In 2001, three friends and I went to Cleveland for a weekend to see the city and attend an Indians game. Eleven years (and 11 trips) later, we returned to Cleveland for the first leg of our 12^th “Boys of Summer” baseball trip,which also took us to Toronto. We saw the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays and met Blue Jays broadcaster (and former catcher) Gregg Zaun.

Along the way, we have seen 22 games in 20 different stadiums. We also made stops along the way for other reasons. We stopped in La Jolla, Calif., to see the seals, made a side trip to Las Vegas for a little casino action and visited the White House. We also experienced whitewater rafting in northern Wisconsin.

Over the years, our original four grew to six. The last two men had never been to Cleveland or Toronto. It worked out well for us to revisit those cities and allow our newer members to experience both cities.

Between Cleveland and Toronto, we spent some time at Niagara Falls, checking out the world wonder from both sides. In Toronto, we went to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

We squeezed in a lot of great stuff on this trip, including some wonderful meals, but this yearly trip isn’t about attractions, food or even baseball. This is a trip about friendship. During the trip, we all spend time with each other individually and in every combination possible.

I highly recommend a trip like this to everyone. The rest of the year, we all keep in touch with the occasional lunch, dinner or poker night; but three or four days together on the road builds bonds, friendships and memories like nothing else.

I love these guys and I love these trips.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor