Hello Target Field, it's nice to finally meet you

When it comes to upcoming events or activities, anticipation has a way of sabotaging our enjoyment of them.

Quick example: The summer before my junior year of college, a few friends and I went to go see "Snakes on a Plane" in theater. Yes, that would be the Samuel Jackson action movie where he does battle against -- you guessed it -- snakes on a plane. Obviously, we weren't seeing it because we thought it would be an epic drama with captivating dialogue; it was because we wanted see Samuel Jackson beat up snakes and spout off his signature line of the movie (just for fun, here's the edited version of it). Because of that (and the fact that we went to a cheaper matinee show), we all thought it was an enjoyable movie.

Conversely, I went to see "J. Edgar" last winter fully expecting it to be an Oscar-caliber film. Critics were panning it at the time, but I figured it had an award-winning director (Clint Eastwood) and one of Hollywood's finest actors (Leo DiCaprio) behind it. On top of that, it was a biopic about one of the most controversial and polarizing figures in American history. How could that miss?

However, after suffering through more than two hours of convoluted storytelling, unexplored plot points and ghastly old person makeup, I began to understand exactly how it could miss. Considering the hype surrounding "J. Edgar" leading up to its release (some thought it would lead to DiCaprio's first Oscar), it was an extreme letdown. I remember leaving the theater frantically texting friends not to see it and debated on whether or not I should ask the cashier for my money back. After thinking about it, I determined that "J. Edgar" was the most disappointing movie I ever saw in theater, a strong statement seeing as how I saw "Batman & Robin" (click here for the gory details).

Now, taking away all the hype and buzz surrounding the two movies, most critics would say "J. Edgar" is a superior movie to "Snakes on a Plane." The acting is better, it's less campy and the main characters have considerably more depth. However, because of the separate expectations I had for the two movies, I enjoyed seeing Samuel Jackson beat up snakes and look cool for 90 minutes more than I did watching a biopic about J. Edgar Hoover -- a weird thing to say when you were a history major in college.

It took two years to finally catch a
game here, but it was worth the wait.

So what does all of this have to do with a blog post about Target Field? Well, as I was getting ready to leave for my much-anticipated bike trip to the Twins' ballpark, I worried that I was setting myself for a "J. Edgar"-esque letdown.

Admittedly, I was pretty pumped for this trip, probably more than I'd been for any other bike trip aside from RAGBRAI. Seeing my first game at Target Field was exciting enough by itself; the fact that I was making a bike trip out of it was just the icing on the cake. I must have packed and re-packed my gear five times the day before leaving and had trouble falling asleep Friday night because I so excited thinking "This is it, I'm FINALLY doing it."

The next morning, the anticipation got replaced -- at least somewhat -- by nervousness, as I woke up and started running through my head all the things that could go wrong.

What if I got lost on an unfamiliar road? What if I got a broken spoke or some other kind of bike malfunction I couldn't readily fix? What if I ran out of water in the middle of nowhere? What if the weather forecasts were wrong and I wound up having to pedal through head winds for 60+ miles? What if it started downpouring and caused the game to get cancelled? What if I couldn't find my parents (who had the tickets) and missed the game because of it?

The video of myself I took of
myself while biking turned out badly,
but I think the photo looks cool.

Some of those issues are things I've encountered on other trips, but this wasn't a regular bike adventure; this was a pilgrimage to see a Twins game. I couldn't go at a leisurely pace and shrug it off if something went wrong. If I got a flat tire or took a wrong turn, I could miss the start of the game or miss it altogether.

I embarked from Faribault bracing myself for anything, but as the ride began to unfold, it soon became clear that my worries were all for nothing. My bike was handling as well as ever, the wind was indeed in my favor and, because of my early departure, the hot temperatures predicted for that day hadn't come to fruition yet. The meticulous route planning also paid off, as I was able to navigate the back roads between Northfield and Farmington and readjust my route when I came across an unexpected dirt road.

Simply put, the ride went splendidly. I made it to Minneapolis with enough extra time to take a quick shower at the Anytime Fitness near Target Field and went to grab a drink with my parents at a nearby pub before the game. I even had enough time the play around with my camera and try to take pictures/videos of myself while biking (the video did not turn out so well, all you see is chin).

My dad and I have been to
a lot of Twins games
together, but this was our
first at Target Field.

The occurrences after the bike ride were equally wonderful. The game was an enjoyable one to watch, with our seats being comfortably in the shade and the Twins trouncing the lowly Chicago Cubs 11-3. Target Field also lived up to the hype I'd been hearing about it since it opened. It's a beautiful stadium to walk through and bask in, complete with breathtaking views of downtown Minneapolis, a bevy of concession options and a number of other quirks that make it unique to Minnesota (the Kasota stone exterior, for example).

Walking around the ballpark, it almost didn't feel like I was watching the same team after spending so many years going to Twins games at the lowly Metrodome. The fact that I got to experience it for the first time with my dad -- the man who introduced me to baseball in the first place -- made it all the more special.

