Spring Training Opening Day, Surprise Stadium Arizona 2019

The day dawned sunny but cold and snow still topped the nearby mountains. The crowds came bundled in attire usually not suited to the Arizona desert, even in February. No matter, the faithful fans were here as the ritual that is Spring Training begins anew. On opening day the two teams that call the stadium home face off so at Surprise Stadium that meant the Texas Rangers would take on the Kansas City Royals.

In the Pro Shop everything was ready, almost like Christmas morning, and many of the fans headed there before even finding their seats to snag this year's must-have Spring Training hats, shirts and accoutrements. I arrived way early to take some pictures of the stadium while it was still peaceful and quiet fully knowing that in just a few hours the stands would be full of folks intent on believing that this year, maybe just this year, their team would be golden and still playing come October. So much to happen before then and for many young players trying to make the squads the opportunities are enormous and potentially lifechanging. To move up from the obscurity of the minor leagues  to the pros is a dream of any ball player and so few actually see it come to fruition.

I love the baseball stadium in the calm before the game. The stands sit empty, the concessions have no lines, the field immaculate in its browns and greens. Its been cold and wet since I arrived in Arizona so to see the sun peeking through was special and warming not just in a physical way. The batting cages were busy though, as the players began their warmup for the game. The crack of the bat that brings a roaring crowd to its feet is no sweeter than that of a bat ringing out against the serene backdrop of an empty stadium.

So come all you faithful fans, young and old, and watch young men pitch and hit, catch and throw in the Arizona desert. Through the last couple of years I've come to appreciate that at it's heart baseball is not just for the young, but for the young at heart. Play Ball!

Here are some shots from my early morning ramblings through Surprise Stadium...

Of Petroglyphs and other things

The rain continues in the Arizona desert while to the north at higher elevations winter storm warnings for heavy snow are out. It was a steady rain all night long but today there are heavy thunderstorm warnings out for the Phoenix area. Just like in Denver, the local weathermen and women promise it will clear up "just in time for the weekend!". There is a place in White Tank Regional Park that begs to be done in the pouring rain. Called Waterfall Canyon you can easily guess why the inclement weather is the time to see this particular area. Apparently it takes a lot of rain, more even than we've been getting, to turn this rocky outcropping into its namesake. Still, in the three years I've been coming to Spring Training there was more water flowing today as I visited than I've seen before.

Ancient rock art begging to be deciphered

Along the path to the waterfall (water trickle?) there are a number of petroglyphs carved by the ancient Arizonans known as the Hohokam. What exactly these rock carvings from 1,000 years ago mean no one on the planet today knows. While the Park brochure promises that the rock art was serious business to its maker and was not simply stone-age graffiti still I wondered if any of it was carved in fun, perhaps by young Hohokam lads acting out as young lads are known to do. While most of the glyphs I wandered by were probably carved to mark the presence of big game, signify the movement of the sun and stars, or for purely for religious activities, I caught my eye looking for the ones with simpler significance. You know - the stone-age equivalent of "Harry loves Sally", "For a good time call...", "Kilroy was here", or "Have a Coke and a smile!". Alas, I was to be disappointed as I could make no better sense of these relics of times gone by than the experts.

Of course, the makers of the rock art are long, long gone faded into the mists of time like the clouds that swirl around the mountain peaks on this rainy day. I've often thought that in whatever hereafter awaits us one of the things I hope to do is to get a chance to meet some of these ancient rock carvers and see if just perhaps there was a touch of whimsy to some of what they did. I'm sure that day to day survival was top of mind for these long-lost people but hopefully they had the presence of mind to recognize, appreciate, and enjoy simple things like love, happiness, and beauty, as fleeting as they sometimes can be.

