Surprise!

I'm at a baseball game! But that should come as no surprise.

I'm In Surprise, Arizona for one 1 of 2 on the day.

Behind the dish, Orioles uber phenom, Matt Wieters.

The Arizona Fall League

The photo here is in Scottsdale. Earlier yesterday I saw a game in
Peoria.

A number of factors play into this being a baseball lover's paradise:

-gorgeous, always sunny, blue skies, slightly windy, 80 degree weather

-two showcase games/day of the best minor league prospects in baseball

-$6 tickets for seating ANYWHERE in the ballpark

-no crowds, meaning no overwhelming obnoxious Yankee or Red Sox fans

-fighter jets roaring overhead during games

-Snyder, Reimold, Matusz, and Wieters

-and no walkout songs, promotions, advertisements, mascots, or the
wave... Just baseball

It doesn't get much better than this.

Question, What Kind Of Bear Is Best?

Photographer, Andrew Ireland got very close to this beast in Grand Teton NP. In the process he pardoned the Ranger's repeated requests to exit the area. Copyright 2008

Animal Sighting Update

Here's a follow up post to an earlier entry on the different animal sightings throughout the trip.

Additional sightings:
Coyote - 2
Black bear - 2!
Elk - rutting season - Hundreds spotted at Mammoth Hot Springs in
Yellowstone
Moose - not as many as desired
Rabbit
Elephant Seals - PCH
A Bald Eagle
Sheep - standard farm style
Zebra - on a cattle ranch... and no, I don't have a photo
Llama
Salmon - leaping a cascade in Olympic NP on their way up stream. Most were unsuccessful, but to see this was a big thrill.
All kinds of other squirrels, birds, chipmunks, and other varmints

Pictured above are Pronghorn and copyright of Andrew Ireland 2008

Move, Lady!

Photo is out of order, but I forgot to post it yesterday. These waves
rolled over the highway.

Phoenix Tonight

The one and only for the road ahead.

That's A Lot Of Beans

Snuck this photo for your viewing pleasure.

Other highlights included the taste testing bar where you could try
any type of Jelly Belly. This was all free by the way.

We all had to wear goofy chef hats on the tour for some reason. And
we were told not to take them off. One guy looked homeless and was
dressed in a Scottish kilt of some sort. Actually I think it was just
a dark towel.

At the end I purchased a bag of the "belly flops" which are the
deformed beans. They will provide me with nourishment for the rest of the trip.

Jelly Belly

A quick stop yesterday going south from Sacramento to Monterey took me to Fairfield, home of the Jelly Belly, the world's greatest gourmet
jelly bean.

Quick sidenote: I saw an interstate sign on I-80 that said Ocean City, MD 3037 miles!!!! What a find. Unfortunately, I could not get a photo.

Back to the candy:

Popularized in the early 1980's when it was then discovered as the
preferred candy of President Ronald Reagan. It was said that he ate
the beans to help kick his pipe smoking habit. As a result the candy
manufacturer cought on and created the blueberry jelly bean to complete a Red, White, and Blue pack to sell during election time.
They even made a customized canister to fit in Air Force One for his
majesty. Reagan's favorite was the licorice bean, but that's only
number two in the hearts of the American people. Number one is Very
Cherry and number three is Buttered Popcorn. If you ask me, it's Birthday Cake.

Filling the air on this day were sweet smells of citrus. We were told
that the production line was working on a batch of lemon.

Other than the wide variety of flavors, what makes Jelly Belly's so
much better than its other confectionary rivals is that the flavor is
not only captured in the bean's shell. Flavored juices and purees are
locked into its core giving it that unmistakeable taste and the unique
candy eating experience.

Hundreds Of Elephant Seals

Flippin and flappin all over the Point Piedres Blancas beach.

And it smells awful.

The Big Sur

I camped at the Big Sur River last night and now I'm making my way
down the coast.