HANK ARRON STADIUM AND CHILDHOOD HOME & MUSEUM

ALABAMA WEEK 2: HANK ARRON STADIUM AND CHILDHOOD HOME & MUSEUM

First, I want to start off by saying I did not give Azalea Acres a fair review. Just a few lines and not even hitting the surface of everything at the RV park. I'll post a full review in a few days. Second, my Google Picasa web album is full (only 1 GB is free after that I have to pay for more space)so I have to delete old pictures to post new ones. Doing this I hope to free up some room in the photo album so I can still post pictures in my newer post. Nothing will change in the old post except the pictures will no longer be there. 

29 Nov

Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum

755 Bolling Brothers BLVD

Mobile, AL 36606

(251)479-2327

*Note - I have added links to the players name so you can view if you don't know them.

Today, we headed west and took the drive over the bridge into Mobile, AL. We arrived a little after 10:00 am at Hank Aaron Stadium and Childhood Home & Museum. Hank Aaron Stadium is the home of Mobile Bay Bears Back 2 Back Southern League Champions (2011 & 2012) and the AA affiliate of Arizona Diamondbacks.  The street address number is a play on his total MLB home runs 755.  We walked into the team shop and the worker was wearing a Kent State sweatshirt and asked if he went there too and he said yes. We started talking about Andrew Chafin (Kent State Baseball player and  2011 MLB First round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks) who started the season off good and made the all star team but finished the season on the downside. I think after spring training he will remain at advance A Visalia Rawhide and might get a call up mid to late season to Bay Bears. We asked if we could see the filed and they let us in to take pictures. From the parking lot I was impressed, when I saw the field I was surprised that the club suites were on the field level with a netted fence from first base dugout to third base dugout, then I noticed that the average fan has no field level seats. There is an upper section where the average fans sit. I don't like it, there is no place for the fans to interact with their favorite players to ask for autographs and at the end of an inning where the player returns to his dugout and throws the ball into the stands it would be kind of hard with the netted fence. When I return to see an actual game, my experience might be different. Never the less, for a AA stadium I would have expected better. We then, ask to enter Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum. The gate and doors was still locked and when they let us in the alarms went off, the worker ran out to make a call (I guess it was to call the security company). Aaron's house was moved and now sits right next to the stadium with all seven room having enclosed cased memorabilia of Hank Aaron's baseball career, family belongings, his kitchen as it would have looked and there is also a standing up locker with his brother Tommie Aaron (who also played major league baseball). When you first walk in to the house there is a video by Hank Aaron himself inviting you into his home and a short interview about his childhood and how he became a baseball player. The tour path in the house is a "S" shape that lead to the back room where it showcases his 715 home run surpassing Babe Ruth for (at the time) all time MLB home run king and the video clips of the home run. [Sadaharu Oh (NPB- Nippon Professional Baseball) is the still the world home run king with 868] I still have to go to Turner Field (home of the Atlanta Braves) where there is a maker in the parking lot of where his 715 home run landed.

This is NOT my own picture. I got this picture from  drei.mlbolgs.com

When I visit Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves I will take my own picture. I just want to show you what I was talking about.

30 Nov

Tonight was steak night at American Legion Post #44, about 50 minutes from RV park. The steak meal came with salad, potato and toast with one soda drink for $12.25. When our order was called our jaws dropped because how big the steak was. We have had steak dinners from other American Legions and this is by far the biggest steaks we ate. The club in not private to club members only, it's open to the public. I did not even have to show my membership card, but they were glade to welcome out of state members. Dinner was from 5:00 - 7:00 pm with live music from 7:00 - 11:00 pm. There are dinner all week long, none on the weekend (from what I saw on the event calendar).  Around 6:30 pm the place was packed. I was fighting a headache so we did not stay for the live music. I think we will be attending more Friday night steak night in the coming weeks.

On our way back to the RV park there was Christmas lights up in the town park so we pulled over, walked around and took some pictures. There was no fee to enter like other parks we have seen advertising for $15 a person to enter.

SPECIAL: 500 VIEWS

In just two and a half months I have reached 500 views. First, I want to thank everyone that made this possible.  Second, I never thought this would happen so soon. I post this blog mainly to keep family and friends up-to-date with our RV adventures and try to inspire others with ideas to take their own trips. The down side to the 500 views is I have zero comments. I have set the comments for anyone to ask (I hope I did it right), not just for my followers. I try and post pictures along with website links to the places we visit (to help viewers conduct their own research) along with my feedback to allow viewers to fully understand our adventures.

For those that read my blog in the past, I'm still having troubles loading videos to this site. My camera records in .MOV format and when I try and post the video the uploading times out an cancels the upload. I will continue to work on this to get it to work. If anyone has ideas or knows how to do this, please post in comments.

