Viewing: Road Notes - View all posts

And the winner is... 

...us! Got a rapid test in Longmont, CO on Tuesday, and an RT-PCR test on Omaha on Wednesday, all negative.

The RT-PCR is a newer test, processed in-house not sent to a lab, that still gives a PCR (aka "more reliable") result in about four hours, as opposed to 2-3 days. I got the results in less than an hour as I was passing through.

So all will proceed as planned, with two Minnesota weekends coming right up ... Bemidji this Friday at Cindy Davis's family homestead, a joint birthday party at Mic Tienken's in St Louis Park on Saturday, and Bobbi Jacobsen's ALS benefit on Sunday. Then, The Youngers in Oronoco next Friday (Sept 17), newbie Jana Bjorklund on Saturday 9/18 and The Lampert-Gunderson do in Maplewood Sunday. 

Then I drive to the San Francisco Bay area for the last two shows of this run, at MAry AHern's in Sunnyvale 9/24then home for a mere week, and back out to the east coast.

Sleep is for babies.

xx

dn

 

Intelligence is... 

...the ability to adjust. With the Covid Delta variant sweeping through, and the vaccinated at risk of infection and illness (though, apparently, without grave consequence), I am either the canary in a coal mine, a guinea pig or a sitting duck.

I learned that a fully vaccinated attendee at my Friday HC in Arvada CO got a positive test result the day after the show (from an earlier PCR test). And, wüncha knowit, I shook the gentleman's hand. Three seconds of contact, and ten seconds of unmasked conversation, and now all bets are off. I canceled my indoor Berthoud HC, but thankfully had scheduled a ticketed live stream for that night.

Twenty gracious DanFammers showed up and helped save the day. I upgraded the audio to bring it to CoronaZone quality, and carried on in a mostly-requests show. Host Terry Georgia's next door neighbors, The Hales, who were originally coming in person, joined the stream in what can only be described as the best seat in the house. To wit...

Today's show in Monument CO will go on as planned, with significant upticks to masking, distancing, Dan-itizing and use of plastic. After today, my next shows are next weekend in Minnesota. There is time to get properly tested and assure the health of everyone I might come in contact with.

So far I feel fine, but then, after two days, that would be normal. We'll see what happens by Wednesday. Fingers crossed. And heavily sanitized. 

Hasta La Vista baby... 

Did 650 miles from Steamboat Springs CO to La Vista NE today, 12 hours top to toe. Going over the mountains from Steamboat to Laramie WY was bloody gorgeous, and then drove through Wyoming for the first time. Big ass whiteout torrential rainstorm in Ogallala NE, though I guess it's "wetout" when it's rain and not snow. Drove 20 mph with my flashers on and could not see more than 15 feet in front of me. Lasted about five miles, which seemed an eternity. Listened to a JFK assassination book on Audible, "Not in Your Lifetime", which was pretty good at keeping me awake. I first read it in 1980 as "Conspiracy" and it has been updated more than once, and released under a new title. Riveting, really, but then I appear to like rabbit holes. Heading to Chicago tomorrow for a Covid test (for a second big Disney session in LA next week) and then, Saturday, the tour actually starts in E. Lansing MI!

Full Steamboat Ahead... 

I am in my second day of a four-day drive to E. Lansing. I left LA late Tuesday, about 12 hours later than I wanted, because my Monday prep day got consumed by a major session for a major film. I got as far as Vegas and parked myself in a Walmart parking lot near the airport. Yesterday I hoped to get to Arvada CO, but weather and road conditions got in the way.

Interstate 70 was closed in two places, at Exit 87 outside Rifle, and between Exit 116 and 137 at Glenwood Springs. And there was no parallel side route to get me where I needed to go. The detour sent me over 100 miles north, to Steamboat Springs, where I grabbed a hotel.  As effective and cost-free as Walmart lots are, I needed a shower and a desk space to get a little work done.

The result is, I'm bypassing Denver altogether, and will route over I-80, through Laramie and Cheyenne WY for the very first time.  Destination, Des Moines, hopefully. If I deadhead. It's 12 hours, so we shall see.

In the meantime, enjoy this pic from the San Rafael Reef, while I was still in Utah yesterday.

Drive, he said... 

I go back out tomorrow, with a four day drive to E. Lansing Michigan for the Pumpstock Roots Festival, first of 20-some shows over a five week period, through Sept 26, including opening and closing drives.

It's a couple thousand miles to E. Lansing, with three or four days to do it in. I'll try to check in from the drive, maybe channel Cash or Willie or Waylon and do a stream lip syncing "Six Days On the Road" while driving. Or "On the Road Again". "I've Been Everywhere." "Movin' On." "Traveling Prayer." Who knows?

Would have been leavingtown  B&E tomorrow (Tuesday) but I got last minute work for today, eight hours at Fox on a major motion picture, can't tell you anything about it yet, airtight NDA in effect. But it will be epic, I can tell you that much.

In the meantime, I'll do my best to check in.

Back on the boards... 

The last two nights, I did shows in Southern California. On Saturday, a full concert with Steve Postell on hand, and Sunday night, a three-song segment at Library Girl, a poetry-spoken word-music series run by my friend Susan Hayden.

They were my first brace of shows in Southern California since summer of 2019, about two years. It was as wonderful and fulfilling as I hoped it would be. I hope thinkgs remain open. We are in a bit of a soup right now, aren't we?

Home at last... 

The NomadDan Tour's first leg took me through 66 days 27 states, 41 separate performances and 13,500 miles on Vanessa LeVan. Was I tired. Oh, God yes.

And worth it. To be allowed to do what I do is a blessing. That's a remarkable point of view after 31 years on the road, but it gives my life shape, purpose, connection, and a never-ending ever-changing cast of characters (some bigger characters than others) to interact with.

Over the course of the year, make that "years", I will be notating more and more of it here. As Facebook becomes a haven for nasty politics, cat videos and Zuckerberg's profit jones, I will bring this chat inside, so we can connect and talk about what matters to us.

I suppose my initial commentary will be outward. I hope you decide to help bring it inward.