Baseball Cities Tour

August 5th – Could not have had a hotter day for this game! It was an afternoon game and we were sitting the sun all afternoon. First disappointment was that although we arrived well before the start of the game, Monument Park was closed for the day by the time we got inside the stadium. Alex Rodrigez had hit his 500th home run the night before this game but we did get to see a milestone – Hideki Matsui hit his 100th home run as a Yankee.

August 2 & 3rd - Having a few days between ballgames, we decided to spend them in Gettysburg, PA. We had one day to enjoy the battlefields so we started at the Gettysburg Battlefield National Military Park Visitor Center and attended the Electric Map presentation. This provides a great overview of the July 1 – 3rd battles at Gettysburg that were the turning point in the Civil War. Then we drove the Auto Tour Route through the battlefields. We made only a few stops along the way. Next time, we will definitely take a guided tour. Before returning the rental car the next day, we stopped at Land of the Little Horses. It was a great stop. Although the little horses are the attraction, they also have several other animals there – emu, llamas, goats, peacocks, dogs to name a few. We watched the Show and saw the “Horse with the Human Brain” – this little horse does math & it was amazing.

July 31 – It was so easy to get to this stadium from where we were staying we were there much quicker than we had anticipated. Only problem was there wasn’t much to see or do in the immediate area so we just walked around the outside of the stadium and waited for the gates to open. The ceremonial first pitch we thrown by the President of the PGA America, Brian Whitcomb. Geico sponsors the Presidents Race where Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt race (graphically) around DC and finish along the first base line. The race was interrupted briefly when 3 of them decided to try putting before finishing the race. Next year this team is getting a new ballpark so we will have to return for a game in there. This one will remain the home of the Major League Soccer team – DC United.

July 30th – Having a day between games, we decided to drive to Mount Vernon. George Washington’s home has been beautifully maintained and restored. This is not a National Park. It is has been owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association since 1858. We spent most of the day there walking the grounds after we toured the Mansion.