SONORAN DESERT: A Photo Essay

We've been exploring this area here on The World on Wheels for the last week.  Here are some images of this area that straddles some of the most unforgiving, yet beautiful, border area around.  

Civil War re-enactors in Julian, California.  

Infamous canal that created the Salton Sea at the Border, Los Algodones, Mexico

Colorado River separating Yuma, Arizona and Winterhaven, California

Yuma Territorial Prison, Yuma, Arizona

Calipatria, the lowest town in the Western Hemisphere

Date garden near the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea

Anza Borrego State Park, California

Borrego Springs, California

Sunrise over the desert

Offroaders in the desert

Coachella, California

Scottsdale, Arizona

Spring Training, Tempe, Arizona

Darryl
Copyright 2010 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

FIELDS OF DREAMS - Tempe Diablo Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

I find it kind of ironic that the Angels play in a stadium named after the devil, but that's their home facility for Spring Training.  In fact, when their pre-season games are televised, it's on Diablovision...that would be Devil vision for the espanol impared.

From Tim's Sports World come the stats:

Tempe Diablo Stadium

Tempe, AZ

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Brian Halvorsen under CC-BY 2.0 License

Opened: 1968
Renovated: 2002
Surface: Grass
Capacity: 9,315 (includes disabled seating, lawn seats, suites and temporary bleachers)
Field Dimensions: Left Field-340 feet, Right Field-360 feet, Center Field-420 feet, Left Center-400 feet, Right Center-400 feet
Home Teams: Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers 1969-1972, Seattle Mariners 1977-1993, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (MLB Cactus League Spring Training) 1993-Present
Events Attended: A morning workout before a game a couple years ago. All of the major stars were there, including Vladdy (Vladmir Guerrero - Ed).

Thanks for the info, Tim.

For wheelchair users, the rim around the top of the field level is where you'll sit.  It's a small stadium by Cactus League standards and the views are excellent.  You will find a ramp on both the 1st base and 3rd base sides when going in by home plate. 

1st Base Coach Alfredo Griffin Tosses Balls to the Spectators

If you go to watch the workout in the morning, it's free and you can get a pretty up close look at the stars but you'll have better luck getting autographs in the parking lot as the players move between fields for different workouts.  Sometimes the coaches will autograph shag balls and throw them up into the stands for the fans.

For Spring Training games, ticket prices range from $10 to $34.

The stadium is served by accessible public transportation via Valley Metro's 48 line bus.  The 48 bus also connects with the new light rail system at the Valley Way/College Avenue station.

Next week, the real fun begins...baseball season in the states starts on Wednesday (two games have already been played in Japan) and the Angels home opener in Friday, April 6th when Albert Pujols makes his official debut as a Halo when they host the Kansas City Royals.

-Darryl

THE THINGS WE SEE...

on our travels.

Los Angeles Angels Spring Training in Tempe, Arizona.  That's Vladimir Guererro leaning over the bucket.