Arkansas Travelers

 

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Well, let me back up a little and tell you all why this trip is.  When I moved to NC, I realized that there were a lot of minor league teams within 3 hours of me.  So I figured, I could make a Sunday journey out of this.  So every so often, I would take a Sunday and go to one of the parks around me.  I would get a hat to prove that I had been there.  Then I had something in MI that I wanted to go to, and figured, why not see a ballgame on the way, or 6.  So thus began my first trip in 2008, seeing some games in WV, OH, IN, and IL.  I called it ‘Road of Dreams’ trip, combining road trip and Field of Dreams.  And it has ballooned ever since.

Didn’t do anything in Memphis this morning, just hit the road for AR.  It hit me back.  Bumpiest stretch of I40 west I’ve hit.  Terrible.  I get a state map every time I enter a state for the first time.  So I was able to stop at the visitor center and ask about AR.  She said Little Rock had a party every Memorial Day Weekend called Riverfest, with music and food.  So I went.  It was a decent time, had the Jesse White Tumblers, which I remember from 20 years ago in Wheaton.  They had dog jumping, which will be on Versus in August. Then they had a downpour.  Thankfully, I timed my visit to the Clinton Presidential Library around the rain.  It was nice, but I see why people call it a trailer.  But I was kicked out due to closing time, and didn’t quite see all of it.  But onto the baseball game…

Another game delayed at the start by rain.  I think the last 4 have been delayed by rain at some point.  But the stadium is another nice one, has a view of the “skyline” off of right field.  Another one with a brick facade and dark green seats.  The scoreboard is nice and big, but there isn’t a secondary RHE scoreboard elsewhere, so if you are sitting in the lawn seats, you can’t see a scoreboard.  The game was over in 2 hours, a pitchers duel.  Arkansas won 2-1, off of 2 solo homers.  Those were big homers too, no-doubters.  Another nice thing about this park was that the concessions were affordable.  $3 beer and $3 sausages, popcorn $2.  Not the major league prices Memphis had last night.

After the game, I went back to RiverFest for the closing acts.  They had fireworks at 9:00 over the river.  Billed as the largest firework show in the state of Arkansas, it was ok.  At least they mixed up their styles of fireworks, which many minor league shows don’t do.  But then the music happened.  Rapper Ludacris was a big draw.  I skipped him to see the Steve Miller Band!  Much better, and he played the good stuff, but some other blues songs.  I didn’t stay the whole time, since I didn’t want to get locked out of the campground.  But impressive.  I am not good at estimating crowds, so I won’t put a number on it, but tons of people were there, both for SMB and Ludacris, and everything else at Riverfest.  Who knew Little Rock could put on such a show?

Memphis Redbirds

 

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Left Nashville, and got to Memphis early enough to do some sightseeing before the game.  I went to Sun Records, where Elvis, among others, was discovered.  Definitely cool.

The stadium was definitely worthy of a AAA team.  Nice facade, Classic brick look, with the dark green seats, light standards, etc.  Had plenty of suites to make the corporations happy, a nice lawn area in the left field home run area(they got 2 tonight) to make the families happy, and $7 beers to make the brewers happy.  Major league prices thats for sure.  I think I read that HOK architects designed this one.  I definitely see that.  (They have done a lot of the new-retro pro stadiums)  And it is right downtown, just a couple blocks off of Beale St.  So I woefully got their ballcap, since they are a Cardinals affiliate.  I usually wear the cap all the next day until I get to the next game, but I won’t tomorrow.  Seeing all that Cardinal red made me sick.  So I think I will wear a different cap until I get to Little Rock.  The game itself was a blow out, the Albuquerque Isotopes(yes, that is right Simpsons fans) won 16-6, and Andre Ethier was on rehab from the Dodgers tonight, and he was 2-4 I think. 
While I was in Memphis I went to Beale St and heard some music.  Some blues at BB King’s club before the game and some Dueling Pianos at Silky O’Sullivans after.  It is another cool town to walk down the street and hear so much music.  They actually closed off Beale St to car traffic, creating a mini (and less debaucherous) Bourbon St.  Lots of people, lots of open containers.  Fun time, and I should probably come back sometime to see more music.  I saw in the bar after the game that the Blackhawks won!  3 more to go, too bad I can’t watch them.

Nashville Sounds

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Well, I started the day hiking at Monte Sano SP in AL.  I am figuring I did about 6mi or so.  Nothing spectacular, not a technical hike, just a couple of steep areas, often flat and wide-ish paths.  But I would like to commend them on a fine trail map.  This is the way it should be done.  Have a legit map, color coded, that says difficulty ratings(although I think they overated some), and that has different blazes for different paths.  It is hard when in the woods you have a diverging path, that both have white blazes.  Here, choose the yellow or the red path.  Although the forks here had nice signposts. I don’t understand why all trail system aren’t like this.  The guide also was topographic, which was great.  But oops, they spelled ‘scenic’ wrong in the key.