Up close and personal with a 'Teddy Bear' Cholla Cactus

As then, the desert today remains a thing of beauty, even when seen through the veil of falling rain. As much as things change, much remains the same especially in a land where time seems to have no beginning and no end. The cycle of life goes on and it is the nature of Spring that there be rebirth. Next to giant cactus that have gone the way of the Hohokam are baby Cholla and Saguaro springing from what at first appears to be a barren land but is actually teeming with life. If they allowed it, which they definitely don't, it's in such a place that I'd carve my own rock art. "Have a nice day" or "Be Happy!" come to mind....

Here's a quick snapshot of the walk up Waterfall Canyon:

Spring has sprung

My wife tells me that at home they're experiencing a little S & S - snow flakes and single digit temperatures. So I can't complain that the Arizona heat that transplants and tourists love has thus far been woefully lacking. I'm surrounded by RV's and at night the still of the desert is broken only by the sound of heaters in these RV's cycling on and off trying to take the chill off. Daytime temps have been in the mid-50's to low (very low!) 60's and at night its cold enough that each morning I'm awakening to frost outside my little popup camper. Then of course there is the wind that brings it's own chill as it rushes through the mountain canyons before spilling out on the plain on which Phoenix sits. The sleeping bag that saw me warm and cozy when we headed north to Alaska is still doing it's job, so long as I put on three layers of clothing before hopping into bed!

Still, I'd rather put up with the cool temps and breezes rather than shovel snow so like I said I can't complain. It's apparently been a wet winter and the other night it poured at the campground. With all the moisture Mother Nature is taking full advantage and the desert seems to be blooming early. The wildflowers that are usually abundant in March are already carpeting the desert as far as the eye can see. Mostly yellows, but purples and blues as well make what would otherwise be a starkly brown landscape a pallet of color. I've even seen the occasional cactus starting to flower.

What all that means is that it's a wonderful time to get in some desert hiking and biking. The other day I hiked up Ford Canyon from the campground and back down through Mesquite Canyon. Ford Canyon is a little more challenging and remote and doesn't seem to attract as many hikers but that by itself is as good a reason as any to head that way. The early part of the canyon is rated as a double black diamond hike in difficulty on the White Tank Park map so I was somewhat curious to see what exactly 'double black diamond difficulty' meant. By Rocky Mountain standards (think hiking 14'ers) it would be a moderate climb but I think the Park rates it as such to discourage those who might not be prepared for the strenuous but very doable hike. And the cool conditions meant not having to fight the added adversary of brutal heat that can send temperatures in these parts soaring into triple digits even in February and March. Here's a quick video tour of the hike up Ford Canyon. If you're in this neck of the woods (cacti?) through the end of March and want a guided tour just let me know as I'll be happy to do the hike again!

Hope Springs Eternal

Hope springs eternal. At least that's what baseball fans will tell you this time of year. Spring Training officially begins in about a week but the players are already here swatting white balls in batting cages and on practice fields. I drove down from cold and snowy Denver heading for the town of Surprise, Arizona where the local filed plays host this time of year to the Texas Rangers and the Kansas City Royals. Now, Denver hasn't been seeing the horrible Winter conditions that those in the midwest have been getting, but based on what I've seen on the news I'd bet there will be a whole lot of KC and Texas fans chomping at the bit to leave the wintry climes and head to the desert for their first sunburns of the season.

Even Arizona is not immune to some gnarly weather and my trip down took me through high wind warnings complete with blown over tractor trailers in Colorado to dust storms and rain in New Mexico, to winter storm warnings and flash flood advisories in Arizona. Arizona, along with California have received near record amounts of rain in the last several days and the rivers in Arizona dropping down from Flagstaff toward Phoenix were raging torrents of brown, muddy water. In the three years I've been coming down to work Spring Training I've never seen a trace of water in most of the riverbeds the highway crosses but from now on I'll believe it that you don't want to get caught in a flash flood in the desert. Here's a quick video highlight of the trip down: 

Still, the 915 mile, 14 1/2 hour drive is worth it when you drop below 4,000 feet in elevation from the wintry conditions in Flagstaff and finally see the first signs of green grass, cactus, and palm trees. Just that 1,000 feet or so in elevation, plus a hundred or so miles south, make all the difference. I'm a little sad that I've probably bid adieu to the winter of 2018-19... nah, who am I kidding - bring on the warm temps and sunny weather and leave the snow shovels behind.

