Wednesday August 11th

Milwaukee Brewers Game

The evidence from the tragic crane accident at the new Brewers stadium was still visible. Big Blue, the bright blue crane that had collapsed, was draped pathetically over the crumbled right field wall . The twisted blue pieces of the crane's boom lay on top of, and in sharp contrast to, the huge chunks of grey roof trusses that had submitted under the weight of the snapped crane. The twisted mass of metal lay in a heap on the right field stands. Flowers and crosses were pinned to the fence in memory of the three workers who died.

Field of Dreams, our baseball stadium guide that has provided invaluable information, mentioned the Brewers fans love of tailgating. Since Milwaukee is the city of beer, it is only fitting that the fans would know how to have a good time. Grills, picnic tables and coolers full of beer and soda were scattered throughout the parking lot. It was surprising to see this kind of party for baseball and from what we were told, it happens at every game.

Being seasoned Penn State tailgaters we should have known better, but we were woefully unprepared for this one . Fortunately, we had our bag of Grandma Utz's which sufficed until our kind tailgating neighbors offered us a Bratwurst. The four couples, who had all come in one van, had strong Wisconsin accents. They were from Janesville about an hour and a half away and had the easy going relationship of people who have interests in common and have known each other for awhile. Several of them coached kids sports teams.

It was a gorgeous afternoon for a game at County Stadium which has the feel of a minor league park, very open yet intimate. It is definitely an old stadium but the only complaint I had is that the seats had not been cleaned up from the prior nights game. Peanut shells were stuck all over the back half of my seat. The JumboTron is black and white and there are no out of town scoreboards. Our seats were in a good location along the first base line. We had a clear view of the new stadium and during the game we could see the cranes slowly moving as worked progressed on the clean up. We were in a great position to call the winner of the daily sausage race. Brewers fans really get jacked up for this and it is hilarious (especially if you have been tailgating). I'm not sure but I think the Bratwurst was victorious We also had an excellent view of Bernie the Brewer's house but since there were no home runs hit we did not get to see him slide down into the mug of beer.

The Brewers played a lousy game and were soundly beaten by the Rockies. During the game, we heard fans speculating on the manager being fired. Later on the news we heard that Phil Garner, the manager, was fired and Sal Bando, the GM, resigned. It's the talk of the town.

After the game, we tailgated with our neighbors. Their goal was to be the last people out of the stadium lot and as we stood and talked, car after car drove away. Finally it was just our two cars and they were still sitting in their lawn chairs as we drove away.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at the 4th Base Tavern, a baseball bar we read about in our book. This has got to be the friendliest bar in Wisconsin. As soon as we walked in, the bartender greeted us with a cheery welcome. We ordered beers and Terry, the bartender asked us if we were hungry. Fred said, "Yes, we will look at a menu." Terry asked if we had ever been there before and upon our no, said, "Oh, you are virgins. Follow me." Wondering what we had gotten ourselves into this time, we followed him around the corner to a case full of fresh food. Steak, fish, huge scallops, and shrimp were waiting to be picked out and cooked to order. Our eyes lit up at the sight of fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and asparagus. Terry started rattling off choices that would make a food connoisseur swoon. Fred picked pasta with shrimp and vegetables and I choose white fish with rice and steamed vegetables. It was one of the most delicious, enjoyable, tasty meals we have ever had.

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Thursday August 12th

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

We enjoyed our exploration of the town of Milwaukee. the city planners did an impressive job by allowing for an abundance of green space throughout the city. We drove to the area along Lake Michigan where walking and biking trails traverse a double decker park. The Art Museum sits on the lake and is one of many cultural museums in the city.

We were strolling near the lake when Fred gave me the ultimate cut on my job as the navigator. He started to cross the road in front of a UPS truck and I warned him not to get hit. He said "Well if I do, all you have to do is prop me up in the passenger seat, put a blank look on my face,a map in my hands, and I would be you". Ha!Ha!Ha! I am well aware that I am not the best navigator. I have trouble reading that tiny little print on the maps plus I get distracted and forget to pay attention. Thanks Fred for not trading me in.

The city is defined by several different areas. We explored Water Street which is located close to the river near the center of town. This section has been developed over the past 10 years into an area of comfortable restaurants and bars. As we walked around we counted 11 bars in a 1-1/2 block area.

