Sunday Driving

Sunday June 29th, 2008 - Duluth, MN/Lake Villa, IL

477 more miles trapped in a Toyota Tercel today and every one of those miles reminded me it really is time to quit the road life, at least for a while. The stretch between Superior, WI and Eau Claire is long and boring and the one from Eau Claire to Madison isn’t a very thrilling jaunt either. Sure there are some trees and greenery but I can get that near home.

I really am surprised I’ve gotten my fill of this lifestyle all at once after having spent my entire adult life embracing it. I used to love to be out and about and seeing new places and meeting new people but that thrill has left me for some reason. I just woke up one day and didn’t want to do it anymore and I am feeling that stronger and stronger. I‘ve had enough.

That still doesn’t mean I’m not glad I did it. I sure sacrificed a lot and if I had pursued a family like I have always wanted I bet I’d be sick of that now and want to be out on a tour of all the places I’ve been going to all these years. Human nature always wants what’s out of reach and then when we get it it’s no big deal anymore. I am not regretting my travels.

I have some fantastic memories of touring the country and they’ll be with me the rest of my life. Seeing Mount Rushmore and Washington DC and Cooperstown, NY and also the Field of Dreams in Iowa are all things I think every American should do. I am thrilled that I got to see all those places and about a thousand more. I’ve satisfied all my wanderlust.

But even the best buffet meal has a point of being enough. No matter how good the filet mignon is when you’re full you’re full. I’m full of the grind of being on the road. It’s very draining even though it might not seem that way. There’s always something going on that needs immediate attention and the constant pressure of having to be somewhere gets old.

I heard Eric Clapton said recently how much he hates the road even though he’s a super successful act. He still loves the shows but everything around it is too much to handle and I can sure relate to his feelings. He’s making millions and I’m slugging it out for a couple hundred bucks and a hotel room. I still love the shows too but getting to them is a bitch.

I thought about all this as I drove in to Kenosha to do the Mothership Connection in our new time slot from 8-10pm. This is a MUCH better fit for us and we had a solid show for our maiden voyage. Scott Markus is a good fit as one co-host and now we will work on as many regular features as we can with other people we like working with. We can do this.

Gary Pansch is a good fit but he works Sunday nights. He’ll stop in and contribute once in a while when he can and that’s fine. A woman on the show would be nice and that may or may not happen but I was very encouraged tonight by the progress we’ve made already and I know we’ll keep growing and make this at least an enjoyable project for the hosts.

Putting time into this show or Jerry’s Kidders on WLS is much more the direction I feel fits me better right now. I still have to pay bills and eat so I’ll have to find an income soon to keep me off the road as much as possible. I can get rejected a lot closer to where I live.