Thirty-five years ago, Bob Barr of Decatur and his son, Jim, then 14, enjoyed baseball bliss: the ultimate road trip.

Jim Barr prepared a driving itinerary that would take them to each of the U.S. major league ballparks east of the Mississippi River, starting at Wrigley Field in Chicago with the Cubs playing the San Francisco Giants.

Jim Barr is a Cubs fan, Bob Barr is a Cardinals fan.

Bob Barr had two weeks off from his job at Caterpillar Inc. in July. He approved the list. When Jim's mother saw the list, she decided on a flight to California to visit relatives.

Reserved seats were lined up at each ball park. Holiday Inn reservations were made, and campgrounds were picked. The mission was accomplished, with one hitch. The Barrs traveled 4,361 miles, saw 13 games - and missed Fenway Park in Boston.

At the time, I wrote a sports page story about the dream vacation.

Here's the update:

The Barrs tried for a Fenway Park game in 2007, but it was rained out. So on May 16, Bob Barr flew from Bloomington to Atlanta, Ga., and then to Boston. He was joined by Jim Barr, now 47 and living in Huntsville, Ala.

"I flew from Huntsville to Atlanta to Boston to meet Dad," Jim Barr said.

The Barrs were finally at Fenway Park. But once again, it was raining.

They hung around for four hours until the game with the Milwaukee Brewers was called off.

The next day, a day-night doubleheader was scheduled. The Barrs attended both games. The Red Sox won both.

"We saw four home runs hit over the Green Monster," Bob Barr said.

"The atmosphere was very lively when talking to the Red Sox fans. We thought the fans were great.

"This completes the goal we set in 1973."

Bob Fallstrom can be reached at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.

1973 road trip

Games: Chicago (Cubs, White Sox), Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Atlanta, plus a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Highlights: All-Star game in Milwaukee, Bill Madlock of Decatur lashed the winning hit; the Philadelphia Phillies scored in the ninth to edge Milwaukee 1-0; a crowd of more than 50,000 at Cincinnati for the Dodgers-Reds game; a Republican-Democrat matchup of U.S. senators before a game at Baltimore.

FAVORITES: Both Barrs were impressed with the Phillies' Veterans Stadium, rating it No. 1. At the bottom of the best-looking list: Comiskey Park in Chicago and Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Best apparel: Cleveland Indians.