The next morning I woke up and continued on along back roads towards the state parks in the area. The route I had planned on taking had a bridge out, so I took a detour along another route, and this took me along a beautiful river in a valley. Along the whole way was a railroad track that had been converted into a bike path. At one point I stopped to check out the river, and where I had stopped happened to be a camping spot, so I carried my stuff to a campsite right by the river and set up camp. I then rode about 7 miles south and rode through a small town. When I got back to camp I noticed a couple stopped taking pictures of something on the ground, and when I went to see there was a large Timber Rattlesnake coiled up at the base of the tree. I went for my camcorder, and got some cool footage. I then went back to camp and fell asleep fairly early in my hammcok.
The next morning I woke up early and got stuff together to ride my bike and then went to my car and charged my iPod for about an hour before hitting the trail north. The valley had some amazing small towns I rode through, and everyone waved as I passed. Along the way I stopped in several places to take pictures and look around. One place in particular, Rattlesnake Rock, I stopped for a long time to have lunch. It got the name from a hunter in the 1700's who was passing it in a canoe and noticed over 30 rattlesnakes sunning themselves on the rock. I sat on the rock and didn't see any snakes, but I did eat lunch and watch the river flow past me. I then continued on as the trail broke away from the side of the road and headed into a forest. I rode along this a ways and saw a doe with a fawn getting a drink from the river. After going about 16 miles I turned around and headed back. Along the way I heard a rattle and saw a snake on the side of the road. I stopped and watched him cross the road. I got back to camp and set about starting a fire before it got too dark, and right after the fire got going good, it started to rain. It wasn't enough to put out the fire, as it only lasted about twenty minutes. I then sat around the fire until I went to sleep. I am now on the way to Watkins Glen and SuperBall to see the band The Phish play their loud and obnoxious rock and roll music. Updates to come.
Shout out to my lovely sister Rachel, who is expecting a baby soon!!!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Avoid Interstate? Yes Please.
After eating nothing all day and walking over 20 miles, I was famished, and the selection of canned and dried food I have in my car was not looking very appitizing, so I decided to spend some of the little money I had and go get some real meat from the dining room at the Skyland lodge. I got there and sat at the bar, and the first menu I looked at was very expensive, with entrees starting at $15. The bartender could tell I was having trouble deciding so he brought me the bar menu, which contained more reasonably priced things such as burgers and fries. I ordered a half pound bacon cheeseburger with carmelized onions, and a Prohibition Punch, which is a drink made with moonshine and orange and some other liquors. While I ate the burger I chatted with the bartender and found out that there would be live music later in the night, so I decided to stay for that, and while I was waiting I chatted with people at the bar, including a softwear engineer named Patrick who works for Microsoft, and he ended up buying me a drink since I had spent all the money I brought in. The singer came onstage around 9, and his name was Mark "T". He played lots of Lyle Lovett and Jethro Tull, and a good mix of other songs. He did a great rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in the style of the late Hawaiian singer Iz, and he also covered the Beatle's "Here Comes the Sun". After the show I stopped and talked to him for a minute and got one of his business cards. I then went to my car and drove it across Skyline Drive to a parking lot without any lighting and went quickly to sleep.
The next morning I woke up fairly early and drove back south towards Big Meadows where the celebration of the park's 75th anniversary was beginning. While on the way I saw several deer, a few turkey, and at one point I to stopped at an overlook and a coyote came walking down the road right past my car. He stopped for a second in the middle of the road and saw a deer up the hill and went chasing after it. I got to Big Meadows and parked, and the volunteer who directed me where to park commented on my Grateful Dead sticker, and we began chatting, and I found out that his last show was at Watkins Glen in 1973 with The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and The Band. This just so happens to be the last festival ever played at Watkins Glen....Until Phish's SuperBall IX this weekend!!! He said that The Dead wasn't even the highlight of the festival, he said that The Band stole the show that weekend. I then headed down the hill towards the festivities, and I got there just a few minutes before the re-dedication ceremony began. The U.S. Marine band opened the ceremony, and a local Eagle Scout led the pledge of alligence. There were then a few speeches by park officials, and after that a Franklin D. Roosevelt impersonator, who was dropped off in an antique car, came on and read some excerpts of the speech from the dedication ceromony in '36. After that was the re-dedication speech given by the park's director, and the color gaurd retired the colors for the end of the ceremony. After that I looked around at the different tents they had set up and walked back to my car. I drove to the parking lot to reach Hawksbill summit, the highest point in the park. I got there and started up the trail, and saw more wildlife along the way. I reached the top where there are spectactular 360 degree views of the park and surrounding lands. There were also some nice boulders and cliffs to climb, and I spent a few hours climbing the rocks there before heading back down to my car. I then drove north until I found a good overlook where I could watch the sun set. There was a guy there with a huge HAM radio setup complete with motor driven antenna attached to his car. I listened to his conversations for a little bit and then crossed the road to climb on some rocks on the other side while I waited the few hours it would take for the sun to set. The sunset was amazing, the sky went from a light blue to a bright yellow deepening into a vibrant orange that darkened to a color that I can only describe as rorange and then turing into a deep deep pink as the sun set over some distant clouds into tomorrow. Everything then had a purplish tinge to it before it got completely dark. I then drove farther north to find an overlook on the other side of the mountain so I could wake up and see the sun rise. I parked and got in the passengers seat to go to sleep, and not long after I had fallen asleep a ranger knocked on my door telling me that I couldn't sleep there, so I drove north til I was almost out of the park and I found a picnic area to park and sleep in.
