the best a man can get

We stopped off in Gillette, Wyoming to see if there might be some CD sales. Wes and Des went to work in the parking lot while I hopped online to check my mail and try to keep up with my obligations. After about 20 minutes I looked out the window to see that a crowd had developed. This was a rowdy bunch. I soon came to discover that this was a rowdy town. The collective mode of living, as I learned, was rough around the edges in a wild-west sort of way. I loved it. It seemed like everybody we met either wanted to come on the road or were puzzled at why we'd spend more than 5 minutes there. All I could say in return was "The people make the place".

There happened to be a big party going on that night and we were invited to come along. Why not? This party was going nuts! Somebody had called ahead and given a heads-up that we were on the way, so Des was an instant celebrity. Everybody was making their way through the pack of people to meet him. They had a mic and a little PA system, so he jumped up and rocked out. It was clear that this sort of thing doesn't happen in that town. It was great.

We were set to get back on our way the following day, but the people who threw the party had extended an open invitation for us to park on their ranch and spend some time there. I was hesitant, but ultimately turned around and headed back. For the next week we felt like part of the family. Mom and Pops were clearly rugged and wild bikers who don't take shit from anybody, but their hearts were pure gold. They took us on adventures to see Devil's Tower, their campground (the bike pictured above welcomes you as you roll in), and all sorts of good times. The whole family showed us love and I'll never forget our experience there. Our last two days were spent with the family who unofficially adopted Mom and Pops. Jim + Bev, and their son John, were some of the most amazing people I'd met in my life. I was astounded. I could write for an hour alone on that subject, but I'll just say that we love them with all our hearts and leave it at that.

get lost

While staying in Gillette, we took a day/night trip to the Big Horn Mountains after I'd been told tales of a majestic cave system that extends through the mountain range. I partnered up with a military chap named Rob and headed to the mountains while the rest of the crew cruised into town with an Escelade-on-spinners drivin' heir to a chain of hotels named Waseem to meet up with some girls. Waseem's girlfriend was stunning and word had it that the rest of the crew was on par with her.

I didn't know what to expect when we entered the cave, but I knew that my guide was a trained soldier who was familiar with the terrain and had been there only a week prior to our descent. Good enough. We arrived around 8 pm and began our trek up the mountain path to the cave opening. After about 20 minutes, we came upon a tight squeeze which required laying down flat on our bellies and scraping forward inches at a time. It seemed to go on forever, but we finally reached the end and found ourselves in a massive cathedral. Very impressive. Ahead, the cave broke off into a multi-tiered maze requiring quite a bit of rock-climbing and nerve-racking stunts in order to proceed. We heard water and followed the sound until we came upon an underground stream. We followed this for about an hour and eventually found a waterfall (pictured above). We pressed on until we found a massive room and no way to go but back.

Once we knew that we were lost, I tried to remain optimistic by thinking things like "I want to keep exploring for hours." and "We'll certainly make it out of here. We just need to keep our wits about us and avoid injuries.". I could see that Rob was clearly losing it. It's hard to describe the manner in which the cave environment manipulates thoughts, but the effect is hallucinatory and disorienting. I didn't want to add panic to that equation. After another hour scrambling around, climbing through one obstacle or another I realized that we couldn't physically keep up this pace and we'd have to start conserving our energy. It was hard to think logically and keep track of the terrain. Everything looked the same. It was a dizzying array of downside-up crystalline rock formations that twisted and squirmed ad infinitum. We didn't see anybody else during the journy and the fact that we found 3 pairs of jeans, 2 flashlights, and a super-sized package of batteries on one of the rocks wasn't helping our mental integrity. Apparently Rob had also seen some horror movies that took place in caves very recently so I'm sure that contributed to his panic outbursts and delusional ramblings. The only thing that I was afraid of was having to sleep down there for the night and be found the next day wearing military-issued pants and boots which Rob was kind enough to lend to me. But then again, I didn't know at the time that the cave extended 50 miles.

We eventually made our way out. At 4 in the morning. It was a harrowing experience, but I loved it. I feel that the true test of one's character is found by trials of adversity. I don't know how well I pass the tests but I love the chance to take them.

When we returned to the hotel our crew was clearly shaken. It turns out that the girls they met up with had a car accident. With each-other. I still can't figure out how that could have happened, but the cars were totalled and everybody escaped without injuries. Needless to say, their party was over. I took a much-needed shower and we all turned in for the evening.

got back

We're back in business, baby! The guys at the shop did a great job, my insurance company came through, and after a mere week we were on the road again. Our time in Rapid City was pretty uneventful. I ended up getting more music together sitting in the hotel with a computer, midi keyboard, and headphones than I had in the entire trip up until that point. It's funny how things work out. I also had plenty of time to catch up with email and make a couple myspace pages.

www.myspace.com/editaudio
www.myspace.com/wehaveaname

The heat was intense, so I tried to stay out of it as much as possible. It was the kind of opressive heat/humidity combo that leaves you sluggish, ornary, and short-tempered. We left South Dakota and headed straight to Gillette, Wyoming so Wes and Des could try their hand at CD sales. The heat didn't die down, but the excitement ramped up considerably.