7.4.92 I was one of the 42,104 people at Fulton County Stadium that was excited to see if the Cubs could score their first run here in a year! Upon arriving, we received an American flag (mini version) to wave in the 90 degree heat at 11:00AM! This is the CBS Saturday Morning game, and why not? Sitting about 5 rows from the top of the left field seats, we watched Jeff Blauser hit a 2 run homerun in the bottom of the first to set the Tomahock Chops in action...Brian Hunter added a solo shot in the 2nd to grow the lead to 3-0.....Mark Grace, in the midst of a ten game hitting streak, had an 0-4 day at the plate.
That would do it for the scoring....now the anticipation is all about fireworks! From our perspective, they were weak compared to the dynamic display we've grown accumstomed to in big Tacoma, Washington. Guess we'll have to get out the funnel.....Sem's turn! Goodnight......
Geared up for our drive to North Carolina, we stopped about 6 hours down the road at Duke University. Amazing campus - comparable to Oxford in my opinion....And, as luck would have it a bit later, the Durham Bulls were having a night game! Nice! For $3 big ones, we watched a 1 all tie for 8 innings, hoping that we'd get to see the Bull go crazy in the outfield after a homerun. No such luck. But, luck would have it that we spent the night in the cozy confines of a Motel 6 rather than one of those luxurious campsites we'd grown accustomed to.
25
7.1.92 - 7.3.92 Celebrated my 25th birthday surrounded by the 70 golf courses around Myrtle Beach. Enjoyed a little body surfing as well as some real cruising along the sandy beach.
After wolfing down our $2.19 breakfast at Manny's, we headed West on Hwy 20 for Atlanta! We drove through Augusta before the heavens opened up and poured out one heck of a rainstorm. Driving in pitch black, with cars hydroplaning right and left, we were thankful to make it in one piece....so thankful, that we checked in to a Motel 6 for the first time in a while.
Anxious to check out the MLK historical district, we pursued Dr. King's boyhood home and the church he led. There is an eternal flame that marks his tomb.
Capped off the afternoon with a double feature of Eddie Murphy's Boomerang, and then A League of Their Own. Grabbed dinner at the World's largest Drive-In - the Varsity- to map out our gameplan for the Independence Day Game at Fulton County Stadium tomorrow....
A City of Firsts
6.30.92 We awoke to see our campsite for the first time - not too bad! But with no intention of admiring it for too long, we completed our now infamous tent takedown and grabbed a bite at IHOP. Within the historical district of Savannah, we discovered that the first lighthouse in the U.S. is here; as is the first girl scout office; and, they were the first city to design using the square method of planning (city blocks).
Moving North on HWY 17 (the Kings Highway), we landed in Charleston, South Carolina. S.C. was the first state to secede the union, so colonial forces occupied Fort Sumter just off the coast. Rebels attacked with 700 pounds of ammo until the colonials surrendered. This little incident started what we now know as the Civil War.
Tired of history lessons, we continued North to Myrtle Beach and checked into our hotel (the Myrtle Beach State Park) and setup shop in record time! We even received kudos from other campers nearby. After an all you can eat dinner at Gino's, we celebrated my birthday eve at Murphy's Law - a local oyster joint/pool hall. "Eat 'em raw at Murphy's Law"!
Gimme the Key's
6.27.92 Nothing like breakfast at IHOP in Daytona Beach....followed by a swim in the Atlantic! Nice to bodysurf for a couple hours without a care in the world. Dinner at Gringos and pool at the Oyster Club prepared us for our jaunt to Key West in the morning.
The "End of the Line" was our goal today...the Southernmost tip in the continental U.S. 150 miles South of Miami (on a two-lane highway) but 8 1/2 hours of drive time.
Boyd's Campground on Stock Island was holding our reservation for $9/night.
Duval Street, home of Margaritaville and Dirty Harry's was calling our names-especially after hearing that Harry's had Karaoke! Made the best of our rendition of Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy" and Tone Loc's "Funky Col' Medina". Worked up enough of a sweat so that our tent actually felt "cooler" than the temp outside.....
