lost my ass

Looks bad. All bad. And there's no getting away from that. Moments before this photo was taken, I had to make a difficult dicision. Should I drive backward and hope to minimize the damage with the potential of further desctruction on the side of the vehicle? Or should I just pull forward knowing that the back would be ripped off completely. I decided that we should move forward, have a clean break, move the vehicle and prop the back back up against the rock and await some kindly passer-by. Shortly after this photo was snapped, I crawled up the rest of what remained of the ladder to assess the damage on the roof and figure out how to remove the backside. I half-conciously rummaged through the tools for a wire cutter to remove all the cables running to the lights and such. I then had to forcibly rip off the other side of the ladder as there were no visible screws, only a silicone mess. Fortunately I was full of adreneline and ripped it off after a few minutes of jarring activity.

The officers that eventually arrived on scene were of immense help. Friendly as all get-out. I thought they were going to offer me apple pie and ice cream. They called up a tow truck to bring the back of the bus and we got an escort from the front and rear by the park ranger and police officer all the way to the campground. Although they'd said they'd seen all kinds of crazy stuff happen at this juncture in the road, they'd never seen anything like this. Never.

We settled into a freaky Flinstones themed campground, fired up the grill, and cracked a bottle. I then walked down the road, found a payphone, and called my insurance company to file a claim. I ended up laying down in the back which has been aptly named "the womb" because it's just so comfortable and I get the best night sleep every night I'm in there. I just kept muttering "my bus has no ass". I needed to dedicate some time to let the situation settle in. I got a good look at the damage and started becoming optomistic that we'd be able to repair it and the insurance would cover it all.

I couldn't fall asleep until about 7 or so and was awakened by Brian, our tow truck guy, at 9:30 and I handed him a list of numbers for potential repair shops that I'd looked up online the night before. I had to snap into it on the quick as I knew I had a wild day ahead of me. It was looking bleak. The first few calls ended up saying "We might be able to take a look at it sometime next week". Unacceptable. We lucked out and got through to the premier RV repair company in the area that said we could bring it in and they could start work the same day. I had a few minutes to prepare everything for a long drive without a rear end, then run up to the Check-in office to see if I could get some sympathy and bypass spending $30-$40 for an emergency lay-over. The owner was very kind as I described the situation and waived us off with a smile and best wishings.

We had the tow man, Brian's father, follow us for the hour plus drive as I had no brake lights or turn signals. When we arrived on scene, the mechanics and fabricators came out laughing. Again.. they hadn't seen anything like it and weren't really sure how to tackle the situation but were sure they could get it done. From the preceeding phone call they were under the impression that the damage was far less serious. We spent the entire day at the shop. I ran around talking to the crew, reviewing options, and I even came up with a long list of other work that needed done and could be sorted at the same time. When we roll out, we'll have a fresh ass, our solar panels will finally be mounted, and we'll be better off in the end. I'm so glad that we ended up in the hands of such capable and friendly folks. I'm supremely confident in the competence of the crew. It'll all work out.

The downside is that we're stuck, once again, in Rapid City. We had a ball last night downtown and I managed to get an incredible sympathy rate on our room for the week. We have a nice room and are rolling with it. Des and Wes are on the grind daily making money. I'm in the room, beating the heat, and banging out beats. I brought enough equipment to keep working. It's funny that I'm more productive now than we were on the bus. I've been looking forward to a time to be in a stable place for a week or so. I would've liked to to have all the gear but this is ok.

If all works out, we'll be on the road again this coming Friday heading towards Colorado via Wyoming. Wish us luck.

rocked

For those who aren't deciphering the image right away I'll begin with a brief synopsis. Here we see the interior of the RV. We also see a large rock. Let's back it up a bit with a blow-by-blow replay.