The Water Street Brewery, our first stop, had excellent micro brewed beer. I had the Honey Lager Light and Fred tried the Pilsner. The menu included an appealing array of choices but we were drawn to sample a unique appetizer named the Scotch Egg. A hard boiled egg is wrapped in pork sausage and fried until crisp. It was scrumptious. Never mind what it did to our arteries.

Next we visited Luke's Sports Spectacular. The bartender has so much influence on how patrons feel about a place. Here, the bartender ignored us for so long we were just about ready to walk out. It wasn't that he was busy, because there were only about 6 people in the place. We did not take it personally because he did it to the next two people who came in also. We just don't get it. A bad first impression is hard to overcome.

The Wisconsin State Fair was only two miles from our hotel and since it was such a huge event in town, we felt compelled to experience it. People living within five blocks of the fairgrounds had turned their yards into parking lots. After paying our $6.00 admission, we wandered around. The Exhibit hall was like a huge infomercial. People were hawking everything from slicers and dicers to mops and knives. We ate corn on the cob and ice cream which tasted good and potato pancakes which were greasy and gross.

Of course the main focus was on cheese. I was in heaven. Cheese in all it's wonderful forms was everywhere. I was able to control myself for the most part but I did my share of sampling. Typical festival rides and games of chance were offered along with various bands. Molley Hatchet was playing at the pavilion for free. The band still had their glorious long hair, but I couldn't get past their big guts. Somehow the look did not seem right. The lead singer said the band had just released their 11th album which we were quite surprised to hear. A fireworks show ended the evening.

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Friday August 13th

Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Cedar Rapids, Iowa

We got an early start today so we could stop in Madison, Wisconsin to see the State Capitol building. It was built with lots of different types of marble and granite and was very busy inside. The best part about visiting capitols is that they usually have an observation deck and Madison was no exception. From the top, we could get a good view of the city and its three lakes.

Madison is also the home of University of Wisconsin who is in the Big 10 but does not play Penn State this year. The campus is located along a lake but trees hid most views of the lake. We might have been at the wrong part of campus, but we did not find any unique buildings or features. I visited the aboretorium gardens which were nice.

If you build it, they will come and indeed we did. When we first started planning our trip we knew we had to stop at The Field of Dreams. Baseball gloves in hand, we stepped onto the playing field pretending we were major leagers. Fred even went and walked out of the cornfield, just like in the movie. There has been a long running fued going on between the two neighbors who own the adjoining property. One gets the admission charge for the Field of Dreams and I guess is not sharing it with the neighbor so the adjoining property had a corn maze (for a fee) which we did. Of course, I got lost in the maze.

Driving today seemed to take forever. We felt like we were never going to get to Cedar Rapids. The last half hour seemed to take forever but we finally arrived at our Best Western Hotel located along the river. Best Western is the nicest chain we have experienced so far. The rooms are always nicely decorated and large. Our room had a view of the Cedar River and Fred spotted a running path so he convinced me we should go for a run. It was a pleasant evening with temperatures in the high 60's. Can you believe that for August?

This is our one night in the state of Iowa. We went to a place called Rumours which was the home of the Vikings Fan Club. The club was watching the pre-season exhibition versus the Giants. Unfortunately, there were too many people there who had overdone the alcohol consumption and we were not into dealing with a bunch of drunks so we headed back to our hotel lounge for our official Iowa beer. It was a small quiet bar with good music and drinks served in glass yards--small, medium and large each with their own wooden holder.

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Saturday August 14th

Kansas City, Missouri

Fred and I were a little concerned because we had called the hotel in KC twice last night and Kelly, Karen and Ty had not checked in. After a quick stop to see the capitol in Des Moines, we arrived in Kansas City at the Wyndam where a note was waiting for us from the trio.

The following is by guest journalist Kelly Larkin who organized the journey of Karen, Ty and herself to Kansas City to meet up with us.

Our trip to Kansas City was an adventure to say the least. We should have arrived yesterday evening but due to some weather delays we only arrived this afternoon, we were somewhat tired and each feeling a little under the weather. Fortunately we were able to check-in early and get settled so that we could begin our tour of Kansas City, finally.

