In Studio at WIDR and the drive to Northampton

At this point in the trip, the road was starting to feel more and more like the East Coast. That morning in Chicago, we had gotten coffee at Dunkin' Donuts. We saw a Checkers and even a Ground Round. Gone was the vast openness of the West and the dry heat of the desert. We no longer were able to stare out the window at beautiful and unfamiliar landscapes. Even our mindset had changed. One more stop and then it was straight through to Northampton.

Constantly Burning Fire had an in studio performance scheduled at a WIDR, the radio station of Western Michigan University. It was part #10 of their Dead @ WIDR series. Once there the we were told the performance would be part of a podcast and not actually live. This meant FCC rules did not apply so Romanc3 was in the set! To listen to the podcast and learn more about WIDR visit http://www.widr.org/.

WIDR were great hosts: they gave us t-shirts and stickers and even took care of the parking ticket we got thanks to the oh so confusing and ridiculously stict parking rules of a college campus during summer session. In return, CBF left the studio smelling better than they found it by dumping over an energy drink during the performance.

The dancing that the boys have incorporated into their live performances couldn't be stopped despite no audience. They danced and kept most of the choreography that has become so integral to the songs. They did, however, leave behind the costumes and props.

Here is a video of Big Bird Ride.



In, out, and back on the road. Quick stop at an auto parts store, for yet another head light replacement and we were headed to Northampton. The trip was winding down, we were almost there. On the drive through Michigan, Paul and I talked about looking for apartments, how we were going to move my stuff out of my old apartment, what kind of jobs he wanted to look for, school starting up soon. We had enjoyed our past two weeks of wanderlust. The next step of the journey included looking for our first apartment together and setting up our life in New Haven. It would also be the first time Paul lived outside of Washington state in about 16 years. I would be starting my last year of nursing school. Big steps for each of us individually and as a couple.

After several debates, Mapquest searches and consultations with an actual map, we decided to head through Ontario, to I-90 in New York, rather than loop around through Ohio and Pennsylvania. One concern about the Canadian route was that we would be questioned and searched at the border, possibly adding up to two hours to the trip. Due to the condition of the car: broken window, broken head light, beat up paint job, as well as the contents: four people surrounded by bags and stuff, as well as Paul's and my history of questioning at the border, we were prepared for a full on search. Didn't happen, they just waved us through. Easy driving. We adjusted to driving in kilometers per hour and calculating distances in kilometers. When we stopped at a road stop, we bought a Bounty bar, just make the trip special, since you can't get them in the US.

Just before midnight we hit Niagara Falls, at the eastern border. The city of Niagara Falls at midnight is an interesting place. A mix between Vegas and Disney World, maybe a cleaned up version of Seaside Heights, NJ, for those who know that seashore delight. The streets lie beneath a ferris wheel and a casino atop a tower. There are ice cream stands, fried food stands, a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, as well as a smattering of bars and restaurants, all bathed in neon, leading you to one of the wonders of the world, Niagara Falls.

The falls are lit up at night. Sara had never seen them, it had been years for Tommy, but Paul and I had just seen them in June. This would be the third time we'd seen them together. As we drove past, they were lit up in yellow and purple, interesting, but by the time we parked the color had changed back to white. The mist from the falls rose above. Quite the pretty sight.

Just at midnight, they turn off the lights on the falls. We piled back in the car, went through the American customs and drove down to Rt 90. Paul and I had been in the front seats until now. Tommy and Sara had agreed to take the overnight shift to get us to Massachusetts and avoid another hotel charge. Paul and I squeezed in the back and were able to sleep the entire way across New York State into Massachusetts. Fueled by coffee, cigarettes, and "loud and fast" music, Tommy was got us there.

I woke up around dawn to see Tommy's red dreadlocks bopping back and forth to Shake, Senora by Harry Belafonte of Beetlejuice fame. We were luckily almost there because it seemed he had crossed some kind of stress point. The landscape had changed to the rolling hills of New England and Upstate New York, the occaisional barn.

We were headed to the house Tommy grew up in Northampton with his mom, Wanda, and his two sisters. We arrived early Friday morning. Wanda greeted us with coffee, eggs, beer and pizza. New England greeted us with humidity, heat, and thunderstorms.

States visited: 14
Provinces visited: 1
Dogs met: 12
Cats met: 10
Birds met: 4