I woke up the next morning and hiked up to a place called Snead's Barn where there was an old barn still standing from before the land became part of the national park. There were also some old ruins of what looked to be a farmhouse. While looking around I noticed a few small cannabis plants growing on the ground in one spot. I figure someone accidently dropped some seeds. The trail continued on and came to a point where it overlooked the valley and city below. A park ranger had told me that hang gliders use this as a point to launch off of. There were two local girls there I talked with for a while, and since this was their first time in the park, I recommended a few places they should check out. While up there I noticed more hemp growing. I walked back to my car and drove out of the park and into the town on the north end of the park, Front Royal. I stopped there to work on my blog and get some food. I went to Burger King instead of McDonalds because there were no open plugs at McDonalds. After I went back to my car at McDonalds, I realized I had forgotten to get directions, so I went in to look them up. After I had the map pulled up I asked what street we were on, and didn't get an answer from the staff, but an older gentleman came up and asked me where I was going and gave me very detailed directions on where to go. He sat down and we ended up talking for almost an hour about all kinds of things before we both had to leave. I drove north into PA and took back roads through the beautiful backcountry. I like taking backroads over interstate any day, there is so much more to see!! I stopped in a Best Buy parking lot to sleep around ten.
The next morning I woke up fairly early and drove back south towards Big Meadows where the celebration of the park's 75th anniversary was beginning. While on the way I saw several deer, a few turkey, and at one point I to stopped at an overlook and a coyote came walking down the road right past my car. He stopped for a second in the middle of the road and saw a deer up the hill and went chasing after it. I got to Big Meadows and parked, and the volunteer who directed me where to park commented on my Grateful Dead sticker, and we began chatting, and I found out that his last show was at Watkins Glen in 1973 with The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and The Band. This just so happens to be the last festival ever played at Watkins Glen....Until Phish's SuperBall IX this weekend!!! He said that The Dead wasn't even the highlight of the festival, he said that The Band stole the show that weekend. I then headed down the hill towards the festivities, and I got there just a few minutes before the re-dedication ceremony began. The U.S. Marine band opened the ceremony, and a local Eagle Scout led the pledge of alligence. There were then a few speeches by park officials, and after that a Franklin D. Roosevelt impersonator, who was dropped off in an antique car, came on and read some excerpts of the speech from the dedication ceromony in '36. After that was the re-dedication speech given by the park's director, and the color gaurd retired the colors for the end of the ceremony. After that I looked around at the different tents they had set up and walked back to my car. I drove to the parking lot to reach Hawksbill summit, the highest point in the park. I got there and started up the trail, and saw more wildlife along the way. I reached the top where there are spectactular 360 degree views of the park and surrounding lands. There were also some nice boulders and cliffs to climb, and I spent a few hours climbing the rocks there before heading back down to my car. I then drove north until I found a good overlook where I could watch the sun set. There was a guy there with a huge HAM radio setup complete with motor driven antenna attached to his car. I listened to his conversations for a little bit and then crossed the road to climb on some rocks on the other side while I waited the few hours it would take for the sun to set. The sunset was amazing, the sky went from a light blue to a bright yellow deepening into a vibrant orange that darkened to a color that I can only describe as rorange and then turing into a deep deep pink as the sun set over some distant clouds into tomorrow. Everything then had a purplish tinge to it before it got completely dark. I then drove farther north to find an overlook on the other side of the mountain so I could wake up and see the sun rise. I parked and got in the passengers seat to go to sleep, and not long after I had fallen asleep a ranger knocked on my door telling me that I couldn't sleep there, so I drove north til I was almost out of the park and I found a picnic area to park and sleep in.
I woke up the next morning and hiked up to a place called Snead's Barn where there was an old barn still standing from before the land became part of the national park. There were also some old ruins of what looked to be a farmhouse. While looking around I noticed a few small cannabis plants growing on the ground in one spot. I figure someone accidently dropped some seeds. The trail continued on and came to a point where it overlooked the valley and city below. A park ranger had told me that hang gliders use this as a point to launch off of. There were two local girls there I talked with for a while, and since this was their first time in the park, I recommended a few places they should check out. While up there I noticed more hemp growing. I walked back to my car and drove out of the park and into the town on the north end of the park, Front Royal. I stopped there to work on my blog and get some food. I went to Burger King instead of McDonalds because there were no open plugs at McDonalds. After I went back to my car at McDonalds, I realized I had forgotten to get directions, so I went in to look them up. After I had the map pulled up I asked what street we were on, and didn't get an answer from the staff, but an older gentleman came up and asked me where I was going and gave me very detailed directions on where to go. He sat down and we ended up talking for almost an hour about all kinds of things before we both had to leave. I drove north into PA and took back roads through the beautiful backcountry. I like taking backroads over interstate any day, there is so much more to see!! I stopped in a Best Buy parking lot to sleep around ten.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Hiking in Shenandoah National Park
Once I got to Waynesboro, VA on the southern end of the park I stopped at a walmart to stock up on trail food and gas. Shenandoah National Park (SNP) has one long road that goes the entire 100+ mile length of the park called Skyline Drive. I got on that Wednesday afternoon, and when I got to the fee station, it was thankfully a fee free day. I probably wouldn't have been able to go in otherwise, as at that point I was down to my last $60. I stopped at McCormick Gap overlook and watched as a storm moved across the valley. It was an incredible sight to witness, I could see the edge of the rain moving steadily closer and closer. Once the storm got to me it poured and hailed marble sized hail for about ten minutes before heading on. Once I got back on the road I saw a bear cub playing on the side of the road and stopped and watched him for a minute or two before he wandered into the forest and out of sight. I took these to be good signs. I stopped by Loft Mountain Campgrounds to check it out and get a trail map. While I was throwing all my trash in the dumpster a hiker came by and asked if I knew where the camp store was, and I offered to give him a ride there, even though it was less than a mile away. I also offered him a cold brew, which he gladly accepted. We talked for a bit, and he is on day 69 of his thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia all the way to Maine. As he got out of my car he thanked me and referred to the encounter as a bit of "trail magic", an unexpected and pleasant surprise from a stranger along the trail. We parted ways and I continued on Skyline Drive north, stopping at each of the many overlooks and taking in the sights. I arrived at Big Meadows later in the afternoon and set up my camper there and got a fire going.
