North America Guitar Tour
To Buffalo
August 4-6, 2014
I somehow managed to get on the highway heading towards Toronto, and my journey back to America began. I took several breaks along the way as I headed west, and by the afternoon I couldn't stand the discomfort of not having had a shower for three days, so I checked into a motel I found in a small town along the highway called Napanee. When I went to the front desk, there was a person of Western Asian descent, and from the sound of his voice behind me I could tell it was a family-run business. As I was checking in, I asked "Where are you from?" and he replied "India." When he asked me if I was traveling, I told him briefly about my travels so far and that I was lost from Montreal. He said that it was rare for Japanese people to come to this area, and that I was the first person to have a lost tourist. This kind of casual exchange calmed me down. I felt the tension inside me begin to ease. When I entered the room, there were welcome messages from various countries on the bed, some of which were in Japanese. What's more, there was even a punchline that made me smile.
I was really grateful for the shower and the bed. It was the first time I had a break since coming to Canada. The next morning, as I was carrying my luggage to the car in time for check-out, Mr. R from the front desk and his wife, Ms. B, came to the front of my room, chatted with me for a while, and saw me off. I felt like I was staying at an Ryokan (Japanese style hotel).
Toronto is the second largest city in North America. If I had gone smoothly, I would have been hit during rush hour, so I wanted to get out at least in the middle of the night, so I stopped at rest areas (called OnRoute in Canada) whenever I found them and headed west at a leisurely pace. At OnRoute, about 150 kilometers from Toronto, I met Mr. P from Italy and his female companion, Ms. S, in the smoking area. As we were talking, Mr. P was an acoustic guitar player and said that he participated in an event in Toronto and now returnning to Italy. I told him that I was also a guitar player and made a promise to meet him again in Rome next year (I was unable to keep this promise). Later, I learned that this person was a fairly well-known name in the acoustic guitar world, and that the event was a collaboration with Andy McKee and others, so I felt that meeting such a person in such a place was more than just a coincidence.
As planned, I drove through Toronto at around 10pm and headed south from there. I saw the words "Niagara Falls" in the middle of the night, and parked my car on the side of the road, wondering if I was near Niagara Falls (there were hardly any other cars on the road), but it was pitch black all around. Looking at the map, I saw that it wasn't that far away, so I turned off the engine and listened carefully to see if I could hear anything, but it was so quiet that it was like it was written in the air. I decided to come back someday while it was still sunlight, and when I started driving again, I soon came to the border, where I passed through with an even easier inspection than on the way there, and happily returned to the United States. The location was Buffalo, New York. When you feel safe, you get hungry. I got off the highway and ordered my usual breakfast menu for over 55s at the first Denny's I found. I've gotten used to having breakfast regardless of whether it's morning, lunch or night. I've never been happier to have a strong signal on my iPhone than I was at that moment.
Naturally, when I feel at ease and my stomach is full, sleepiness comes over me. I decided to sleep in my car at a rest area a little south of there. I fell asleep amidst sounds like an earthquake, and when I woke up the next morning, there was a spectacular view. These guys were the cause of the rumbling. It seems that trucks don't turn off their engines.
*People who appear in the text are listed by their initials until their identities can be confirmed.
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