Day 10: Joshua Tree and LA

This morning we left for Joshua Tree National Park. It was pretty amazing. Now, this isn't where the actual U2 Joshua Tree is, but there are thousands of Joshua Trees in this park. I love it. And knowing me, I had to hug one. Note for the stupid (me): don't hug the "fuzzy" ones. They're really not fuzzy. They're pretty spikey, actually.
And this evening we got to L.A. I am soooo hyped right now! And better yet, it's in "college town" ;D (woohoo!) It's great to see Tingting again, after all this time.
I have YET to see any armadillos.


PS- sorry these posts are getting shorter... I'm too excited to think straight lol.

Day 9: Painted Desert, Winslow, craters, and more Route 66

This morning we went to the Petrified Forset/Painted Desert. There's not much petrified forest any more, but the desert is pretty. we spent a few hours there. And met a family from West Virginia. Kinda nice to talk to people from close to home.
Then we were off to Winslow, Arizona. To stand on a corner. But it's more like THE corner. They have a whole park thing set up, complete with a statue of a 70's style guy. That was really cool. The play The Eagles there 24-7. Yeah, it was cool.
Then, we acidentally found the Meteor Crater on our way from Winslow to Flagstaff. It's a 3/4 mile across, 700 ft deep hole in the ground. With a astronaut and USA flag at the bottom. It's supposed to represent the moon, apparently.
Other than that, it's been more driving. And no armadillos. And I accidentally found "Nights with Alice Cooper"!! Excited is an understatement.
We're now in Kingman. Still on Route 66. We've been on and off it for a few days, so I'm pretty happy.
I'm excited about tomorrow...
But you have to wait 'till then to know why ;)

Day 8: Carlsbad, Albuquerque, and Route 66

Tonight's blog entry is brought to you from the Mother Road. Right now I'm in a hotel on Route 66. I'm pretty excited. But anyways...
This morning we went to Carlsbad Caverns for about 3 hours. It was actually pretty cool. Of course, I've read too much scary crap and was freaking out for a while. ("Desperation" by Richard Bauchman to be exact...) And knowing me, I was soon on a desperate search to find Gimli. Yeah, I'm a geek. Mom was looking for Gollum, so I dont seem so bad, now do I?
Then we drove some more. I've seen so many cows and trains lately... But New Mexico has prettier landscape than Texas (sorry, Hannah). We've seen mountains all day...and don't have a clue where they actualy are. I think you can see to California from here.

Day uhhhmmm 7?

We drove today. For 8 hours. And then took an hour to find a hotel. Yeah, I'm brain-fried.
Today I saw a lot of grass. And cows. And sky. And oil rigs. And it really is FLAT. You can see forever out here!
So uhm yeah. I'm burnned-out. And tired. And feel like I have sea-legs from driving all day. Sorry that this is a kinda crapy entry...but there's really not much to talk about tonight.

Tomorrow will be better. I promise <3
Thanks for hanging in here with me!

Day 6: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guitar Center, and Hannah

Yesterday was amazing. After we drove a few hours...that wasn't so amazing...but after that, yeah it was great.
First stop was Stevie Ray Vaughan's grave in Laureland. Once we got there we realized that it wasn't just his grave; it's the "Vaughan Estate" and his parents are buried there also. It was kinda weird to be there. I mean, I saw Elvis' grave, but I actually know the words to the songs on Texas Flood. The only Elvis song I know is Hound Dog. Needless to say, SRV's grave really touched me deeper.
Then we drove the rest of the way to Dallas. If you don't know by now, our goal is to stop at as many Hard Rock Cafes as we can. So, we found Hard Rock Dallas and just hung out at the bar most of the afternoon. We got there at about 2, so there wasn't anybody else around but employees. You wouldn't believe how excited I was to be sitting close to Tony Iommi's pants.
So we talked to the bartender a while, and wandered around for a while, and finally decided to go find Guitar Center.
Now, the next part of the story is very deeply rooted in my personal history. In 2008, I joined leszeppelin.com as "ms_zeppelin94" And within a few months had become best friends with "Heartbreaker_Girl".
That was 2 years ago, and yesterday we finally got to meet. In real life her name's Hannah (hence the title of this post). Neither of us go on the Zeppelin site as much, but we've been keeping up on twitter. We met at Guitar Center. (Which, by the way, has a huge Jimmy Page wall) We didn't talk much, since we're both awkward about meeting people. Instead we jammed out.
It was the best afternoon of my life. <3

Day 5: Galveston and Houston

Today we drove. and drove.
And finally got to Galveston. It has a lot of seaweed on the beach. But hey, we saw The Gulf of Mexico!
It's a really cool city though. It's historical, and a lot of the houses were built in the 1930's. They're HUGE! We just cruised around and listened to SRV for a while before we had to hit the road again. It was a nice break.
Next was Houston and seeing Brian, Mom's email buddy for close to 8 years. I was so glad to finally meet the guy that I've always heard so much about. It was a great afternoon. Until we tried to get out.
NEVER try to drive in Houston. It's horrible. Now I normally dont freak out that much...but that really made me nervous. We were soooo glad to see that "Now Leaving Houston City Limits" sign.
Sorry I'm not typing as much tonight, but it was kinda a slow day for once, and I'm tired.
I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be great.. ;D