I woke up the next morning and rode my bike around a little bit, and then rode up to the visitors center to plan where I was going to hike. The rangers helped me pick a route to take, and I ended up deciding to hike from Skyline Drive at Hawksbill to the base of Old Rag that day and set up camp there for two nights before going on to Corbin Cabin and setting up camp around there and hiking back on the fourth day (Saturday). The rangers also informed me that the park's 75th anniversary is this year, and the official celebration and re-dedication ceremony is Saturday, so I planned on coming back for that.
I hit the trail IN FLIP FLOPS around 2:30 and it was descended straight down into the valley below. I got about halfway down before I realized that I had dropped my map, and so I set down my pack and headed back up the mountain to find it. While going up I ran into some other day hikers who had seen my map and picked it up for me, they gave it back and I continued on my way. The trail passed by several waterfalls, and one of them was more like a waterslide and there were kids sliding down the rocks into the pool below. The trail was gorgeous, and nice and shaded and cool. Once reaching the bottom there was a parking lot for day hikers, and a fire road led off from this. I followed the fire road up another mountain towards where I planned to camp. I kept looking for a good place to camp right off the fire road but couldn't find one, so once I made it to a stream I walked through the woods looking for a flat spot to set up camp. While doing this I just about stepped on a large snake, and it made me loose my footing and fall a few yards down the mountain. After I couldn't find a suitable place, I decided to keep hiking and hadn't gone 100 yards when there was a beautiful campsite just off the road. Once there I got the tent pitched, bear bag set up, and started boiling water for ramen. After eating I set about making a fire in the fire pit, and stayed up watching the fire and making hemp bracelets until around 11 when I crawled into my sleeping bag and went to sleep.
I woke up the next morning and hung around camp for a little bit before setting off on a day hike to the summit of Old Rag, which is only about 8 miles round trip. I just brought some water bottles with me, and no pack or anything of the sort. The trail continued down the fire road I had followed the day before until it came to a trail leading up to the summit. The trail almost immediately began heading straight up, switching back and forth as it climbed up the mountain. At one point it reached a false summit which was where the rock scramble began. The rock scramble was about a mile or more of boulders and granite that you don't so much as hike across as climb across. I had lots of fun on this part, and took my time scampering up and down the boulders. This part of the hike was the only part where I wore actual shoes instead of flip flops, and this proved to be a wise choice, as granite can be extremely rough on bear feet. Once I reached the top I sat up there for a while just taking in the view before heading down the other trail back to camp. This trail was much steeper than the other one, but didn't have the rock scramble. Along the way it passed by a day use shelter called Byrds Nest 1, and I stopped there to pee, and while I was peeing a fawn and its mother stepped into the clearing near me. I watched them for a while before other hikers came up and scared them off. I got back to camp around 4 and ate some food and took a nice little nap. I woke up from the nap and sat around camp listening to Phish on my iPod and making necklaces until dark.
I woke up the next morning a little bit before 7 and took my time breaking camp and doing yoga and I hit the trail around 8 or so. Maybe 15 minutes on the trail I was going across a stream on a log, and when I looked downstream there was a bear only twenty yards away tearing up a stump looking for grubs. I sat down on the log and the bear acknowledged my presence with a grunt and continued rooting for grubs. The bear allowed me to watch him for a good thirty minutes before lumbering off into the forest. It was a truly magical experience, and I felt honored that the bear let me watch so close to him for so long. I continued on the small trail, and it was quite different from the trails the previous days. I could tell that this trail didn't see nearly as many visitors as the other ones. While walking along enjoying the forest sounds I heard something up ahead, and a few seconds later a much bigger black bear stepped out of the brush and into the trail maybe 5 yards ahead of me. He was just as surprised as I was and hightailed it out of there. I didn't realize it, but bears can run FAST!!! He was gone almost as soon as he was there. As I continued on the Indian Run trail I saw several garter snakes lying across the trail, and caught one and played with him for a while before releasing him. I got to Corbin's Cabin around noon, and this was the area I had planned to camp in. The cabin is set up for use by the volunteers who keep up the trails, and it remains locked. I decided that I would rather keep on than stop so early in the day, so I hung out around the cabin for more than an hour letting my shirt and bag dry and getting clean water. I explored the area around the cabin a bit and saw all sorts of remnants of the civil war, including long stone walls used as bunkers and the ruins of an old homestead. I hit the trail up the mountain towards Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail. The trail up the mountain was extremely steep and had had numerous switchbacks, but as I went up in elevation I could feel the humidity lessen, which was a huge blessing.