Under the advisement of the hotel staff we decided to venture into a section of town known as The Plaza. Our first impressions summed up The Plaza quite nicely, a giant outdoor mall. This was not our idea of fun, as none of us are really shoppers, so we decided to make our way to the first bar. We found a restaurant where we were able to sit outside and view the sites, while enjoying a much needed afternoon cocktail. Eventually we forced ourselves to walk around and window shop, even though we had no intention of actually doing any shopping. We were anxious to move on since The Plaza was not appealing to us, but since we hadn't done our homework we really didn't know where to go next.

We had taken a cell phone with us and were waiting to hear from Fred and Joni, because we didn't know when they were scheduled for arrival, and we were pretty anxious to really start having fun. Joni finally called us and after a long and hard decision making process we decided to meet at a bar at The Plaza called Houston's. Karen, Ty, and I walked to Houston's right away, even though Fred and Joni weren't scheduled to arrive for another hour. We were able to get seats in the bar that looked out over the street, this way would certainly be able to see them coming. They finally arrived at Houston's and we were all thrilled to see them, and anxious to catch up on the last four months of their adventure.

We were ready to leave The Plaza and so decided to head to Westport, let the fun begin! We got into the Big Kahuna and Joni consulted the map. Okay, let me begin by saying that this is no vacation for Fred and Joni. I imagine that this trip is not only an adventure but a challenge. It look as though Joni's map of Kansas City was drawn to scale, it was excruciatingly detailed, but somehow it didn't make finding our destination any easier. Joni had consulted her travel guide and we had narrowed it down to a couple of bars in the Westport Square section. We were looking for Kelly's Pub, Lynn Dickie's, and Hurricanes, or really anywhere that was serving cold beer.

Hurricane's was our first stop. A cold beer was the first order of business. Getting Fred something to eat was the second priority. The menu selection at Hurricane's consisted of bags of Dorito's and bags of Frito's. Fred opted for the Dorito's and we opted to move onto to a bar with a larger menu selection.

Kelly's Pub was our next stop. We knew right away that we liked this place. There was a good crowd of people, good music, the football game was on the big screen, and there was a walk up pizza window. Getting people to take our pictures seemed to be a great catalyst for getting to meet some of the locals at the bar. It was neat to see how interested people were in Joni and Fred's trip and how eager they were to offer their advice. It was actually someone that we met at Kelly's, his name was Terry, that advised where to go for the required Kansas beer that we were planning to consume Sunday morning. Westport seemed to be a happening area of town so we didn't want to spend too much time in one bar and we opted to move on. We had been asking around for directions to Lynn Dickie's but no one seemed to know where it was, we became determined to find this bar.

Our walk to the next bar was alot of fun. Fred was saved by the preacher on the corner reading the Bible through a megaphone. Fred was really very interested in what he had to say and so choose to stand about three feet in front of him and listen, intently. Okay, so maybe Fred was being a little confrontational, but it was all in fun. We continued our journey and came upon an old fashioned telephone booth that was calling our name. We saw three guys standing nearby chatting and asked if they would mind taking our picture in the phone booth. Not only did they take the picture, they joined us in the phone booth. It was a tight fit, but it was pretty much fun. There was a bar across the street, it wasn't Lynn Dickie's but they did have cold beer, so it was into The Bait Shack we went. The Bait Shack was nice enough, but it was relatively mellow so we decided to continue our search for the elusive Lynn Dickie's.

Our search took us back to Kelly's, as Lynn Dickie's was nowhere to be found and a cold beer was essential to our survival. We actually found someone in Kelly's who was able to tell us where Lynn Dickie's was, it was only a block away. We were so close so now we couldn't wait to go. The reason that no one knew where Lynn Dickie's was is because it was closed. Oh well! We were at a loss. Our loss turned out to be in our best interest. We found Buzzard's Beach, which was a really fun bar and Joni found her calling.

I know Joni to be an athlete, what I didn't know is that she is a keen shuffleboard player. Go Joni! We met Michael, a shuffleboard shark, if there is such a thing and we were hopeful that Joni would be able to put him in his place. Michael was a SERIOUS shuffleboard player and he made it a point to make Fred aware of proper shuffleboard etiquette, apparently Fred wasn't practicing proper etiquette and Michael's advice didn't help. No one ever did beat Michael, even Joni's best efforts weren't enough. She became his protege, he took her under his wing and taught her his 'spinning' technique. She's got the game down.

