North America Guitar Tour
Day Off
June 16-17, 2014
Well, Redding was disappointing, but sleeping in the car was surprisingly comfortable for a small person like me. However, I didn't oversleep, so I woke up at dawn, did my morning routine in the bathroom, and headed to Redding with a faint hope that I would be able to complete my plans with Mr. N a day later. My next plan was to the outskirts of San Francisco the next day, so the distance I had to travel was short, so I was able to stay in Redding all day.
At the end of the previous "To California," I wrote that I had been in contact with Mr. N, but this was a mistake in my memory, and I had not been able to contact him at that point. I remembered that I had met him through YouTube, but I had even forgotten whether our subsequent exchanges were by email or YouTube messages.
I arrived in Redding at 10am, and decided to take my time looking around in a Wi-Fi environment, so I checked into a motel that was almost in the center of the city. Check-in time was 3pm, but they said that there was a room available so I could get in right away. I was looking forward to taking a shower for the first time in two days, but when I opened the door to the room, I found a woman asleep there. Both I and the her were surprised. When I returned to the front desk again, I was given a key to a different room, and when I timidly opened the room, this time there was no one there and the bed was neatly made. However, Wi-Fi costs an additional fee. It was only $2.99, but I knew that I could use free Wi-Fi at McDonald's or Starbucks, so after taking a shower, I went to a nearby McDonald's and started looking for my conversation with Mr. N, but I couldn't find it. While I was doing this, the battery icon on my MacBook Pro started to turn red, so I went back to the motel and did my laundry.
While I was doing my laundry, I stopped by the front desk to pay the $2.99 Wi-Fi fee, and the young man at the front desk noticed that I was over 50 years old, and when I tried to pay, he said, "Yes, it's fine." Normally, if you have a membership card that proves you are over 50, you can get a discount on your accommodation fee, etc. I can't get a card because I'm on the move, but it's comforting to experience this kind of kindness in a place I visited for the first time.
It's been almost a week since I came to the United States, but this day was the first time I had time to spend alone. I'm an extremely considerate person, so I must have been nervously exhausted. I woke up in the evening and was sleeping in the other bed with the laundry scattered on it. I woke up in the evening and started playing the guitar while it was still light. I hadn't touched the guitar for the past two days. Then I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, it was 4am this time. I was holding the guitar and my legs were hanging off the bed, but I was so conscious of not dropping it that my whole body was stiff and it was difficult to get up. After that, I took a shower and got some free coffee at the front desk, and with a clear head I started looking for Mr. N, and I immediately found the email exchange. I apologized for being late, and sent him an email with my cell phone number asking if I could meet him for a moment since I would be staying in Reading until around noon today. He called me at around 9:00 and said that he would be happy to meet for tea before 11:00. After checking out of the motel, I parked my car at the specified location and waited, when Mr. N contacted me again to say that he had some unexpected work and couldn't leave the office. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing we could do. I promised to be on time next time and headed to San Francisco.
*People who appear in the text are listed by their initials until we can confirm their identity.
Contents
Introduction
Until Departure
Seattle
To California
Day Off
Sunnyvale
To La
LA 2 Days
To Tucson
Albuquerque
To Colorado (beginning of Miracle)
Berthoud
Denver
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 2 days
To Texas
San Antonio
Georgetown
Dallas
Houston 2 Days
Benton
Nashville (CAAS)
Roswell
Tampa 2 Days
Miami
Orland 2 Days
Myrtle Beach
Chapel Hill 3 Days
Kingsport
To Indiana
Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival
To Staten Island
Manhattan
Phillipsburg
Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)
To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)
Methuen
To Montreal
To Buffalo
Meadvill A Day Before
Meadvill Ghost Hotel
Detroit
Chicago
Minneapolice
Spin Off #1
Spin Off #2 "EU Tour IN 2008 / Until Departure
Czech 1
Czech 2
London
Liverpool
Chesham
To Germany
Lemgo
Ingolstadt
Bregenz
To Italy
Florence
The Last Gig
Going Home