Onto Nashville-  I was hoping to stay at a state park, but it is Memorial Day Weekend.  TN State parks are first come first served, so that didn’t work. I called when I first drove into TN and realized this before I drove to it, so i ended up staying at Yogi Bear Jellystone Resort right near Opryland.  I like state parks better, but in the big city, this was actually kind of convenient.  And its Yogi Bear!

Now the game…. Nashville was playing the Iowa Cubs, our AAA affiliate.  And my childhood hero, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is the manager.  So that was awesome.  Before the game, he had a line of fans getting his autograph.  I wonder what it is like to be a player on that team, and seeing your manager sign autographs for half an hour while you are warming up.  The sky was threatening, but the game got underway.  In the bottom of the first, it started raining, and pretty hard.  They played through it.  Before the top of the second, it started to taper off.  So they decided to put the tarp out then!  Ryno was not happy- a theme for the night.  After about 20 minutes, they took it off.  It started raining again.  Nice job umps.  But this time it wasn’t too bad.  But I was wet and cold the rest of the game. 

It was neat to know some of the players, the Cubs who have been in the bigs.  Like Micah Hoffpauir.  He was up to bat, and struck out on a check swing.  He wasn’t happy and made a gesture(which had to have been accompanied by some words) and was immediately tossed out.  I was sitting in the fourth row behind the dugout, and I couldn’t hear anything.  It must of been bad, because just pointing at the ump, while stupid, seems like something that could be let go.  Then he got mad.  Getting up in the umps face.  Then Ryno, who was coaching 3rd base as most minor league managers do, came down to get between Hoffpauir and the ump.  It got a little heated, but everyone went on their way.  The next inning, when Ryno was in the dugout, the ump called a Nashville player out on strikes, with an unconvincing strike 3 call.  As an ump  myself, that sounded like the ump forgot it was strike 3 when he started the call, and then had to make it sound good at the end.  Ryno must have said something, about the ump goofing, because the ump in his most grown up voice turned to the dugout and told him to be quiet.  Anyway, the game continued, and the Cubs made a great comeback, and were up 5-4  when in came Brian Schlitter to save the game.  Oops.  After a base hit, they got a walkoff homer.  Cubs lose, 6-5.  The stadium was a 30 yr old stadium, not a great scoreboard(although cool shape).  Not a good pro shop, or concessions.  Once again, kind of empty, but I’ll blame that on the weather.  The in game promotions were fine, and being able to sit where I wanted was nice.  I like ushers that don’t care.  And really, when 1/4 of the stadium is full, who cares?

Mileage: 94395

Tent takedown: 4:40

Tent setup: 10:31 (I spent the time and cleaned out the ends of the poles, one of which has a crack that is getting bigger)

Nashville itself seems like a fun place.  I don’t even like country music, but it is neat to walk down the street and hear so much live music, regardless of the time of day.  Also, you saw some places closed due to flooding rehab, and saw a lot of construction trucks around.  It is hard to believe that downtown had that much water covering it.

Huntsville Stars

 

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Well, I had some bacon and eggs, closed up camp and went on another cave tour.  This one had the cool formations.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to go on the ‘Wild Cave Tour’ where you actually have to have a helmet and headlamp, and their are size restrictions due to tiny passageways.  Maybe next time.

At Piggly Wiggly, I found Dr. Wham! great name, although Dr Pig would’ve been great too.  I am up to 4 Drs now.

Mileage: 94164

Tent down: 4:17

Tent up: 7:22 (There is dirt in the end of the poles that make it harder to stick on the corner pins)

So Huntsville.  Hopefully there are better parts than I am driving through.  A lot of commerce.  And not sparkly stuff either.  And the stadium fits in with that analysis.  It is there.  It is functional.  It is boring.  Huge though, can seat a lot of people.  Yesterday was a rainout, so today was a double header that started at 5, and had two 7-inning games.  I got there at about 5, and for the majority of the first game, there were 150 people there.  Weird  by itself, then add a big stadium and it is creepy.  I sat down the left field line for a while, and had 8 sections to myself.  I decided it was too far away, I think I could scrounge up another seat somewhere.  I got some food(a good Philly cheesesteak) and walked towards behind the first base dugout.  Right on cue, a foul ball gets hit over my head, bounces off an empty seat and comes down near where I am about to sit.  Thank you very much, almost a legit foul ball!  Now I just need to get one while it is still moving.  The in-game entertainment was spotty, the sound system fritzy and their big screen was turned off.  Weird game.  Nice classic hat though.