Woke up to a nice cold shower before working up a sweat again packing up our tent (we have become experts at this takedown process by now). We drove all day, we drove all day, we drove all day, we drove all day......to Savannah, Georgia's Skidaway State Park, where we set up the tent for another solid night's sleep...
Cruisin' the Bayou
6.24.92 Woke up early today, Sem's birthday, to catch the Voyager Cruise along the Mississippi River. We were excited to see the city from the riverbed. However, the trip got old real fast. The Bayou wasn't what I expected it to be, and since my buddy John Fogerty wasn't there to sing "Born on the Bayou" (even though he's from California), we got a little bored. We did get to see some Cajun villages and a couple of locks (not of the "pole" variety). Turned out to be a decent cruise, just long.
We were deserving of some time on Bourbon Street afterwards to celebrate the big boy's birthday. Things don't start kickin' on Bourbon at 5:00 PM however, so we were forced to spend $1 at a time back at Pat O'Briens. Finally, we broke out and bought Sem a "jet fuel" and a "hurricane" to get things rollin'. Spent most of the night at the Gold Mine and then back to the Annex, getting to know some girls from Chicago that we hoped to meet up with when the "No Worries Tour" made it's way North.
Finally at about 3:00 AM, tired of sharing our tent with mosquitos and humidity, we packed it all up and drove East towards Daytona Beach! Sem drove through Mississippi and Alabama without the comfort of any country CD's (Jase couldn't get to those under the luggage in the way back). Fortunately, there was some Pearl Jam available to keep him awake. Happy Birthday, Sem!
After 11 hours, we pulled into Camelia's hotel for $29/night in Daytona Beach. Grabbed a slice of pizza and walked on over to the beach where we crashed for a while. That night, enjoying the luxury of our first hotel room bed on this tour, watched a little 90210 so that we could get caught up with Brandon, Dylan and the crew.
We were deserving of some time on Bourbon Street afterwards to celebrate the big boy's birthday. Things don't start kickin' on Bourbon at 5:00 PM however, so we were forced to spend $1 at a time back at Pat O'Briens. Finally, we broke out and bought Sem a "jet fuel" and a "hurricane" to get things rollin'. Spent most of the night at the Gold Mine and then back to the Annex, getting to know some girls from Chicago that we hoped to meet up with when the "No Worries Tour" made it's way North.
Finally at about 3:00 AM, tired of sharing our tent with mosquitos and humidity, we packed it all up and drove East towards Daytona Beach! Sem drove through Mississippi and Alabama without the comfort of any country CD's (Jase couldn't get to those under the luggage in the way back). Fortunately, there was some Pearl Jam available to keep him awake. Happy Birthday, Sem!
After 11 hours, we pulled into Camelia's hotel for $29/night in Daytona Beach. Grabbed a slice of pizza and walked on over to the beach where we crashed for a while. That night, enjoying the luxury of our first hotel room bed on this tour, watched a little 90210 so that we could get caught up with Brandon, Dylan and the crew.
Three week Report Card
Upon the eve of his 25th birthday, Sem felt the following: "This trip is phenomenal! It's hot, and I hate bugs. Tucson was how I pictured it - hot, scorpions, lizard, snakes...etc. But in Dallas, it was surprising to see a big city rather than cowboys and rodeos. Some of these ballparks don't feel any different than the Kingdome, or even Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. But it sure will be sweet to one day be able to say we've been to every one. Best game so far was Houston vs. the Giants. Candlestick was my favorite park. The Astrodome was a huge disappointment. My favorite city so far is New Orleans and San Diego."
Jase says, "It sucks having so much fun. But really, I'm having a great time. The is my first time being away from home for a long time (three weeks now) and it's kind of weird adjusting to that. But everything has either met or exceeded my expectations so far. My best game was in Oakland when we got sunburned. My favorite stadium was Jack Murphy, but Candlestick was a close 2nd since it has so much tradition. Anaheim was my biggest disappointment so far, even if we sat by the singing cowboy. My favorite city so far is San Diego and Dallas. I can't remember New Orleans..."
