Show Journal 2005-05-27
Woke up early in a truck stop somewhere between LA and Sacramento. It had been a while since we had to sleep in the van and I didn’t miss the experience. We got driving around 9:00 and made plans to stop for food and gas near Stockton. Unfortunately the van had plans of it’s own and as we were cruising along at highway speeds I felt a shudder in the tire that felt suspiciously like a flat. We pulled over in a hurry and got out to inspect the tires. Looked ok. We got back moving and right away it was bouncing all over the place. Could it be the wheels? The suspension? The engine? We pulled over again to look closer and it turns out the inner wall of the tire had ripped open leaving the inside of the tire exposed to the road. Scary. Normally you would put on the spare right? Not really an option for us. After our tire mishap in Arkansas many years ago it now takes power tools to remove the spare tire and can’t really be done roadside. We limped down the side of the highway and got off at the next exit. Dave started calling information and looking for tire shops in the area. I saw a radiator shop and pulled in with hopes they could point us to a reputable dealer. While there we also inquired about the overheating problem we experienced in LA. They said we needed a new clutch fan and that was why it ran hot when we idled and cool at highway speed. The price tag? $245. About that time we called over to a tire store to see how much for a tire. They quoted us almost $200 and had a two hour wait time. No thanks. So we ended up deciding to barter a little bit. We asked if for the $245 they would also help us change the spare tire (since they have the right tools). They said no problem, recommended a Mexican restaurant and said to come back in an hour. It was a little spendy, but we fixed the overheating, bought ourselves some time on the tire purchase all in less than an hour. After eating breakfast burritos and grossing Justin out with talk of bowel movements we picked up the van and headed onward. Not much else interesting to report on the drive. Watched some movies on the PS2 (most notably Sealab 2021 season 2), listened to some music and stared out the window watching the landscape fly by. We got to Eugene around 9:00. It felt like we were just at John Henry’s a few weeks ago. Oh, wait a minute, we were. Tonight was actually a little better than the last visit. The whole evening was a little blurry because we were so beat from all the driving over the previous three days. Not to mention we were loading onto the stage after midnight. We loaded out just before 1:00, watched the last band (who played until 2:00) and then headed home. Total drive? 2000 miles in 2.5 days. Expenses? $344 in gas, $245 in repairs and $300 in new shirts. Money earned? $84 and the free meal at the HOB. You do the math. Quite a loss. I’ve been saying this a lot recently but I gotta admit despite all the mishaps it really was a pretty good time. I’m not sure how other bands do in those situations but I think we handled it in stride. Seems we’re all in a place where we are just happy to playing, meeting people and hanging out. When you look at it that way it’s hard not to enjoy yourself. Lastly … happy birthday to Justin and Dustin. Next time we’ll try not to spend it in such close proximity to Oregon’s most rotten smelling toilet.
Latest Photos