California League Bicycle Tour

33-18?

2009-06-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Two teams we watched on our recent trip just played one heck of a game. Lake Elsinore outlasted the High Desert Mavericks, 33-18. Box score here.

The game is making national headlines. I can't imagine what it must have been like to be in attendance.

In other Cal League news, Manny Ramirez hit a home run while making his rehab appearance for the Inland Empire 66ers.

Bikes and Food

2009-06-25T07:45:00.001-07:00

Here is another blogger's take on the relationship between the calories we take in and the miles we put on our bikes - Gnat Likes Bikes.

Beer and Bikes

2009-06-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

It wasn't long after I got into cycling that I asked a fellow rider to explain the link between beer and bikes. He laughed and admitted that the joy of riding your bicycle is that you always have extra calories to devote to your favorite brew.

If you are still scratching your head about how cycling fits with breweries, an article just came out that you may find helpful. Bicycling Magazine just released Brews and Bikes: the best bike-related summer beers.

Free stuff from the California League

2009-06-20T23:56:00.001-07:00

- Two programs from Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga
- Five pocket schedules
- Tickets from our trip including our seat upgrade at Lancaster and the complimentary seats we got at Inland Empire

A few quick stats...

2009-06-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

Trip length - 5 days
Miles - 338 (Ben), 170 (Tim), 136 (Andrew) = 664
Flat tires - only 1!

Games - 5 (one shortened due to rain)
Teams involved - 6
Ballparks - 5
Innings - 36
Home runs - 5, all in the first game - however we also saw two doubles that hit the top of the wall and bounced back in
Shut outs - 2
Home team record - 3-2

Interviews - 2

Breweries - 3
Beers sampled - 16

Day Five - game review

2009-06-19T23:01:00.001-07:00

The fifth and final game was in Rancho Cucamonga at the Epicenter (maybe the best name for a ballpark on this trip). Home to the RC Quakes, it is the centerpiece of the city's athletic complex.

Tonight the Quakes were taking on the Lake Elsinore Storm. Oddly enough, these five games only featured one team from the Northern Division - that being the game on Wednesday which featured the Bakersfield Blaze.

While this stadium wasn't my favorite of the trip, it did offer up a few really cool features including the party patio areas down at the end of each foul line.

My wonderful and supportive wife Meredith met me at the game which was a welcome change. We had a fun time catching up on the details of our weeks apart. She also provided me with a ride home meaning that I didn't have to get back on my bike tonight. I get to let my body rest in my own bed!

The home team pulled out the victory which means that in the five games we attended the home team won three and lost two.

Tonight's game took 3 hours and 44 minutes. It was the latest game on the schedule, starting at 7:30. They also had fireworks planned for after the game. Needless to say I was getting pretty tired near the end and we ducked out after the 7th inning. I'm not one to leave a ballgame before it is over - we waited through the rain in Adelanto - but my body is beat.

What a fantastic week.

I'll be posting more review of the trip over the next few days. Thank you to everyone who made this journey possible and those who followed along on the blog!

Day Five - Review so far...

2009-06-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

After the brewery, I headed west from Redlands and connected once again with Route 66. This time the scenery changed from the airport...

to the desolate...

to the downright bizzare...

I met up with Meredith and we're hanging out right now before heading to dinner and then the last game of the trip. I can't believe it has come to an end!

Miles today - 32
Final trip total - 338 (my projection of 317 was not that far off!)

Day Five - Hangar 24 Craft Brewing

2009-06-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

As you know, one very important element of this trip was getting a chance to visit and support the local craft brewing scene along the route. This morning I got a chance to visit Hangar 24, a fantastic little brewery that just opened up 15 months ago, but is already brewing some fantastic beer.

They are located in an old hangar at the edge of the Redlands Municipal Airport. They were super busy today when I stopped in due to some issues with their equipment and the fact that they were supposed to be bottling today.