The trip's fun didn't stop once the game was over either. Post-game activities included an outdoors blues festival, a trip to Fulton Brewery and my introduction -- and immediate infatuation -- with Russian Imperial Stout.

While biking over to St. Paul that evening, my friend Nick and I also came across the psychedelic Northern Spark arts festival on the Stone Arch Bridge. Neither of us had any idea what the festival was or why it was clogging bike traffic on the bridge, but considering it featured booming music, puppet shows, eclectic works of art and bikes decked out with everything from Christmas lights to paper- mâché dragon heads, we were at least intrigued.

Yep, the Stone Arch Bridge was
quite a scene on Saturday night.

Once we finally got to Nick's place to crash for the evening (thanks again for the hospitality), I once again found myself laying awake, this time on Nick's futon mattress. Instead of the anticipation and nervousness of the night before, my mind was awash with disbelief:

"Did this day really just happen? Did I actually pull this off and did I EVER expect it to be this cool?"

It is a rare -- and welcome -- occurrence to have something you've built up so much in your head turn out exactly the way you wanted it to. The trip wasn't entirely picture-perfect -- I opted to have Nick drive me back to Faribault the next day instead of biking it due to EXTREMELY ominous weather conditions -- but considering the concerns I had at the start of it, I couldn't be happier.

After all the buildup and anticipation, it was nice to finally say "hello" to Target Field.

******
I was planning on concluding this post with a video of my trip, but since I haven't perfected the art of filming myself while biking, here's a clip of Charlie Parr performing at that blues festival instead. I figure my readership will enjoy hearing his guitar more than they'd enjoy hearing my voice anyway:

Target-ing a bike trip to a Twins game (get it?)

Well, I'm finally doing it. I'm finally going on the bike trip I've been wanting to do for almost two years. A day ride that mixes city trails with country roads, goes past a waterfall and ends with catching a Twins game.

That's right. This coming Saturday (two days from now), I'm hopping on my bike and going to my first game at Target Field.

I mentioned my intent to do this in a post a couple of months ago. Really, it's something I've wanted to do ever since I biked past the Twins' newest baseball cathedral for the first time two summers ago. I love biking and I love baseball, so it only makes sense to combine the two into one glorious ride.

Given my long-standing desire to pursue this trip, one would think that this specific date has been in the works for some time. However, that's definitely not the case. I didn't know I had the weekend off until recently and even then, I wasn't aware that the Twins were in town until I looked up their schedule after being apprised of the unexpected days off.

Even after learning all of that, I still wasn't totally sure I wanted to pull the trigger on the trip. The game is an interleague matchup against the Cubs, and since interleague bouts are considered "premium games," the tickets are more expensive than regular games. Plus the game starts at 1:10 p.m., meaning I'll have to leave my apartment no later than 7 a.m. if I want any chance of biking the 64 miles (bike route here) I need to cover to make it Target Field on time (definitely not a morning person, so that'll suck). On top of all that, Saturday's weather forecast calls for clear skies and high temps, meaning I get to look forward to 90 degree heat and sun bearing down on me for most of the ride.

Those were all drawbacks I had to consider when deciding what to do with the weekend. But after thinking about it, I decided to dismiss them on the basis of something I've come to realize about myself: That I've been too caught up in making excuses not to do the trip instead of just shutting up and doing it. That's why I've been wanting to do the trip for so long but never got around to it; I kept talking myself out of it.

I think that's something a lot of people struggle with when it comes to doing something adventurous or challenging. It's easy to go the "safe route" with things and stay within the comfort of regular routine. It's familiar and you know you have reasonable control over what happens to you.

But if you're anything like me, there's always a small part of you wondering "What else is out there?" or "I want to challenge myself." It's the reason why so many people have a bucket of things they'd like to do and places they'd like to see before they die.

We crave adventure and yearn for challenge, but most of the time, the vast majority of us do little about it. Either we get too caught up in everyday life or we get scared and start making excuses. Or some combination of both.

Sometimes, all it takes to get past that is telling yourself "Screw it, I'm going to go for it," which is exactly what happened to me. It might not be the most planned-out-in-advance trip ever, but sometimes, you have to be spontaneous to break through that wall of self-doubt. (note: The spontaneity is also why this post is being written a mere two days before the trip. I wanted to write about it in advance, but it's hard to do things "in advance" when the decision is spur of the moment)

As an added bonus, I spoke to my dad earlier this week and convinced him and my step mom to join me for the game. Topping that off, my dad told me that the Famous Dave's in uptown Minneapolis has an all-day blues festival going on, essentially planning out my post-game activities for me.

For my regular readers, I'll be packing my laptop and -- internet permitting -- doing Twitter updates throughout the day. If there's some downtime during the day, I'll also try to hammer out a blog entry and possibly post photos/video.

