road trips, summer ballpark tour

August 27 is going to be a rude awakening for me. All I have done this summer is travel and it has flown by. It started with a road trip to Canada with my mom and sister. I will try to just hit the high points. We got chased by a moose in Glacier National Park and did everything you are not supposed to do (i.e. running and making a lot of noise).

Thankfully he had a long way to come since he was out in the middle of the water and apparently once he ran us off that was enough for him. This was not my proudest moment, but oh, what a memory. The sights in Canada were too numerous to name them all but some of my favorites were Emerald Lake, Peyto Lake, and Johnston Canyon. The moose was not the only wildlife we encountered. We saw several bears (thankfully we were in the car every time so no chasing occured). Bighorn sheep, elk, and mountain goats were all over the place. On the return trip we saw quite a few bison roaming Yellowstone. There was so much more, but words simply don't do justice to the beautiful waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and glaciers that we saw.

At home, recovering from all the fun, my friend, Denise calls me up and asks if I want to go to some games (baseball games that is). Of course, I say yes. Well, not just any games were in the plans. We planned a quick impromptu trip to New York. The Yankee tickets were cheaper than the shipping it took to get them here in time. We sat out in the bleachers which was actually great because we got to join in with the chants for each player at the beginning of the game (to which the players respond by waving or tipping their caps). I loved this tradition! The game itself - well, let's just say I guess we got our money's worth, since it was about 4 hrs long. It was an afternoon game and even being the huge baseball fan that I am it could not end too soon. I, however do not leave early and we stayed for the whole 21-4 slaughter of the Devil Rays.

The next day was our sightseeing day and did we have the same beautiful sun, oh no, it was rainy and windy most of the day. Just to put it in perspective I had to buy hot chocolate at the Statue of Liberty to warm up (and no we didn't just stay in - a little, or a lot of rain won't stop us). This was the day after nearly passing out from heat exhaustion at the Yankee game.

Shea Stadium was the following day. By the way, it was back to sunny and hot. I loved this game. Our seats were down the third base line and would have been great except for the fact that the walkway was right in front of us and apparently about half the people in the stadium do NOT sit down and watch the game. Towards the end of the game though this guy starts talking to Denise and then asks us to move down by him - we ended up about 5 or 6 rows from the field. That man may never know that with that act he became my hero:) The pitcher hit a homerun, the Mets won 8-4. What a great start to my summer ballpark tour.

Next up, Atlanta and Turner Field, John Smotlz and Tim Hudson! Stacy has already covered this for most of you and done a much more thorough job than I will be doing. I was thrilled to be adding Turner Field to my list as we have been trying to do this for a couple of years now. All I have to say is Stacy hooked us up on tickets. The first night we were behind the dugout! Great views and a good place for balls to get tossed up into the stands after the third out. We just about got clobbered at least three times for those balls. If people only knew what Stacy knows - it's all about the cane when it comes to getting game balls. Sadly, the Braves lost this game, though I did get to see newly acquired Brave and former Ranger, Mark Texiera hit a homerun. We also got a fireworks show out of the deal.

The next day was our marathon day a Turner Field (and yet we still managed to miss the team store). I have to admit I was impressed with how well Stacy dealt with being in such close proximity with Smoltz for the autographs. She was very calm (on the outside anyway - though I know bursting with excitement on the inside). I did not fare as well when I got Michael Young's autograph in Japan. I couldn't shut up, just kept babbling and repeating the same things. Stacy, I think I need to take lessons. Hudson pitched this night and I have to say he now has another fan.

He has just moved into the #2 spot behind Young. He pitched a great game and we had the perfect view of it from right behind home plate. Once again we get a little extra with a post game concert by Mercy Me and to our shock and happiness an appearance by Smoltz to share a little about how God is working in his life. I, personally, could not have asked for a better weekend. Well, maybe I could have done without the conference in our hotel that had people up chanting and cheering at 3 in the morning (I guess it's okay since we were still up, too excited to sleep).

My last hurrah before school starts took me to St. Louis. I took my ride to the top of the arch. The best way I know to describe the elevator is to steal the description of a man who rode up with me - "It's like riding in a dryer."

Granted we were not being tossed around, but other than that the image works. Toasted ravioli is the dish of St. Louis and let me tell you it is truly delicious. They had it everywhere we went - including the ballpark.

We ventured over into Illinois to see the world's largest ketchup bottle. Yes, you read correctly, ketchup. My friend Stephanie found it on a map, so we had to check it out. We headed to the University Loop area and ate at Blueberry Hill

and bowled at Pin Up Bowl, both places filled with nostalgia. I love places like that. And yes, we went bowling, but that was much better than being out in the heat. We did take a night to catch a game at Busch Stadium. It was a great game, but not a lot of action. There was no scoring until the ninth inning. The Cardinals lost 1-2.

Now I suppose it is back to reality and the working world, especially if I hope to be able to continue this ballpark tour next summer.