July 30th

Back by popular demand and some disgruntled folks in Anchorage is the Road Blog. I intended initially to do the blog covering the tour from Boston to Anchorage but will now be doing sparatic entries indefinitely.

Tonight I performed at the Trapper Creek's annual Fireweed Festival. Trapper Creek is a mere intersection town about 2 hrs north of Anchorage on Rt 3 consisting of about 300 annual residents. Last night I performed at the campground in exchange for 2 nights camping and I believe the whole town showed up during my performance! They were excellent listeners and I sold whole bunch of cd's. Special thanks to corey for the smoked salmon! Woo!

The festival was a relatively small festival driven by some local Talkeetna bakers, book sellers and artisans as well as a small stage with ongoing live music from noon to 8. I got to meet the legendary Alaskan performer Esther Golton who had a great set of Mountain Dulcimer originals and closed the set out with a flute instrumental inspired by the Aurora Borealis.

My set went pretty awesome and I didn't even bother with a setlist. My guitar as of late is having trouble staying in tune and am wondering if it's time for a checkup. I conversed with the crowd minimally (typical) but I'm quite sure they didn't mistake my shyness for arrogance or lack of experience. I sold a couple cds and even got an unexpected invite for dinner from a Trapper Creek Local farmer of about my same age by the name of Chris. Always hesitant to commit to any sort of plans or social obligations (being a Sagittarius), I told him we'd try to come by.

While packing my things and loading the car I felt an intense pull toward this local farmer and to check out his set up. I'm so glad that I did. Alyssa and I brought over a six pack of local beer and traveled about a total of 15 miles into Alaskan wilderness through fields of fireweed, forget me nots, sitka spruce and marshy swamp that would have suited a bull moose perfectly. When we finally pulled up to the remote farm we were greeted by the cheery bearded gentlemen who invited us over while he was throwing some monsterous silver salmon filets on the grill. SCORE! They had the sweetest “off the grid” setup (solar panels, generators, outhouse and all) and I'm sure that Alyssa was aware of the ideas and inspiration that I had turning within me the second I laid eyes on this self sustaining paradise. Their three kids were in their own glory making a play house out of an untouched Alaskan wilderness. What a way to grow up...I was stunned later in the evening when the older daughter (of about 5) brushed by Alyssa and I getting out of bed to walk straight out the front door at midnight in bear country to go pee in the outhouse only to return to her bunk without a grunt or sigh. What badass children, seriously!

We got the grand tour of Chris' farm and checked out his squash, cabbage, tons of greens, kohlrabi (which I had never tried), daikon radish and broccoli. After eating the most amazing salmon I've ever had in my life and a few beers later, I swapped my cd for a few pounds of fish and Alyssa and I headed back to our camper through the dark muddy woods. Thanks Chris! Can't wait to hang again soon. I envy your life but am not sure that I could commit to the land the way you have, I really do have a wandering soul.

Very excited to go back to Denali Park and see Mt McKinley tomorrow! Stay tuned.  

Estimated Travel Time:  5 hrs 46 mins
Actual Travel Time:  6 hrs 30 mins

ALASKA!!!  WE HAVE MADE IT!  After 15 days of straight driving from Boston, MA we have arrived at Tok, AK.  Tears of joy from both Alyssa and I.  What an epic expedition!   We felt electric when we crossed back over onto U.S. soil.  Over 5 thousand miles covered in 15 days...not too shabby.  Alaska seems to look a lot like the Yukon.  The same intense beauty absolutely covered in lush green moss and grass, forests of glowing Aspen and the key indicator that we were in the far North...the Black Spruce and Lodgepole Pines.  I performed at the Wilderness Lodge in Tok around a campfire surrounded by a handful of locals that had gathered around upon hearing that a North Carolina boy was coming up to sing some originals.  Very special thanks to John and Jill who run the very rustic and off the grid "Wilderness Lodge" for letting us dry camp in their driveway.  I'm starting to learn how to swat mosquitos while I'm playing a song without losing the beat...a must have skill for all Alaskan performers!!  Neither of  us can describe the relief...we are here!  Time for bed...again, broad daylight at 12:30am.  

