Back Home… Looking Back… and Forward

Well, WE DID IT!

We took a two week road trip to play music and meet new people and experience new things.  We arrived back in Oregon completely broke, without food, and both with a case of the sniffles. But we also came back changed for the better on so many levels. I feel like both of us have grown so much musically, culturally, and personally.It truly has been the experience of a lifetime, more than I even imagined it would be!

Here’s a quick recap:

We left Hillsboro, Oregon on Sept 2, 2011. 

We drove 3.5 hours. 

We stopped in Newport Oregon, went to Bay 839 Bar & Lounge for a Bacon Bloody Mary. Handed the manager a demo CD and within 20 minutes were given a gig for the following day.

Sept. 3: we played our first set for approx. 2 hours. It was great! Free drinks … especially the bloody marys and mojitos! SO GOOD! The music was well received. We made a good amount in tips, met some cool folks afterwards. There was a drunk guy offering us a PA system but I don’t make deals with drunk people.

Sept. 4: We left Newport and headed down 101 for the day. Lots of listening to music, not sure where we were going to stop. Ended up calling it a night in Eureka CA. Really shitty hotel, but cheap and definitely memorable! It was like from a movie or something.

Sept. 5 - 6: We drove from Eureka to Orange CA nonstop. Well, mostly. We stopped outside the garlic farms at one point and got dinner. Damn, the air smelled like a GIANT GARLIC CLOVE! I will never forget it. The weather was beautiful. We passed through vineyard areas where I slightly regret not being able to go wine tasting; winding roads through the mountains and woods, random ghost towns with the creepiest looking motels, and what seemed like hundreds of antique shops. We were going to stop and camp for the night, but around 8pm, with only another 7 hours to Orange County we figured why not just push through and keep driving. Great times on the road with Kelsey, lots of 20 questions and good conversation. We arrived at my sisters house around 2am. As we could not get a hold of her by phone we had to sleep in the car until around 7am. It killed my back, but I will always chuckle when I remember the way we used our hoodies and shirts to make curtains for privacy!

Sept 7-8: Stayed with my sister Briana, visited her and my other sister Tiana! We ate In-N-Out pretty much every day because we knew we would miss it when we got back! (and OMG were we right about that… I am craving it as I type these words! GAAAHHH!!) . We saw the beach, got sunburn, went to the mall, basically were tourists for a couple days. Also, practiced a lot of music in front of a fan. And I mean a fan that blows air, not the kind that claps for you. 

Sept. 9: played open mic at the Gypsy Den. It was awesome. We only got to play a couple songs, but I think we chose the perfect ones, and it is on video! Feedback after was great! Not to mention, we played a lot outside of the venue on the side of the road and got attention from people at the stoplights and walking down the street. Strangely enough this was my favorite way to play music the whole trip! Nothing like just being yourself on a city street playing some tunes and having random people listen!

Sept. 10: We played our set at McClains Coffee House & Gallery. The people who own this place ROCK!! Seriously, I will never forget their generosity or enthusiasm. PLUS, they make the best coffee ever!! And also fed us dinner too. We have video footage of this venue too, but I am not sure when it will be online! All in all, the experience was amazing and I am so glad we got to play there.

Sept. 11-12: we drove to Sunland CA to stay with Kristina & Joseph, two awesome people who work in TV and are going to produce the music video for singularity. We had a blast with them, and Joseph showed us around Hollywood and LA. Great times also singing Karaoke at the Bigfoot Lounge! 

Sept. 13: We drove to Las Vegas, just because. Money was running short, so it was kind of a stretch, but the city at night was amazing. Great times were had!

Sept. 14-15: The longest stretch of driving I have ever completed. I cannot believe we made it. Las Vegas to Oregon in one stretch. We left at 1:30pm (later than we wanted because of financial problems with my card being frozen because I was traveling!) and arrived back in Hillsboro around 8:30am. Both Kelsey and I had AMAZING times talking about life, love, music, art, humor, and all the things we learned from our experiences. Obviously there is no way I can recount all of the lessons or changes that occurred as a result of this adventure! But feel free to ask if you want to know more. 

For my part, this trip was something I knew I had to go for … It was risky. I paid a big price to make it happen (I am broke as anyone could be atm) but IT WAS WORTH IT.

And I could not have imagined a better person to spend 18 solid days with than Kelsey. She is my best friend and truly an amazing companion. Our friendship was strengthened through our experiences, and our passion for singing together also. I treasured every single moment, and honestly … although I felt homesick the day before we returned home I now am sitting here feeling “Roadsick”. I think this is what I was made for. Seeing new places and things, living from day to day. I don’t know when the next adventure will be, but I know it is on the way.

Thank you everyone for your support of the music and for your friendship!!

It’s nice to be home! :)