Regardless, I was still able to sample four of their beers. Their fantastic Orange Wheat which is brewed with local oranges, their American style Pale Ale, a German Alt, and finally their outstanding IPA. Just last night we grabbed a pint of their beer at the 66ers game, and it was good to actually see where it was made. Start up breweries like this are an inspiration to me - especially because they are succeeding beyond the odds in this weak economy.

Plus - tap handles in the shape of propellers - how cool is that?

Manny coming to Inland Empire?

2009-06-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

I found this article in the local paper after our visit to Inland Empire. I can't imagine the media circus that will be descending on this tiny ballpark - Andrew and I felt like we may have to take a return trip to experience it!

You can click on the pictures for a larger image to read the whole article.

Random Thought...

2009-06-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

Why doesn't Pasadena have a minor league team?

It seems to me that it has a suitable population, has multiple locations that might be suitable for a small ballpark (how awesome would it be to have a park near the Rose Bowl or tucked in to Old Town?), has several area college and high school teams that would make it a multi-team facility, and has a history of baseball tradition.

I think this would work especially well if they were able to be a minor league affiliate of the Dodgers or Angels - two teams that certainly have a large fanbase in town.

Maybe I'm way off here...

Thoughts?

Day Four - Ballgame Review

2009-06-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight's game at Arrowhead Credit Union Park (I still can't believe that's what it is called), was a good one. The hometown Inland Empire 66ers took on the High Desert Mavericks and ended up with a 7-4 victory.

The park has an extremely similar layout and design to Lancaster aside from the color scheme. I wonder which one came first.

One thing I haven't touched on yet is the team mascots. All four thus far have had very active mascots - a feature that is certainly appealing to the kids who attend these games. These guys spend a good portion of the game dancing around and trying to get the crowd volume higher. The 66er's mascot is named Bernie... again, I'm not sure why.

This was the second time we had seen the Mavs on this trip, and at our last game we met the team broadcaster who was kind enough to hook us up with some tickets to tonight's game and an invitation to the broadcast booth to see what it was like up there.

Great to meet you Alex, and thanks once again for making our trip that much more fun!

Another great night. Andrew's wife Becca joined us for tonight's game, and Andrew headed home with her after, so I'm on my own for the ride portion of tomorrow. My wife Meredith will meet me for the fifth and final game.

Day Four - so far...

2009-06-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today's ride took us back up from Lake Elsinore to San Bernardino. Along the way we stopped at an orange grower for the second time on this trip. The reason we stopped in was they had the BEST fresh orange juice for sale that we had ever had. It was a perfect reason to take a break from a hot day of riding.

Andrew snapped off this picture of my loaded bicycle.

One very important stop today was at the Inland Empire Brewing Company. They have only been open since February, but are already establishing themselves in Riverside. Our very welcoming tour guide mentioned that they are breaking new ground because they are the only brewery around. Local lawmakers don't know what to do with them because they aren't a bar, and they aren't a restaurant.

They currently have four beers available and all lean toward the British style of beer - blonde, pale ale, brown, and IPA - they were all great representations of the style. You can pick up a half or full growler of their beer, or you can hang around and talk about starting up a brewery over a sampler.

We arrived at our hotel in plenty of time and were even able to take a swim before hitting up some fantastic Thai food at a local restaurant. So delicious.

Soon we'll be off to the ballpark for the fourth game this week.

Miles today - 45
Trip total - 306

Day Three Recap

2009-06-17T21:22:00.001-07:00

What a day. We wound down through the mountain canyons from Victorville down to the San Gabriel Valley. Incredible scenery as you can see from these photos.

The sky was blue and it was perfect day to ride. We expected to spend more time climbing than we actually faced. It was great.

Part of our day included a stretch of the famous Route 66 - including this photo which was taken on a closed section of the road (sky is big in pasadena visitors have already seen this one). We also had to portage around some newly paved stretch of road, and improvise through an area that Google Maps didn't quite have figured out. By the way Google (I know you are reading this), when are you going to develop a bicycle direction feature?

We arrived in Lake Elsinore and didn't take long to find the ballpark - except when we arrived at 5:30, it sounded like the game had already started! We made a quick phone call and discovered that it was family night at the ballpark and the game had an early 6:00 start time. We rushed over to our hotel and showered and got back to the park as quickly as we could. We ended up missing the first inning and a half - a common theme as we had missed the first half of an inning of both previous games.

