I left for the open road on the afternoon of Friday, September 4th. I had meant to leave in the morning after my 8 am oil change appointment, but what with staying up too late after the previous night’s Hexagon show, and spending a lot of time saying goodbye to the new love in my life, I didn’t get on the road until after 12. Hauling ass to Colorado Springs for Saturday’s gig was stressful, to say the least. I took naps to make up for the lack of sleep, converting my backseat into a makeshift bed of blankets and pillows. Slept at a rest stop in Iowa, on a street in Omaha, and outside a restaurant in Nebraska (where I had to get a jump because I left the lights on.) I avoided Denver on my route to Colorado Springs, instead taking less-traveled State Road 71 and US-24. I made it just in time and I pulled myself together enough to give a top-notch performance to rival any solo gig I’ve ever done. Too bad there were only five people in the room, and that they were all trying to read.
I had a rough plan to camp in the forests just up the mountain, but it proved futile. Slept in the parking lot of an Italian restaurant and then drove as far as I could to the south as soon as could orient myself enough to know which way that was.
The next place I slept was alongside a gravel intersection south of Pueblo, where I awoke to a beautiful sunrise setting fire to the stretch of clouds, mountains and mist outside my rear windshield on Sunday morning. I enjoyed the remainder of my chocolate bar and got back on the road, playing the entire Velvet Underground album catalog for my drive into New Mexico, which appropriately and unintentionally began with the song, “Sunday Morning”
My beat up 91 Honda is amazing me by pulling through these hard mountain roads, and so as not to jinx it, I repeat in my head that at any moment, things could go horribly awry. I’m taking it slow, checking my oil and giving it lots of downtime.
As for my own health, I’m done making “good time.” I don’t have to be in Austin until the 10th. Last night I set up camp 7 miles outside of Taos, NM. I did some grilling and drank some beer and slept with some breathing room. Tonight, more of the same, somewhere near Santa Fe, where I am right now. I’ll be doing some writing, recording and making drum machine beats as I stroll into Texas.