Once I reached the top I crossed Skyline Drive to the AT and began hiking south towards my car. The AT had incredible views of the valley on the other side of the mountain, and I could see hawks circling below me. While on the trail I ran across the same guy I had picked up a few days earlier and I stopped and talked to him and his group for a while, and they told me that I should not miss the side hike up to the top of Stoney Man, which was just a mile or so south of me. I got to the Stoney Man trailhead where there was a sign saying that that point is the highest point of the AT in the park. I hiked up to the top, but didn't stay too long, even though the view was incredible. On the trail up and down I saw LOTS of deer up close, and they all let me stop and watch them from only a few yards away. One doe I was watching saw another doe come into view and they stared each other down for a bit before they started chasing each other. They ran within arms length of me and then disappeared into the forest. Once I got back on the AT it ran through Skyland and I stopped there to fill up on fresh water and as I was walking through the parking lot I found out the only drawback to wearing flip flops to hike in. Bees can sting the bottom of your foot. Somehow a bee managed to fly between my flip flop and foot while I was mid stride, and when my foot struck the ground the bee stung the bottom of my foot. The pain only lasted for a little while before it was gone. I got back to my car sometime after 6 and right as I was crossing the road to my car a buck came out and stayed in the clearing for almost 30 minutes while I watched him. He would disappear into the woods for a while when another car came by and then reappear as soon as they were gone. It was a great way to end my hike, and all told I think I did around 40 miles. Probably 20 or more just the last day, and the whole time I was in flip flops. Doing the trail in this footgear made me realize a new goal of mine, I have always had thru-hiking the AT on my bucket list, but now I have made it my goal to do the entire trail in flip flops. Just to say I did it.
I woke up the next morning and rode my bike around a little bit, and then rode up to the visitors center to plan where I was going to hike. The rangers helped me pick a route to take, and I ended up deciding to hike from Skyline Drive at Hawksbill to the base of Old Rag that day and set up camp there for two nights before going on to Corbin Cabin and setting up camp around there and hiking back on the fourth day (Saturday). The rangers also informed me that the park's 75th anniversary is this year, and the official celebration and re-dedication ceremony is Saturday, so I planned on coming back for that.
I hit the trail IN FLIP FLOPS around 2:30 and it was descended straight down into the valley below. I got about halfway down before I realized that I had dropped my map, and so I set down my pack and headed back up the mountain to find it. While going up I ran into some other day hikers who had seen my map and picked it up for me, they gave it back and I continued on my way. The trail passed by several waterfalls, and one of them was more like a waterslide and there were kids sliding down the rocks into the pool below. The trail was gorgeous, and nice and shaded and cool. Once reaching the bottom there was a parking lot for day hikers, and a fire road led off from this. I followed the fire road up another mountain towards where I planned to camp. I kept looking for a good place to camp right off the fire road but couldn't find one, so once I made it to a stream I walked through the woods looking for a flat spot to set up camp. While doing this I just about stepped on a large snake, and it made me loose my footing and fall a few yards down the mountain. After I couldn't find a suitable place, I decided to keep hiking and hadn't gone 100 yards when there was a beautiful campsite just off the road. Once there I got the tent pitched, bear bag set up, and started boiling water for ramen. After eating I set about making a fire in the fire pit, and stayed up watching the fire and making hemp bracelets until around 11 when I crawled into my sleeping bag and went to sleep.
I woke up the next morning and hung around camp for a little bit before setting off on a day hike to the summit of Old Rag, which is only about 8 miles round trip. I just brought some water bottles with me, and no pack or anything of the sort. The trail continued down the fire road I had followed the day before until it came to a trail leading up to the summit. The trail almost immediately began heading straight up, switching back and forth as it climbed up the mountain. At one point it reached a false summit which was where the rock scramble began. The rock scramble was about a mile or more of boulders and granite that you don't so much as hike across as climb across. I had lots of fun on this part, and took my time scampering up and down the boulders. This part of the hike was the only part where I wore actual shoes instead of flip flops, and this proved to be a wise choice, as granite can be extremely rough on bear feet. Once I reached the top I sat up there for a while just taking in the view before heading down the other trail back to camp. This trail was much steeper than the other one, but didn't have the rock scramble. Along the way it passed by a day use shelter called Byrds Nest 1, and I stopped there to pee, and while I was peeing a fawn and its mother stepped into the clearing near me. I watched them for a while before other hikers came up and scared them off. I got back to camp around 4 and ate some food and took a nice little nap. I woke up from the nap and sat around camp listening to Phish on my iPod and making necklaces until dark.