What a beautiful park. The Lake Elsinore Storm not only have the best selling cap in the minor leagues, but they also have one of the most beautiful places to play.

And our seats were excellent - just past third base, and in the front row - and we only paid $8. You gotta love minor league pricing!

Unfortunately the home team lost, 3-2 Which means that after three games the home team is a dismal 1-2 (one of those games being shortened due to the rain storm). This club seemed much more professionally run with nonstop mascots, music, and video board antics. It is the biggest ballpark of our trip, and will probably be the best attended game of our week. Needless to say we weren't too surprised that we weren't acknowledged like at the previous two games. But we continued to get amazing customer service from the staff of the California League.

We've got a shorter day ahead of us tomorrow, but we will have some hills to climb because L.E. is at a lower elevation than our next stop, San Bernardino.

Miles today - 91
Trip total - 261

Day Two - Final Recap

2009-06-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

We had a bit of a grinding bike ride to get out to Stater Bros. Stadium, but in the end we arrived on time to see the Mavs take on the 66ers. The High Desert Mavericks play in Adelanto which is a small town located close to the Southern California Logistics Airport.

You can see from this photo, the team has opening day rosters posted on the white columns which is a really cool tribute to past teams. I selected this one because current Blue Jay, Rod Barajas was listed in the starting lineup way back in 1998. Nice.

The game started out a little rough - the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the first inning - but then settled in to a pitchers dual. Unfortunately, the sky opened up during the 6th inning and a rain delay began.

The grounds crew and umpires stood around for a while after the rain had stopped but eventually decided to call the game. While we were disappointed, we did get to meet Alex Freedman who is the radio voice of the High Desert Mavericks. He invited us to stop by the booth on Thursday night when we watch the Mavs play on the road against the Inland Empire 66ers. Needless to say, we are excited to take him up on his offer!

I can't express how friendly and welcoming every team official has been from the teams that we have visited so far. It really shows how much care and attention is given at the Minor League level compared with the big leagues. Or maybe it's just the California League...?

Tim had to head back home for work, but Andrew has just joined in. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow - pushing 90 miles. I hope my body can keep up with my enthusiasm!

Miles to the game - 8
Trip total - 170

Breaking News!

2009-06-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

An article about our story was just posted on the KHTS 1200 website. Check it out!

A second-year divinity student from Pasadena wanted to do something unique during a break in his studies at Fuller Seminary, so he decided to go to a ballgame.

On his bike.

And he wouldn't settle for just any ballgame. Anybody can do Dodger Stadium, he figured. Ben Wideman decided he wanted to see minor league players work, from Lancaster to Lake Elsinore.Remember he only has a week. It would have to be five games in five days.

Click here to read the whole article

Day Two Recap (so far)

2009-06-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today we had sunshine and blue skies. We followed our directions and didn't have any issues with added mileage, however we did realize that using Google Map's walking directions occasionally takes you on some pretty bad roads. Good to keep in mind for any future bicycle touring.

Sadly we arrived at our lunch destination - Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe - a little after it had closed for the day. So sad.

Some of you may have been wondering about my ride - the above picture is my lovely Salsa Casseroll all decked out to tour.

We found a buffet and got our money's worth, and we now have some down time before we head out to tonight's game. Tim is leaving after tonight's game, and Andrew is joining in on the fun.

Miles so far today - 62
Trip total - 162

Day 1 - Final Recap

2009-06-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, after a bit of a tiring day, we were dreading climbing back on our bikes for the 3 mile ride to the stadium, but I'm really glad that we did. I've got to say, the Lancaster JetHawks went out of their way to make our night great. For starters, we got "feed your face Monday" tickets for $10 - a ticket and all you can eat hamburgers, hotdogs, peanuts, and popcorn. Pretty awesome, right?

