City: Omaha, Nebraksa
Food of the day: Half Pound Fire Grill Burger @ Stokes Grill & Bar
iPhone song of the day: "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw
Miles traveled: 20
There are certain days of the year that are tougher to be away from home than others, and today definitely falls into that category. Today the nation celebrated Father's Day, a chance for sons and daughters to pay tribute to the men who played such a significant role in their lives as a mentor, role model, wrestling partner and friend.
In actuality, I "blame" my Dad for me being on this trip. Since my conception, he has raised me as an avid sports fan....especially when it comes to the wonderful game of baseball. But that's not the only thing he's taught me during my 25-plus years. My Dad has set the ideal example for me on both a personal and professional level, always asking me for my best, not allowing me to make excuses or to form regrets and driving home the fact that first impressions are crucial, that articulating and speaking crisply and firmly is essential and that even though the initial pain might sting, you'll always get over a girl.
I honestly do consider myself to be the luckiest son in the world to have a father (and a mother) who is also my best friend. The laughs and memories that we've shared during our time together would undoubtedly equate to multiple lifetimes of a common father-son relationship. Because he supports me unconditionally, I know he'll be reading this at some point, so Dad....Happy Father's Day and thanks for everything. I love you.
As for the daily happenings in the world of the Road Trip, Sunday was an off day for us, which allowed me the opportunity to meet up with and spend the day with a friend with whom I have a very unique and special relationship with. Sara Bailey and I clicked as buddies during our time at Murray State, and I have always appreciated her loyalty as a friend and dedication to keeping in touch and her sincere concern for my well-being and success.
Since she lives in Lincoln, Nebraska (about an hour from Omaha), she made the drive down this morning so that we could visit and catch up. Luckily the expected storms in the area occurred and passed through in the morning, since our main plan included the Omaha Zoo. By the time we made our way down Highway 80 around noon, the weather was perfect and allowed us to follow through with our trip. The zoo is located directly across the street from Rosenblatt Stadium, so imagine the chaos on those side streets with thousands of people packing the streets for the World Series games, and hundreds of families lining up to enter the zoo on Father's Day.
We eventually made our way inside after getting an amazing parking spot, which I'm convinced we could have sold for about $50. Sara and I started off our visit by catching the IMAX film "Wild Ocean 3D" on the giant screen (not as big as the St. Louis IMAX, as Sara pointed out) inside a relatively empty theatre. The movie was actually very good, even though we had to wear these exaggeratedly oversized 3D glasses that made us look like the love children of Orville Redenbacher and that old dancing guy from the Six Flags commercials.
Following the flick, we began our trek around the giant zoo grounds, and proceeded to visit every exhibit and to see every animal possible during our near four and a half hour stay. Sara was not a big fans of the insects or the sharks, but did enjoy the penguins and the monkeys (see a video below of some of the monkeys in action). Some of the highlights included an elephant that had fallen asleep standing up while leaning against a huge row of wooden posts, me holding and feeding various birds on my fingers, a trip through the "Desert Dome," which is the large structure that is visible behind the right field wall of Rosenblatt during games on ESPN, Sara mistaking African Hunting Dogs for Hyenas and the lions.
After the two of us had successfully walked about five miles of steep upward hills and sweat ourselves into states of uncomfortableness, we decided that we had conquered the Omaha Zoo. Seriously though, this was one of the best I've ever been to. They feature every animal imaginable and every internal structure included layouts and artificial habitats that were very, very impressive.
Hungry and looking to cool off, we drove downtown to the Old Market area, a neat part of Omaha that has cobblestone roadways, shops and an array of interesting restaurants and cafes. We chose Stokes Grill & Bar and it really hit the spot. I don't know what it is about fountain cherry cokes, but I am sucker for them. After initially ordering a water, I saw a "Black Cherry Cola" drink listed, and I couldn't contain myself from getting one. I'm pretty sure it was on the kid's portion of the menu, but I don't care. I proceeded to down it in about four solid drinks and resisted from an ordering another one when our half surprised, half disgusted waitress returned to find that it was already gone.
Following a fulfilling meal and some good conversation, Sara brought me back to the hotel so that she could get back home. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and was happy that my travels allowed me to be so close to a friend who is normally so far away! Tonight I watched Tiger do his thing at the U.S. Open (didn't I mention yesterday that he's pretty good?) and actually was able to access the Internet from my room for about two hours until the network decided to take long nap yet again. *Sigh*
Tomorrow the "Nate Squared" duo rejoins the team after their weekend excursion to Kentucky, and hopefully our plans will include watching the 18-hole playoff between Tiger and Rocco Mediate for the U.S. Open Championship. Until then, I am going to enjoy my last night of going solo in my own bed and look forward to reporting back to you again tomorrow.
Have a great Monday folks. And if you didn't do it today, please take a moment now to call your parents and thank them for everything they've done for you.
Holler if you hear me (that's for you Belmonte),
Christopher
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