I'm tucked in to the wonderful campground at White Tank Regional Park just minutes outside of the town of Surprise and this morning went to officially check in at the Surprise Stadium. Pro ball doesn't start for several more days but the stadium is hosting college ball this week and the smell of hotdogs and popcorn was in the air for the mostly friends and family in attendance to cheer on their sons on the diamond. Soon enough the stands will fill as the Rangers face off against the Royals on opening day as the ump yells "Play Ball!". I for one, can't wait! 

Cycles of Life

I was up in Leadville this weekend enjoying the snow and sunshine. Both were in abundance. On our way up we had stopped for lunch at the Sunshine Café in Silverthorne as we often do. If you haven't been there you're missing out. They're open for breakfast and lunch and the food is delicious. Its also been 'discovered' and at this time of the year there's often a short wait for a table. While waiting I picked up a copy of the Summit Daily News which had an interesting article detailing marijuana usage in Colorado. Like most Coloradoans I voted to legalize its usage so I was somewhat curious to see what the data showed. The study, released by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, shows that out of every 100 of us adults in this great State 15 have partaken within the last 30 days and, as you might suspect, usage was highest in the 18-25 age group at 29% using in the last 30 days. The highest usage came with those individuals reporting as LGBTQ with more than 34% using in the last month.

All of this got me to thinking how these rates compared to other things. For example, how does marijuana usage compare to the rate at which folks ride bikes? Colorado has long been known for being bike crazy but I suspect that more Coloradoans are now using pot on a regular basis than are swinging a leg over their two-wheeled steed and going for a ride. Of course there are stats for almost everything so it wasn't too hard to track down bike use statistics. The numbers might seem to be on bicycling's side: about 43 percent of Colorado residents 18 and older reported riding a bike at least once in the last year (compared to 29 percent of the U.S. population). But riding a bike one time a year compared to the numbers above where folks are using marijuana at least 12 times a year ("every 30 days") perhaps shift the stats in a less healthy direction. Please don't mistake me - I have no problem with folks legally using marijuana but I do find it somewhat sad that there may come a day when more Coloradoans are using marijuana than hiking, or biking, or climbing 14'ers. 

My passion for cycling is no secret and I'm afraid the sport I love may be on the decline. Recently my bike shop of choice, Performance, announced they are closing all their stores nationally. The annual Interbike trade show geared at bicycle retailers announced they are cancelling their 2019 show with hopes that it might return in 2020. Denver's B-Cycle program saw ridership peak 5 years ago with the number of rides declining 9% between 2014 and 2017. There are days on the more popular Denver trails where you'll see more e-scooters than bikes. 

In Colorado the most active cyclists live in the mountains. Some mountain towns, in an effort to not be inundated with scooters, are setting up electric bike or e-bike programs instead. I'm not sure quite where I stand on e-bikes. To me bicycling can be many things - recreational, competitive, touring - but in all those forms it is at least in part exercise. There will be a day, sooner rather than later, that e-bikes make effort totally unnecessary to going for a bike ride. I'm not sure that's absolutely a good thing. Several years ago, when various forms of cheating seemed to color every aspect of competitive cycling, concerns started to be raised that Tour De France riders were using small electric motors to give themselves an edge. Notwithstanding these concerns, some of the legends of bike makers are now adopting electric bikes into their line-ups. Pinarello for example, which has made top of the line race bikes since 1952, now offers the Dyodo eRoad Bike. Its a stunningly beautiful bicycle that markets itself as a pedal-assist bike for group rides or commutes. I don't know, but with a price tag of $7,999 the $75 annual unlimited fare that Denver B-Cycles charges sounds like a pretty good deal with the possible exception that you do have to actually pedal. 

