Yesterday morning I woke up late after finally getting a good night of sleep. At my cousin Mike's place I slept on his futon which wasn't the best and most comfortable, so finally getting into a real bed was amazing. Tracy Huffman has a good size farm style house out in the country, and when I woke up, I sat down to a cup of coffee and talked to Tracy's wife, Beth. They're both warm and welcoming, and from that area, and I told them about my traveling days, and we also talked about the rising Missouri River which is where St. Joseph lies next to.
After some good blueberry waffles and another cup of coffee I gathered my things and started out to the road through some rain. I decided that I was going to take a smaller highway, the 36, which is pretty much a straight line across the top of Kansas and not too far from the Nebraska border. It's the old Pony Express road and it seemed better to do that than to drop down to the main Interstate 70 highway. I was ready to pass through a bunch of small towns along the way - just like I had when I drove through the back roads of Texas.
As I rolled along out of the St. Joseph area the skies cleared up and I followed cars and trucks and we traveled along. People were friendly out there - many waved from their vehicles as I passed by - which I hadn't really seen before. I passed by so many farms - lots of corn fields and cows, horses and tractors. The towns along the way all had a similar feel to them - nice folks who would also wave as I drove by, small Main Streets, lots of trucks. Then there were also many towns that had closed up stores, vacant gas station remains, broken down motels, and silent restaurants no longer open. I have seen it a lot in my travels over the past year - and I wonder where those people are going.
As I crossed into Colorado, my cousin Chris called and left a message saying that a major storm had rolled through and knocked out the power - also that there were high winds and some tornado warnings. So I knew what to be on the look out for as I got closer and closer to Denver. I looked ahead and saw the dark sky which spread wide across the horizon - and where I was heading straight into - after a few miles of hills and then onto the I-70. I could see and feel the wind, and soon drops fell from the sky. As I hit the highway, the rain fell harder and harder - and I cruised along cautiously. Still though, the storm wasn't as bad as the one I encountered as I drove out of Memphis on my way to Nashville a few weeks ago.
I was happy when I finally saw my exit and made my way through the streets to my cousin's house. The power was still down, so candles were lit and I sat down and relaxed. It felt good to be done driving for the day - and I was very glad that I decided to drive that day and not the have to have done it all the following day (today) and then rush and have to get ready to play. I was exhausted and ready for sleep after a good shower by candlelight.
I slept in again today - and this evening Chris and I are going to be playing right around the corner again at KJ's tonight. It's a nice little place, well supported by the neighborhood - and I do enjoy playing there. Then it's a few days of rest before heading west again. After tonight the next show is in Las Vegas in Thursday, then I think Friday in Phoenix, and then back to Southern California.
After this trip I have no real plans to tour like I have for the past year and a half. I need to get back to work and get some money so I can eventually head out again next Spring - so after I get back it will be the end of these hardcore traveling days - which I will miss, but it will be good to be in one place for a while, sleep in my own bed, eat better, and exercise - which I haven't been doing much of at all - but soon.
That's all for now,
yours truly,
Jeremiah
from Tuesday - as I drove over the Mississippi River from Alton, IL.
That's Tracy Huffman at Magoon's in St. Joseph, MO.
Northern Kansas along the Pony Express Trail
Heading into the storm front
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