OKRoads -- Roadtrips -- Spring Training 2004 Roadtrip

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Spring Break is a wonderful time in any college student's life. It is a break from the many struggles of academia and is a wonderful opportunity to get out of wherever it is you live and go someplace warm. This year, I will go on a roadtrip for the fourth consecutive Spring Break. The tradition of Spring Break roadtrips began for me in 2001, when my best friend and I went to Dallas, back when I considered that a long drive. In 2002, I went on the first ever "official road scholar" roadtrip, as I drove all of the turnpikes of Oklahoma from beginning to end. Last year, I went to Delaware to visit friends, which really began the long roadtrips!

During Spring Break 2004, I went to Arizona to see some Spring Training baseball games. I have always wanted to do this, and this year, things finally worked out to where I was able to go. So on Friday, March 12, at 2 pm, just 70 minutes after my final class ended before the break, I left Oklahoma City by going south on Interstate 35, and I drove to Ft. Worth on that day. Saturday, I went from Ft. Worth, west on Interstate 20 to its western end (which also means I clinched that interstate on that day!), and then took Interstate 10 West to Van Horn in middle of nowhere west Texas. Sunday, March 14, I took Interstate 10 West to El Paso, where I went to morning church services, then went on to Tucson, where I spent two nights.

I arrived in Tucson Sunday afternoon. Monday morning, I drove Interstate 19 end-to-end in both directions, and then that afternoon, I saw my first spring training game when the Chicago White Sox took on the Colorado Rockies in Tucson.

Tuesday morning (3/16), I left Tucson and went to Phoenix, where I spent three days and three nights in the Valley of the Sun. Tuesday afternoon, I saw the San Francisco Giants vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. Wednesday morning, I drove some of the local freeways of Phoenix before taking in a game featuring the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. Thursday morning, I finished driving the freeways of the Phoenix area that I didn't see the morning before, and then I saw my final game when the Oakland Athletics take on the Kansas City Royals. Thursday night, I saw an NHL hockey game when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Phoenix Coyotes. Go Red Wings!

Friday morning (3/19), I left Phoenix on Interstate 17 and headed towards Flagstaff. From there, I went east on Interstate 40 to Albuquerque. And, finally, on Saturday, I went from Albuquerque to Home Sweet Home.

Day by day:
Friday, March 12 - Drove 195 miles from Oklahoma City, OK to Fort Worth, TX | Pictures
Saturday, March 13 - Drove 545 miles from Fort Worth, TX to Van Horn, TX | Pictures
Sunday, March 14 - Drove 465 miles from Van Horn, TX to Tucson, AZ | Pictures
Monday, March 15 - Drove 170 miles on a sidetrip along Interstate 19 | Pictures
Tuesday, March 16 - Drove 152 miles from Tucson, AZ to Phoenix, AZ | Pictures
Wednesday, March 17 - Drove 219 miles on a sidetrip around Phoenix | Pictures
Thursday, March 18 - Drove 143 miles on another sidetrip around Phoenix | Pictures
Friday, March 19 - Drove 477 miles from Phoenix, AZ to Albuquerque, NM | Pictures
Saturday, March 20 - Drove 559 miles from Albuquerque, NM to Oklahoma City, OK | Pictures