Last Night in Arlington

In the morning I start a three-day mad dash for Miami. Friday was a nice quiet day. I had a few minor repairs done on Shirley. The dump valves were replaced because they leaked (yuck!!), the furnace got a tune up (the 56 degree Kansas morning was not fun), and the hot water heater got a tune-up. She should be a very happy camper (pun intended).

I returned the rental car and took a taxi to the ballpark. I got the same driver that took me to Joe’s Radiator Repair, Saleem from Pakistan. It was like old home week. He gave me his cell number to call when the game ended. Actually he was waiting outside the park when I came out. He must have been listening to the game.

Ranger Ballpark at Arlington was very nice but Houston’s Minute Maid Park had a lot more character. The scoreboard system at Ranger Park is kind of screwy. The info is scattered all around the park. There is the main scoreboard in center field but it does not have the line-ups. Only one line-up is shown at a time and it jumps between teams regardless of who is at bat. You look to see who is on-deck and the line-up displayed is for the team in the field. The info for the pitchers is in the corners of the outfield and is not convenient. I like to know how many pitches have been thrown so I can anticipate the manager’s moves based on pitch count and the batters coming up. Kind of difficult at Ranger Park. The out-of-town scoreboards are also screwy. They only show four out of town games at a time and keep rotating through the games. They have pretty detailed info for the games in progress but the lapse between the display is sometimes a full inning or more. I tried to watch the Giants score but gave up.

I met a couple who were Tiger fans. They said the new Comerica Park is beautiful and that old Tiger Stadium is still standing. Tiger Stadium is one of the icons of baseball. I am sure there are still echoes of Al Kaline, Mickey Lolich, and Norm Cash bouncing around the old park. It will be a “must-see” in Detroit. I have included a photo of Darren and Cindy.

I also included a photo of the crowd. Look closely and you will see a major lack of ball caps on the fans. I think there were more jerseys than ball caps tonight.

At 11:30 it started to sprinkle, I don’t believe it! It’s been gorgeous all day and a balmy evening at the park. This is Elvis Week at the ballpark, don’t ask me why, and there was a major fireworks display accompanied by Elvis tunes after the game. The rain gods were either displeased because of the fireworks in the sky or the Elvis tunes being launched into the atmosphere. My money is on the latter. Now there is thunder and lightning! The gods are showing us what a real fireworks display is like!

The game was very good. The Tigers were down to their last strike but got two runs in the top of the 9th to tie the game at 4. The Rangers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 9th. I love this situation for its strategic implications. Any fly to the outfield will score the runner from third so the outfielders play very shallow to cut off the run at the plate. It is like having 8 infielders. Elvis Andrus hit a single and the Rangers were victorious. Maybe Elvis Week is for Elvis Andrus, not that other Elvis.

Game On

Tuesday I drove about 250 miles to Houston in the rental car. I didn’t realize Houston was so big. It is the 4th largest city in the US. The downtown area is a mass of skyscrapers. There is a lot of renovation going on in the downtown area and it is looking pretty good. The Theater District is very nice with lots of modern buildings.

I found a parking space on the street in downtown and was able to keep it until 6 p.m. when parking is no longer metered. The spot was about four blocks from Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros. I got to the park when the gates opened so I left a ticket at Will Call for my friend, Chris Morales. Phyllis and I met Chris and his wife Kim when we took a cruise a few years ago. They were table mates and a very nice young couple. We have maintained casual contact over the years so I invited Chris to the Astro game.

I was inside the park watching batting practice when my phone rang. I looked at the number and saw it was Chris. “Oh, crap,” I thought, “Chris can’t make it!” I answered the phone and he said “You don’t have to stand up for me.”I turned around and he was standing right behind me. It was really good to see him again.

Chris is now a Daddy to Maddy and the family has moved from Austin to the suburbs of Houston. He is a geologist for Schlumberger, pronounced Schlum-bear-jhay according to Chris. Schlumberger is a global oilfield and resources information services company. It is the largest company in its field in the US. Kim works for the State of Texas Environment Protection agency. Aren’t these careers mutually exclusive?

