Phoenix - Chase Field

We drove across the desert from Los Angeles to Phoenix on Tuesday.  We stopped for lunch in Palm Desert and looked around for a bit.  We arrived in Phoenix in the early evening. The temperature exceeded 110 degrees!  We checked into our hotel and then had dinner at a small Mom and Pop Mexican restaurant.  After dinner we went to the pool.  It was nearly dark, but the temperature was still over 100 degrees.

Wednesday, we had a late breakfast at a Cracker Barrel and picked up a couple of audio books for the upcoming long drives in and then out of Texas.  After breakfast, we headed to Chase Field in downtown Phoenix for the 12:40 pm Arizona Diamondback vs. Cleveland Indians game.  We arrived at about 10:45 am and parked in a lot really close to the stadium for $5.00.  (A real BARGAIN!)  We had to wait for about 15 minutes in the heat for the gates to open.  Once we were inside the stadium, the roof was closed and the air conditioning was on.  This kept the stadium at a comfortable temperature – but it was still a little warm.

We did our usual walk around the stadium and then made our way down to our seats.  We had terrific seats in the second row of the field level, about half way down the first base line.  There was a good crowd for an afternoon game, with lots of groups of kids from summer camps in attendance.  There were a lot of Cleveland fans in the stands and the Indians won the game 6-2.  Chase Field is a very nice stadium.  Most everything in the Phoenix area appears very clean.  The ball park has a good assortment of concessions and it offers many things that are very reasonably priced - $1.50 'Value Items' - small hot dogs, sodas, and such which is a very nice touch.

Anaheim - Angel Stadium

On Monday, Kevin played golf in the valley at a Jack Nicklaus designed course, while Tina took care of some business and did some laundry.

We left for the Angel Stadium in Anaheim at about 4:00 pm for the 7 o'clock game.  Our hotel was about 40 miles from the stadium and we weren't sure what traffic would be like.  It was a quick drive.  The stadium is located right off the 57 freeway and  provides very easy parking close to the entrance. We actually had to wait for about 10-15 minutes for the gates to open at 5:00 pm.  We walked around the stadium and then sat in the sun to watch batting practice.  We then headed to our seats, which were in the top of three levels,  right behind home plate.  We were in the 7th row, so the seats were OK and actually provided a very nice view of the field and the mountains way off in the distance, visible through the slight layer of haze.

It was a very entertaining game, as the Angels beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 in 10 innings on a walk off hit by Maicer Izturis.  The rally monkey made a few appearances as it was a close game.  The visiting National President mascots were also on hand for this game and competed in the 'Presidents Race.'

Dog Day Afternoon

We were staying in the valley, about an hour or so drive to the beaches.  Kevin always wanted to try a Pink's Hot Dog, so Sunday we drove to the original Pink's stand on La Brae near Hollywood.  At 11:30am the line was around to the back of the building and the estimated wait time was about 45min.  We waited in line looking at a print out of the menu that they provide for all those waiting in line.  It was close to an hour wait until we made our way to the counter.  Kevin couldn't decide on one dog so he ordered two dogs:  a Ozzy Ozborne Spicy Dog, which was a spicy polish dog, covered with guacamole, tomatoes, nacho cheese sauce, and onions,  AND a bacon chili cheese dog, which was a 'stretch' dog loaded with chili, slices of bacon, and shredded cheese.  We also orderd some onion rings with some ranch sauce and some nachos, just to get a balanced meal.  The bacon cheese dog truly was one of the best hot dogs I have ever had.  The Spicy Ozzy dog was very good - too spicy for me to eat every day, but I was so glad that I tried it.

After the hot dogs we made our way to Venice Beach.  It was a Sunday afternoon, perfect weather and the beach was packed.  We parked what turned out to be quite a ways from the boardwalk, so by the time we walked to the piers to watch the sailboats and surfers, spent the afternoon walking up and down the boardwalk looking at the shops and vendors, and then back to the car, we had covered several miles and were both quite tired.

After the beach, we drove to another restaurant that we had both wanted to try, Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.  We both ordered a 1/4 chicken with two waffles.  The waffles were very good - the chicken was OK - the breast pieces were a little overcooked, but we were both glad that we tried this place.

After dinner we went to the Santa Monica Pier because we wanted to ride the ferris wheel at night.  The pier was packed, but we found a parking spot fairly close to the pier and then once again fought the crowds to ride on the ferris wheel with the boardwalk lit up.