 Woke up this morning with our first ALCAN HWY flat tire!  Ahhh  Not good considering we had an estimated 7 hrs 24 mins to get to Watson Lake today.  We got the tire patched in no time though and knocked off another 513km on the Alaska Hwy.  There were stretches today where we didn't see gas or civilization for 2 hrs... I can't even describe the feeling if you've never seen such a thing.  It's like we were discovering another planet that happened to have a road on it.  You really feel like a pioneer once you start getting close to the Yukon.  I can only imagined how the Yukon gold rush travelers felt.  Set up today on a gazebo in Watson Lake for a scheduled performance in the park.  I guess no one got the memo because the power wasn't on in the gazebo for me to run my PA.  Some folks strolled by curiously but by the time I got the power on the whole town shut down.  Can't win em' all!  Off to historic Whitehorse, YT tomorrow.  No show scheduled so we'll certainly be looking for free camping somewhere on the outskirts of town.  It is 11:30 pm right now and it is broad daylight by the way.  The mountains here are snow capped and are bigger than any mountains I have ever seen in my life.  I'm having a hard time driving in their presence as they are quite distracting.  Dusk seems to be endless and the color the sky is constantly changing....I have no desire to sleep amongst such beauty.  4,489 miles of driving and I'm starting to feel like I'm pretty far from home.  Pretty awesome.  We saw what we thought to be a mother Grizzly with 2 cubs on the side of the ALCAN today but after investigating our photos closer later on we realized they were brown phase Black Bears.  Incredible!!!   

Sorry if we are skipping some days but the internet has been extremely spotty through Canada. Today we drove from Valley View, BC to Rolla, BC. I’ve been boo’d by quite a few Canuck fans for being a Boston native but they seem to get over it pretty quick. The ride was a breeze to Rolla and the town literally consisted of a general store and a pub. On either side of the pub were miles and miles of farmland. Alyssa and I pulled into the Rolla Pub parking lot at about 4pm and took an epic nap in the Scamp. We then at leftover Kublani Chana Dal that Alyssa had cooked the night before.  Indian food in the Scamp...  AWESOME!  Rolla Pub was a historic little venue on the main street...and only street I think, in Rolla.  The owner, Patti Martin was incredibly hospitable and educated us on some of the history of her pub.  She then handed me a wooly mammoth's tooth from a red rider wagon underneath the shuffleboard table.  I guess the pub had been built on top of a whole bunch of fossils and she was the sole owner of a wagon full of prehistoric animal bones.  Pretty amazing.  The folks that turned out for this gig couldn't have been better listeners.  I played my usual set, sold a ton of cd's and made a bunch of new friends...I love my job.  I then drank Molson after Molson with locals and even got some lessons in bar room shuffleboard...Alyssa and I teamed up against another couple of Canadian folks and got absolutely murdered....as expected.  They wanted us to come back in the winter for a hockey game which I kindly declined.   Thank You so much to Patti and her amazing bar in Rolla....if you're even near Dawson Creek in BC head on over to Rolla Pub and grab a pint, this place is incredible.  Not sure when the next post will be, internet is getting worse and worse it seems.  We might have to take a week off.  Til next time!  

Estimated travel time: 5 hours, 23 minutes
Actual Travel Time: 8 hours, 5 minutes

Woke up this morning and went through the usual routine. I was boiling some oatmeal on the stove and dicing up bananas, packing the scamp up and hitting the road. We inteded to pull off briefly in a town called Minot, ND for a quick oil change and possibly score an extra donut for the car.. just incase the Alcan has its way with the car. This quick stop went on for about an hour and a half, which left me heading to the Canadian border even more frantic than I had been. I sent the next two hours memorizing my license plate number, our reasons for crossing into Canada and my address. I was beginning to drive Alyssa absoutely nuts by the time we pulled up to the border. When we got to the border there was one motorcycle in front of us and I was sweating bullets. I had been planning this tour right now to every detail for 6 months now. If this customs officer does’t like the looks of us and turns us away, a ½ of my years work will be washed down the drain, as well as the following three months of income. We pull up, my knuckles are white on the steering wheel and standing there in the booth is a 20 something year old, shaggy black haired guy who could be my brother. He says “What is your license plate number?’ I then recite my license plate number flawlessly, almost before he finishes asking me what the number is. He then asks, “Do you have any drugs, alcohol or weapons?” Again I am beyond prepared for this question and without stuttering or blinking I say, “One pocket knife and little bit of bourbon in the camper.” He takes one more look at both of us and asks, “Why are you coming into Canada?” I very carefully tell him, “ We are vacationing and I am going to play a little music as well.” Although I did not rehearse this answer, it was by far the best answer I have given. He hands us back the passports and literally says, “See ya later.” I am absolutely flabbergasted and do a double take as I take the passports from him. Viva Canada.


