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                                        MLB ROAD TRIP 2001
                                        2001.4.17  <VOL.6>            Days 1 and 2

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*We are in Seattle

Index

1. Day 1 - Vancouver to Bellingham
2. Day 2 - Bellingham to Seattle, Chuckanut Drive, Our First Game


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Day 1

After weeks of planning and waiting, it had finally arrived. It was Day 1
of our trip. The last thing we needed before leaving was the car - I walked
down to the rent-a-car to pick up the vehicle that would support us for the
next 6 months. Although I had requested a Toyota, the Corolla that was waiting
for me was not that nice and it smelled funny. Fortunately, there was a
Buick Century that was a lot nicer. I drove it a bit, and was suitably
impressed, so I took it (like I had much choice!). I went to pick up Aya and
our 9 suitcases. After loading everything into the car, we were faced with
our first problem - the keys had mysteriously left themselves in the trunk!

Of course, Aya insists that *I* left them there, but I am sure that the
ghosts of road trips past took them from my hand when I wasn't looking!
Thankfully I joined the Canadian Automobile Association which provides
unlocking service for free. 15 minutes after phoning them, we had the keys
back and the trip was FINALLY underway.

It was a slow drive through rush hour Vancouver, but once we reached the
highway, traffic moved nicely. At the border, there was absolutely no cars
in front of us. Of course, when we told the border guy that we were going
to stay in the U.S. for 5 months, he began to question us more closely.
After a couple of minutes of trunk inspection, we had to pull over to
visit immigration, which should have been a mere formality. But when the
immigration guy asked Aya if she had ever had any problems entering the U.S.,
she misunderstood and answered "Only once". The immigration guy was not
impressed with that answer, but before he could arrest us, I told Aya
what the question really meant and she offered a more appropriate answer.
Having been allowed into the country, we continued on to our motel in
Bellingham, about 20 minutes south of the border on Interstate 5.

After checking in, we headed for dinner at Billy McHale's, a Northwest chain
with huge portions of good cheap food. I would recommend to anyone traveling
in the Pacific Northwest to give these guys a try, the McHale's Hardy
Golden Ale is very nice.

The first ended after only 64 miles of driving. This is probably going to be the easiest
day of them all.

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Day 2

It was raining when we woke up. Not surprising for this area of the country.
But after 10 minutes on the road, it was sunny. A sign of things to come today.
Rather than take I-5 all the way to Seattle, we decided to take State Route 11,
also known as Chuckanut Drive from Bellingham to Burlington, about 20 miles.
Chuckanut Drive is a beautiful winding road that takes you along the coast of
Bellingham Bay, affording some magnificent views of the San Juan Islands.
Larrabee State Park, at the north end of Chuckanut Drive, is Washington
State's oldest state park, and is worth a quick stop. You can walk out to
the small cliffs overlooking the bay and enjoy the views as well as the fresh air
that is so hard to come by in the cities these days.

We continued on to Seattle, arriving at noon. My very good friends Kerry and Eric
are putting us up for two nights here, which is a nice way to start the trip.
Even better, Eric is our first official sponsor! His company,C2MM Inc. has generously
donated the use of one cellular phone throughout the trip. Please visit his
webpage at www.c2mmc.com

After unloading our things, it was off to Seattle's most famous landmark, the
Space Needle. Located in Seattle Center, the Needle was built 40 years ago.
At $11, the price is a bit high, but we both thought it was worth it. On
a clear day, the views are spectacular, downtown on the south side, with
Safeco Field just beyond. On the north side is Lake Washington, and to the
west is Puget Sound. Although the weather was not perfect for us, with
showers interrupting the sunny periods, the detailed descriptions of each
landmark as well as free telescopes on the outer deck make a ride up the
Needle worthwhile. While at Seattle Center, you may also want to check out
the Experience Music Project, a new museum dedicated to the history of American
music.

From Seattle Center, we took the monorail downtown. It takes about 90 seconds
and leaves you at Westlake Center, a typical collection of fast food
restaurants and shops. After a forgettable lunch, we headed to Pike Place
Market, a famous marketplace located in the downtown core. From here it was
on to Safeco Field, our first of 30 major league ballparks. It takes about
30 minutes walking down 1st Avenue to reach Safeco from Pike Place. On the way,
yet another rainstorm started, thus forcing me to buy my first souvenir - a Mariner's cap.

We arrived at Safeco just before 4:00. At Safeco, the centerfield gate opens
3 hours before game time, however, fans are only allowed to stay in the
Bullpen Market, a collection of restaurants that included one sushi place,
with an offering called Ichiroll (named after Ichiro, the Mariners latest
sensation). You can also head to the bleachers to try your luck at catching
a batting practice homer. If you are nice, the players may throw a ball
at you as well.

At 5:00, the entire stadium opens. We went our seats, which were superb,
28 rows up between home and first. Then it was down to the dugout to snap
some photos. Carlos Guillen, the Seattle shortstop assigned the difficult
task of replacing Alex Rodriguez, stopped at the dugout steps to sign
some souvenirs. Aya threw her hat down and he signed it! Her first
major league autograph! Thanks Carlos and congratulations Aya - hope you
get many more.

At 6:00 it was time to get food. Aya had a minor league Mariners dog ($3) which
was edible but not as good as the Polish Dog ($4.50) that I had. We also had some
of a pretzel, which was very pretzel-like in both shape and taste.

At 7:00 the game started. And what a great game
to begin the trip. Ichiro led off the Seattle first with a single, but
was quickly caught stealing. But Edgar Martinez reached on an error by
Alex Rodriguez, and John Olerud slammed his first homer of the season,
giving the Mariners a quick 2-0 lead. In the second inning, Guillen came
up with a man on and promptly hit his first homer of the season. Clearly
signing Aya's cap gave Carlos the power he needed to break out of his
slump. It was 4-0 M's. Ichiro singled again, and was caught stealing
again - Ivan Rodriguez is not a catcher to treat lightly.

Although the roof was open when the game started, another rain shower
began. This forced them to close the roof, a very interesting sight -
completely quiet and fast as well. The game continued while the roof
closed, which was very interesting to watch.

After Texas narrowed the lead to 4-2, Ichiro was up again with a man
on second - he singled again, driving in a run and giving Seattle
some insurance. In his final at-bat, he drove a ball to right-center
and legged out his first triple of the season. He later scored
on Alex Rodriguez's second error of the game, giving the Mariners
a 6-4 lead, which Sasaki saved with a perfect 9th inning, including
2 strikeouts. Seattle now leads the majors with an 11-3 record.

With Ichiro going 4-4, Sasaki getting the save, and Aya's new hero
Carlos Guillen going downtown, it was better than we could have
wished for. I only hope that every game has this much excitement.

Finally, congratulations to Barry Bonds who today became the 17th
player in major league history to hit 500 home runs.

Tomorrow is day 3, we hope to take a Safeco tour and see another
ballgame. Thanks to all for reading and talk to you again soon!

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