High in the hills of the Los Padres National Forest in the tiny Hi Mountain Campground, during a thunder storm, a few Buckos gathered to play Tapey Beercone. The only field they could find fit snugly into the campground, using a campsite as the infield, with the outfield extending out towards the center of the campground. The terrain was uneven, to the point that the outfield was in some places 5 to 10 feet below the elevation of the infield. The field was strewn with oak trees with their limbs reaching out over the field, blocking out all direct sun light. In effect the trees acted as a quasi dome, and that’s how the field got its name. Add together the uneven terrain, the small infield, and the many obstacles and the field was borderline unplayable, and so difficult to field that defenses struggled to make even a single out per inning.
Field Name | The Thunderdome |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Padres National Forest |
| County | San Luis Obispo |
| State | California |
| Latitude | 35°15'43"N |
| Longitude | 120°24'54"W |
| Elevation | 2,328 ft |
| Heading | SSW |
| Play Area Angle | 60° |
| Grand Salami Zone | |
| Grand Salamis Hit | None |
| Infield Surface | Compacted Road Base |
| Outfield Surface | Forest Ground Cover |
| Outfield Obstacles | Multiple Oak Trees |
| Beer Pope Coronations | None |
| Inception Date | 5/25/2012 |
| Total Regents to Play at the Field | 3 |
| Largest Crowd | Single Group of Angry Campers - 5/25/2012 |
Looking back, I can’t believe we were able to play a complete game at this field. The field exhibited so much danger: All the trees in the outfield, the giant patch of poison oak in left field foul ground, the extremely steep drop off at the edge of the infield. There’s just no way this field would pass muster in the current season given the standards we use today.