Well it gets better. My name was called over the PA and when I went to the info booth John Laferny, the Director of Stadium Operations asked where we were sitting and promptly upgraded our seats to behind home plate. He then introduced me to a camera crew from Channel 3 News Time Warner Palmdale, who wanted to do a short interview about our journey. Crazy, right?

What a night. I'll always have good things to say about the JetHawks organization. We had a great time.

By the way, the home team won.

Miles to the ballpark and back - 6
Trip Total - 100 (a century on day one?? We can't keep this pace)

Day 1 - so far...

2009-06-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well, that could have gone a little better...

We made it to Santa Clarita with no problems, and met up with Carol Rock from KHTS AM 1220 for our interview. She asked us about our trip while we munched on Oggi's pizza and sampled their fine beer. Our spirits were high as we headed into the mountains.

Unfortunately we missed a turn off while we were decending into the High Desert and ended up going about 20 miles out of our way. We faced a brutal headwind once we figured out our error and ended up turning a day that was supposed to be about 75 miles into well over 90. Needless to say we were happy to finally get to our hotel, and although we are exhausted, we are ready for the all you can eat tickets for tonght's game.

More details to follow...

Miles so far today - 94
Trip Total - 94

Lift-off!

2009-06-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Heading out in about an hour. I can't believe the time has arrived! I should have some pictures of today's journey posted online after the first game tonight.

Bon Voyage!

In the Pipeline...

2009-06-12T14:11:00.001-07:00

Just received word that a radio station wants to interview us about our journey! Stay tuned. I'll keep you all posted in case anything comes of this...

Projected Mileage

2009-06-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Here is an approximation of how many miles we'll be logging on our bikes for the trip:

Day 1: 79 miles
Day 2: 69 miles
Day 3: 85 miles
Day 4: 54 miles
Day 5: 30 miles

Total: 317

We really tail off toward the end of the trip which should be good - especially after day three.

Current Forecast...

2009-06-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

Here is what is projected for our week. Of course usually we will be riding in between the two places, so the weather is kind of hard to pin-point.

Monday in Lancaster - Partly cloudy. Highs in the 70s to lower 80s.

Tuesday in Adelanto - Partly cloudy in the morning...becoming mostly sunny. Highs 75 to 85.

Wednesday in Lake Elsinore - Mostly cloudy in the morning...becoming partly cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 68 to 78.

Thursday in San Bernardino - Mostly cloudy in the morning...becoming partly cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 77 to 83.

Friday in Rancho Cucamonga - TBD.

Camping no more

2009-06-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

Based on the price and availability of camping in the areas where we'll be going to ballgames, we've decided to go with hotels for each night of the trip. Not only will this give us a bit more comfort on the road in terms of bedding and lower amount of gear to haul around, but it will also provide us with a free breakfast at two of the locations. Good stuff.

Updated Schedule

2009-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

The schedule is getting a little more refined...

June
15 –
lunch at Oggi's Pizza in Santa Clarita
JetHawks vs. 66ers in Lancaster, CA
hotel at night
16 –
lunch at Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe in Victorville, CA
Mavs vs. Quakes in Adelanto, CA
hotel at night
17 –
lunch in... ?
Storm vs. Blaze in Lake Elsinore, CA
hotel at night
18 –
quick visit to Inland Empire Brewing Company
lunch in... ?
66ers vs. Mavs is San Bernardino, CA
hotel at night
19 –
quick visit to Hangar 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands, CA
Quakes vs. Storm in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
ride home to my own bed

gear post

2009-06-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

I'm borrowing this Blackburn frame pump that fits perfectly on my bike. It doesn't have a pressure gauge but it should work just fine to keep our tires inflated, and (heaven forbid) pump up a flat if one happens to arrive.

Most of what I'll be taking - clothes, tools, food - will be stuffed a set of these REI panniers that I'm borrowing from a friend of mine. I've never rode my bike with such a big load, but they seem to sit well on the rack.

I'm also going to be traveling with a handlebar bag which will hold my camera, maps, and food for the day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please let me introduce...