Dodger Stadium

We took the short drive from San Diego and needed to catch the afternoon game in Dodger Stadium.  We stopped at an In-n-out on the way for a Double-Double brunch.  Even on a Saturday late morning traffic was quite heavy in spots.  We arrived at Dodger Stadium about an hour before game time.  We looked through the Dodger Store at the top of the stadium looking for a sweatshirt or hoodie for Tina, but unfortunately didn't find anything to our liking. 

Dodger Stadium is now the third oldest Major League stadium.  It still looks and feels the same as it did when I first visited in 1987, which is a good thing.  It doesn't have all the amusement park activities and attractions as many of the newer stadiums, but it still is a fantastic place to watch a game - especially for die-hard Dodger Fans like us.  It was a beautiful sunny, warm day.  We left our seats that were in the shade of the Loge section for some seats in the sun and just sat and watched the game and enjoyed the Southern California sunshine.  The stadium was not nearly sold out even for a Dodgers-Angels game, which really surprised us.  We left right after the game and didn't have too much trouble getting out of the stadium onto the freeways.

San Diego - Petco Park

We drove from Pismo Beach, CA to San Diego on Thursday.  We kind of took our time and then got caught up in some LA traffic and that put us in rush hour traffic as we arrived in San Diego.  We checked into our hotel in La Mesa and then went to dinner at a nearby Mexican Restaurant. 

Early Friday afternoon we took the Trolley to downtown area.  It was about a 30 minute ride.  The trolley is very similar to the MAX in Portland.  We walked around the waterfront and strolled through the touristy Sea Port Village.  The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny mid 70's with a very slight breeze.  We made our way to the Fish Market and had some appetizers on the outside deck and just soaked up the sun.  We then walked to the stadium along the waterfront.

It was 'Friday Party at the Park.'  Very festive outside and the new downtown stadium location for Petco Park is absolutely perfect.  We had seats in the Premier Club - right behind home plate that included access to the Omni Premier Lounge that had a incredible looking buffet.  We had just the desert buffet for about $10 each that Tina will describe in her Sweet Tweet page.

The new stadium is fantastic in almost every aspect.  Great views inside and out, lots of family activities, lots of seating options - beach, picnic areas, grass seating at the 'Park in the Park.'  The game was not sold out, but there was a very good crowd, yet there were not any lines in any of the concessions or restrooms.  All the ushers and other staff were extremely courteous and helpful.  It was a great game for the Padres and they beat the Atlanta Braves 11-3.  There was a post game fireworks display that was a nice show and a great way to finish the night.  After the game it was a fairly short walk back to the Trolley station.  It was surprisingly quick and easy to get back on the Trolley and back to our Hotel.

Life's a Beach

Kevin has always had the dream of one day experiencing the beauty of Pebble Beach.  He's an avid golfer and thoroughly enjoys watching the major golf tournaments on television.  Today, his dream became a reality.

We arrived at the Lodge at Pebble Beach around 12:30 pm and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Gallery Cafe, which overlooked the putting green and the first tee.  After lunch we toured the grounds, took pictures, and enjoyed shopping in several of the golf stores that were part of this resort.  Kevin was in seventh heaven!!  He tried on lots of golf clothes adorned with the Pebble Beach logo and finally made the decision to purchase a black pullover.  He will have very fond memories of this day every time he wears this souvenir!

We then made our way down the scenic 17 Mile Drive which took us by the Spyglass Hill Golf Course, lots of expensive mansions, and unbelievable view points.  This experience can be summed up in one word:  Breathtaking!

We left Pebble Beach and drove for several hours along the California Coastal Highway.  The weather was very cool and overcast in areas and then cleared up and became sunny for a while.  The views of the coast were spectacular.  We stopped at several view points to take pictures and to breathe in the fresh ocean air.

We arrived at our final destination, Pismo Beach, CA, at close to 7:00 PM.  We had a nice steak dinner at A.J. Spurs Saloon and then called it an early night.  Tomorrow, we'll be on our way to San Diego.

We Left Our Hearts in San Francisco

We spent the majority of our morning and afternoon at Pier 39 at the famous Fisherman's Wharf.  We had lunch at Players Sports Pub and then enjoyed a San Francisco street performer's juggling act.  He was quite entertaining despite his lame jokes.

