42. “I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet)” – The White Stripes (June 16, 2008)
Greetings from the Loneliest Road in America. The sunset over Austin, NV last night literally took my breath away – I’ve used that expression countless times, but this is the first time I’m not exaggerating. I understand why people live in the middle of nowhere. It is stunning.
I have another 800 miles to do today so here’s a really quick recap – and a ton of pictures – from the past week in California:
35. “Slave to the Traffic Light” – Phish (June 9, 2008)
36. “California” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (June 10, 2008)
My time in LA was pretty much spent either dozing on the beach or practicing yoga and mediation. The traveling all but knocked me out, and I was fortunate to catch up with friends and reenter my body. On my way to Monterey I stopped at Amoeba on Sunset, my favorite record store, and I loaded up for the ride. The Coconut Records (Jason Schwartzman) album is addictive. I also got Jakob Dylan’s new album and skipped through several soundtracks looking for a particular song by Gustavo Santaolalla that I heard in a yoga class – it’s the last track of the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack, The Wings.
37. “West Coast” – Coconut Records (June 11, 2008)
The ride up I-5 was pretty uneventful – lots of oil rigs and industrial farms, both organic and conventional. It was bizarre to see these giant billboard farmers in place of real humans:
Monterey Live is a beautiful venue. Played with some guys from San Diego and I’ve come to the conclusion that all musicians from San Diego wear funny hats. From the show:
38. “Going up the Country” – Canned Heat (June 12, 2008)
After Monterey I drove up to Santa Cruz and stayed with a friend on the beach. It was heavenly. I slept until noon. She loaded me up with scones and almond cake and I headed up to Bolinas well-rested and well-fed. This time US-1 was easier to navigate, as it was still light out and there wasn’t torrential rain. The fog was thick and billowing in parts:
It was good to be back at Smiley’s. Bolinas is a trip. I was very excited by my accommodations – here is a tour of my room and also a video of me singing “Tonight I’m Gonna Dream About You”:
39. “San Francisco Bay Blues” – Richie Havens (June 13, 2008)
Friday I couldn’t ignore the fact that the next time I’d be getting in the car it’d be to head East. Even though I’m running low on fuel and I’m looking forward to a writer’s break, I get sad every time I leave California. Whereas heading West is exhilerating, going back East feels like a retreat. I guess it’s a product of being raised in a fast-paced Northeastern culture – I haven’t mastered the art of the Great Eastern Sun.
Fortunately I wasn’t allowed to mope – I spent the day with Tony, a new friend I met at Smiley’s the night before. We met up at Pt Reyes, where I had the strawberries of my life at the local market:
Beautiful. Then we rode out the the Pt. Reyes Seashore and down to the 150-year-old lighthouse and 10-mile beach. It was so foggy that the cypress trees were raining! Very Harry Potter.
Then I headed back down to San Francisco. As I’ve mentioned before, I have a lot of ghosts in the Bay Area, so I had low expectations. But the show at Amnesia was by far my favorite West Coast date. I got to see friends I haven’t seen in years, and the crowd was a lot of fun. I also met a really cool NYC musician who had just come from The Love Guru premiere, for which he produced and arranged some songs.
40. “California” – Joni Mitchell (June 14, 2008)
I drove out to Nevada City, CA and checked into the National Hotel, a historical landmark from the gold-mining days. My room had a lot of character and I plugged up holes in the shutters with wash cloths:
The KVMR show Saturday morning was even more fun than February. Thank you to all of you who called in! Larry, the host, is really easy to talk to – interested and interesting – and after the show I learned that he is quite the road warrior. In recent years he’s hiked from Mexico to Canada by himself on back roads – how appropriate that his show is named “Backroads.” He’s the one who recommended US-50 instead of I-80 to Colorado.
After the Gold Rush right next to the Crazy Horse Inn – very exciting for a Neil Young fan:
Saturday night was really special because after the Cozmic Cafe show I stayed at a friend’s house and we spent the night talking about love, non-attachment, ego, boundaries, being flowers…. In the morning we went to aSacred You nondenominational service and then went back to her house where she used her pendulum to blend flower essences and essential oils for me to take on my journey.