Minute Maid Park is gorgeous, even nicer than Coors Field in Denver. It has some quirks like a real short left field porch and an uphill pitch in center. It has a retractable roof which was open because it was perfect baseball weather.


The game was the best of the trip so far. The Marlins started fast but the Astros kept pecking away until the 8th when they broke the game open with three runs. They ended up with 7 runs so the 6-run streak has started again.

Chris suggested I go back to Arlington via Austin. He suggested I stay overnight in a town called Bat Droppings or something like that. I took his advice and drove to Bastrop. Wednesday morning I came back to Treetop RV park via Austin where I saw the State Capitol, the University of Texas Tower, and the UT stadium where the Longhorns play. Chris and I have this Longhorn-Trojan thing, hence the ugly burnt orange ball cap.

I got back to Arlington and went to Joe’s Radiator Shop to pick up Shirley who successfully recovered from a circulatory system transplant. In addition to fixing Shirley, the guys at the shop made a case of Coors Light vanish from her fridge. (They also made a huge chunk of money vanish. Ahh, peace of mind is not cheap)

I got Shirley back to the RV park and gave her a very nice sponge bath and cleaned a week’s worth of grime off her. I would have given her a complete shower but park rules prohibit it.

Thursday’s schedule includes the Texas Motor Speedway and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Off Day

If you are ever RVing through Arlington, Texas, this is the place to stay.

Treetops RV Park used to be a mobile home park but in the ‘80s they converted to an RV park. The city grew up around Treetops and now it is a cozy oasis in the middle of the North Texas Metroplex. The Metroplex is like LA because it includes a bunch of cities; Dallas, Ft. Worth, Arlington (pop. 400,000), Irving, Plano, Garland, etc. One block south of Treetops is a huge Super Target and lots of strip mall businesses. Two blocks east is the Three Parks Mall which is about 2 square miles of big box stores; Dillards, Linen and Things, Barnes & Noble, you get the picture. I am not exaggerating about the size, it is about a mile on the Cooper Street side and another mile on the Arbrook side. In addition to all the commercial conveniences, the people here are very nice.

It’s been raining here for three straight days and has postponed Saturday’s big NASCAR race just north of here at the Texas Motor Speedway. It is rescheduled for today (the race, not the rain). Yesterday I just relaxed and did my laundry, made some minor repairs to Shirley, and caught up on administrative duties. I was able to connect to the park’s cable and discovered the news of the world. It is very easy to have a disconnect when you drive from dawn to dusk with only a break for a baseball game. I must confess, I did watch the Rangers at the Yankees.

I had hoped to have Shirley’s radiator worked on today. The afternoon before I left, my mechanic found a small leak. I put some Bars Leak in it and it has been fine. Phyllis got on the internet and found a place that can fix Shirley up but unfortunately they couldn’t do it. After two more visits to radiator shops I found a place that can. They said it would take three or four days to get the radiator and another day to install it. I said that wouldn’t work and they reached into their magic bag of tricks and found one locally. I will drop Shirley off in the morning and they can replace the radiator while I drive the rental car to Houston. She should be all finished when I get back Wednesday.

I visited Dealey Plaza and the 6th Floor Museum today. The museum is in the Texas Book Depository Building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. It is very well done and if you are of the JFK generation you should not miss it when visiting Dallas. Two things really impressed me. One, how close Oswald actually was, and two, what a perfect widow Jackie was.



I plan to visit the Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth Wednesday or Thursday.

Ardmore?

