Visiting 'THE FIELD OF DREAMS' During an Awesome Summer Roadtrip

in #blog6 years ago (edited)

Field of Dreams 1.jpg
("Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa")


Ball Diamond.jpg

Last summer my girlfriend of the past 7 years, myself, and one of my best friends set out on a mid-summer road-trip that turned out to be pretty epic. To put our trip in context, let me give a little background. I grew up in Wisconsin in the middle of the state, surrounded by cornfields. Growing up in the midwest was a great area to experience my youth, and the movie 'Field of Dreams' was always one of my favorites as a little kid. If you grew up loving baseball, then it was hard not to fall in love with the film, and of course, growing up where I grew up, the thought of plowing down some of the plethora of cornfields that surrounded us, putting up some industrial size lights and playing night games in the middle of the fields as some of the all-time greats walked in out of centerfield to join in was just plain awesome! Talk about letting your imagination run wild!

I'd always wanted to see the actual 'Field of Dreams' from the movie, the problem is, not many people plan a trip to the middle of nowhere Iowa just to see a baseball field surrounded by corn, no matter how much you enjoyed the film. Even though I grew up somewhat close by, with Wisconsin being just a state over, I never made it there in my youth, and I headed out to the east coast after college and spent my next 10 years in new england, particularly Rhode Island. That put me much farther away to say the least. It is out east where I met one of my best friends, Tom, and a few years later, where I met the love of my life, my dear girlfriend, and yes, someday wife-to-be.



Babe and I at Field of Dreams.jpg
(We're not big on selfies - but had to take one at home plate)


After several years together in new england, we finally decided to give up the cold, and we decided to hit the road and head for the sunshine of California by the end of 2015 (my girlfriend grew up in southern Cali, and needless to say it was much easier to sell me on California then it was for me to sell her on the brutal winters of Wisconsin). So, we hit the road in mid-December of 2015 with a quest to reach California by Christmas Eve. We said bye to all of our friends, including Tom, and vowed to make sure that we would get together in the coming summers and even possibly take a road trip. Tom headed for Florida not long after we headed out west, as his parents had retired and moved down there from new england and he also realized there really wasn't much there for him in Rhode Island any longer.

Fast-forward to last summer - my girlfriend and I had planned a trip to Wisconsin for the end of June/beginning of July. Tom went back up to new england (he's a teacher, so he has summers off) to visit with old friends and his two brothers that still live up there and their families. We started talking, and Tom had always wanted to come back to Wisconsin at some point and see what it was like while I was living in Rhode Island. As we dove further into our talks for plans for the summer, etc., we got an idea - what if Tom ventured from Connecticut out to Wisconsin and we met there - and then continued out west on our road trip? We could fly from Denver to LA and Tom's oldest brother lived in Arkansas, so on his drive back to Florida, he could make a stop and visit. Tom loved the idea, and my family and I were completely on-board. We met last July in Wisconsin, and after a couple of days together in the land of cheese, we headed out for a road trip with our final destination being Colorado. None of us had witnessed the Rocky Mountains before (except from an airplane) and we were all super excited to indulge in all of the outdoor bliss that the state has to offer.

Of course, before we made it to Colorado, we had to figure out what our route would be to get there. The "Great Plains" states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas all have their own unique beauty, but aren't necessarily known for their beautiful "scenic" drives. Then it dawned on Tom and I that if we decided to take the most direct route, we could head right through Iowa (and with a small, minor detour through the cornfields) right past the 'Field of Dreams' on our way to Nebraska and then finally, Colorado. That was it - screw the Dakotas we thought (everyone basically told us there was nothing to see there anyway) we'll head to 'heaven' as it's referred to in the film by the character portraying Kevin Costner's father. The famous line of course was, "Hey, is this heaven?" to which, Kevin Costner replies, "No, it's Iowa".



Field of Dreams 4.jpg
(There it is in all of its glory - and completely surrounded by corn just like we envisioned!)