After Rushmore and Crazy Horse, we decided to venture into the Custer State park. I've been told again and and again of it's majesty. There are 3 main routes through the park and about a half-dozen campsites (designed to accomodate RV's) between them. We chose one of the main routes, ventured in, and came upon the first campground. No vacancy. No problem. Onward and upward. The scenery was spectacular. I was not misled. We passed through one tunnel which the fine folks at the South Dakota Parks department generously blasted/carved to give at least 4 inches of clearance on each side of the ride. The second tunnel was designed by some scoundrel hell-bent on pinching the main vein of their most famous park and encouraging the stupid-adventurous lobe of the brains of people like myself.

As we made the approach, Despy wasn't having it. All I could hear over my shoulder was "Turn around, Bobby. No No. We're not getting through this one". Wes thought we could pull it off. I figured they wouldn't make the tunnel in RV paradise if you couldn't fit through. About halfway to the growing port at the end of the jagged passage, we'd pulled in the mirrors and were starting to scratch up on various bits of granite. I was becoming overwhelmed. I couldn't bear the thought that I'd damage my baby and began second-guessing this tunnel endevor. However, there was an important issue to review. There existed the looming fact that driving that monster in reverse isn't easy. I don't like backing up in an empty parking lot for fear of collision. But the tunnel was narrowing. No doubt.

"Left Left LEFT! ok ok, ok ok straighten straightSTOP! ok ok.. right right. Straighten. ok. To the left OK STOP! ok right; now straighten it out STOP!"

This is what I heard over my shoulder for the 10-20 minutes it took to back out. I was frazzled. Fortunately, there was plenty of room at the mouth of the tunnel to back up, turn around, hell.. through a circus if you're so inclined. Unfortunately, I broke my #1 wheel-man rule for the rig. Take it easy. I backed up, turned around, and tapped the gas. The sound that followed a few seconds later rollercoaster-dropped my heart through my midsection and every cell in my body snapped with electricity. Threw it in park. Flew out of my seat and darted to witness the nightmare. I'd made a 6-inch error that ripped the back off my dream like it was a can of corn.

I knew going into this evndevor that there would be big ups and downs. I prefer that to equilibrium, stasis, or repetition. I wasn't , however, expecting this type of goings on after a paltry month in action.

rush

I wanted to make the this mobile studio happen for a few reasons. High on the list were a chance to be inspired by the abundance of fantastic landcape that the country provides, independence, adventure, and a renewal of love for my country.

I've felt that the politics and general behavior of my country and it's people has been something to be ashamed of. I can't let these negative aspects get in the way. There is so much to been seen and experienced in the States. I don't want the behavior of others to get in the way of my relationship with my mother country. So today was a renewal of patriotism.

more

We set out for a day of adventure and got it. After 3 days in a typical campground, I was getting restless. We set off today to check out Mt. Rushmore and Crazyhorse.

move up

Below the hard things.


Above

them hills

The fourth of July went of with some BIG bangs. We weren't really sure what to do or where to go, but we wanted to be on the move and find a campground. By this point, an electrical hookup for the ride and a hot shower were high priorities. But it was the fourth and despite seeing the works at Mt. Rushmore the previous eve, I was geeked to do something. We drove up north on I90 to get to the top of the Black Hills National forest and work our way down. It was approaching sunset and we got a tip from some people in Deadwood on a hot spot to check out the fireworks. So we strolled into a little town called Leads and went straight into the main hotspot. After parking in what was most certainly not a parking space we hopped on the roof and were given a jaw-dropping display of explosives in the most ideal setting. We thought we were sacrificing our chance to get to a campground, but I got on the phone before the show and secured a spot two miles away. We had a BBQ and showers and ventured on to the heart of the Black Hills.

Today was something else. We traversed far too many miles of bumpy unpaven dirt roads and arrived at our destination. It was nothing but a stank toilet, some parking spots, and enough mosquitos to have us fearing for our hides. Despite the bug barrage we had to survey this new-found territory. A mile down the road Wes and I spotted some terrain that looked steep, but do-able. It looked as though it would be an all-day climb. So today I awoke at the crack of 2 or 3 on fire to tackle the hill. Wes and I set out.. not knowing what lay ahead. 30-40 mins later I was looking down on some of the most majestic scenery I've ever witnessed. I'm not an experienced rock climber, so It's a good thing I'm a ninja. One false move and my ass would have been twisted food for the buzzards.

