Driving, sight-seeing, and spilled beer

We began the day with a 6-mile morning run along the Ohio River - beautiful! We cleaned up, packed up and hit the road to drive from Cincinnati to Chicago.

This has become a familiar sight on the trip - many hours have been spent in this truck!

Trent regrets bringing his Garmin GPS! He has to put up with me trying to improve the projected arrival time at our destination. Here you see me racing the Garmin.

After arriving in Chicago we parked the truck near Wrigley Field and rode the subway into downtown Chicago (the public transportation here is terrible!). Here you see me and Trent catching some sights near the Chicago River.

Lunch at Giordano's. This is the affect ESPN has on us - we are captivated.

Have you ever seen self portraits like these...


And finally...
Wrigley Field! The Mecca of baseball stadiums. Perhaps the most exciting event of the night was in the 3rd inning when Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee hit a home run right at us. The ball bounced off several hands before sneaking into the row behind us about eight feet away. Due to a missed opportunity earlier this season at a major league baseball, I was not timid to do what was necessary to come away with the prize. I dove down the bench and began jostling and groping incessantly with about 6 other guys to find and grasp the ball. Within a short moment another fan emerged holding the ball. When I came to my senses and found my way back to my seat I realized the damage that had been done. Beer now soaked my hair and back. And since it was only the third inning, all I could do was let the brew dry while I enjoyed the remainder of the game.

I did not come away with the ball, but we had a great time nonetheless. Cubs win 8-4!