The sun was beaming down on a cloudless day, my cup was filled with a golden brew, I was sitting 10 rows up behind home plate, and I wondered if life could get any better than this.
Last week my yearly baseball road trip took me to the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado, home of the Colorado Rockies and Coors Field.
For the past few years, it's been a quest of my father and me to visit all 30 Major League baseball stadiums.
My mom usually comes along for the ride, and while I'll admit she loves the lure of the shopping mall, I'm getting more and more impressed with her enthusiasm on these road trips. She's starting to understand the game more, enjoys a good brew and a hot dog, and on more than one occasion has even slipped the odd baseball trivia question into the conversation.
We're getting closer now, with only Houston, Tampa, Miami, Atlanta and, oddly enough, Montreal left on our wish list. Those stadiums we hope to knock off next year.
Coors Field was impressive and ranks high on our list of ballpark experiences.
Coors Field is 10 years old and when it opened started the trend as a state-of-the-art downtown baseball park with old baseball architecture and new millennium amenities.
The stadium is gorgeous, and there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. We took in a Thursday afternoon game right behind home plate after securing three season-ticket seats from a friend in Denver. Then we took in a night game two days later, sitting in the 300 level right behind home plate. Great sightlines, active scoreboards, loads of cold beer and every food choice imaginable - and you have a perfect setting for a day at the park.
And if you like offence, Coors Field is the place to be. Pitching is a premium in Denver. In the two games we went to, the Rockies lost 10-9 to Milwaukee and beat Detroit 11-6. Home runs were sent flying out of the stadium at an alarming rate. And this isn't because the Rockies pitching staff have names this year that most people don't even recognize - it's always been that way since the stadium opened.
They don't call it the Mile High City for nothing. Because of the altitude, baseballs travel 10 per cent farther in the rarefied air, as do golf balls and footballs. This makes Coors Field a home run paradise and a trip to any one of Denver's golf courses an exciting adventure.
Our trip also took us to the beautiful city of Golden, just a short 20-minute drive away.
This is a must-see if you're into American history, with the city's eight museums, unique shops and restaurants and, of course, their crowning jewel, the Coors Brewery.
It was my first trip to an actual working brewery, and I loved every minute of it. What could be better than taking a tour where they encourage one of my other favourite pastimes - drinking?
You get to sample suds on the tour, and then at the end, you get to sample three other tasty brews. Mmm beer!
All in all, it was a great trip. But like any great adventure, it all came to an end much too quickly. As I got back to reality this week, attending seven hours of heated meetings in Gibsons - it just didn't quite measure up to a day in the stands.