I woke up the next morning a little bit before 7 and took my time breaking camp and doing yoga and I hit the trail around 8 or so. Maybe 15 minutes on the trail I was going across a stream on a log, and when I looked downstream there was a bear only twenty yards away tearing up a stump looking for grubs. I sat down on the log and the bear acknowledged my presence with a grunt and continued rooting for grubs. The bear allowed me to watch him for a good thirty minutes before lumbering off into the forest. It was a truly magical experience, and I felt honored that the bear let me watch so close to him for so long. I continued on the small trail, and it was quite different from the trails the previous days. I could tell that this trail didn't see nearly as many visitors as the other ones. While walking along enjoying the forest sounds I heard something up ahead, and a few seconds later a much bigger black bear stepped out of the brush and into the trail maybe 5 yards ahead of me. He was just as surprised as I was and hightailed it out of there. I didn't realize it, but bears can run FAST!!! He was gone almost as soon as he was there. As I continued on the Indian Run trail I saw several garter snakes lying across the trail, and caught one and played with him for a while before releasing him. I got to Corbin's Cabin around noon, and this was the area I had planned to camp in. The cabin is set up for use by the volunteers who keep up the trails, and it remains locked. I decided that I would rather keep on than stop so early in the day, so I hung out around the cabin for more than an hour letting my shirt and bag dry and getting clean water. I explored the area around the cabin a bit and saw all sorts of remnants of the civil war, including long stone walls used as bunkers and the ruins of an old homestead. I hit the trail up the mountain towards Skyline Drive and the Appalachian Trail. The trail up the mountain was extremely steep and had had numerous switchbacks, but as I went up in elevation I could feel the humidity lessen, which was a huge blessing.
Once I reached the top I crossed Skyline Drive to the AT and began hiking south towards my car. The AT had incredible views of the valley on the other side of the mountain, and I could see hawks circling below me. While on the trail I ran across the same guy I had picked up a few days earlier and I stopped and talked to him and his group for a while, and they told me that I should not miss the side hike up to the top of Stoney Man, which was just a mile or so south of me. I got to the Stoney Man trailhead where there was a sign saying that that point is the highest point of the AT in the park. I hiked up to the top, but didn't stay too long, even though the view was incredible. On the trail up and down I saw LOTS of deer up close, and they all let me stop and watch them from only a few yards away. One doe I was watching saw another doe come into view and they stared each other down for a bit before they started chasing each other. They ran within arms length of me and then disappeared into the forest. Once I got back on the AT it ran through Skyland and I stopped there to fill up on fresh water and as I was walking through the parking lot I found out the only drawback to wearing flip flops to hike in. Bees can sting the bottom of your foot. Somehow a bee managed to fly between my flip flop and foot while I was mid stride, and when my foot struck the ground the bee stung the bottom of my foot. The pain only lasted for a little while before it was gone. I got back to my car sometime after 6 and right as I was crossing the road to my car a buck came out and stayed in the clearing for almost 30 minutes while I watched him. He would disappear into the woods for a while when another car came by and then reappear as soon as they were gone. It was a great way to end my hike, and all told I think I did around 40 miles. Probably 20 or more just the last day, and the whole time I was in flip flops. Doing the trail in this footgear made me realize a new goal of mine, I have always had thru-hiking the AT on my bucket list, but now I have made it my goal to do the entire trail in flip flops. Just to say I did it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
After Phish cooldown
I woke up Monday morning and headed towards Charlottesville, VA and found a hotel there to sleep at and have internet for the night. I wanted to be able to download the Phish shows, but the connection there wouldn't allow it. I took a shower and went to a laundromat to wash my clothes before dinner. After the clothes were all done and folded I headed to Outback to use my gift cards on a nice sirloin with shrimp and some cocktails to drink. By the time I was finished, I was absolutely stuffed and headed back to the hotel. I kept messing with the internet trying to get it to download my shows, but it kept crashing so I just posted some to the blog and went to sleep.
This morning I woke up and cleaned out my car and trailer of all the trash and clutter from tour and hit the road. Now I'm parked at a rest stop typing this and about to head into Shenandoah National Park for a few days. I plan on backpacking the Appalachian Trail for a few days, and I won't be able to update my blog til I come out of the forest.
Catch ya later!
This morning I woke up and cleaned out my car and trailer of all the trash and clutter from tour and hit the road. Now I'm parked at a rest stop typing this and about to head into Shenandoah National Park for a few days. I plan on backpacking the Appalachian Trail for a few days, and I won't be able to update my blog til I come out of the forest.
Catch ya later!
Last night of Phish tour
I woke up around noon Sunday and hit the road immediately to head to Portsmouth. On the way I drove through the town of Wilson, which reminded me of the Phish shong by the same name.I got to Portsmouth around 530 and walked around the lot a bit, and bought a Jerry Roll, some beer, and a gooball before heading into the show around 630. The venue was tiny, less than 7,000 people, and the lawn was maybe 30 yards deep. There wasn't a bad seat in the house. I went down in the pit since it was all general admission and waited there for the show to start. I was bored since this was the earliest I had gotten a venue, and so I counted the lights they use. 98 projecter lights, and 12 strobe lights. While waiting Page's dad came on the side of the stage and gave a little dance an flashed the peace sign, which the crowd loved.
Phish came onstage at 7:50 and opened with "Harpua". During the song each band member's dad came onstage and said a line to the narrration since it was Father's Day. They played the part of Jimmy's father I have been wanting a "Harpua" for a long time, and even thought it is requested at almost every show, it is a fairly rare song now. After that was the song "Brother" during which each band member's children came onstage one by one and got into a tub on the stage. While all the kids were going off stage Mike teased the theme song to Leave It To Beaver before going into "Down With Disease" into "Back on the Train". "Funky Bitch" was after that, and of course Mike killed it. Then came a new song to me, "Timber" and "The Wedge". After that was "The Moma Dance" which I still didn't recognize even though they played it in GA. The next song was dedicated by Trey to Clarence Clemons who had passed away the day before. This song was a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road" and it was a setlist debut for Phish. The whole crowd was cheering for a song after that and all the voices together sound like "tube", and I knew they would play "Tube" just to mess with the crowd. After "Tube" came "Alaska" into "David Bowie". The first set ended at 9:22.
