Okay, I'll attempt to pick up where I left off, although it feels like we watched Transformers 2 about 8455 days ago.
Honestly, we enjoyed some 'down' time in that beautiful KOA campground in East Sparta, Ohio. We cooked, we did laundry, we cleaned, we plotted, planned and laughed. Frankly, that is the part of this whole thing that has surprises me most- the three of us are (still) getting along famously. Sure, there have been some tense moments, but each of us understand the exhaustion we're feeling. We may get upset, but those instances have never lasted longer than 5 minutes. Mostly we disagree about what day it is, where we are, how many days it's been since we took on fresh water in the holding tank of the bus or our last satisfactory shower. We are blurred. This past weekend actually marked the first stretch on the tour where we didn't have any shows booked. We ended-up in Worcester, Massachusetts and enjoyed the company of some of Jeff's close friends while hiking at Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. It was nice to get out of the bus and get some exercise for a change.
Later this week, we head to Hartford, Connecticut for the final NACA conference and then we'll be cruising through the Midwest to rock Cleveland, Chicago and Madison before make the trek home. We are looking forward to Hartford as all the NACA conferences thus far have helped to shape 2010 in terms of touring and the growth of 7k. Returning again to my hometown to rock Scatz will be another treat as the last show of the tour.
Before I continue, I must clarify the goat reference. The bus holds X gallons of fresh water for washing dishes, washing our hands, flushing the toilet and lastly, showering. All the water that goes down those drains is held in a holding tank that holds Y gallons of used water. Since human beings generally eat more than they shower in any given day, washing dishes, washing hands and flushing the toilet are unavoidable priorities. Since emptying the 'used' water tank can only happen in designated areas (usually truck stops or campgounds) and we've been driving A LOT you can all now safely assume the 'used' water tank is full. Before you get grossed out, just think of it as mostly cold soapy water. It's not really gross and we wisely made a rule on this tour before we even left: ONLY #1 IN THE BATHROOM ON THE BUS. So, now you can see...it's really not smelly or gross......BUT it's also obvious that showering has nearly disappeared from the priority list. All in all, it's a pretty simple equation and it's result is easy to understand (especially after a long hike)- the three of us smell like goats.
The ripple effects of being out here are amazing. We've watched our Facebook friends spike, our MySpace friends spike, our 'High Life' music video views jump over 1100 and tons of comments about all the photos and video blogs we're posting. The acoustic video version of 'High Life' from the bus is up and it caught fire....65 views in 2 days! I speak for Jeff and David when I say that 7k has the greatest fans ever. Thank you all for everything you do and every person you pass 7k along to. Our fans inspire us each and every day in the most unexpected ways. Again, we thank you.
One last thing before I go: We miss home. We comfort each other while being this FAR away from home. A couple days ago we saw the Atlantic Ocean while crossing a bridge in Connecticut and it hit us like a ton of bricks how far away we actually are. Our homesickness isn't sad most of the time. The best way I can describe it is we're ready. The three of us are ready to return home, to our routines and to our loved ones. There have been some genuine sad moments when one of us is thinking about someone special (just typing that brought tears to my eyes) but we all know that this is what we 'signed up for'. Furthermore, the three of us know we'll need to get used to emotions like these and how to deal with them. We love you all and couldn't do this without your love and continued support.
Our plan is to win over one state, one city, one venue, one song at a time.
Until next time...
Love,
C, J & D
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