DAMN! It's been a while!

June 5th, 2002

Not like I need to tell you that... If you've checked my website anytime in the past 3 months, you've probably noticed something... I haven't done a damned thing to it! Well, I've been busy. I'm working on starting a telecommunications business with Adam, I'm working on cleaning up my yard so I don't get arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail, and I was preparing for my long awaited road trip.

I've Escaped!

At long last, I've managed to escape from The Region! It's about damned time too! For the past 4 years, I've been kicking around this plan for a long Southwestern road trip. Well, I've finally made that plan a reality. I'm typing this right now from the comfort of an air conditioned apartment in the sun-scorching state of Arizona! (We say it's a dry heat. They say it's like being baked in an oven. Quite frankly, I don't care what anyone says - I love it!)

For Starters

Here's how the story begins. Most normal people just plan a vacation and go. Not I. First, I have think of a way to do this trip like no one else would. Not like this is a hard thing. I just naturally do things that way! Herein lies the foundation for the crazy shit that befalls me on my adventures.

First Things First

I need to pick a vehicle. Not as easy a task as it sounds. My two main choices are my trucks. Either the Chevy Suburban which needs shocks, brakes, and probably ball joints, or the Ford Ranger which is a Ford... aside from that, it's not well equipped for a road trip.

In the end, I picked the Ranger. It'll cost me half as much to drive because of it's little bitty engine... or so I thought.

My next problem was the cargo. How do I keep it dry and secure on a long trip across the country? Do what anyone else would do... spend a week and build a cap for it out of plywood and 2x2's!

Then I spent all Saturday before my trip decking out the truck with a platform to hold my laptop computer, an audio amplifier so I could use the laptop to play music, and installing the GPS unit so that I can track my position on the laptop. It's quite high-tech for a hillbilly 80's Ford Ranger!

Day 1 - Let the Games Begin!

I know crazy shit always happens when I embark on an adventure like this, but I certianly didn't expect it to start so soon. The first leg of my road trip started on Sunday. We were supposed to see the Sammy Hagar / David Lee Roth concert in Noblesville, IN. I was then going to go home with Mark and Cara Kowal and sleep at there house in Turkey Run. Then Monday morning, I was going to leave for Arizona.

It almost didn't go as planned. While I was packing my shit in a mad rush Sunday before we left, I reallized something. The 4 concert tickets that I bought, and that 4 people including myself were expecting to use to enter the concert, were missing! So I spent 2 hours looking for them, when I should have been packing for my trip. I tore the whole house apart. Finally, I came to the conclusion that they weren't there. I must have accidentlly thrown them away, or someone broke into my house, left everything else alone, and just stole my concert tickets. I find the latter a bit hard to believe.

So what to do? I tried calling TicketMaster. They were closed. So I called the Verizon Wireless Music Center... NO PROBLEM! They printed out a new set of tickets, and all I had to do was pick them up at the will call box. Problem solved. Now the problem is, I'm 2 hours behind on packing!

I almost expected some shit like that to happen, so I planned in an extra hour of "Fuck-Up" time. Good thing! Now I'm only one hour behind. That I can handle. I haphazardly threw a bunch of shit in a suitcase, and out the door we went!

Day 1: The Concert

Overall, an excellent concert. Sammy kicked some ass. Dave was dragging some. I'm glad that Dave opened up for Sammy, or I probably wouldn't have stayed for the entire thing. He just didn't have any engergy. He didn't really sound bad... he just didn't have the energy it takes to rile a crowd. Sammy on the other hand... he really pumped the crowd up. He more than made up for the slack brought on by Dave.

Continue to Day 2