BAD

Today was a big one. We started out early heading to the Badlands without knowing what to expect. What we saw exceeded whatever notions we'd had. It was stunning. I wasn't sure if we'd stay a week, a month, or just pass right on by. It turns out that the Badlands got their name for a reason. It's hard terrain and spectacular sights galore, but not much to live on. And hot as hell! We ran around (sweating like mad) and even climbed some steep terrain. I'd advise against that. I got pretty beat up sliding down the face of a slope, but it wasn't too bad. Then we stopped at some nice viewpoints, took tons of pictures, and rolled straight on through.

On a side note.. Desperado zoomed in like Mary Lou Retton and did a handspring to BACKFLIP with an alien landscape backdrop. I need to write this down now so that in a couple years I won't mistake it for a dream. He's been saying that he could do it for the five years I've known him and I just thought he was re-living some past glory. When I'd press him on it he'd say "Nah.. this isn't the time or place". I'd shrug it off with a chuckle. His form was perfect. He sprinted, popped, sprang, hit a perfect backflip and landed with a lil thug spring in his step. All style. I've wasn't sure if I'd ever stop laughing. It was just too much.

On another side note.. we still haven't recorded anything in the studio together on this trip. We'll have to do that soon. Maybe tomorrow.

After leaving the Badlands, we'd just discovered that Mt. Rushmore has their firework display on the 3rd of July, so we hustled on over in hopes to check out the show. I had my reservations as every local I spoke with said that the whole area was overcrowded, traffic was crazy, and that people showed up days in advance for the festivities. The bus doesn't like tight spots or tricky maneuvers. Well.. we said "scratch that.. let's get as close as we can". So that's what happened. We parked the bus as close as we could, walked a couple miles, and witnessed something special. I'm so glad we made the effort. At this point in the trip, we're feeling like we can make the best of difficult situations and that everything will work out. Just like the poineers.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. We just have to find something to get into.

sioux falls

Having a ball in Sioux Falls. We spent the night with our new friends and got some recordings together. Next on the agenda is the Badlands. South Dakota has the best names. Then we're going to the Black Hills. It'll be great.

wal

We spent another day in Sioux Falls. I don't mind too much as these guys made good money. Gas ain't cheap. Despy made four bills ($400) or more and Wes worked it well. I spent the day fixing the muffler for the generator and getting other little bits taken care of. There's still a lot to do. Then we went off with some peoples we met during the day.

palisades

We bolted from Minneapolis and made a hop-skip-jump to the Palisades State Park in South Dakota. If you ever have the chance, go there. Amazing. Lots of rocks to climb and potentially get yourself worked over if you're not strapped in. I wasn't strapped in on the parts I climbed, but I'm a ninja. On a side note, check the water underneath places when you want to jump in from high rocks. You could bang yourself up pretty good. We stayed for 5 days. I finally started getting some studio work together. It was great. The weather was nice and it was real relaxing-like. We also met up with some nice peoples which spiced things up a bit.

Tonight we're posting up at a Walmart. Sure.. they're ruining the economy, but they host free RV parking and I don't even want to try getting into a park on the 4th of July weekend. Tomorrow we'll stay the day in Sioux City while Wes and Des make money. This place is great for CD sales. They both did $100 today with only a few stops. Des might have banked more. I'll be checking out some of the finer RV outfitters as the rig is in dire need of a few things.

Then we'll head to the Badlands of South Dakota and possibly Mt. Rushmore on the 4th as that would be absurdly patriotic. During the in-between times we'll be backwoods on Badlands BLM lands. It's as close to camping as it gets for us and the landscape appears to be otherworldly. We'll see. It's going to get interesting..