I spent Thursday night at High Plains Camping in Oakley, Kansas. Mary, the manager, left me an envelope with the directions to my site and a page on dos and don’ts. One don’t was: don’t put out the awnings due to the high winds. She was right, the wind provided a gentle rocking motion to Shirley and we both slept like babies in a cradle. I got up early enough for a couple mile walk/run which was very invigorating. I was glad I brought my neck wrap and beanie as the wind did have a bite to it. The folks driving on my running road all waved like I was an old friend. They either thought I was someone they knew or they were just friendly. Mary had told me the office would not be open before I left because she had things to do in the morning. She said leave a check in the night box at the office. Wow, this was first place that would trust a check. I had forgotten the cost of the site so I left a blank check. Mary called me while I was on the road and let me know the cost was either $26 million dollars or $26 dollars. Nice folks in Kansas, even if the politics are pretty conservative as evidenced by the very right-leaning anti-abortion signs every couple hundred yards along the interstate.

Friday, I drove to Ardmore, Oklahoma. It was a 550 mile trip across some pretty desolate country. The trip also saw my first, and hopefully last, encounter with law enforcement. I stopped at a rest area just east of Wichita on I-70. As I was entering the rest area I saw a white police car behind me. The car followed me and parked directly behind me. I got out to use the facility and the State Trooper got out of his car. He said, very nicely, “The reason I followed you in here is because one of the letters on your license plate is messed up.” I said, “Yes, the paint is scraped off the zero in two places. The previous owner must have backed into something.” The Trooper asked for my license and I was thinking “Man if I’m getting busted for a scraped license plate I am really glad I wasn’t speeding.” The Trooper looked at my license and then commented on the high incidence of smuggling and transporting illegal drugs from Mexico and California. He asked me if I had anything illegal in Shirley. Of course I replied “No” and asked if I would mind if he looked around. I said “No, as long as I don’t have to be present while you look.” My ancient bladder was starting to scream pretty loudly by then. He said I didn’t have to be there so I went to the Men’s Room while he searched Shirley. Anyway, when I came out he was finishing his search and apparently decided I was not smuggling meth in the door panels or weed in the wheel wells. He gave me my license back and I continued on my merry way.

I know, why Ardmore? I need to get to Arlington before noon Saturday because the Enterprise Car Rental shops all close at noon, naturally. I have a good layover in Texas and plan on renting a car to do some sight-seeing and getting Shirley serviced and a few minor repairs made. Ardmore is only 120 miles from Arlington so I should be able to get there before noon. I found the Hidden Lake RV Park in my 2010 Trailer Life Directory. It was very highly rated with a 9 for facilities, a 9.5 for restroom and shower cleanliness, and an 8.5 for appearance and environmental correctness. Facilities included free WiFi (a huge plus due to my on-again, off-again relationship with my Mobile virgin), security, major cable, etc. I made my reservation and showed up around 8:30 p.m. after a 6 mile detour because Exit 29 was closed. Thanks, Joe, you could have said something when I talked to you while making my reservation. I got to my site and pulled out my trusty laptop and searched for the free WiFi. Not happenin’. I then started looking around my assigned site for the nearest bathroom/shower. Not happenin’. The bathroom/showers were in the main building on the other side of the lake. I said what the heck, it’s only a quarter mile to the building with the restrooms. I got over there and there are two restrooms, each with one shower , one sink, and one toilet. Not bad for a single family dwelling, but for an RV park with 50 campsites? I hope no one needs the restroom in the morning when I want to shower and shave.

Anyway, Day 8 is coming to an end. I wasn’t arrested, Shirley purred like a kitten, I saw antelopes and buffaloes, and made it safely to Ardmore. Life is good, very good indeed. People would give their left arm to do what I am able to do and I complain about no WiFi? Get real, Bill.

Game 6

I left Fruita, CO, Thursday morning and headed east into the Rockies, destination Denver. It was a sobering trip as I approached Glenwood Springs and saw the area of the 1994 South Canyon Fire, which claimed the lives of 14 well trained firefighters. If I had more time I would have visited the actual site.

The rest of the trip through, and over, the Rockies was spectacular. I drove past Aspen and Vail, and over 10,000 foot Vail Pass. I had never driven over a 10,000 foot pass before. That record stood for less than an hour because I then went over Eisenhower Pass at 11,100 feet. Gorgeous country and lots of snow.