I suppose we were in the bar a little longer than we realized and were surprised to come out and find thousands of people congregating in the streets. Apparently Westport was the place to be, I know that we had a good time. It was time to go back to the hotel so that we could get up early and go get our Kansas beer before the game.

When people have asked, 'Why Kansas City, there are so many great places to meet up with the Hauck's and you pick KC?', my answer has been easy. Where ever Fred and Joni go they make their own fun. They bring people together and they make things happen. Kansas City was to be no exception. We had a great time, met great people, made some great memories, and were glad to have had the opportunity to meet up with Fred and Joni while they were on the road.

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Sunday August 15th

Kansas City, Missouri with a side trip to Kansas

We all met in the lobby at 10:15 to go across the river for our Kansas beer. Terry, from last night, had given us directions to the Salty Iguana which took us about a half hour to find. Actually it was good to have a recommendation because we did not see any other place open at that hour of the morning. As it turns out the Salty Iguana did not open til noon and since we were all starving we went across the way to eat breakfast. It was a 20 minute wait, so Karen and I waited for a table while Kelly, Ty and Fred went over the store to get tailgating supplies. We heard that the KC Royals fans tailgate before the games although at the rate we were going we would be lucky to get there by game time. It was 12:15 by the time we finished breakfast so while they were paying the tab, I ran over to the the Salty Iguana to get the bartender to line up our beers. Not one of us felt like having a beer, but this was Kansas and this was our only chance. The Salty Iguana had sports figures painted on the wall-there was Magic Iguana, George Iguana, Wilt the Stilt Iguana, Elway Iguana and almost any Iguana you could imagine.

Kauffman Field, home of the Royals is directly beside Arrowhead Stadium where the KC Chiefs play. Together, the two stadiums make an impressive sight. The stadium is very open with water falls in the outfield that turn into water fountains between batters or whenever a Royals player does something impressive. The stadium was built in 1973 and recently received a face-lift. Our seats were in the end rows of the lower level. The overhang obstructed our full view but provided welcome relief from the hot day. Toward the end of the game, we moved down to some empty seats about 15 rows behind home plate.

After the game, we set out to get Chiefs tickets. Talk about timing-they were playing next door at 7:00 and the decision was unanimous to go to the game. Karen and Kelly had never been to a pro football game before. The parking lot was already full of red and yellow shirted Chiefs fans. We got out our paltry tailgate-chips and grapes (next time Karen and I go to the store!) and watched as car after car pulled into the parking lot. An old bus chugged into a space and enthusiastic Chiefs fans poured out. Everywhere we looked colorful Chiefs tents provided shade for groups of fans decked out from head to foot in Chiefs apparel. We ended up being invited to tailgate with Ron, Michael, John and their gang. They were so nice to us, offering us beer and food. They have a group of 40 people from all walks of life who tailgate together for every home game.They were so nice that one of them walked with Fred all the way to the other end of the stadium (taking away from his precious tailgate time) to show him where to get tickets.

Our seats were way up high in the end zone. On the way in, we all got Brats and Beers-great football fare. After half time, we moved down to the fifty yard line behind the Titans bench and we swear that Eddie George waved at Ty.

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Monday August 16th

Kansas City, Missouri to St. Louis, Missouri

Fred and I dropped Karen, Kelly and Ty off at the casino on our way out of town. It was a fun weekend and we were so glad they came to visit.

Our first order of business was to drive smack into a traffic jam. A car was stalled on the side of the road causing traffic to crawl. We hit another 30 minute delay and did not arrive in St. Louis until 5:30. We quickly checked into our hotel and headed out to Busch Stadium. The Phillies are in town for a three game series.

Being in a category with the round concrete stadiums, Busch has a few items which make it unique. Archways all around the top of the stadium add architectural interest. When football games ceased being played there, seats in center field were removed and large manual scoreboards were added to show out of town scores. The stadium is very clean with cup holders and a good choice of food. It is the only stadium I know of that offers Fried Ravioli. Our seats were down the third base line and once again under the overhang. Since the ushers stand guard over the lower level, we went higher for a better view of the field after the seventh inning.