Day 4: New Orleans

Don't worry, I didn't forget about this. I just had a bad wi-fi connection last night.
So, New Orleans...
You can't explain it. I could tell you about it all day and show you pictures and everything, but you don't know what it's really like until you walk down Bourbon Street for yourself. The smells, the music, the sights... I'd never seen a public striptease store. There's about 3 on Bourbon Street. (One time we walked by and there was a group of older people standing outside of it with confused looks on their faces. It was pretty funny.) There's 2 different Hustler Clubs, and thats only the beginning...

If you're reading this, you probably know me pretty well. And you'll know why it was such a big deal for me to find The House of the Rising Sun. Well, we got to the address that I had for it, and there was a bar called "Mango MANGO" there. We walked a few doors down and asked the guy at the Cabaret if he knew where it was. He said that him and some buddies had just looked it up a few days ago. It used to be upstairs from Mango MANGO, but it doesn't exist anymore. But it's still listed under that address. Yeah, go figure.
We then ventured to Decatur Street to find the House of Blues. This is where Eric Clapton became Slowhand, ok? Good news is that I could actually get in, since it was during the day. (At night it's 21+) It is one of the coolest places I've been. It has wicked murals all over the place. I mean, everything is painted some funky color. And the Voodoo Garden is gorgeous. I had no idea that it would be such a nice place.
And then there was Hard Rock Cafe. I cant explain it all, You'll just have to find the pics I post. They had guitars from Clapton, Keith Richards, The Black Crowes, Jeff Beck, Foo Fighters, Sammy Hagar, Lenny Kravitz...it was amazing. And they had a whole wall of The Beatles/ Pink Floyd/ Megadeath. Yeah, it's random.
And upstairs...
I got distracted by the Stones stuff on the staircase. Mom was already upstairs and I hear her "Oh man, you gotta see this stuff...wait till you get up here......(gasp) Oh my God! (laughing) Chrissy, you're gonna pass out!"
I finally turned around and ran up the remaining 4 steps and saw a Led Zeppelin poster. And bukskin coat. Yeah, I was in heaven.
The rest of the stuff up there was (here we go again...) Jimi Hendrix's scarf, Steven Tyler's mic stand scarfish-thingy, Eric Clapton's sweater, Stevie Ray Vaughn's jacket, and Louis Armstrong's trumpet. And that's just the uber important stuff.
Needless to say, I was revved up the rest of the day.

Day 3: Graceland and more driving

Well, as you can tell by the title, we went to Graceland this morning. And I talked about U2 the whole time. (JK, not the WHOLE time, but I did make it my mission to find the bike that Larry sat on.) Bad news is that I ran my camera dead, and it's charging right now, so now pics tonight. Sorry =/
Anyways, Graceland was really cool. And you guys know how much I like retro style. I was lovin' the green shag carpet and paisley fabric designs. The pool room walls are covered with 350 yards of green and burgandy paisley cotton. Yeah, it's groovy. And then "The Jungle Room"! I'm posting pictures of that...I can't even begin to describe some of this suff.
Something else really cool is that they have "Lisa Marie", the airplane, set up across the street, and you can tour it also. It is one unique aircraft, I have to say.
So, we wandered around Graceland until about 2. Then truckin' for New Orleans. Sooo much fun.
We had been in Mississippi for about 15 minutes and passed 4 swamps. Mom goes "Well, I think we're in the swamps already..." And I had to laugh.
The thing is, we would cross a bridge that said "(Something Another) River", and it would be completly mud and grass. What a river...
Well, one time I decide to get video of the swamps. And guess what? It was an actual river. With water and everything. That will be on YouTube shortly. (MsBlackbird68 look me up)
I actually feel like we've accomplished something now. We've been in 3 states in one day. Is that cool or what? ;)
So, we're finally here. About 30 minutes from New Orleans. What a day it's been.

PS- I DID find the bike that Larry sat on. It's inside the car exhibit now. Apparently, Graceland has re-designed since U2 went there in '87...