We arrive in Regina, absolutely exhausted and check into our campground and cook the same thing we made the night before with our leftover ingredients Let me just also state that the town of Regina is pronounced Rah-gi-nah. The show at Atlantis Coffee went very smoothly and with special thanks to an ad in the Leader Post, I actually brought out some folks to see me play. Sold a few CDs and even got some lessons in Canadian money. I was hoping to catch the third period of the Stanley Cup but the game was such a blowout that the Canadians at the RV park had shut the game off in the lobby. We did pick up a 6 pack of Molson for 15 dollars...no that's not a typo. Beer in Canada is outrageously price on account of a tax here known as the “sin tax.” The government figures if you're getting free health insurance you better be taking care of yourself. Can't wait to head North. Next show is in Rolla, BC! Stay tuned...

Estimated Travel Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Actual Travel Time: 8 hours 40 minutes

Woke up this morning in St. Joe, MN in the parking lot of Local Grounds, possibly the best sleep in the Scamp to date. We headed over to St Cloud this morning to stock up on some organic essentials- such as bulk pasta, avocados, sardines (much to Alyssa’s disgust) and apples. Tonight we will cook arugula and cilantro pesto over quinoa with diced tomato. Who knew you could eat so well on the road? We also stopped into a bookstore and picked up a much needed 2011 Guide to North American campgrounds. It has already saved us money, time and frustration. We then hit the road toward Minot, ND, a 7 hour drive northwest from St Cloud MN. We reserved a campsite in Rugby, ND, the geographical center of North America. The GPS told us we would arrive just in time to cook dinner. The ride through the plains of North Dakota was mind blowing to both Alyssa and I. Us mountain folks cannot recall the last time we saw such a big sky. The land seemed endless as did the red-winged black birds perched on just about every fence post for 500 miles. We saw another bald eagle circling the highway right in front of us, about an hour out of St. Cloud. We roared in excitement and exchanged high-fives at the sight of this high flying beacon of freedom.

The campground tonight was nothing special, but got the job done. We did notice that the sun did not completely set until 10:30 at night now and the sunset was breathtaking. See picture below. After we set up at the campground, Alyssa got busy chopping garlic and tomatoes and boiling quinoa, and I set out downtown to a local dive to pick up a six pack of much needed ice cold beer.

Ready for bed and feeling anxious about crossing over into Canada at Portal ND tomorrow. They seem to love to pick on me at the border..on account of my hair and guitars ( I assume.)

Estimated Travel Time: 7 hrs 47 mins
Actual Travel Time: 8 hrs 50 mins

Woke up this morning refreshed from a nice night of sleep at the Best Western on Lake Michigan courtesy of Francisco (owner of Carolyn's Coffee Connection). Hustled out of bed and headed down to legendary breakfast place Frank's Diner. This place was featured on Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins for it's Garbage Plate breakfast which is a massive medley of all things breakfast. Thanks so much to Mike behind the counter for servin' up a tasty breakfast and also taking some really sweet video/pics the night before at Carolyn's. Get on into Frank's and see him literally yelling at people as they come in the door...it's all in good fun and is very entertaining. Check out the video he took at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgM4II_i7UI

Wisconsin is truly beautiful and I can't wait to visit again. Especially Kenosha...the folks are all super friendly music lovers and the town has so much character, I love it! The drive across Wisconsin was gorgeous and we even saw a Bald Eagle circling over the highway. Breathtaking! After a lengthy almost 9 hour drive to St. Joseph MN we arrived at Local Blend. I had just enough time to set up and get started. Seemed to be a bit of an off night for the venue but still a very cool place with some tasty local beer and organic produce even!

After the gig Alyssa and I set up the Scamp in the parking lot behind the coffee shop and got ready for bed. There were dozens of birds circling overhead in and around the steeple of an old church across the street. After further investigation and catching a better look at one flying a little low we realized they were Barn Owls!!! What a treat! Alyssa and I are both infatuated with owls and to see this many of them being social in front of a big crescent moon overhead just made our day! Barn Owls and Bald Eagles in the same day, what are the odds? It's only going to get more wild as we get farther North! Hopefully the crowds get bigger as the tour progresses. Stay tuned for some pics, we've been a bit pressed for internet time. Off to North Dakota to cross the big prairie tomorrow then it's on to Saskatchewan.

Estimated Travel Time: 6 hours, 47 minutes
Actual Travel Time: 7 hours, 27 minutes

We were both very excited for the short drive today and woke up confident that this will be the first profitable day of the tour. The show tonight was at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection in downtown Kenosha. The owner Francisco has arranged for us to sleep at the Best Western, over looking lake Michigan. This man is a saint. The drive to the venue went by relatively fast as we encountered no major problems except for some heavy traffic outside of Chicago. Despite a pretty bad turn out, I actually sold quite a few CDs and even made some new friends. Splitting the bill with me tonight was a young songwriter named Hunter MacKenzie ( he also plays mean Delta Blues.) The folks of Kenosha really seemed to enjoy my songs and no one spoke a word while I was performing.