After the first set I went back on the lawn to lay down until they came back on. They came back onstage exactly 20 minutes later and opened with "Crosseyed and Painless" into "Walls of the Cave". The second set they didn't stop playing at all, just one song leading into the next. After cave was "Slave to the Traffic Light" then "Fluffhead". I enjoyed this "Fluffhead more than the other one I heard, I feel that they jammed more here. That was followed by "Sand" and "Sneakin' Sally through the Alley". Somewhere around this time I saw a kid I had seen on lot trying to miracle a ticket, and I went to talk to him, and he had ended up getting his free ticket and getting into the show. That is one of the things I love most about Phish is how everyone wants to make sure everyone else is having the best possible time they can. After Sally came "Light" with all the normal bright lights and all. This flowed smoothly into "Backwards Down the Number Line" which is the song I have seen live more than any other. After that they stopped playing music for the first time of the set and went right into the chorus of "Suzy Greenberg" which is one of my favorites. They went offstage at 11:18.
When they came back on two minutes later Trey told a story of how his daugher beat him on Rock Band at the song Wilson and how proud she was of that. Then they went into a ten minute long "Julius" which was a great way to end this stretch of the tour.
I went back to my car and drove on past Hampton and the Mothership where I saw String Cheese Incident for Hulaween last year. I drove til I found a place to sleep and fell asleep hard.
Phish came onstage at 7:50 and opened with "Harpua". During the song each band member's dad came onstage and said a line to the narrration since it was Father's Day. They played the part of Jimmy's father I have been wanting a "Harpua" for a long time, and even thought it is requested at almost every show, it is a fairly rare song now. After that was the song "Brother" during which each band member's children came onstage one by one and got into a tub on the stage. While all the kids were going off stage Mike teased the theme song to Leave It To Beaver before going into "Down With Disease" into "Back on the Train". "Funky Bitch" was after that, and of course Mike killed it. Then came a new song to me, "Timber" and "The Wedge". After that was "The Moma Dance" which I still didn't recognize even though they played it in GA. The next song was dedicated by Trey to Clarence Clemons who had passed away the day before. This song was a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road" and it was a setlist debut for Phish. The whole crowd was cheering for a song after that and all the voices together sound like "tube", and I knew they would play "Tube" just to mess with the crowd. After "Tube" came "Alaska" into "David Bowie". The first set ended at 9:22.
After the first set I went back on the lawn to lay down until they came back on. They came back onstage exactly 20 minutes later and opened with "Crosseyed and Painless" into "Walls of the Cave". The second set they didn't stop playing at all, just one song leading into the next. After cave was "Slave to the Traffic Light" then "Fluffhead". I enjoyed this "Fluffhead more than the other one I heard, I feel that they jammed more here. That was followed by "Sand" and "Sneakin' Sally through the Alley". Somewhere around this time I saw a kid I had seen on lot trying to miracle a ticket, and I went to talk to him, and he had ended up getting his free ticket and getting into the show. That is one of the things I love most about Phish is how everyone wants to make sure everyone else is having the best possible time they can. After Sally came "Light" with all the normal bright lights and all. This flowed smoothly into "Backwards Down the Number Line" which is the song I have seen live more than any other. After that they stopped playing music for the first time of the set and went right into the chorus of "Suzy Greenberg" which is one of my favorites. They went offstage at 11:18.
When they came back on two minutes later Trey told a story of how his daugher beat him on Rock Band at the song Wilson and how proud she was of that. Then they went into a ten minute long "Julius" which was a great way to end this stretch of the tour.
I went back to my car and drove on past Hampton and the Mothership where I saw String Cheese Incident for Hulaween last year. I drove til I found a place to sleep and fell asleep hard.
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Great Night for Covers
We woke up around noon and broke down camp and hit the road quickly. We stopped at Bojangle's Chicken and Biscuits for lunch, which was good, but nowhere near as good as Popeyes. We got on lot and walked around a bit, but for the most part we hung around the car drinking beer and trying to stay in the shade.
The show started with "Cars Trucks Buses", an instrumental which Page wrote and I hadn't heard live before. After that came the Frank Zappa song "Peaches en Regalia", which I went crazy for. I have seen Zappa's son's tribute band twice and both times held up a "Peaches" sign but never heard it, but now I have finally heard it live!! Next was a song I called for the show, "AC/DC Bag" then "Guyute". Next was one of my favorites to hear live, "Possum". Next was a song that is new to me, "Halley's Comet", which I really enjoyed. That flowed into another song I guessed for the night, "46 Days", which I hadn't heard yet this tour. This was followed by "The Divided Sky". The wind blew high for this song, and Trey killed it! Next was a song that is a childhood favorite of mine, "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I sang along to every single word in the song, and it brought back many memories of listening to this song while I was in middle school. The last song of the set had me running around all out of control. That's right you guessed it, "Run Like an Antelope". That marked the end of the first set, and we all moved inwards on the lawn towards the middle.
