Chris Counts
07-30-2019, 03:26 PM
I was traveling this week through Western Colorado, and just as I often do, I stopped to photograph a small town baseball field. To my surprise, the one in Ouray, Colorado, is named after Smokey Joe Wood, and even has an image of his T205 on a plaque next to it.
Smokey Joe, it turns out, grew up in Ouray, discovered baseball there, and served as the local team's batboy and mascot. He even got to play in a few games.
The ballpark is blessed with the glorious San Juan Mountains as a backdrop, just like the town. It's also located just steps away from Ouray's famous hot springs pool.
It's discoveries like this that make traveling along America's backroads in the summer so much fun.
Smokey Joe, it turns out, grew up in Ouray, discovered baseball there, and served as the local team's batboy and mascot. He even got to play in a few games.
The ballpark is blessed with the glorious San Juan Mountains as a backdrop, just like the town. It's also located just steps away from Ouray's famous hot springs pool.
It's discoveries like this that make traveling along America's backroads in the summer so much fun.