Bowling Green (KY) Hot Rods

 

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Well, I left Taylorsville SP without hiking, to go see Abe Lincoln’s birthplace and boyhood home (That is the spring you see in the picture)  Kind of small, but neat to think one of the greatest Americans ever started right there.

But the big reason to get going this morning was to get to Mammoth Cave NP.  I wanted to get in a tour this afternoon before my game.  I went on the Violet Lantern Light tour.  Instead of the usual lights they have for the tours, the had us carry old school lanterns.  A little spooky, although with 40 people and 15 lanterns, you weren’t tripping over anything in the dark.  The moment you are in the cave, it went from 85 and muggy outside to a crisp 54 inside.  And let me tell you, from minute 1 of this 3 hr tour, I knew why they call it Mammoth Cave.  I also know that I am going to try and go on another one tomorrow.  And maybe become a spelunker.  WOW!  And I haven’t even gone to the part with the stalactites and stalagmites yet.  WOW!  Absolutely amazingly huge.  I don’t remember exactly the numbers on some of the rooms, but he was talking in acres! And they were like 100 ft tall also.  Although he said if Niagara Falls was flowing into it, it would take just 30 seconds.

The game – it started late due to the passing storm we got(must’ve happened when I was in the cave)  So I got to the store to get my hat and saw a poster of all the minor league hats!  Unfortunately, it was an ad and not something I could get.  But another cool hat here, and their alternate was pretty sweet too.  The game had a lot of strikeouts by the BG pitcher, I lost track how many.  Small and not lively crowd.  Also, for a new stadium, it didn’t look to pretty from the outside, and just average from the inside.  I don’t know much about BG, but hopefully they can support a team better than this.  Because it was an enjoyable atmosphere, all that minor-league entertainment stuff was there.

Louisville Bats

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Another day started with some more moderate hiking, about 5 miles.  At the top I had a nice view of the lake formed by a TVA dam.  A nice viewing area you could drive too as well.  But after that, hit the road towards Louisville.  Some nostalgia here- going up I75, I passed by Caryville, TN, where I went on ASP in ‘95.  Ah, back in the simpler days. 

The past couple of times I have done this minor-league trip, I have had a notebook in the truck to take notes on as I am driving, or at the end of the day.  I like to take note of funny things I see, pieces of Americana that are as much a part of this trip as baseball.  It makes me a bit sad that I may be losing a bit of handwritten history in favor of this e-history.  What could we have known about history if Thomas Jefferson had a blog?

Anyway, the other crazy part of my drive was in my rear mirror.  All of a sudden, I see a pickup careening all over the road, then into the median grass at 70mph!  He keeps swerving, and almost goes into the oncoming side of traffic.  He stops after a bit, and I kept driving.  Yikes.

The game- a bit humdrum.  Bats won, 3-1. I usually don’t mind a pitching duel, but I didn’t even realize it was one until about the 4th inning.  Curtis Granderson was on rehab from the Yankees, he went 0-3.  Nice stadium, although it was in a odd neighborhood.  It seems like one of those ‘If we build it here, maybe this will make it better’ stadiums, but it hasn’t worked out.  Has a nice view of the I-65 bridge, and more $1 hot dogs.  I had only 5 tonight.  Good thing tomorrow isn’t that promotion again.  It says a crowd of 7400? 3500 at best I say.  It could be cool if they had more people in the stands though.  I guess Tuesdays aren’t hoppin in Louisville.

Another hat with purple. Yuck. And a ripoff of the old Greensboro Bats.

When I got to my campsite to pick it out, I heard a noise in the woods, and looked in 15 yards to see a deer turn, raise its white tail and bound away.  I chose that site.  Now I have a symphony of frogs, crickets, and who knows what else.

Tennessee Smokies

 

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I started the day by climbing Mt Pisgah, 6mi round trip from the campground.  A tough uphill, and it was a foggy mountain top.  I was thinking on the hike, ‘It isn’t always about the destination, but about the journey.’  I don’t know who said that first, but it is a good philosophy that can be taken towards so many different aspects of life.