The second set opened with "Twist" which they jammed on, but not nearly as long as some of the "Twist" jams. Then came "Rift", which I enjoyed dancing to. After that came "Prince Caspian" which Evan had been saying all day he had a feeling they would play. They got super spacey during this song. Next was "Esther" which was another song I had never heard before and really liked. (of course I liked it, its Phish haha). The next song came out of nowhere, and no one in the crowd could have expected it. They did a cover of the Jane's Addiction song "Been Caught Stealing". The last time it was played wad at the end of 1998, which was 298 shows ago. I have a feeling the reason they pulled it out again is that Jane's Addiction is back together and touring, and I'll be seeing them at Gathering of the Vibes. After that surprise came "Piper" into "My Friend, My Friend". These two songs contained some crazy jamming and CK5 did some extra crazy things with the lights. That jam carried over into "Kill Devil Falls" another song I guessed for the night. The last three songs continued the jamming with "Split Open and Melt", "Golgi Apparatus", and "First Tube". "First Tube was a crazy super jammy way to end the second set, and left everyone wanting more!
The encore was a cover of the Led Zeppelin song "Good Times Bad Times" and was a great way to end the night. Overall this or the last show have definately been the best shows of the tour so far. They keep getting better and better and doing something new and different each time. It never gets old seeing them each night.
After the show we went back to lot, but lost Evan, and it took him almost an hour to make it back to the car. Then we drove around the city trying to meet up with someone, and it took us until 3 to finally meet up and drop Lauren and Evan off. Then I found a place to park my car and sleep for the night.
The show started with "Cars Trucks Buses", an instrumental which Page wrote and I hadn't heard live before. After that came the Frank Zappa song "Peaches en Regalia", which I went crazy for. I have seen Zappa's son's tribute band twice and both times held up a "Peaches" sign but never heard it, but now I have finally heard it live!! Next was a song I called for the show, "AC/DC Bag" then "Guyute". Next was one of my favorites to hear live, "Possum". Next was a song that is new to me, "Halley's Comet", which I really enjoyed. That flowed into another song I guessed for the night, "46 Days", which I hadn't heard yet this tour. This was followed by "The Divided Sky". The wind blew high for this song, and Trey killed it! Next was a song that is a childhood favorite of mine, "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I sang along to every single word in the song, and it brought back many memories of listening to this song while I was in middle school. The last song of the set had me running around all out of control. That's right you guessed it, "Run Like an Antelope". That marked the end of the first set, and we all moved inwards on the lawn towards the middle.
The second set opened with "Twist" which they jammed on, but not nearly as long as some of the "Twist" jams. Then came "Rift", which I enjoyed dancing to. After that came "Prince Caspian" which Evan had been saying all day he had a feeling they would play. They got super spacey during this song. Next was "Esther" which was another song I had never heard before and really liked. (of course I liked it, its Phish haha). The next song came out of nowhere, and no one in the crowd could have expected it. They did a cover of the Jane's Addiction song "Been Caught Stealing". The last time it was played wad at the end of 1998, which was 298 shows ago. I have a feeling the reason they pulled it out again is that Jane's Addiction is back together and touring, and I'll be seeing them at Gathering of the Vibes. After that surprise came "Piper" into "My Friend, My Friend". These two songs contained some crazy jamming and CK5 did some extra crazy things with the lights. That jam carried over into "Kill Devil Falls" another song I guessed for the night. The last three songs continued the jamming with "Split Open and Melt", "Golgi Apparatus", and "First Tube". "First Tube was a crazy super jammy way to end the second set, and left everyone wanting more!
The encore was a cover of the Led Zeppelin song "Good Times Bad Times" and was a great way to end the night. Overall this or the last show have definately been the best shows of the tour so far. They keep getting better and better and doing something new and different each time. It never gets old seeing them each night.
After the show we went back to lot, but lost Evan, and it took him almost an hour to make it back to the car. Then we drove around the city trying to meet up with someone, and it took us until 3 to finally meet up and drop Lauren and Evan off. Then I found a place to park my car and sleep for the night.
Phish in Charlotte
Friday morning I woke up and went for a quick run to the lake to do yoga, and had 4 canadian geese watching me. I then ran up and down some stairs and ran back to camp for a shower .I got packed up and on the road around noon. I got to Charlotte and the amphitheater around 2:15, and waited on the side of the road until they started letting people in. I was parked on lot by 2:45, and spent most of the afternoon walking around and mingling. There was a band performing out of the back of a trailer on lot, and they were called Jammin Brahmin. I have seen them once before, they did the aftershow for Widespread Panic in Columbus, OH last year. I listened to them for a while and bought a CD.
I got in my seats around 7:20. Both Trey and Mike have on the same shirt with a guy's face on it. The show started with "Mike's Song" which of course Mike killed. This flowed smoothly into "I Am Hydrogen" which I missed while keeping track of the setlist. That segued into "Weekapaug Groove", which I have been wanting to hear for a long time. After that was "Bouncing Around the Room" then "NICU">"Sample in a Jar". Fishman killed during "Sample". Next was "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" which along with "Harpua" is one of the few songs where Trey actually tells a story. This ran smoothly into "Fly Famous Mockingbird", which Page threw down some sick piano jams on. After "Mockingbird" came "Axilla" then "Wolfman's Brother", which I had guessed they would play this night. That was followed by "Scent of a Mule" which Page again killed. The whole band was standing around watching page play. Then Trey came in on guitar with a polka sounding jam. The last song of the set was "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan", and the set ended at 9:04.