2009-06-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

There are 10 teams in the California League, which is the Single A level of minor league baseball. We will be visiting the five teams in the Southern Division. All teams are located within a few hours of my home in Pasadena.

Lancaster JetHawks

Attending a university that had a large number of students from Lancaster, PA, I find myself mispronouncing this city (it's lan-cast-er not lank-as-ter on the west coast). The JetHawks are the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. We'll be going to a game on Monday night at Clear Channel Stadium which has a giant fighter plane mounted outside. As I mentioned in a previous entry, this game has $10 seats with all you can eat ballpark food! Awesome.

High Desert Mavericks

Located in Adelanto, CA, in the middle of the High Desert. Rumor has it that the Mavs may be in danger of folding, and it is hard to imagine why they were even placed here in the first place. Adelanto has a booming population of just over 27,000 - less than the amount of people who attend the average Dodgers game every night! They are the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and play at Stater Bros. Stadium.

Lake Elsinore Storm

The Storm have the distinction of having the number one selling ballcap in the minor leagues. All that appears on the cap are the menacing eyes from their logo, which I think is clearly a clever marketing stroke of genius. The Storm play in the beautiful Lake Elsinore Diamond, which is located on the shore of... you guessed it, Lake Elsinore. The Storm are the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and play one game every season at Petco Park in San Diego.

Inland Empire 66ers

The 66ers have the blessing of being an affiliate of Southern California's beloved LA Dodgers. I assume this relationship can do nothing but bolster their attendance in San Bernardino - a minor drive from Dodger Stadium. They play at Arrowhead Credit Union Park and just happen to be holding Thirsty Thursday while I am there - $1 beer and softdrinks... could be an interesting crowd. Not sure that I know of any other teams - major or minor - that are named after a road.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

The Quakes also benefit from being close to their parent club - Angel Stadium is located a mere 35 miles away, so any prospect making the huge jump from Single-A to the big show has just a short trip to make. I'll be at the Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter (best ballpark name on the trip!) for Friday Night Fireworks, and my wife Meredith will be joining me and giving me a ride back to civilization. Clever uniform quirk - have a blue fault line across the brim of their caps.

Solo?

2009-06-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

Turns out that my good friend Tim is going to join me for two days of the journey. Tim is a funny guy, as you can see from his website. I'm grateful for the company along the way.

Gear photos will be coming soon...

UPDATE: My friend Andrew is going to join me for a few days as well! Can't wait.

gear review...

2009-06-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Over the next few days I'm hoping to post some of the gear that I'll be taking with me on my journey. For starters, my lovely Salsa Casseroll is of course going to be my source of transportation. I'll be on it for several hours a day, so I'm hoping to keep the bike light.

Tim will be riding his beautiful Tour of California Felt, and Andrew will be riding his sweet looking Trek road bike.

More to come...

I love minor league baseball!

2009-06-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

While looking up ticket prices for the trip I discovered some interesting promotional details for almost every game on the trip:

June
15 – JetHawks vs. 66ers
Feed your Face Monday - $10 seat and all you can eat

18 – 66ers vs. Mavs
Thirsty Thurs. - $1 beer and soda

19 – Quakes vs. Storm
Fireworks!

Not to mention that there are other family related promotions at the other game that I won't be able to benefit from and ALL ballparks have tickets for under $10, and most of the best seats in the house are only $10. AWESOME.

Things to do...

2009-06-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm actually going to have a fair bit of downtime on this trip. When I'm not biking or watching minor league baseball, I'll have some time to tour around.

I'll be checking out this book, but I was also wondering if my followers had any suggestions of what to do in and around this route.

Suggestions? Leave them in the comments section.

Tentative Schedule

2009-05-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

June

15 – JetHawks vs. 66ers
16 – Mavs vs. Quakes
17 – Storm vs. Blaze
18 – 66ers vs. Mavs
19 – Quakes vs. Storm

a new blog is born... the California League Bicycle Tour 2009

2009-05-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a trip... By bicycle... To all five stadiums in the California League's South Division.

Here is my route.

View Larger Map

Any suggestions, questions, or concerns are welcome!

Details will follow...