Final Thoughts on Land of Enchantment

The Land of Enchantment road trip was unlike any other. It became more of an adventure rather than an experience. Like never before, I had to really be flexible and just let the road trip come to me. At the end of the day, it was a wild trip that was incredibly enjoyable and fun.

Two days on the train may sound like a rough experience. But, to be honest with you, it really wasn't that bad. I packed some great snacks, good movies and books, and I slept a lot. I went into the trip with the intention of making the train travel part of the actual vacation itself, so I tried to relax and enjoy myself. I think they constant change of scenery, from train to bus to train to bus to train made the trip seem to go by faster and gave the illusion of constant progress to New Mexico. If I were on one train for two days, my experience may have differed.

Albuquerque is an interesting city. It seemed a little rough around the edges, but there were some really nice parts. I guess it is only fair to compare it to other comparable size, i.e. Triple-A, cities. I think it does well against the Fresno and Tacoma of the world, but it still isn't the type of city I'm jumping up and down about. The Old Town district was pretty cool, and the food there was freakin' amazing, but I got the sense that there was a lot of poverty and depression there. Just looking at some of the houses and businesses, as well as the main drag of Central Avenue, it had almost a worn down feeling.

That being said, I have to admit that I didn't give Albuquerque it's due credit. I was there for a little more than 24 hours, and there are some things that I researched that I wanted to do, but just didn't have time. There are some fantastic natural areas outside of the city that I didn't get a chance to see and enjoy. The realization that it took longer to get to the city than I was actually there for sort of cheated me of the whole gamet of experience. If I were to go back, I'd like to explore some of the Native American cultural sites around the city, the natural scenery of the Sandia Mountains, and the city of Santa Fe.

Maybe it has been all these trips on the road, but I have this allure towards public transportation and walking. It has gotten to the point where if I don't walk or if I don't take public transportation in some way, shape, or form, the trip doesn't seem authentic. You seem to get a different perspective on things when you travel and you are forced to live like a local and exist within the community you're visiting. Having a personal vehicle would have been convenient on this trip (I could have visited those sites outside the city, for example), I would have been sacrificing the grittiness of the travel experience.

Isotopes Park will definitely hold a special place in my heart. It represented my 50th different professional park that I have been to. The enormity of this feat hasn't quite sunk in with me. When I look at the map at the top of this blog, I am amazed at how each pin represents a story and experience that is uniquely different from the next one. I am amazed that in seven seasons of Baseball Road Trips, five of which I have chronicled in blogs, I have gone to that many cities. It is something that I am quite proud of.

To the ballpark itself, Isotopes is probably the best Pacific Coast League park I have been to. I don't think it is better than Durham, NC, but it is way better than Cheney Stadium in Tacoma or Raley Field in Sacramento. I really enjoyed the fact that it was built so big, but was designed for the intimacy needed for a minor league par. I also really appreciated the affordable prices. Definitely a winner in my book.

What would I differently on this trip? Well, first, I would want to spend some more time in Albuquerque. Second, it would have been a lot more fun if I had someone to go with me. I have come on here before and complained about the loneliness, but this trip was all about sharing experiences. I would like to have had someone with me while making all those travel connections and train travel. It would have been nice to have someone to go to the Rattlesnake Museum with and to eat dinner at the Mexican restaurant with. While at the game, I'm able to listen to the radio guys, walking to and from the game with someone to talk to and debrief with would have been enjoyable. I hope that I have laid out to you, through this blog, that these trips are uniquely adventurous and exciting. Maybe I have convinced some of you to come in the future.

It may be Labor Day weekend, but I still have one more Baseball Road Trip scheduled. In three weeks, I'll make my way down to Oakland to see the Athletics play. It won't be a huge ordeal, probably just a weekend, but I'm planning on going to the game, seeing my friend, and trying to squeeze out one last trip of the season.

So, until then...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)