There was something about taking the 'scenic' route to the location, as we were coming from a direction that sent us down several gravel roads to get there, that seemed to add to the excitement. We were really going to see the actual field from the movie! And then... There it was in all of it's glory! That legendary baseball field, surrounded by tall rows of corn for as far as the eye could see - just like it was in the 1989 film.


Farmhouse.jpg


The site itself was remarkably well-kept. The farmhouse was the same one from the movie, and it appeared to be in pristine condition. There was a little souvenir shop, a small gravel parking area, and of course the field in all of its glory. We explored and took pictures, and then did what everyone has always wanted to do the moment they first see the film - and that is to walk into the cornrows in centerfield and see what was really out there!


Tom and Chris.jpg
("Hey, where's Shoeless Joe?")


Well, as you could imagine, what was really out there, was, well, you guessed it - more corn! While we didn't see James Earl Jones or Shoeless Joe Jackson, it didn't take away from the experience one bit. There's just something about experiencing a moment that you've envisioned ever since you were young and then having it come to fruition right there in the flesh, especially with people you love. While we didn't stumble across Shoeless Joe Jackson, we did stumble across a truly awesome memory and one that I, my girlfriend, and Tom won't soon forget.


Field of Dreams 5.jpg
("Hey dad .. wanna have a catch?")


Everything about the area screams baseball, especially the closest town, Dyersville. It's a small community that was gearing up for a festival and baseball tournament as we continued on our way to Nebraska, and ultimately, Colorado. If you've never seen the movie, it's a great watch, definitely unique, and even nearly 30 years later, still holds a magical place in my heart. If you love baseball it's a story that will never grow old, and (spoiler alert!) the moment when Kevin Costner asks his dad (the much younger version that comes back to play on the field he created) at the end of the movie, "Hey dad, wanna have a catch?" - that gets me every single time. It was the first leg of an incredible journey, one that we'll always remember - I mean, how many people actually get to visit a little slice of heaven on earth? Well to most, it's "just" Iowa, but to us, it will always be something a little more ...




source
("If you build it, he will come")

Sort:  

I will now have to watch it!!! Thanks : D I doubt I have seen it,can't remember

You're welcome :} I really enjoyed putting that post together. Its been around for a while already - 1989 I believe. Thanks for checking out the post!

wow, actually i enjoy movies from that time. They were a bit more real than now

Congratulations @thesportsguy! You have completed the following achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

Award for the number of upvotes received

Click on the badge to view your Board of Honor.
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Do you like SteemitBoard's project? Then Vote for its witness and get one more award!

I'll have to watch the movie; I am impressed at the emotional buildup in your post, such a great trip with so much to see, this seems like a life long dream that ended in a regulation sized baseball diamond.

Did you at least take a few pitches?

Thank you for stopping by and thank you for the positive feedback! We didn't have a chance to toss any pitches actually - wish we could have done that - but def enjoyed the experience none the less. None of us had our gloves - or a ball - go figure!

Great to hear back from you! I'm sure it was a blast just being with friends and family! Enjoy time with each other, that is the key I have found, no matter if you end up on a beach in California or a corn field in Iowa!


This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.

Thank you so much for the support and for sharing the post in the Curation Collective Discord community! Thanks for the upvotes and resteem @c-squared community! :)

Fucking awesome dude! Wow, now I wanna go.

Thanks bro! I appreciate it! I've been wanting to do this post for a while -finally glad I could put it together - it's crazy dude - it really is out in the middle of cornfields for as far as the eye can see

A remarkable experience. And a wonderful memory i have no doubt you will long cherish!

And how well you tell of it, a deeply, flowing and clear narrative sweep, i could almost feel as though i was being walked right through and to the 'field of dreams'!

This post meets all criteria of originality, relevance and depth.

So I am going feature it in the next Xposed Curator's Rebound #40. You may find details about it Xposed Curator's Rebound

My hope is to bring your quality work here the exposure it deserves, and with it, hopefully some additional rewards.

Best wishes, @mirrors

Thank you very much for the support and for the positive feedback! I'm excited to be featured in the next Xposed Curator's Rebound #40. Thank you again for the support @mirrors !

You are welcome. That is some wonderful experience you here tell. It makes for an awesome read.