12/19/07

The Road Tripping Update

Tonight Dec 19th as I write, I'm looking out the back window of the van at a three to five mile bridge crossing over the Atlantic Ocean from surfside Texas to Galveston Texas . My dad and I are parked on a beach at San Louis Pass ( Brazos Port ) and it's about fifty degrees. I could write a short book on this trip already but I'll try to keep it short.

We've lucked out on the weather thus far and we escaped from Chicago just in time to miss the snow and ice. I've been able to jog three days in nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts. The first time was in Kentucky last Tuesday at the Land between the lakes where I was surrounded by tall southern Pine trees, lush greenery, and plenty of sunshine. The second time was at Brazos Bend State Park in Texas where it was lakes, swamps, giant oak trees covered in Spanish moss, and once again plenty of sunshine. There are usually lots of gators there, but Monday was a bit too cold for them; they like it hot and nasty.

Yesterday I ran along the beach here at San Louis Pass and it was beautiful. The Gulf area here is a huge place for birds of all shapes and sizes; Great Blue Heron, Gray and White Pelicans, Sand Pipers, Snowy Plovers, and more than I can name.

Each time I ran I couldn't help but think to myself that jogging didn't get any better than this. There has been one catch to it though, and it's called the shower. In Kentucky showered under freezing ice cold well water. At Brazos bend it was supposed to be hot, but the water was lukewarm at best and with the air temperature around fifty degrees I was shaking all over. The one here was the best so far and actually fun.

It's at the top of a wooden type hut that looks out over the ocean and while one showers you can hear the gulls and birds outside.

The trip so far has inspired all kinds of thoughts and amongst them was the band and warm weather. I'm not interested in being rich and famous, but I would like the band to be successful enough to tour the south or wherever it's warm when the winter comes. It's a goal worth working towards. It's true that the snow can be beautiful at times to look at, but I prefer my t-shirt and the view I have right now.

My dad is holding up well for an eighty one year old guy, and after ten days of living together in a cramped van we still seem to like each other, give or take a moment here or there. Traveling with anyone can be challenging, and though we have a small stove, fridge, and furnace, this is not a mobile home and it's far from luxurious. It took a few days to adjust to it and there's nothing too convenient about it. I'm not complaining one bit though and we're having fun. We camped one night along the Natchez Trace Parkway and as I was falling asleep at the back of the van I was able to look up at a gazillion stars shinning through hundreds of towering Southern Pine Trees. As I looked at it I thought to myself, this sight alone is worth some of the inconvenience of living this way.

As well as seeing plenty of wildlife that I've never seen before like golden eagles and Bison I've met some interesting people. Well, the bison weren't exactly wild, they were behind fencing and it's a good thing. The biggest one charged the fence when we approached and it would have been more than happy to gore us if it could have. Now that I've had a good close up look at a Bison, I've concluded that they must have come about when a Rhinoceros had sex with a Texas Long Horn by accident.

As for the people, there was a couple at one of the camp sites along the Natchez and the woman was a musician. They had been everywhere, England , France, Thailand and most recently in Western Australia where she had a harp built for her, and I mean harp as in the one with a thousand strings used at orchestra hall. Like my dad and I they were living out of a van, but unlike my dad and I they traveled with a harp. She does shows here and there and makes a few bucks. Its one thing to pull out a guitar and sing around the campfire, but it's another to pull out a forty seven pound harp, but she's done it. I was hoping to hear her do a song, but it was drizzling that night and we left early the next morning. I did get one of her CD's though and I plan to keep in touch with them.

As much as I am enjoying all of this and looking forward to the rest of the trip, I'm equally looking forward to getting back to the band and making music. We made some great strides this year and I'm hoping to make even more in 2008. In the mean time, I'm going to continue to soak this in and make the most of it.

I hope you are all doing well, and if you don't hear from me before then, have a great Christmas Holiday and I'll talk to you next year.

Over and out from San Louis Pass in Surfside Texas.

John