The common notion of Southern California in early August is this...hot, dry, and very sunny. However, the Weather Gods like to throw a wrench into those stereotypes, and this weekend I found myself dodging raindrops while at games. Sure, I lived in Oregon all my life, so rain isn't that big of a deal for me. But, after living here for nearly a year and, happily, getting used to the consistent nice weather, rain in August was a curveball, to say the least. Despite that, like every other weekend, I had a great time and added new experiences.
Saturday night saw me at the 66ers game. I'm going to be honest with all of you, I'm really going to miss the 66ers games. They have really become my hometown team, and I have really come to enjoy everything that they do as an organization. Depending on my situation, I might consider getting a different season ticket package that allows me to go to more games. I always have a good time when I go to San Manuel Stadium, the prices are really reasonable, the staff is always nice, and I take great pleasure in pestering their mascot.
On Saturday, however, the skies decided to open up in the third inning and proceed to deluge all those in attendance. I actually had to whip out my baby umbrella that's in my Road Trip backpack because the rain got heavy enough. You could see the umpires conversing with the grounds crew about the field conditions, so much so that around the seventh inning, the groundskeeper brought out his phone and he and the umpire were looking at the weather forecast. They managed to get the game in, but Sunday's game was actually called. It was the first time that anybody can remember a game being called in San Bernardino during the month of August for rain.
I got lucky on Sunday by missing the rain all together in San Diego. In fact, and this should be no surprise, aside from some clouds, the weather in San Diego was perfect. This was the first time I brought my bike down to San Diego, and I was so glad that I did. I parked at Qualcomm Stadium, put my bike on the Trolley, and got off at the Little Italy stop just north of Downtown. From there, I did about a 6-mile loop that wove through downtown, up-and-down the numbered streets, and bisecting the heart of the city. The final leg was along the bayfront past the USS Midway down into the Gaslamp District to Petco Park.
Maybe it's because of all the biking I do on Baseball Road Trips, but Urban Cycling is quickly becoming my favorite passion. I love riding my bike, in general, but the thrill of adventure in the big city is infectious. I know I've touched on it here, but when you bike in the big city, your adrenaline is rushing through your veins as you join the streets with the cars, buses, pedestrians, and every other activity.
My third visit to Petco this year was just as successful as the two prior. I'm getting comfortable with the park and knowing where everything is around the stadium. I love having the seats in the upper deck because the view of the downtown skyline is unlike any other park here in Southern California. Now, with the addition of the biking aspect, Petco is ranking higher and higher in my book of favorite ballparks.
It certainly was a wild one at Petco. The Padres jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on the visiting Atlanta Braves entering the late innings. The Braves then plated two in the bottom of the seventh to tie it up. In the eighth, Tommy Medica hit a go-ahead solo homer for the Padres to make it 3-2. The Friars called on Joaquin Benoit to close it out, but his costly throwing error trying to get Jason Hayward at third allowed the Braves to tie it up, 3-3, in the ninth. The Padres, however, rallied in the bottom of the tenth with Evereth Cabrera hitting a two-out RBI single to walk-off 4-3.
One of the benefits of having your own personal vehicle is that you aren't constrained by train schedules. This allowed me to do another bike ride, this one longer, after the game was done. I put my bike on the Trolley at Petco and headed south to National City. From there, I jumped on the Strand Bikeway up into Coronado. While on the 13-mile ride, I passed the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, the Navy SEAL base, beautiful beaches, incredible houses, and the Hotel Del Coronado. It was all off-street paths, and, to be honest, it was one of the most beautiful rides I had ever done. To top it off, I finished the ride at the Coronado Brewing Company and treated myself to Home Run Hef beer.
Finally, in keeping with the theme of travel for the weekend, I put my bike on the Coronado ferry across the bay back to the Trolley station to go home. So, to recap, on this road trip, I drove, I biked, I walked, and I took a ferry. I guess I skipped over the flight part, but I think I covered most of the modes of transportation.
I'm going to start working on the Catalina series this afternoon. I'd like to post three sections Wednesday through Friday. This will work out because I have no baseball planned for this upcoming weekend as my parents are visiting. I'm excited to put down my narrative in print and let all of you know how awesome my trip to Catalina was.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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