Next goal 1,000 views!

ALABAMA WEEK 1: THANKSGIVING

We have moved our RV about an hour over the state line to Azalea Acres RV Park in Robertsdale, AL. Azalea Acres RV Park This is an adult only RV park, weather is about the same as Pensacola, other campers are friendly and there is always some kind of actives going on daily. The cost is almost half the price as Blue Angles RV park so there is more money in my pocket. 

Because it's Thanksgiving week we did not do much driving around. We did go to local farm markets and local shops, but no big chain stores to stay away form the Black Friday shopper. We also found spring water to refill our gallon jugs. The campground had Thanksgiving dinner for all and there was lots of food. 

Everyone showed up and the parking lot is full.

The rest of the week we stayed most of the time on the campground planning our next week trips for sightseeing. There is one place I'm really excited to go, Hank Aaron Childhood Home and Museum in Mobile, AL. I also heard that Hank Aaron Stadium (AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks) is close by so I will have to stop there too.   

**NOTE**

I'm only 20 views away from 500 and I should reach that goal by next week post. 

FLORIDA WEEK 4: PENSACOLA BEACH and GULF ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE

14 Nov

First we completed the lighthouse tour we started a few weeks ago. We could not climb the steps, because we were wearing flip flops. So today we returned to climb the 177 steps to the top of the lighthouse. The view was beautiful, you could see for miles. Gulf of Mexico with white sand beaches on one side, Blue Angels airstrip on another and downtown Pensacola skyline on the other. The wife was so excited to go to the top, when she did she got nervous. It took her awhile to get go outside and walk around the lighthouse. Finally, she waked around hugging the wall all the way around and then went back inside soon. She always want to stop and see lighthouses, but this was the first time we could climb to the top. I don't think we will be climbing any more lighthouses.

For lunch we went to Joe Patti for sushi. It is a fish market with a sushi bar in the back.

http://www.joepattis.com/

While waiting for the sushi to get made we was looking at the travel book and saw that Pensacola Beach was close and decided to make it part of our day. There was a 3 mile bridge we had to cross to get on Gulf Breeze and a smaller bridge to get to the Pensacola Beach town. It was $1 to get into the town, but free to go out. We got lucky and the weather was nice, but still to cold for anyone to be on the beach or in the water. We did walk up and down the beach and picked up some seashells.  

http://visitpensacolabeach.com/

Not sure if you can see it, but "PENSACOLA" is spelled out in seashells.

As you read my post in the future you will find out I LOVE BASEBALL. If it's MLB (Majors), MiLB (minors), NCAA(College) or NPB (Japanese) and if I have a chance to see a game or stadium I will, and I'll talk about it. On our way from Joe Pettis to Pensacola Beach we passed the Pensacola Blue Wahoos stadium I had to stop to take a look. The stadium opened in 2012 and are the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Even though it's only a AA team the stadium reminds me of a smaller San Francisco Giants stadium with it's water front structure Blue Wahoos Stadium. For those who do not know, Billy Hamilton all time single season Stolen Base record of 155 in 2012 Billy Hamilton Stats (he is leading the Arizona Winter League in SB [10]), is one of the players on the team. After spring training he is more than likely to be assigned to AA and on our way out of Florida I will make a stop and see him in a game and try to get his autograph on a baseball.

16 Nov

We have decided to move our RV to Alabama and stay there for at least one month. The weather is about the same and the RV park is cheaper and they have activities to do. We had one last place on our checklist and it was Gulf Island National Seashore with Fort Pickens. Another national Park stamp in my passport book. The Gulf Island National Seashore is on Gulf Breeze and there is no entrance fee. There is a video about 45 minutes long and exhibits to look at. There is also a path to walk, but we did go because the temperature was in the mid 50's and strong winds alone the seashore. Besides, we had to get to Fort Pickens by 2:00 pm for the guided tour. Fort Pickens is on Pensacola Beach. There is $1.00 toll both to enter Pensacola Beach and $8.00 per car to enter Fort Pickens. Active Duty military is free, sorry no retired military discounts.
                     Gulf Island NS       Fort Pickens   

When driven on the park road the with sand blown across the road and looks like back home in the winter snow. We also braved the winds to get a picture together on the beach with the Gulf of Mexico behind us. We arrived 10 minutes before the tour started, so we waited inside the visitor center to keep warm. The tour had about ten people and took about 45 minutes. The guide knew I was retired Navy with a Japanese wife and he informed us that he was retired Navy and was stationed three years in Japan. he was also very informative of the Fort and told stories of the Fort during the Civil War. Around 1887 Fort Pickens was the home to a famous Bedonkohe  Apache prisoner of war named Goyahkla <One who yawns> aka Geronimo. On our way back I had to make a stop at the beach to collect some sand. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I got it anyways.