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First, the official title of this event is the Avista
NAIA World Series. Avista, the tournament sponsor, is an electric
power utility for part of Idaho. It starts Friday, May 26, and ends
when all but one team has been eliminated (June 1 or 2). It's double elimination,
and there are 10 competing teams.
This will be the first time that a team outside the US has been a
participant. The defending champion, Oklahoma City, will not get a
chance to defend their title; they were defeated by Lubbock Christian
in the Region VI tournament. Embry-Riddle, last year's runner-up, is
returning.
This will be my third trip to this event, and I recommend it to
any baseball fan. There's a special atmosphere and level of intensity
there. Visitors should also be impressed by the community effort made
by the people of the Lewiston area to stage this event.
Here's some useful information for attending this event, from someone
who's been there a couple of times.
How to get there
Your realistic options are flying and driving. (There are
Trailways buses that go to Lewiston, but you would have to go to
Spokane first to catch one of them.) Alaska
Airlines flies to Lewiston, Moscow/Pullman, and Spokane. It's
possible to make a connection in Seattle from Vancouver, but your
best bet (especially if money is an issue) is to catch a flight in
Bellingham.
If you can get as far as Seattle outside of rush hour, the
quickest way to drive there is I-5 to Everett, I-405 to Bellevue,
then I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass until it crosses the Columbia River
at Vantage. You'll see a sign that tells you to take WA 26 to
Pullman. Do it. After that, you could take WA 26 to Pullman, then US
195 to Lewiston. Or, you can get off WA 26 at Washtucna, take WA 260
south for a few km. until the junction with WA 261. WA 261 will take
you to US 12, and US 12 will take you the rest of the way. I doubt
that the second option saves you any time; I'm just one of those
people who likes back roads.
An alternative is to get off I-5 at Everett, and take US 2 through
Stevens Pass and Leavenworth. Then you can take US 97 until it
intersects I-90. This is a longer route, but the advantage is that
you miss most of the Seattle-area traffic.
Gasoline in Washington is currently above $3/gallon.
Where to stay
The tournament organizers designate host hotels for the
visiting teams, and the one for UBC is the Comfort Inn, (208)
798-8090. Having said that, the Red Lion is the best hotel in
Lewiston, and the place where things are happening. The other upscale
places are the Quality Inn ((509) 758-9500) and Best Western ((800)
597-3621), both across the river in Clarkston. At the low end, I can
vouch for the Econolodge ((208) 743-0899) and the Super 8 ((208)
743-8808). Of these two, the Econolodge is much more conveniently
located. The Motel 6 (probably the cheapest in the area) is in
Clarkston ((509) 758-1631).
As of May 22, all of these accomodations are booked up for Satuday night. However, the Golden Oak Inn ((208) 743-9424) has room. You can also check http://www.travel-library.com/hotels/north_america/usa/idaho/lewiston/
for some accomodations that aren't listed in the usual directories such as hotels.com and priceline.com.
There are campsites and cabins in Hells Gate State Park, 6 km.
south of town. I haven't checked this out yet.
Harris Field
Lewiston has a desert climate. That means very hot during the day,
and cool in the evening. Bring appropriate clothing and sunscreen.
There's a food concession area behind the left-field fence. The
coffee bar there serves an excellent latte for a low price. There's
also a barbecue place, with great food, and run by great people. If
you want Chinese food, they've got that, too.
Side trips
If you're into heritage architecture, a tour of Moscow (45 km.
north) is a must. Downtown Moscow has a 1900's look. The University
of Idaho campus is also attractive.
I haven't been to the Nez Perce National Historical Park, which is
near Spalding, 15 km. east.
Amenities
There is no internet cafe in the Lewiston area, which is weird for a college town. The Starbuck's has a "hot spot" if you have a laptop with wireless, and some of the hotels have hot spots. The Red Lion has a "business center" with a computer for use by guests. The public libraries in Lewiston and Clarkston have computers, and there are computers in the Lewis-Clark State library that are sometimes available to tournament attendees. The problem with the libraries is, they are closed on Sunday, and are also closed on Memorial Day (May 29).
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