I’d rather have a bear in my tent than a spider
Even the fish in Wisconsin are Packers fans.
By Daren Many
SLINGER, Wis. — Anyone who really knows me is aware of my fear of spiders. Spiders suck.
So when I woke up this morning to find this in my tent I basically flipped out and started wondering where our Louisville Slugger was. Then I remembered last night. So without a weapon I decided the four hours of sleep I had was plenty and proceeded to jump out of my tent in a fashion usually reserved for people being burned alive.
This was our first night in Wisconsin.
I think it’s important to mention a few things about our journey between Kansas City and Milwaukee. First off, thank you to our host in St. Louis. Will was an amazing host and had even more amazing stories. Take for example this classic:
One day Will walks into Wal-Mart to buy some random stuff. As he’s wandering up and down the aisles he is witness to a woman who has just collapsed on the floor. A small crowd gathers around the woman trying to digest what just happened as well as dial for help. Will, who is not a doctor, offers the following diagnosis of her condition:
“Must have been the falling prices” to which the woman’s husband replies, “That’s my wife you Mother $#&!^%.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. A classic line that deserves to be put on a marble rock somewhere. Anyway, thanks Will for all your hospitality and advice about our project. Will is one of those guys that you genuinely hope you will see again someday.
St. Louis was interesting in that you were never quite sure if you liked it or not. The stadium was great. The surrounding city had the downtown feel of most cities but you couldn’t quite grasp any kind of uniqueness until you got down by the arch.
Now I assumed the arch would be like a lot of overly large monuments that cities sometimes think they need to stand out. It wasn’t that at all in my mind. It was large but you felt the symbolism as you looked across towards downtown on one side and the flooding Mississippi on the other. The museum under the monolith told the story even better. The ride to the top of the arch was horrifically claustrophobic at best. Will likened it to riding in a washing machine. I have never actually gotten in a washing machine but I would assume by my time with Will that he would actually know this first-hand. The view was great from the top and made me forget that I just went 600 feet up into the air in a whirlpool front loader.
Back to Wisconsin. I can’t believe people that grew up only a day’s drive from my hometown can sound so different. It was incredible. It’s like I went to bed and woke up in the movie Fargo. We spoke to some Brewers fans when we were in Denver and they let it be known that Brewers fans are the tailgating elite. After spending the day in Milwaukee I have no arguments. The parking lot at Miller Park held up to the name on the Stadium. It was the closest thing to a football game I have seen so far.
We’re spending tonight in Wisconsin but it will be off to Michigan tomorrow. We’re also hoping to catch the ferry across Lake Michigan to save gas and get a little reprieve from the road. A couple things before I sign off.
One, how come every time I need a specific article of clothing out of my suitcase it’s at the bottom nearly 100 percent of the time? It’s like the clothes know I’m coming and they burrow to the bottom.
Second, as Troy mentioned in his blog, I just bought a CD. They’re like small records if you haven’t seen one in a while. I thought Coldplay was one of the best bands this decade before I bought “Viva la Vida.” Now I think they’re one of the best bands ever. It’s brilliant. Normally I wouldn’t have a music review in my blog but this thing is so good I had to say something.
Mets: 3.5 games back.
(There’s more on this and our other adventures at BaseCrawl.com.)
June 23, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I agree, and think your blogs are hilarious! Keep them coming and keep up the hard work!
June 23, 2008 at 5:39 pm
P.s. I remember your very real hatred of spiders….I can picture u frantically jumping about…nicely done…