers all thinking that in just two hours time they'll be frolicking under old Sol. Glancing out the plane window my wife notes that the rain is now seemingly mixing with the feared white stuff falling from the sky, but heck the airport's not closing until 11 and here it is only 9:15. The captain comes on the intercom to say there's a minor mechanical issue being fixed as he speaks and they'll be departing shortly. Couple more minutes he comes back on with good news - the mechanical issue is now taken care of - and then the passengers hear the dreaded "...but". As the whole plane holds their collective breath here it comes: "but... the airport is now closed". I don't use the acronym OMG very often but Oh. My. God... Seriously? It had to be like seeing a hail Mary pass caught at the Superbowl as the clock counts down to zero in the 4th quarter, only to hear the announcer say "BUT there's a flag on the play". So they open up the plane's doors and, yup, everyone is told to grab their belongings and leave the aircraft.

Meanwhile, down here in not-so-sunny and not-so-warm Phoenix I'm on my way to the airport to pick up my honeybunch when my phone rings. I hold the phone away from my ear as my sweetie relays the bad news in not the softest of all voices. All I can do is commiserate. I mean all I have to do is swing the car around and head back the way I came while my wife faces the now daunting task of retracing her steps in what is now turning into a seriously blizzard-like winter wonderland of wind and snow.

At DIA they're hurrying folks out of the terminal like, well, like it's a BLIZZARD so my wife heads back to the 'Train FROM the Plane' which she boards with a whole lot of very surly fellow former passengers who had thought they'd get out ahead of the storm. HAH! But Mother Nature wasn't quite done with them. Turns out the 'Train To and From the Plane' doesn't just experience breakdowns and delays in the summertime; it apparently also doesn't like heavy snow and ferocious wind so its a long, slow, crawling ride back to Union Station. Once there, the love of my life is still not quite done as she still has to get back to the Mineral and Santa Fe Park & Ride. So for Good Measure RTD announces that it too will be shutting down operations after the one and only last train departs for Mineral. Running to catch this last train my wife probably looked like a running back the Broncos might draft but she makes it.

Fortunately my wife's dad is there to pick her up and convey her back home. At my in-laws house they've already piled up about a foot of snow so my wife is concerned about what she is returning to. But as Colorado is famous for, it can be a BLIZZARD one place and just a couple of miles away its really not that bad. Upon arriving at our doorstep she happily discovers that only a couple of inches of snow are there to greet her, the power is actually on (unlike at her parents house) and all in all its good to have made it home safe and sound. Now, if DIA would just have been located about 30 miles closer to the foothills.

Kudos sweetheart; I miss you very much but am happy to hear you had a nice trip!

Payback...

OK, I admit it. I was almost (almost) feeling a little smug about being here in Arizona while it seems the rest of the country is enduring the start of a new Ice Age. I know in Colorado the blizzard warnings are up yet again for tomorrow and my wife, who is scheduled to fly in for a couple of days for her Spring Break, is wondering whether she's going to be able to get out of DIA. So OK, I was due for some payback and today it came in the form of torrential rains that washed out today's game at Surprise Stadium. Last night's second game of a doubleheader was also called in the 5th inning due to rain but that was nothing compared to what's been coming down today.

After a gentle rain all last night the heavens opened up by the time I reached the ballpark and really let loose. I was a soggy, sorry mess by the time I got in from the parking lot and half expected a canoe to come shuttle me in. I hear its supposed to be in the high 50's in Denver today ahead of the storm which is typical Colorado weather but for at least today I think the Denver high temperature will likely surpass what we're seeing down here. So all my Colorado readers, please enjoy a chuckle or two at my expense for thinking that Spring Training 2019 was going to be all sunshine and roses. I mean it was so cold at the game last night in the chill rain that I saw stocking caps on fans underneath their ponchos and they were wearing gloves. Seriously, who owns gloves in Phoenix, Arizona?The joke as people came into the Pro Shop was "Welcome to Seattle!" but no one's laughing today. Yeah, I know in a day or two or three it will all clear out, the sun will return to the Arizona desert, and the temps will start climbing back to where they're supposed to be. Hopefully the rattlesnakes won't have drowned in the meantime and will soon be sunning themselves in the oppressive heat once more. And maybe, just maybe, by the time I get back to Colorado in early April this soggy, sorry mess will finally dry out. Time will tell!

