The sights, sounds, smells, achievements and a few regrets

As many of you already know, my hobby is going to major league baseball stadiums. Over the years I have visited 57 different venues. The latest trip took my wife and I to the Texas Rangers new digs a couple of years ago.The hobby has not been officially stopped, though it is more difficult to imagine driving too far at my advanced age. The A's though will get a new stadium in Vegas in a couple of years and Tampa Bay (AGAIN) is talking about a new ballpark. Then possible expansion... Will the journey continue? We'll see.When someone asks me about all those ballpark trips, I usually point out one simple fact. It has been a great way to see this amazing country. The trips included stops that were as memorable as any game that we took in. Let me give you ten places that still live vividly in my memory bank that have nothing to do with sports.1) Yellowstone. My favorite place in the whole country is the northwest corner of Wyoming. With the cleanest streams anyone has ever seen, to the wildlife and the geysers… it is an amazing place. If you get the chance to go, by all means do so!2) Riding a cable car in San Francisco. This is my favorite city with all the landmarks… Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Riding the cable cars up and down the hills of this city makes you gaze in wonder.3) Visiting the Grand Canyon. It is majestic. It shows just how powerful Mother Nature is and is very much worth the trip. Do not believe the kid we passed that said this on his way back from the canyon's rim: "I don't see what the big deal is, it's just a big hole in the ground!"4) Taking in the sunset at Mallory Square. If you get the chance to visit Key West – do so. The view of the sun going down over the boats in the harbor is incredible. You can even slip over to the Conch Republic for dinner after the show. While you're there make sure you take in the Hemingway House and the Truman White House.5) Fort Sumter. The city of Charleston is worth the trip to South Carolina even if you don't make it out to the fort. For me though, as a former history teacher, standing in the structure and knowing that this was where the Civil War began, gave me goose bumps.6) The Alamo and Riverwalk. A visit to San Antonio is cool indeed. The teacher in me could easily conjure up images of 187 brave soldiers giving their all against an overwhelming opponent. It gives me shivers just thinking about it even now.Not far away, the shops and restaurants along the San Antonio River are neat. As boats carrying tourists float by, you feel transported back to an earlier time.7) Avenue of the Giants. A 33-mile stretch in northern California is home to giant redwood trees. They are so majestic and the smell of spring was so intoxicating. And you even have the opportunity to drive your car through the trunk of one of those behemoths!8) Pearl Harbor. We took a cruise of the islands of Hawaii to get to our 50th state. We went out a day early to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. Though it did not have quite the same affect on me as Fort Sumter, that may be because I taught mostly early American History.Still, to be there was amazing and to learn that sailors that survived the attack would eventually be buried alongside their fellow shipmates was quite a moving revelation.9) Denali. When we visited Alaska, a trip to Denali was on our itinerary even though we knew we were not likely to see it. The mountain produces it's own clouds and is only visible one or two days a month.We went around the corner only to have our bus driver exclaim "OMG, there's Denali." That meant we would go another 8 miles into the park for a closer look. It was awesome.10) The Cherry Blossoms in D.C. There is a spot we found along the Tidal Basin. From there the cherry trees hung out over the railing and both the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial were visible. The smell of the blossoms was intoxicating.Best picture I've taken in my life!To be sure there was some exciting baseball moments on our trips. I got to see Lou Brock swipe two bases in the first inning against Cincinnati in old Busch Stadium. I also got to see Nolan Ryan strike out the side in the Astrodome. The sound of the baseball smacking into the mitt of the catcher was amazing. I suppose I could mention that Ryan's Astros lost the game 11-0. Still…Maybe my biggest thrill came from being in Yankee Stadium in 1985. There we watched Tom Seaver record his 300th career win. Pitching for the White Sox, the standswere full, with half of them being Mets fans that wanted to see their old ace win the game. Yankee fans wanted the opposite.Despite police taking people off to jail after fights broke out seemingly every half inning, it was cool to say I was there and that was just luck. I ordered tickets in April for the August game with no knowledge that I would see such a fantastic feat. It's interesting that on the same day in Anaheim, Rod Carew recorded his 3,000 hit.Unfortunately I could not be both places at the same time!With all these wonderful moments, it's hard to believe that I had any regrets. Alas, that is the case. I'll give you two – one sports related and the other not.While driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas we heard on the radio that the Space Shuttle would be landing at Edwards Air Force base instead of Florida due to weather problems in the Sunshine State.We checked the clock and being only two hours away from Edwards we could go there and watch the landing. We debated and chose NOT to go. Why? I can't remember, but I regret it to this day.The other one involved the U.S. Open golf tournament. After 72 holes Jack Nicklaus and Chi Chi Rodriquez were tied. That meant an 18 hole playoff on Monday. The course hosting the event was near Detroit and it never occurred to me that I could easily drive up there and follow the twosome for 18 holes. I still kick myself for that mistake.I have more stories, but I am out of space. To be continued...