Big Mac Mania is evident all around town. He received a standing ovation every at bat but did not hit any homeruns. Over 40,000 fans attended the game and they were extremely enthusiastic. J.D. Drew received applause every at bat and Ron Gant (used to be a Cardinal, now a Phil) got booed. The Phillies had every chance to win the game but handed it over to the Cardinals with one lousy inning in the 6th. Final score St. Louis-4, Phils-3. Fred wore his Phillies hat but did not receive any abuse from the "Drew Crew". (Fans carried red Drew Crew signs) . Surprisingly, we did not see any other Phillies fans during the game.

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Tuesday August 17th

St. Louis, Missouri

My parents called this morning to tell us the softball team from home lost their play-off game and that they heard the Phillies announcers say hi to our family and friends during the broadcast of the game last night.

We went for a run along the river and into the park where the impressive Arch stands. Fred took a tumble on the cobblestones and was a bloody mess. He scraped up one knee and both hands. Ouch.

When we went to the Cardinals ticket office in the afternoon to get seats for the game, a guy whispered Psst-I have two in the fourth row in the bleacher section for $8.00 each. He told us to put our money on the trash can and pick up the tickets because money could not change hands on stadium property. He also told us that a guy had offered him $100 for a signed baseball by Scott Rolen. Now I understand why some of the players are leery of signing autographs because this guy appeared to be a professional autograph seeker. It's a shame because he ruins it for the real fans.

We went early to watch batting practice hoping to maybe snag a ball. However, even at our seats during the Phillies batting practice, kids and adults were lined up along the front row. We watched for awhile as they yelled for the players to toss them balls. One ball bounced into the stands and came to rest in the hands of a guy sitting about 5 rows behind us who had obviously been watching the kids. All the kids turned around and the guy who caught the ball pointed to one 12 year old boy and said "You". The kid excitedly said, "Me, do you mean me?" "Yes, it's your birthday, right?" the guy asked as he tossed the ball to the kid. Well, that kid was so excited he just kept saying, "I got a ball, I can't believe I got a ball." He turned around twice to thank the guy which impressed me because he had obviously been taught (and remembered) to be polite, rare in a 12-year old boy.

Our seats in the bleacher section provided an interesting view of the game but the batters sure were a long way away. We were hoping to catch a home run ball but no McGwire home run was hit tonight. The Phillies were ahead until the bottom of the eighth when lousy pitching allowed the Cardinals to catch up to within one run. The Phil's went down 1,2,3 in the top of the ninth and then more lousy pitching and an error by Rolen in the bottom of the ninth got the fans riled up. People were on their feet clapping and yelling. The place went nuts when the Cardinals scored to win the game. I must say that the people of St. Louis love baseball. Attendance was over 40,000 for tonight's game.

Same scenario tonight-standing O for McGwire, loud applause for J. D. Drew and boo's for Gant. Final score Cards 6; Phils 5

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Wednesday August 18th

St. Louis, Missouri

This morning we went to the Arch to see the movie on how it was built. What an amazing feat of engineering ability! St. Louis has a nice downtown area with a variety of attractions within walking distance.

Back at the hotel, we had an incident with the elevator which had me just a little freaked out. We got stuck. We walked in, pushed the button for the 4th floor, went up about 2 feet and abruptly stopped with a loud bang. Now that is not such a big deal because we were only about two floors up from the basement. However, we could not get the doors open nor could we get the elevator to move. We pushed the emergency buzzer which rang loudly but no one responded. We talked into the emergency telephone but still no response. I pushed the emergency buzzer again and again and again. I must say that one of our pet peeves in a hotel is not being able to take the stairs and it is the first thing we check. Many hotels, for some reason, do not let guests exit into the lobby and this one was no exception. Meanwhile, back in the elevator, I am now shouting into the emergency phone while Fred is pressing the buzzer at the same time. I was starting to feel just a bit panicky picturing us stuck in there for hours and no one knowing. Finally, security responded and it took three guys to pry the door open. I didn't flip out on the guy, but I insisted he show us the stairs and that is how we got up and down for the rest of our stay.

We spent the evening checking out LaClede's Landing. Fred had been excited about going to LaClede's for months but was extremely disappointed in the number of chains that have taken over. Planet Hollywood's bright blue neon globe was the first thing we saw. Some of Fred's favorite places, the ones with character, were no longer in business.