Here's what an Arizona Baseball Stadium looks like in a deluge...

The Desert comes to life...

I mentioned in my last blog that the flowers were starting to appear. The Arizona desert is in bloom and wildflowers stretch as far as the eye can see or the shoes can walk. Yellows, purples, oranges, violets are all coloring the landscape. Soon enough even the cactus will bloom. What just a week or two ago was a barren and brown landscape has now turned into a green oasis. Even the lizards scampering underfoot seem to appreciate all the new growth and yes, the first snakes are also making their appearance. I saw my first rattler of the year a few days ago, thankfully not on the trail, but sunning himself in the middle of the road to the campground. 6 feet of snake stretched across the asphalt tends to get your attention, at least mine, and I gave him a wide berth. I presume, after a long winter of hibernation, the sun feels remarkably good to a cold-blooded reptile so I left him (or her?) to sunbathe in peace. Anyway, here's some of what the desert is offering flower-wise!

Wish you were here...

Wish you were here. No, really. I understand most of my readers are suffering through the worst late winter in a long time. Snow and ice and record low temps. When I was working a regular job the worst part of it was always the commute and the worst part of the commute was winter driving. While I can't magically transport all of you to Arizona I can truthfully report there are places where Spring has sprung, the grass is green (oh, the wonderful smell of freshly mown lawns!), the flowers are blooming and the air is warm.

When I first arrived in town for Spring Training Arizona was suffering through some nasty weather of its own. Though  nothing like the feet of snow in northern climes there is still something just wrong about cactus with a mantle of white. All of that seems a distant memory and at the ballpark this week its shorts and shirtsleeves and the higher the SPF of the sunscreen the better. Lots of folks flying in to catch some baseball are heading home with rosy red (with emphasis on the red) tans. Temps during the day have been in the 60's, 70's, and even low 80's and I'm sure before long we'll hear people complaining how downright hot it is. My first year working Spring Training saw a week of 100+ temps. Not sure we'll see that this year but I personally wouldn't mind some low 90's and I'm sure Mother Nature will oblige sometime over the next couple of weeks.

Surprise, Arizona is a booming little city and new home construction seems to be happening around every corner. Farmland that last year sprouted lettuce, carrots, and other crops are this year being bulldozed to make way to house all the people fleeing the north in search of seemingly perpetual sunny skies and warmth. I know most of the water consumed in the greater Phoenix area originates high up in the Colorado Rockies. Seems like there's hardly enough to feed the insatiable appetite of the Front Range let alone all these new transplants. Water restrictions and efficiencies aside, the question of just how many people this arid desert will support is a valid one and one that will be contentiously fought over for years to come.

Crowds at Surprise Stadium have been steadily increasing over the last two weeks with the big influx occurring when  Spring Breaks hit in Texas and Kansas City. Capacity at this particular stadium is officially 10,714 and I think the most we saw last year was 10,800 with the grass in the outfield absolutely full. The Rockies made their second appearance at Surprise today and tied the Rangers 4-4. They don't go to extra innings in Spring Training unless the coaches mutually agree. This early they generally don't go extra but as Spring Training winds down we'll likely see the coaches want to continue to expose their teams to some more high pressure situations.

I'm writing this from the Maricopa library located right across from the stadium and looking out the window folks are strolling around the adjacent lake and park with dogs leading and kids in tow. Soon, though perhaps not soon enough, Spring will tire of the desert and start to make her way north eventually reaching snowladen Colorado. The frigid temps will ameliorate, the highcountry avalanches will cease their white roar. Opening day at Coors Field is on the horizon though perhaps only visible through a telescope. Until then, chin up, shovels down, drive safe, and oh, wish you were here. No, really....

Here's a few snippets from the last week...