Day 2: Memphis

Ohhh man I don't feel like doing this. I dont feel like doing anything, really. It's been a long day.
We left Nashville this morning and got to Memphis at about 1ish. We found the Gibson factory first, but we had afew hours to kill before the next tour started. So we went to Hard Rock Cafe. That was just awesome. We sat beside John Entwistle's bass, so I was distracted the whole time. They have a whole corner of Bob Dylan stuff beside the bar. And a U2 section across the hall. I was pretty happpy ;)
So after Hard Rock, we went to the Gibson tour. I was in heaven. They took us through the whole factory, through each step of building the hollow-bodies and double necks. (Other models are made in other parts of the country.) I bought some picks. The only thing I can afford there.
Then onward to Sun Studio. That was cool anyways, plus we had a really funny tour guide to make it all better. She walked us through the history of the studio and the bands that recorded there. And shared some interesting trivia on Johnny Cash. Then, to top it all off, she had a whole speech about U2 and Rattle & Hum at the end. Then we just wondered around while "When Love Comes To Town" blared out. I made a mini-documentary about Rattle & Hum that I'm quite proud of.
And them we found The Mississippi. While Proud Mary was playing on the radio. And I say "found" for a good reason. We were just cruising around looking for Memphis ribs, but the raod stoppped and we were facing The Mississippi River. Memphis is SERIOUSLY right on the border. One second you're in the city, the next you're in the river. Simple as that.
Anyways, we did eventually find some Memphis ribs. At B.B. King's Blues Club. I don't normally eat meat, and I'd never had ribs before, so it was a great first experience.
So, we walked down Beale Street again and called it a day.
Right now, I'm three doors down from Graceland.
Tomorrow should be another adventure....
Happy Solstice

Day 1: Nashville, Edgehill, and ZZ Top

Well, to start off our 3-week cross country road trip, we were fighting before we got out of the driveway. If you know my family, you're not surprized.
After that, the drive was fairly uneventful. We saw a lot of trees and rocks. And tried to find Get The Led Out on a radio staion up here. No luck. I just really hope they archive that interview or something....
Anyways, we finally got to Nashville. It's somewhere close to 10:00 by now (I'm not sure about the time change and everything).
There's an ironic story behind this; way back when I was addicted to ledzeppelin.com, and Robert Plant was recording "Raising Sand" with Allison Krauss (a great album, btw), someone on the forum talked about this little hole-in-the-wall in Nashville called Edgehill Cafe. It's in downtown Nashville, close to most of the major recording studios, and musicians often go eat there. (Of course, we were talking about Robert in particular at that time.) So years after hearing about this little place where all the musicians hang out, we finally pull up to Edgehill Village last night. After a horrible time with "that damn Tom Tom!!" The actual Cafe was closed, but the Mexican place across the street was open. We were standing outside, trying to decide if we should go eat or not.
A waitress comes out and goes "You guys comin' in?"
"Well, we're tryin' to decide..."
"I think you should" And she grinned and lead us inside.
This is where it gets good...
Before we even got to the booth, an older man with an iconic long white beard and signature beanie walked past us.
I knew instantly that it was him. I had just walked past Billy Gibbons.
Dad looked at me like a 10-year-old "Is it?..."
The waitress looked back at him, smiling"Yes, it is."
When I walked over to the bar and asked for his autograph, I had no clue that it would turn into one of the most interesting conversations of my life.
I stood at the bar in Taco Mamacita for about half an hour talking to Billy Gibbons and his really nice lady friend.
Oh, and he taught me how to gamble. He found out we were going to Vegas and whipped a set of red dice out of his pocket. Yeah, he carries dice in his coat pocket. I now know that if I ever shoot dice, I should throw left-handed. He could feel that it was my lucky hand. After four or five rolls switching between hands, we figured out that he was right. Of course he's right, he's Billy Gibbons.
So we talked. About everything. Music, war, religion, which religion was going to win the war, pop culture, EVERTHING.
"I'm a white man, why would the Indians (Native Americans, not real Indians) let me into their sacred holy land? 'Cause everybody wants to rock..."
Yeah, it was quite a night.
We finally left him alone to enjoy his drink, and on the way back to the booth, the waitress smiled and said "I told you needed to come in"

Because of Paul McCartney

Today (well, yesterday, by now...) (haha, Yesterday, get it?) Sir Paul McCartney turned 68. So, I figured this was a good time to start posting my longtime project. This is a collection of things that I have realized could be traced back to Macca or The Beatles.
Because of Paul McCartney:
I finally realized that Bon Jovi is NOT the most amazing band ever.
I now have an obsession with leftys.
I answer "No, we're just very good friends, actually..." to almost any question. (Go watch A Hard Day's Night if you don't get this one)
I use "Fab!" in everyday conversation.
I want a boy just so I can have a child named Jude.
I make people very uncomfortable by asking "Doesn't all the blood rush to your stomach?" (This one is from HELP!)
I attempt to have a Liverpool accent. And fail horribly.
I can't sleep at night because I'm trying to figure out "I Am The Walrus".
And most importantly: I joined Marching Band.
Now, this goes back to the 2008 All-County Marching Band meet. West Davidson (I think...) did an entire Beatles show.
At that moment I decided that I was going to march in High School.
The rest is history!

I know I have more than this, I'm just having issues with thinking right now. As time goes on, I will remember some and discover more, so look for more in the future :)

Hello, hello

Well, I hope this works...
So, this is my blog. If you don't know where I got the totally awesome title from, you need to look up a little band called "Them Crooked Vultures".
First thing: I have HORRIBLE grammar and spelling. Just warning you.
Second thing: I'm very random. Also just a friendly warning.
So, I hope I got this up and running correctly. This is really just a test, I suppose...