Jase says, "It sucks having so much fun. But really, I'm having a great time. The is my first time being away from home for a long time (three weeks now) and it's kind of weird adjusting to that. But everything has either met or exceeded my expectations so far. My best game was in Oakland when we got sunburned. My favorite stadium was Jack Murphy, but Candlestick was a close 2nd since it has so much tradition. Anaheim was my biggest disappointment so far, even if we sat by the singing cowboy. My favorite city so far is San Diego and Dallas. I can't remember New Orleans..."
New Orleans
We've driven 4,500 miles through 7 different states. We hopped on a free ferry ride that took us out of Galveston and headed us Northeast towards N'awlins. The scenery was very different than my expectations. I thought we'd see bayou's and marshes and the French Quarter right along the Mississippi River, but instead, it looks a lot like a city!
The Superdome is right off the freeway. We took I10 to 90 over the bridge and found a state campground in Westwego for $12/night (about 20 minutes from Bourbon Street)...
Upon reaching the center of the universe (Boubon and St. Peters), we noticed that most places were interested in selling us "Hurricanes" or "Jet Fuels". While we knew this fuel probably wouldn't increase the gas mileage in our Bravada, we guessed there must have been more to it than that. Attracted by the dollar bill wallpaper at the Absinthe House, we opted to try one of these drinks. It was pretty much downhill from there...We found Jase doing something we never knew he could do - dancing at Pat O'Brien's annex - by himself. Sure, the live band sounded pretty good, but I'm not sure I would have been the first to "bust a move" at this place. Sem couldn't keep the tears out of his eyes from laughing so hard.
I received a couple of nice compliments from some nice men that I later learned were a "little light in their loafers", so to speak. Anxious to slip into a coma for the night, we headed back to our home away from home at 3:00 AM.
I don't know how anyone can stand the humidity in these parts - it's unbearable! Our tent has to be at least 20 degrees warmer inside than outside! BRUTAL.
It's interesting how the states differ in these parts - a bit like Europe. Each has its own distinct characteristics. Arizona - deserts and cactus make up the scenery, no large bodys of water nearby. Golf is huge. Texas - Everything is bigger in Texas. This state is like its own country. People were very friendly. Yet the "good ol' boy" network is in full force. Dallas was clean, Galveston was different altogether. Louisiana - New Orleans is a real tourist town. People come from everywhere to see Bourbon Street. I didn't find any of the "mystique" of old traditions. You know, Mark Twain the the riverboats in the bayous...etc. Apparently, a lot of authors loved the Florida Keys, such as Ernest Hemingway. I always look forward to seeing these places through their eyes.
The Superdome is right off the freeway. We took I10 to 90 over the bridge and found a state campground in Westwego for $12/night (about 20 minutes from Bourbon Street)...
Upon reaching the center of the universe (Boubon and St. Peters), we noticed that most places were interested in selling us "Hurricanes" or "Jet Fuels". While we knew this fuel probably wouldn't increase the gas mileage in our Bravada, we guessed there must have been more to it than that. Attracted by the dollar bill wallpaper at the Absinthe House, we opted to try one of these drinks. It was pretty much downhill from there...We found Jase doing something we never knew he could do - dancing at Pat O'Brien's annex - by himself. Sure, the live band sounded pretty good, but I'm not sure I would have been the first to "bust a move" at this place. Sem couldn't keep the tears out of his eyes from laughing so hard.
I received a couple of nice compliments from some nice men that I later learned were a "little light in their loafers", so to speak. Anxious to slip into a coma for the night, we headed back to our home away from home at 3:00 AM.
I don't know how anyone can stand the humidity in these parts - it's unbearable! Our tent has to be at least 20 degrees warmer inside than outside! BRUTAL.
It's interesting how the states differ in these parts - a bit like Europe. Each has its own distinct characteristics. Arizona - deserts and cactus make up the scenery, no large bodys of water nearby. Golf is huge. Texas - Everything is bigger in Texas. This state is like its own country. People were very friendly. Yet the "good ol' boy" network is in full force. Dallas was clean, Galveston was different altogether. Louisiana - New Orleans is a real tourist town. People come from everywhere to see Bourbon Street. I didn't find any of the "mystique" of old traditions. You know, Mark Twain the the riverboats in the bayous...etc. Apparently, a lot of authors loved the Florida Keys, such as Ernest Hemingway. I always look forward to seeing these places through their eyes.
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