41. “Cowgirl in the Sand” – Neil Young (June 15, 2008)
Sunday afternoon I drove through Lake Tahoe and well into Nevada – I’m about to change time zones for the eighth time this month!
Middlegate Station – a one-building town. The cowboys here are the real thing – not the black hat-wearing Nashvillains. I didn’t know how to use the old gas pumps. Whoops. My engine was smoking pretty good and all three patrons of the motel/saloon/gas station/mini-mart came out to give their opinions. It’s funny, but I’ve never felt safer among strangers – when you’re in the middle of nowhere I guess you need each other. However I was pretty freaked out when I started seeing lights in the sky after dark and envisioned my own abduction… fortunately I’m still here. Next time you hear from me it will be with a Telluride update!
The Ultimate Road Mix So Far…
1. “Escapade” – Janet Jackson (May 6, 2008)
2. “Cars Trucks Buses” – Phish (May 7, 2008)
3. “Heart of the Country” – Paul & Linda McCartney (May 8, 2008)
4. “Why Georgia” – John Mayer (May 9, 2008)
5. “Runnin Down A Dream” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (May 10, 2008)
6. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd (May 11, 2008)
7. “I’m So Tired” – The Beatles (May 12, 2008)
8. “Tennessee Jed” – The Grateful Dead (May 13, 2008)
9. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” – The Beatles (May 14, 2008)
10. “Tennessee Blues” – Steve Earle (May 15, 2008)
11. “Consolers of the Lonely” – The Raconteurs (May 16, 2008)
12. “Midwest” – Sound Tribe Sector Nine (May 17, 2008)
13. “The Big Country” – Talking Heads (May 18. 2008)
14. “Everyday Is A Winding Road” – Sheryl Crow (May 19, 2008)
15. “Omaha (1994 – Live at Elysee Montmartre) – Counting Crows (May 20, 2008)
16. “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” – Bob Dylan (May 21, 2008)
17. “Bandits” – Buck 65 (May 22, 2008)
18. “Is There Anybody Here That Love My Jesus” – Medeski, Martin, & Wood (May 23, 2008)
19. “Highway 61 Revisited” – Bob Dylan (May 24, 2008)
20. “Girl From the North Country” – Bob Dylan (May 25, 2008)
21. “Texas Flood” – Stevie Ray Vaughan (May 26, 2008)
22. “Hard Sun” – Eddie Vedder (May 27, 2008)
23. “Take Me To the River” – Talking Heads (May 28, 2008)
24. “Down South” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (May 29, 2008)
25. “Southern Man” – Neil Young (May 30, 2008)
26. “Southern Cross” – Crosby, Stills & Nash (May 31, 2008)
27. “She’s Leaving Home” – The Beatles (June 1, 2008 – Sgt. Pepper anniversary!)
28. “Road to Nowhere” – Talking Heads (June 2, 2008)
29. “Road Rage Breakdown” – Blockhead (June 3, 2008)
30. “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” – Ennio Morricone (June 4, 2008)
31. “Going to California” – Led Zeppelin (June 5, 2008)
32. “Aeroplane” – Red Hot Chili Peppers (June 6, 2008)
33. “Coast to Coast” – Elliot Smith (June 7, 2008)
34. “Crosstown Traffic” – Jimi Hendrix (June 8, 2008)
35. “Slave to the Traffic Light” – Phish (June 9, 2008)
36. “California” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (June 10, 2008)
37. “West Coast” – Coconut Records (June 11, 2008)
38. “Going up the Country” – Canned Heat (June 12, 2008)
39. “San Francisco Bay Blues” – Richie Havens (June 13, 2008)
40. “California” – Joni Mitchell (June 14, 2008)
41. “Cowgirl in the Sand” – Neil Young (June 15, 2008)
42. “I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet)” – The White Stripes (June 16, 2008)