The second set started at the lyrics of "Backwards Down the Number Line" with no intro music or anything. I hadn't heard it started that way before, but it was a good way to start the set. Trey had that look on his face like he was looking up to the gods for the notes to play. That went into "Rock and Roll" and they kept playing right into "Ghost". I had been wanting a "Ghost" for a long time, but didn't figure I'd get one til SuperBall. They jammed for a LONG time before going into the first Phish song I ever heard, "Free". They didn't stop playing until the end of "Reba". They played for over 50 min without taking a break. The break led into "Icculus", which was another first for me. Read Icculus. That's the only way to describe it. During the song video of Trey's shirt was displayed on the screen and Trey claimed him to be the author of Icculus. The end of Icculus was weird, they raged for a second and then abrubtly stopped. Fishman came to the front of the stage with his vacuum to sing "Hold Your Head Up". This was the first time I had gotten to see Fish play the vacuum, and it was pretty amazing. I didn't know you could do that much with a vacuum, and I used to sell them haha. Fishman was having a good time out from behind the drums, and was throwing planes made from fan signs into the crowd. The vacuum solo flowed into a cover of the Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd song "Bike" which Fishman sang, but forgot some of the words, and so the band flowed back into "Hold Your Head Up". While Fishman was singing, Trey was on the drums, which was a real treat, and unexpected. With the band members back in their original places they played "Chalkdust Torture". The last song of the set was "You Enjoy Myself", which I believe to be one of their best songs. As usual Trey and Mike jumped up and down on trampolines on stage while playing "YEM", and there were even fireworks during the song. While Mike had his solo, Trey was dancing around on stage having a grand ol time. The vocal jam seemed shorter than usual, but was still incredible.
The encore was "Wilson" which is always soo much fun because the crowd sings most of the song. There was a Wilson head volleyball being thrown around the crowd during this song. Wilson seemed extremely short, and flowed smoothly into a cover of the Rolling Stone's "Loving Cup". I left during "Loving Cup" to go sell some waters.
While I was on lot my friend Lauren from Manifestation Celebration and Wakarusa found me and she took me to meet up with Dylan, Jill, Evan, and some other friends from Flordia. Although it took a while to get everyone together, we all caravaned to Uwharrie National Forest. We drove down some back roads until we finally found a sutiable place to set up camp. By the time I got to sleep it was almost 3am.
I got in my seats around 7:20. Both Trey and Mike have on the same shirt with a guy's face on it. The show started with "Mike's Song" which of course Mike killed. This flowed smoothly into "I Am Hydrogen" which I missed while keeping track of the setlist. That segued into "Weekapaug Groove", which I have been wanting to hear for a long time. After that was "Bouncing Around the Room" then "NICU">"Sample in a Jar". Fishman killed during "Sample". Next was "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" which along with "Harpua" is one of the few songs where Trey actually tells a story. This ran smoothly into "Fly Famous Mockingbird", which Page threw down some sick piano jams on. After "Mockingbird" came "Axilla" then "Wolfman's Brother", which I had guessed they would play this night. That was followed by "Scent of a Mule" which Page again killed. The whole band was standing around watching page play. Then Trey came in on guitar with a polka sounding jam. The last song of the set was "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan", and the set ended at 9:04.
The second set started at the lyrics of "Backwards Down the Number Line" with no intro music or anything. I hadn't heard it started that way before, but it was a good way to start the set. Trey had that look on his face like he was looking up to the gods for the notes to play. That went into "Rock and Roll" and they kept playing right into "Ghost". I had been wanting a "Ghost" for a long time, but didn't figure I'd get one til SuperBall. They jammed for a LONG time before going into the first Phish song I ever heard, "Free". They didn't stop playing until the end of "Reba". They played for over 50 min without taking a break. The break led into "Icculus", which was another first for me. Read Icculus. That's the only way to describe it. During the song video of Trey's shirt was displayed on the screen and Trey claimed him to be the author of Icculus. The end of Icculus was weird, they raged for a second and then abrubtly stopped. Fishman came to the front of the stage with his vacuum to sing "Hold Your Head Up". This was the first time I had gotten to see Fish play the vacuum, and it was pretty amazing. I didn't know you could do that much with a vacuum, and I used to sell them haha. Fishman was having a good time out from behind the drums, and was throwing planes made from fan signs into the crowd. The vacuum solo flowed into a cover of the Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd song "Bike" which Fishman sang, but forgot some of the words, and so the band flowed back into "Hold Your Head Up". While Fishman was singing, Trey was on the drums, which was a real treat, and unexpected. With the band members back in their original places they played "Chalkdust Torture". The last song of the set was "You Enjoy Myself", which I believe to be one of their best songs. As usual Trey and Mike jumped up and down on trampolines on stage while playing "YEM", and there were even fireworks during the song. While Mike had his solo, Trey was dancing around on stage having a grand ol time. The vocal jam seemed shorter than usual, but was still incredible.
The encore was "Wilson" which is always soo much fun because the crowd sings most of the song. There was a Wilson head volleyball being thrown around the crowd during this song. Wilson seemed extremely short, and flowed smoothly into a cover of the Rolling Stone's "Loving Cup". I left during "Loving Cup" to go sell some waters.
While I was on lot my friend Lauren from Manifestation Celebration and Wakarusa found me and she took me to meet up with Dylan, Jill, Evan, and some other friends from Flordia. Although it took a while to get everyone together, we all caravaned to Uwharrie National Forest. We drove down some back roads until we finally found a sutiable place to set up camp. By the time I got to sleep it was almost 3am.
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