Connor and Dad took a road trip during the last week of June and the first week of July this year! Dad had to drive to SoCal for work, so Connor tagged along for the ride. They left on a Friday afternoon and drive through the night. Connor kept himself occupied watching movies on a laptop and never once complained about the drive.
Along the way, they drove through Colorado, the Utah territory (Connor asked if anyone lived in Utah), Arizona, Nevada, and California.
On Saturday, Connor helped Dad with a little work at one of the jobsites we had to visit. Later that night, Dad surprised Connor with tickets to go see the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Dodger Stadium. They arrived early and watched some of the batting practice. Their seats were directly next to the Angels bullpen and Connor had a great time watching the pitchers. Since Connor was wearing an Angels hat, the bullpen coach/catcher and some of the pitchers were very classy and spent some time talking to Connor throughout the game. Pitcher Darren Oliver even gave Connor a ball. The Angels threw a combined no-hitter that night and lost the game 1-0. A rare and memorable night indeed...
The next day Dad and Connor loaded up the truck and trailer and headed for the beach. They spent a short time chasing the waves before hitting the road for even more surprises. Dad, once again, had tickets to see the San Diego Padres take on the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. They were sitting in Row 1 just beyond the 1st base (Padres) dugout. Petco Park was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Dad and another fan leaned over the wall to grab a foul ball. The other guy came up with the ball, but in a very generous gesture, gave the ball straight to Connor without even thinking about it. Ichiro went 5-5 and the Mariners beat the Pads and All Star Jake Peavy handily. Great game!
From the game, Dad and Connor pointed their truck due East and drove to Flagstaff. The temps reached over 115 during parts of their drive. After staying in Flagstaff, Connor and Dad packed up and headed to the Grand Canyon, what a view! Their stay was brief, but breathtaking. Later that afternoon, they stopped at the four corners. This is the only place where 3 states (Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico) along with the Utah Territory (technically it's a state I've learned). Connor spanned 4 states at the same time...
That night our travelers arrived in Durango, CO to set up another jobsite for Dad's work. They spent the next two days working on the site before heading home via Pagosa Springs for a brief soak in the hot springs. Just what the doctor ordered.
Connor and Dad made it home July 3rd just in time for fireworks and BBQ's! What a great trip!