Pinarello's Dyodo eRoad Bike

I recently blogged about the AAA Travel Show. I spoke to one of the reps from Vermont Bicycle Tours and asked him for his thoughts on electric bikes. He was, no surprise, fairly non-committal, but did acknowledge that almost 30% of their patrons now saddle up on an e-bike when on one of their tours. I titled this blog Cycles of Life to highlight some of these changes that seem to reflect the natural progressions inevitable in life. Cycles of

Life is also the name of the local bike shop in Leadville. With Performance Bike Shops out of the picture, no more than a historical footnote, perhaps it is apropos that I'll likely be spending more time at Cycles of Life. One of my favorite sayings from my business career remains appropriate - if you're not moving ahead, you're falling behind...  

Fiji Anyone?

This weekend's beautiful weather, in contrast to what's outside my window this morning, put me in the mood to hit the road again. even though we just got back from the incredible island of St. Lucia the feet are getting itchy and the travel bug, thanks to January's cold and snow, is starting to tickle the wanderlust in my brain.

So it's a good thing that  on Friday and Saturday AAA of Colorado hosted the 2019 Vacations Showcase at Sports Authority Mile High Stadium (can we officially drop the Sports Authority yet?). As always the event highlighting travel destinations on all seven continents was well attended. The Travel Show is open to everyone, not just AAA members and saw attendees young and old mesmerized by the multitude of choices. From cruises to safaris if you couldn't find the trip of your dreams at the Show then it probably doesn't exist.

Best deal at the show? $700 roundtrip tickets to Fiji. The islands of Fiji in the South Pacific offer the paradise of Tahiti but apparently at a fraction of the price. And what the heck, from Fiji it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to New Zealand and Australia. And once in Australia its not all that far to China and the Orient which puts you half way around the world so you might as well keep heading west through Egypt and the Middle East. Then it's only a couple of hours flight to Europe and you're almost home!

Last year some of the cruise lines were offering year-long Around the World trips if you want to take your sweet time. Pack the Dramamine, get your sea legs under you, and be pampered as you visit the wonders of the world.

Want to stay closer to home? Some of the more unique offerings at the show were presented by History Colorado and they're right in our own backyard. The trips are hosted by experts in local lore including Dr. Tom Noel who goes by the moniker of Dr. Colorado on KUSA Channel 9's "Colorado & Company". I've lived in Colorado since 1971 and am still amazed at how much I don't know about this great State so while the Around the World jaunt may not happen this year it wouldn't surprise me if I and my wife take advantage of some of the History Colorado offerings.

Also close to home is the hot springs mecca of Glenwood Springs which also had a booth at this year's Show. Sitting back in 100 degree waters while catching snowflakes on the tip of your tongue is not a bad way to while away a Winter day but truth be told Glenwood offers so much more than just a relaxing soak.

Apart from visiting all the booths the Vacation Show features a huge selection of seminars and travel clinics hosted by travel experts to answer all your questions. The amount of information is almost overwhelming but you'll definitely come away with your travel appetite whetted. Speaking of appetite one of the vendors actually specialized in trips with a culinary focus. That's just what I need; a gastronomic experience where I come back heavier than when I left!

                                                Here's some video of this year's show:

While taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the show I had the chance to chat up Miles, the Team Mascot of our beloved Denver Broncos. Turns out Miles is the strong, silent type so I had to direct my conversation towards Emily and Breanna, two of the Broncos Cheerleaders who were there to cheer on all the intrepid travel enthusiasts. But that's ok as they were much cuter and more personable than Mr. Miles, and anyway, who wants to talk to a giant horse's head?

All in all the 2019 Vacation Showcase was a great way to break the Winter blues and I'd recommend it as an event to attend in 2020. Hopefully I'll see you there!