After a grueling day of driving yesterday, today was mainly a day to rest and enjoy Denver. I thought downtown Denver was pretty cool and I hung out there most of the afternoon. For a big city it sure did have a small town feel. But of course the highlight of the day was going to the Rockies-Padres game at Coors Field—stadium #20 on my list! It’s not everyday that I can see a new baseball stadium in person, so when it does happen it’s a very big occasion. Whatever trepidation I felt about this trip yesterday was gone as soon as I saw the ballpark. Going to baseball stadiums make it all worth it—it’s what I do (see my blog posts under the category of “Stadiums”).
I went to Coors Field two hours before gametime to see batting practice. I walked all around the stadium taking pictures from all different angles, which helps me to rank stadiums later on. Once the game started I drank a Coors Light because…well, it seemed like the appropriate thing to do there haha. I also found out that stadium employees here allow fans from out-of-state to try out different seats during games for an inning or two if they are persuasive. ;) I thought Coors Field was nice, but I have seen better. Unfortunately the ballpark does not face downtown Denver, so the backdrop is not that great. I will be ranking the stadium as #14. I also plan on writing more specifics about the ballpark at my baseball stadium facebook album later in the week.
After I left Coors Field I hit the road again on 70 East to get a little closer to Kansas City, where I will be going in the morning. I ended up driving 5 hours to Hays, KS, bringing the trip total to 25 hours. It was pretty obvious that I’m at the Plains states now, as the highways are flat and straight and there’s a lot of farmland. It sure does make for an easier drive, so I’ll take it. I also appreciated the fact that there are lots of towns and rest stops along 70 East. I had cell phone reception the whole way and there were plenty of opportunities to exit the highway for gas and food. I won’t take that for granted anymore after driving through Nevada and Utah yesterday!
Tomorrow I’m also going to a Cardinals game in St. Louis after picking up my brother at the airport. Big day ahead!