Just typing out this blog entry made me more excited for the trip. Here's hoping for some glorious tail wind.

Contemplating a bike route to Target Field

Yep, this seems liked it'd be
WAY better than the Metrodome.

I have a confession to make: I've never been to a game at Target Field.

It's feels absolutely ridiculous to write that. I've been a Twins fan for as long as I can remember, idolizing Kirby Puckett as a kid and even staying loyal during the dark times of Pat Meares, Marty Cordova and Scott Stahoviak.* During my high school and college years, I went to more Twins games than I could ever hope to keep track of and collected Twins bobblehead dolls to the point where I'm ashamed to print the number of them that I have in my possession.

Alas, working life came between me and the newly-minted baseball gem of downtown Minneapolis. My days off varied from week to week while I worked at the Mankato Free Press and it was almost impossible to coordinate anything with friends who worked more conventional hours (also not big on going to baseball games by myself, it's meant to be a shared experience). Aside from that, tickets became harder to come by once the Twins started calling Target Field home.

The closest I've come to attending a game at Target Field came two years ago, when a friend and I biked past the ballpark while the Twins were playing Baltimore. We were exploring Minneapolis bike trails for the first time and stuck around long enough to check out the monuments around the stadium and marvel at the park's accessibility via bike trails, but it was too late to get a ticket and we had many more things to see that day (pretty much fell in love with the Twin Cities' bike trails that instant, blog entry here).

That experience got my wheels spinning to plan a bike trip up to the cities to see a Twins game. I figured the biking would add a sense of adventure to the trip and make the ballpark experience all the more rewarding once I finally got there. Reading about ballpark cycling adventures like that of Darren O'Donnell last year only increased my interest to do the same.

The trip never quite came to fruition while I was living in Mankato. The aforementioned work schedule got in the way and I kept letting myself get bogged down with other commitments. Eventually, two baseball seasons came and went and I started to wonder if my ballpark pilgrimmage would ever become a reality.

But with a new setting comes new enthusiasm. My new job in Faribault has a much more consistent schedule and pretty much as soon as I accepted the position, I began mapping out routes to Target Field and asking Twin Cities friends what trails to take around the stadium. This year's mild winter also helped stoke the fires of biking for me, as I got an earlier start on long rides and got acquainted with the back roads around Faribault. I did a bike trip to Northfield at the beginning of March and made it all the way up to Farmington a couple of weeks after that.

This past weekend, I took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Sunday and drove up to Farmington to work on another portion of the route: using the bike trails of the southern metro area to get to the more-familiar Grand Rounds trail system in Minneapolis/St. Paul. After browsing Google maps, I came up with this route to Minnehaha Falls.

I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to navigate. In the pre-GPS days, I used to get lost all the time while driving in the cities. It didn't matter if the directions were simple or complicated; I wasn't used to city roads and got rattled in heavy traffic. I figured biking along those roads would be a lot of the same, only without the airbags and seatbelts. However, that wasn't the case at all. There were bike paths on every road I looked at, the trails were clearly labeled and I had no trouble finding Minnehaha or the trail leading from there to Target Field.

Pretty much the only drawbacks of the ride were the long lines for drinks at the Minnehaha diner and the ridiculously steep hill coming out of Fort Snelling on the way back (it was the first time I had to walk my bike up a hill in awhile, I felt slightly emasculated).

The ride probably wasn't necessary from a physical standpoint. The overall distance from my apartment to Target Field is about 55 miles, roughly 1/3 of the distance I rode from Mankato to Lanesboro last summer. It's a challenging ride to be sure, but it's certainly not beyond my skill level as a cyclist.

No, the ride was really more necessary from a psychological standpoint. I've never biked in the Farmington/Apple Valley/Eagan/Burnsville part of the metro area and had no idea how the trails would handle. Getting lost on a back country road with no schedule to keep is one thing, but when you get lost on a busy city street while trying to make it to a Twins game on time, it adds a little more stress to the situation.

After Sunday's ride, I feel like I'm good to go for the trip. I've now biked out all portions of the route at one time or another and have a decent grasp on how long it'll take me to complete it. All I have to do now is put it all together, mix in a baseball game and have a good ride.

At long last, my Target Field drought is coming to an end.

NOTE: I haven't decided on an exact game date yet, but it will more than likely be on a Saturday. I'll post a shorter entry about that once I settle on a day.


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*During the 1996-97 seasons, my dad kept telling me that Stahoviak would become the next great power hitter for the Twins and erupt for 40-something home runs someday. He was out of baseball by the end of 1998 and finished with 27 career home runs. To this day, I'm still not sure whether dad was just trying to be funny or was clinging to hopeless optimistism during a dreary time for Twins fans. Not-so-fun fact from that era: The Twins' top home run hitters from 1996-99 combine for less homers (68) than Mark McGwire hit by himself (albeit controversially) in 1998.