Texas Two Step - Day 4 -12 July - Miami to Tampa

Today we started out at 8:00 as we had a long drive across the state of Florida and up to Tampa. The game plan was to get to the hotel by 3 so we we would have enough time to drop luggage and get set for the game. The drive was fairly nondescript with 4 lane interstate lined with palm trees.

We drove to Punta Gouda where we had lunch. We had a choice of Arby’s, Five Guys, Subway inside a Walmart (like that was going to happen), or a Culver’s.

We opted to try Culver’s and it was a very good choice. Their signature burger is a Butter Burger and it was delicious. They serve the burgers in a basket with fries. The fries were crinkle cut ones and they came out piping hot. You order and they bring the food to you. It was a fairly quick stop and we headed back to the road. 

Nearing Tampa we finally saw some water and made us realize we really were in Florida. 

Plans worked well and we did get into our hotel as planned. There are some real constraints for drivers so we had to leave promptly at 4 so that Mario could get back and get his requisite amount of rest. We took the opportunity to get our gear organized for tomorrow and figuring out the solution to the insane bag policy at Truist Stadium in Atlanta. This meant that we got to the vicinity of Tropicana Stadium about an hour before the gates opened. We had the option of walking and standing in the heat or dropping into a bar for dinner and a beer. It is so hot here, which confirms my decision to never want to live here. 

Terry M, a friend from Pittsburgh whom we met on our West Coast tour joined us at Ferg’s and we had a beer and a Cuban sandwich. 

 Ballpark #23 - While we eating, Steve, the owner of Diamond Baseball Tours, stopped by the table to see how things were going. He actually lives in Dallas, but has relatives in the area. We chatted for quite a while and he walked with us over to Tropicana stadium. 

I got my passport page signed and we walked the concourse of the stadium. There were actually so rays in a tank that you could pet if you were so inclined. We passed. Got to our seats and we were right in the middle of the action. I felt like I could have been the ball girl as close as we were to the field and bullpen of the Red Sox.  It is such a blessing that the stadium, like loanDepot Field are domed and air conditioned. It was a very good game, with the Rays beating the Sox, much to the dismay of Kristi, our tour leader.  

Pool of Rays

The Sox Bullpen

We kept an eye on the Pirates who were playing the Marlins again. They brought home their 4th  win in a row. 

Back to our hotel around 10:30 and proceeded to stash our clothes into the suitcase and flopped into bed for our little nap. I set the alarm at 2:15 a.m. which would give us time to shower and be ready to load luggage at 3:15.