We shopped like tourists and fell prey to some impulsive buying decisions - just because.  We then took a one-hour Bay Harbor cruise that highlighted some of the famous San Francisco sights.  We saw Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Downtown District and lots of cute and lazy Sea Lions.

The weather was very deceiving.  It was cold and cloudy, but somehow Tina got a very intense sunburn.  Her nickname is now Rudi, as in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  She no longer looks like a pasty white Oregonian!

We took a cab to AT&T Park and walked around the concourses, scoping out the food joints and taking in the sights of the stadium.  It was a perfectly sunny, but a little cool evening.  AT&T Park is one of the more beautiful stadiums, with magnificent views of the city and the bays.  We headed to our seats after getting some food.  We sat next to a nice family who have season tickets and talked briefly about our journey.  The Giants were playing the Minnesota Twins and the Twins scored 8 runs in the top of the first inning, so the rest of the game was pretty anti-climatic and many of the Giants fans left early.  The Twins ended up winning the game 9-3.  After the game we took a train back to the BART station, and then boarded the BART back to Oakland.  It was fairly quick and easy to get out of the stadium and back on the trains, considering the amount of people.

Beans & Wine: A Magical Combination

Today was a day designed for spontaneous exploration.  Our first destination was located at:  1 Jelly Belly Drive in Fairfield, California.  This is the home of the world famous Jelly Belly Factory.  Since we are both raving fans and addicts of the Jelly Belly Jellybean, we were as excited as two kids in a candy shop (no pun intended) to take the "free" 45-minute tour.  (It later turned out that "free" equaled $45.00 in impulsive souvenier purchases).

We learned about the history of the Jelly Bean, the 4-step process used to make the Jelly Belly, and the massive impact that President Ronald Regan had on the explosive growth of the Jelly Belly business.  So massive, in fact, that the unexpected demand caused a 77-week backlog in production at one point.

We enjoyed the "free" samples that we were given, (similar to the "free" drinks that you get in a Las Vegas casino) admired the various Jelly Belly artwork masterpieces that consisted of anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 Jelly Belly's, and willingly had our picture taken with Mr. Jelly Belly himself.

It's amazing that a 48-year old woman and a 40-year old man could feel like small children with no worries in the world by taking this tour.  We're not ashamed to admit that we both like the idea of feeling forever young!

After the Jelly Belly tour, we took a leisurely drive through the Napa Valley and Sonoma wine regions.  We were amazed at the amount of vineyards - grape vines as far as the eye could see.  We stopped at a small winery that is owned by Bruce Cohn, the manager of the Doobie Brothers.  Kevin had a tasting and we bought a bottle of Doobie Brothers wine.  We stopped at another larger winery that boasted "Mountain View" tastings, but we didn't see anything special.  We then headed to the Kendall Jackson winery and bought another bottle of one of Kevin's favorite wines.  The final wine destination was the Korbel winery/tasting room as Tina is known to enjoy some Champagne from time to time.  (Have you ever met "Lady T?)  We both very much enjoyed the Korbel tasting as we were able to sample some types of Champagnes that are not available in Oregon.  We ended up buying two full size bottles and a 4 pack of cute little Sweet Rose splits.

We then drove back to SF/Oakland down Highway 101, stopping at the nearest In-n-Out along the way.  We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge admiring the incredible views of San Francisco and the bay.  We slowly drove along the waterfront and over the bay bridge back to our downtown Oakland Hotel. 

To sum it all up:  Another amazing day on our incredible journey of a lifetime!!

We've Only Just Begun...

We took two leisurely days to drive to Oakland. On Sunday we attended our first game in the O.Co Oakland Coliseum. The stadium was sold out for a Oakland A's vs San Francisco Giant game. Perfect weather - sunny, 80 degrees - and a very lively crowd of both Giants and A's fans made for a great game. The A's won the game 2-1 on a late inning Home Run by Landon Powell to sweep the series against the Giants. Needless to say this made us two Dodger fans very happy.

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After the game we were herded like cattle to the BART station to return to our hotel. We cooled off in the pool for an hour and then walked a of couple blocks to Shan Dong Restaurant in Oakland's Chinatown for a very enjoyable and authentic dinner.

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9 Day Countdown

We will be leaving on our journey June 17.  We are both very anxious to get going.  All necessary preparations have been made and travel arrangements are all in order to begin the trip.