the [road] journey returns – part one
west to the rockies and back

listening to john fogerty’s keep on chooglin – live

in chicago i bump into ny friends on the street i haven’t seen since berlin. they tell me they were just talking about me yesterday and ask me what i’m doing. i give them the brief yoga, health, have the car packed up to find a farm. they laugh and tell me in two weeks, they’re buying a farm

“life, pathetically poetic…”
with a couple weeks for adventure i return to colorado, my first home from when i first left home. i avoid as much interstate as possible and opt for highway 6. i stay and connect with old friends, work construction, cloudburst an eclipse, and visit one of my favorite places: loveland pass before the snow, above the pines and the freshly golden aspen, where the water flows down one side to one ocean and the other to another

they get the farm and i drive a thousand miles straight shot back to chicago to sleep for the night, making two stops along the way

one in bettendorf to ross’ restaurant (first opened in 1938) for a 4am meal. ross’ is a popular stop on the campaign/tour-bus trail. (it’s the first day at their new location) their signature dish, ross’ magic mountain – texas toast, ground beef, fries, and cheese sauce – has been enjoyed by the good company of obama/biden, jimi hendrix, chuck berry, johnny cash, bill murray, the moody blues, and now me. it’s more food than any one man should ever eat but i did it to prove a point to the dishwasher who said it’d be too much for me and because i’ve won, i’ve lost. i drive into the sunrise ready to explode

the second, two hours from the city. i pass a dilapidated motel – something tells me says to slow down and look: i see the most interesting man walking around -“The Greek”. i pull in and spend time with him – all of the footage for a project to come