When I finally got out of the mountains I headed for Coors Field. I drove right to the main parking lot with no problem. The park was beautiful from the outside and just as nice inside.

Due to roadwork on I-70 and traffic delays, I arrived in the 2nd inning. Thursday was the 63rd anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Every player wore #42 in Robinson’s honor. By the time I got to my seat in right field, the Mets had already scored twice. The Rockies were lackluster and just couldn’t get anything going. The final score was 5-zip. This was the first shutout game of my trip, the first game with a balk, and the first game in which the winner scored fewer than 6 runs.


I had some great seatmates. Jerren tried to be a cheerleader but the fans just wouldn’t get into the game. His girlfriend, Annie, was celebrating her birthday. They were both very nice young folks and we chatted throughout the game. The lady who sat on my right side was kind enough to snap a photo of us.

After the game I headed for Oakley, Kansas and arrived safely at about 9:30 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.

Game 5

I am now reconnected and I think I know how to force this Virgin thingy to work with my Acer laptop, let’s hope!

I left Los Angeles at 6 p.m. Tuesday and drove 800 miles. I stopped in Vegas at 1 a.m., got a little rest and then had breakfast with my sisters. They are on a girl’s-week-out in Sin City. They had to see Shirley and she appreciated the attention. She is such a good girl and my sisters are too!

I am glad to have left California. I don’t miss the traffic and potholes. I took I-15 out of Vegas this morning and was stunned by the Virgin River Canyon. I was driving smack into a mountain and the road suddenly curved to expose this canyon with sheer sandstone walls. OMG, it was spectacular! I turned onto I-70 and drove through the heart of Utah. The mesas and buttes were gorgeous. All of this is new country for me so it made the drive very enjoyable. Tomorrow I head to Denver on I-70 and apparently go over Vail Pass at 10,000 feet (Yikes!).

I didn’t get to post a story from the front yesterday so you have to accept day-old news. The drive to Dodger Stadium was the usual LA miserable, 100 miles in a little over 3 hours. It was Opening Day for the Dodgers and their fans were fanatic. I figured discretion is the better part of valor and did not wear my Giants hat. I think I was the only person not in Dodger gear. My seat was way up on the top of the stadium and actually pretty crummy from a social viewpoint.

Lots of rowdies in the section. I did meet the “Character of the Day” though. He was in his late 30’s and sat in the row behind me. He had a radio tuned to Vince Scully and it provided a nice tinny backdrop to the noise of the crowd. He was dressed head to toe in Dodger stinkin’ Blue. His hat was totally covered with pins. The bill had 6 or 7 figurines on it. He had a couple of blue bead necklaces and a chain with 10 or 15 Dodger dog tags on it. The 5 bracelets on each wrist were Italian charms, all with a Dodger theme. Each hand had 10 or more Dodger rings. Before the game he was very social, flitting about having a grand old time. About the sixth inning his seat mates started talking about work and asked him what he did. SURPRiSE! Come to find out he was on disability for psychological reasons. He hadn’t worked since he was 18 and was put away due to a mental breakdown. He explained all his trials and tribulations and gave a complete run-down of his meds. He was quite proud that he had gone 18 years without a breakdown. His dissertation lasted until the middle of the 7th when he invented new, nonsensical words to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The young lady who was sitting right in front of him looked at me and I know we were both hoping he would make it to the end of the game before he had another breakdown. He lived way out in Apple Valley so he left in the 8th, much to my appreciation.

The game was a mini-blowout with the Dodgers beating the D’Backs 9-5. I guess I bring offensive juju to the games because all five games have had six or more runs scored by the winning team.

Heading East

At 11:11 p.m. Tuesday, April 13 I depart California and will not cross back until June for the final game. Tonight my destination is an RV park in Las Vegas, Nevada and then on to Coors Field in Denver, Colorado for my next game Thursday.

Since there are laws against using your cell phone while driving, I’m going to assume the authorities would also frown on blogging while driving so you may not hear very much from me before Friday.

Here’s the box score from the Dodgers home opener and my schedule for the next 5 games.