We'd completed our journey through the great Southwest, did our concert in Redwood City and now we had a real day off. However, our hotel, though very nice, was located in the epicenter of a sprawling Silicon Valley industrial park with nothing around except an occasional strip mall for entertainment. Not good. Boring, to say the least. I think it's road rule #25 that states; "There is always a one in three chance that your real day off will be somewhere where nothing is happening." This was a perfect example.

Things were looking pretty bleak until McEntee called. Robert's mom, who lived nearby, had attended last night's concert and graciously loaned her car to him for the afternoon. Photoglo and I figured anything was better than staying where we were so we jumped at the chance for a mini-road trip -- it didn't matter where. So, we climbed into the car and figured we could make a plan as we went.

We really had no special plans. It was just a great day with no schedule, no tour bus and no show. We headed east over the coastal mountain range and ended up in the beach town of Santa Cruz, grabbed an ice cream cone and continued to the coast highway for a beautiful view of the Pacific. Of course, we had to stop long enough to walk down to the beach for closer look. On the way back, we stopped at a roadside produce stand and picked up some freshly harvested fruit to snack on. Like I said, nothing special, but on the other hand, for us it was something we had not seen and enjoyed for quite a while. But with limited time, we decided it was time to get back on the road.

It was so pleasant to just be like normal people doing normal things. After a while you become so used to the routine and lifestyle of the tour that you almost forget the simple pleasures of anonymity and a day that hasn't been completely planned out for you. So, you can imagine how refreshing it was to be able to just goof the whole day away and take some time to recharge our batteries. It was also a subtle but sobering reminder that the tour would soon be coming to an end and I would again be back in the normal world with normal people doing normal things.

It's strange kind of dichotomy, life at home with 'normal people' and life on the road with 'Roadzilla.' It reminds me of my feelings when I did some long distance sailing. When I was at sea I longed to return to the land and when I was on land I longed to return to the sea. It's the same way with touring. When I'm out on the road I want to get back home but once I've been home for a while, the old road dog, the gypsy in me, makes me want get back out there again, traveling across America in a land yacht and playing some great music with some great people. I've been very fortunate to have the best of both worlds.

After we returned the car to Robert's mom and were back at the hotel, we ended our wonderfully normal day by going out for a normal sit down dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant. A simple pleasure, I know, but I also knew that we'd be back in the land of Roadzilla tomorrow morning and that the next few days would have some long, long runs. I had thoroughly enjoyed my normal day but now, it was time for some sleep before I had to face an abnormal day and get reacquainted with bouncing bunks, flat meat sandwiches, mobile Gin & Tonics, and 'The Chair.'

Stay Tuned...Botts

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