After the show we got some much needed authentic Mexican food to go and ate our meals back in the room. We then enjoyed some bourbon in a cheap plastic cup and went down stairs to the hot tub for a quick soak. Life is good. Big drive ahead, time for Bugik..

Estimated Travel Time: 7.5 hours
Actual Travel Time: 10 hours

This day started and ended in frustration and stress. We are both relieved it is now behind us. We pulled out of the Cyber West Café parking lot, scraped the bottom of the scamp on the curb and let a few important parts on the ground. We did another lap around to see what was broken and it turned out to be the shower drain cap. I spent 20 minutes attempting to rig a clamp that would hold the shower drain hose in place to keep it from scraping on the ground. This day was already off to a bad start. We then foolishly neglected to look at a map or investigae the route that our GPS was about to bring us on and we blindly followed the GPS from New York, straight past Niagra Falls into Canada to get to Michigan. On paper this is easily the shortest route but if you know me and my history with the Canadian border, then you know this was in no way a short cut. We were flagged in for further investigation after we both blurted out contradicting addresses, states, and cities and both looking amazingly flustered and confused. We were then briefly interrogated by an officer and 3 young gentlemen politely tore the inside of our car and camper apart. My keys were returned to me after the damage was done and Alyssa was uncomfortably gawked at by the three nice gentlemen (creeps.)  After paying $85 for a tank of gas in Canada and a few more hours of driving, we arrived at Solid Grounds Coffee Shop in downtown Northville MI at 7:40 (40 minutes after I was supposed to begin my set.) The owner was very understanding and allowed me to play one set from 8-9. The two people in the coffee shop seemed to enjoy my music, only after being prompted to clap by Alyssa’s exaggerated clapping. As I was packing my things I couldn’t help but feel like this tour was off to a slow start and began to wonder how I was going to afford gas if I was to sing to less than 10 folks per night. I didn’t bother to ask for my guaranteed pay from the owner due to my being late, but I did hope she would at least offer some of it. She didn’t offer me any pay but she did make arrangments with the local police station to allow us to camp in the parking lot- which was very nice of her.

At this point we were totally exhauseted and needed to be fed. We went down to the Kroger, picked up some marinara, broccoli and pasta and retunred to the empty parking lot. I turned on the gas and lit the burners so Alyssa could start the meal in the dark while I set up the camper and pieced back the havoc that had been wreaked by the Canadian border. Despite the circumstances of the day, we were still able to sit down to a nice meal together in the camper, dimly lit by battery operated tea lights (after Alyssa attempted to strain the spaghetti in the parking lot, and accidently dumped the first batch all over the ground.) The meal was surprisingly delicious despite the circumstances and for desert, a few sips of Makers Mark courtesy of the Red Wing Diner in Walpole Mass – that was gifted to us before the trip began. We love you Red Wing. Given the circumstances of the day, our spirits are still relitavely high. The home cooked meal without electricity restored our confidence in our ability to survive on our own.

Despite the hostility we earlier expressed toward the Canadian border, we are very excited to return to Canada and explore their beautiful country. Time for bugik.  (sleep)

 Day 1 , June 1, 2011 Boston MA to Binghamton NY

Estimated Travel Time: 5 Hours, 40 Minutes
Actual Travel Time: 7 hours
 
I’ve packed all my things and moved all of my clothes into the camper. We are both incredibly excited about the upcoming journey.  We are both also sad to leave our families. I was hoping to pack less gear but better safe than sorry. I hooked the scamp up to the van, did a few double checks, and let about three days of black water onto my family's lawn.  They will know where by the huge patch of bright green. 

After picking up Alyssa at her house in Saugus, we attempted to detour all of the major tunnels through Boston. After 40 minutes of back road driving and maneuvering the camper through downtown, we wound up illegally driving the camper through at least 5 tunnels. We both took a deep sigh of relief as we began heading west towards the Birkshires. Little did we know, as we were driving across the border into New York, several tornadoes had devastated Western Mass, along the same road we had been driving along. After a bit of road work traffic and a couple of stops for gas, we arrived in Binghamton just in time for my set at the Cyber West Café at 8 pm.

Cyber West Café is an excellent local venue in downtown Binghamton with great vegetarian fare. We feasted on the veggie chili and a veggie burger..which was amazing (and we hardly ever say that.) Aside from the 7 person audience, the show went well. A very special thanks to Jeff the owner for letting us plug in and camp in the parking lot. Straight to bed. Nine hour drive tomorrow. It has begun….