Saturday, July 26th
Another great tradition continues for me and Sam and we set forth on what will be the longest-planned tour of our baseball vacations. This year we will be visiting a slew of teams in the New England states, including one soccer game. Call it World Cup fever, but it made sense. I am very proud of myself for actually leaving my house ONLY once! Usually I keep coming back because that's just me, but I was determined to make this a better start. Also made sure to be well ahead of the curve at work so that wouldn't throw me.
All said we set off clean about 10 am and headed to our first stop in Erie, PA. The trip was uneventful, but quite tasty thanks to a wonderful gift of candy and snacks from my love Kenna. I will also mention another Kenna gift - an audiobook by Hillary Clinton. It definitely kept my interest - and my eyes open! I'm a big fan of audiobooks on long drives.
We ended up arriving at our hotel, and to the game in plenty of time. Surprisingly the game was a sellout, and we figured out why - fireworks night! We didn't stay for that, but did enjoy a great game involving the Erie Seawolves, who are the double A affiliate of the Tigers. Great crowd to on a night dedicated to our military.
Sunday, July 27th
After a great night of sleep, and even better breakfast, we made our way to our next game in Utica, NY. I had originally planned to ride all the way to Portland, ME - but Sam was smart enough to point out this great location on the way.
Before we embarked we make a side trip to Presque Isle off the coast of Erie. This state park was simply gorgeous - miles of beaches and trails! We took a moment to visit a beach and enjoyed the great weather and cool breezes. Best part - it was free! Couldn't believe a state park of that caliber would be free.
From there we headed to Utica, where I found out I forgot the game start of 5pm. Once I found out I rushed over there, and enjoyed the central New York state geology while zooming by. When we did arrive, Sam and I found a small, nearly vacant park and wondered if we were at the right place. We certainly were, and basically has the stadium to ourselves - no more than 25 were in attendance (Sam counted). Even so, Sam and I did experience our first no-hitter, which made up for the small crowd.
Then things got interesting. This was a doubleheader, and in the 2nd inning of the second game, we were looking to leave and get to our next hotel. Well this young guy who worked for the away team wanted to know if I filmed the last out of the no-hitter. I actually did, and totally made this guy's day. He wanted it since ESPN wanted to know, so I was more than happy to help. Later on, and ESPN employee directly emailed me so he could get a clearer copy. Of course this made Sam about giddy, and made for a great story. Also made us feel good for sticking around to finish that first game :)
Once on the road we arrived in Albany for the night - and started to look for food. Not an easy task after 10pm, but we did find a Chinese joint in the downtown. The neighborhood wasn't all that good, and Sam and I witnessed some good old white trash drama in the waiting area - complete with a couple's meltdown in front of their kids. Good times.
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