Friends, Road Trip & the Baseball Hall of Fame

I love spending time with my friends. I miss my hubby when I do, but being with just the girls for a few days is refreshing.
Kathy & I have been talking about going to Cooperstown seriously for about 3 years. Someday we will go. Well, finally Sunday that happened. I got up on a Sunday morning at 3:30am to get ready for the drive up to New York.  She got to my house at 4:30 & we were off. I did not sleep well Saturday night because I was haveing "visions of all stars dance in my head" OK, not exactly but I was so excited. It isn't a really long drive...4 hours no stops..Yea, right...we are women...there were stops..LOL
We just talked, time just moved on by. We were almost to Albany & I got a text..."text me when you get to Albany" I had no idea whos phone number it was...but it HAD to have been Katy...so I texted back...we're in Albany....the phone rang & yes...it was my old friend Katy. She was only an hour & a half away from Cooperstown so she was driving up.
We got into Cooperstown at the HoF at 9:20am. Got princess parking & could hardly contain  myself. As I got out of the car I felt my eyes watering... I am standing on the same steps that baseball's greats have stood. Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson & the man, The Ryan Express with his unbreakable 7 No Hitters.... & 5,714 strikeouts. I mean Randy Johnson was the closest & he was more than 1000 under him. He was inducted into the HoF in 1999 his first year of eligibility with 491 of 497 votes...With just those 2 records, what idiot would not vote him in, or what 6 idiots?
The actual museum was smaller than I thought, the exhibits are changed through the years but the stuff that matters are always there. There are a couple of "dedicated" rooms...the Babe, Hammerin' Hank Aaron, the incomperable Jackie Robinson. There is a wall of "No, No's..with a game ball & a photo of every pitcher who pitched a No Hitter or Perfect game...I found Kenny Rogers, & next to that was a display of Nolan Ryan, with the 7 hats & balls of his amazing career.
When you walk in & pay, as you turn the corner, it is a darkened room but straight ahead was a statue...the man was young, but I knew immediatly it was Buck O'Neil. Not only a baseball player in the negro leages, but an exceptional man. I had the pleasure of meeting him on more than one occasion & I was in awe. He had an infections smile & heart of gold, He loved & respected the game. I knew it would happen, I got more tears in my eyes.
It took us about 3 hours to tour the second & third floor...saving the Hall of placques for last. We went to eat at a place down the street...the wait staff wore t-shirts & on the back it said "a drinking town with a baseball problem" Cute.
Katy got there & then the 3 of us went back through the top 2 floors then on to the finale...talk about sacred ground...I felt like I should drop to my knees & pray to the baseball God's. I looked at every single placque. Finally got to 1974, there in a corner on top was Mickey Mantle...WOW...he touched that placque..he was greatness. As I walked, I came to 1998...Nolan Ryan. I had to have my picture taken near that.
Well, we had to leave sometime. We went to the Motel...a really cute place called the Lake View Motel. Big room very clean...we just talked for a few hours, catching up...then I was out...of course the first one to fall a sleep. Woke to rain...so the voices of baseball told us to go find a scrapbook store...which we promptly did...a hundred miles away....LOL
It was a great trip overall...I am glad I went & I got to share it with my friends Kathy & Katy. Thanks Ladies.