Mileage starting:93411

Tent takedown: 5:36

Tent up:8:22 (a regression… not good)

Uneventful trip to the next campground, which isn’t totally tent friendly(sloped sites better suited to popups) but with a little bit extra time before the game, I went to visit UTennessee in Knoxville.  Very underwhelming, honestly.  Average architecture, no central area that I could distinguish(like the quad at Illinois) and Neyland Stadium was kind of blah.  Good thing Knoxville has the sunsphere, or it might have been a waste of time. 
Onto the game… When I was waiting in line to buy my ticket, some lady came around with an extra ticket to give away.  I got it.  That is karma for giving the free tickets I won on last year’s trip to some little kid. Tennessee is the Cubs’ AA affiliate, which is the first Cubs minor league game I have ever seen.  The stadium is another one with a hilly backdrop, although I’ve seen better.  Low attendance, but maybe it is the in between of UT being in session and summer’s vacation rush to nearby Dollywood. 

$1 Hot dog night was a godsend, although they start to get expensive when you eat 6 of them.  Another perk of being a Cubs affiliate- Old Style on tap. I’m not sure I am a huge fan of the tricolor hat, kind of reminds me of the Expos.  Especially when the alternate hat has a growling bear on it.  But I like the script TS, and it is associated with the Cubs, so it is ok.

The Smokies won 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth, on a sac fly after being down 2-1 going into it.  The crowd, who had been rained on for the 5th-8th innings, finally got into it.

Asheville Tourists

Mileage starting the trip: 93207

Well, I got off a little bit later than I wanted, but only missed the top of the first inning. It was a wild game, Asheville won 13-11 by scoring the last 9 runs. Decent stadium, but small dimensions, only 373 to center. There was a 15 foot wall though, and they couldn’t make it any bigger because there is a mountain in the way! I caught a t-shirt from the slingshot. Actually I picked it up off the ground after someone else dropped it.

Another odd thing was that both teams were wearing red. Kannapolis had their away reds on, and Asheville had their Sunday alternates on. It was very confusing. After I figured Kannapolis had black sleeves, it worked out better. Great hat. Trees, a river, big A. Cool.

Camping at Mt Pisgah Campground off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nice site, very empty campground. Made a nice fire, cooked a steak and potato, then had S’mores. Life is good. And it is getting cool at night, which is nice. I realized a couple things I’ve forgotten. A pillow and a chair for by the campfire. Oops.

Tent setup time: 7:11 (slow, but I haven’t done it in a year)

Greensboro Grasshoppers

So this is my hometown park, of course. So these comments will be more about all of it. Enough with the woo-woos every two seconds. They lost 11-5. But the park is beautiful as always, with a nice view of our skyline. The seats are good, they keep you entertained in between innings. I don't have any pictures here, because I went after work and didn't have my camera. It rained a bunch late in the afternoon, so the game started a little late. We had fireworks after, and they were loud and sparkly and a lot better than Winston-Salem (as most stuff in GSO is) So now I have to pack and get on the road, start doing the fun part of the trip. I'm not sure I am totally ready, but too bad. The time has come!!

Winston-Salem Dash

So tonight was the first game, at the new stadium in Winston.  A few things to say.  I know W-S is only half an hour away, and each time I go there, I know why I don’t go there much.  No matter where I’ve been in WS, it always seems sketchy.  The park is on the outskirts of downtown I think, and maybe it will spur an urban revival.  Let’s hope so.  The park is great, has a quirky outfield wall.  A little Fenway-ish.  Not too many nice concession stands it seemed.  Worst pretzel ever.  Very dry, and it didn’t help that I didn’t have a beverage.  The game was good, they won 13-3.  A scary moment at the end though.  With one strike left to go, the Lynchburg batter got beaned in the head, and dropped like a sack of potatoes.  He got up after a minute, and walked off under his own power. Fireworks after, 7 minutes worth.  Not bad, but no turkey killers.

Road of Dreams Trip, May-June 2010

So I am starting my string of 21 parks in 20 days tomorrow night. Here is the schedule:

Fri, May 21 Winston-Salem Dash

May 22 Greensboro Grasshoppers

May 23 Asheville Tourists

May 24 Tennessee Smokies

May 25 Louisville Bats

May 26 Bowling Green Hot Rods

May 27 Huntsville Stars

May 28 Nashville Sounds

May 29 Memphis Redbirds

May 30 Arkansas Travelers

May 31 Frisco Rough Riders

June 1 Round Rock Express

June 2 San Antonio Missions

June 3 Corpus Christi Hooks

June 4 Houston Astros

June 5 Mobile Bay Bears

June 6 Montgomery Biscuits

June 7 Gwinnett Braves

June 8 Greenville Drive

June 9 Thomasville HiToms

I am cheating a little bit by doing Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Thomasville (a college summer league) around home to pad the stats. 10 states(1 new: TX) , probably 4000 miles, at least 8 State Parks, at least 4 National Parks. Dont ask about the budget. I will try to post a bit each day. I'm not sure if I will feel like doing it at 11pm, or if the computer will let me, but hopefully I will try.

Until tomorrow night....