We had the most lovely few days in Crested Butte with our wonderful hosts Jack & Eileen. I don't know how we got so lucky to be hosted by the two coolest people in town, but we decided not to think too hard about it. They ended up taking us on this epic hike right in their backyard. We started at 8,000 feet and went over 11,000 feet and were feeling the elevation as we tried to keep up. Our hosts, who are both over 70 and in pristine shape asked if we wanted to go ahead of them, and we said no thank you this is a wonderful pace. The hike ended up being about 6 miles, and some of the most beautiful scenery. The wildflowers were in full bloom, the aspens tall and lean, and the jagged surrounding peaks still covered in patches of snow. Some people recognized us on the trail and said they were at the show the night before. Small town! There was some steep terrain, and some mountain bikers along the path. We were a bit shocked to find out that Jack and Eileen regularly bike this same trail as well, as we were having a strenuous time even walking up it. We had endless conversation with our hosts, and we even had some mutual people in Homer, Alaska, which is where they fished out of for decades. They happened to live right next to the spot that my friend Ellie and I lived and did "workaway" at in 2019, so it's possible we even met them way back when! Smalll world.
The next day we were sad to say goodbye to Jack and Eileen, because they actually kinda feel like family now, but I have a feeling we will see them again some day! We drove the windy road all the way back to Denver and stopped at all the scenic spots we wanted to. So wild and beautiful and HIGH UP!
We had such a fun evening at the Boulder Art Walk, walking around with Claire and Benja and meeting their friends and eating yummy pupusas. Tied the night off with a fancy egg white drink at a cocktail bar with Claire, and slept up in their mountain shack that evening. We had a lovely swim with Claire the next morning in her favorite secret watering hole, practiced for a bit and then made our way back down to Denver.
We had gotten so used to the beautiful mountains, we were a little bummed to be back in the classic American urban sprawl, but we were delighted to be in The Bluebird Theater, which is now one of my favorite venues ever. We had a very lovely soundcheck that made us excited to play. They room sounded amazing, and everyone there was super nice and welcoming and chill. It was a very venue-esque place but since everyone working there seemed to actually like their job and be a nice person (this is often not the case) it was a very pleasant spot. But people in Colorado generally seem to be pretty happy and chill. Matt and I walked to Sprouts and got some sushi (this did not end well) and were set to play at 8pm. I got a massive nosebleed right at 8:00, so we did not walk out on stage till 8:10, and once we did everyone was so welcoming and psyched. It was this classic show energy that every musicians hopes for at a show, and you can't take for granted when it happens. People were right up close to the stage and cheering and vibing, and Matt and I were there for it. We proceeded to play one of my favorite shows ever, as the crowds energy was so good and the sound made me feel like I could sing or say anything. I even ended up telling them about my nosebleed and many more unsolicited information that they seemed to take in stride. Matt moved around the stage a lot and got the people going, and we just had so much fun. Many people approached the merch table after and seemed quite psyched, bought goods, signed up for the email list, got some autographs. I even signed a teenager's forehead. Benja and Claire were glowing after and said they had so much fun. They're kinda always glowing cause they are magical, but they were extra glowing this time because they had so much fun watching their little friends up on that big stage entertaining a bunch of strangers.
That night we stayed with Isabel and Spencer in Denver. I was somehow convinced to go out for a drink after the show since Isabel had just worked an 8 hour catering shift and was very wired and needed to calm herself. I did not drink anything more, but we had a pleasant sit on a bar patio and talked about the world and its fuckedness. Isabel is fun to talk to about that sort of thing because she is extremely smart so she knows all the real facts to assure you that yes, the world is fucked. It's great! We went to sleep around 1:30 and I awoke around 4:30 feeling that something was deeply wrong inside me. Soon enough I was puking in the tiny hot bathroom next to Isabel & Spencer. I could tell I had food poisoning right away, and I knew it was from that grocery store sushi. Last time I had food poisoning it was from grocery store sushi in Hillsborough, NC, and I puked every last bit of everything up until I was empty. I always get grocery store sushi in Maine, but I think I will refrain from getting it elsewhere from now on. I felt like half a person all morning, but I toughed it out and we left the house to go pick up our airport rental car, clean out and wash our Turo car, return that car to its owner, and then get on the road. I had a dirty chai and a bite of a granola bar and puked it all up on I-70. Luckily I grabbed my plastic Walmart pillow casing right at the last minute and filled her right up. Matt was trying to pull over somewhere while this was all happening, but there was simply nowhere, as it was a two lane mountain pass highway, with fast moving traffic all downhill for miles. We did find a recreational area rest stop soon after, and I deposited my puke, filled up my water bottle, cleaned off the slightly splattered floor mat, changed my clothing and we were back on our way. Surprisingly I was all good after that! Just extremely exhausted.
We got to Grand Junction at 4:00 to a venue called the Mesa Theatre. This landscape is very different from where we had been. We were now in high desert with blazing hot sun and vast, beige stretches surrounded by red & blue layered flat-top mountains. I got some white rice with soy sauce & lime to hopefully keep down (I did!), and we had a nice sound check. Our sound man, Greg, seemingly took pity on us (probably cause we looked so exhausted) and offered us him and his wife's spot to crash that evening. I was so touched by this offer I actually gained some energy after and we ended up having a great show. The crowd was definitely not as big as the night before, but they were mighty. They were totally psyched and welcoming, and bought lots of merch after. They LOVED Blitzen Trapper, like super fan style. They seemed to know all their lyrics and were totally psyched about the show. I got on stage with them near the middle of their set and we sang Miss Ohio by Gillian Welch. People went wild! I'll probably post some videos of it to Instagram soon.
Greg led us to his house after the show and I slept soundly for about 9 hours. The bed was so so comfy - Matt and I slept head to foot and I don't think either of us moved all night. We all hung in the morning and we showed each other our band music videos. He is almost 40 (looked like he's 28) and has lived in Crested Butte since he was 21, when he left Philly to go on a coming of age road trip and ran out of money in Grand Junction. He started a coffee shop their with some friends that only just went out of business during covid. He has a few bands that he no longer tours much with, but he does lots of front of house gigs now. He is just a really sweet happy dude that we were so thankful to have gotten to know. His dogs were super sweet too.
We headed out soon because we were going to meet up with the band at Fifth Water Hot Springs at Diamond Fork Trail in the Uinta National Forest. Matt and I had a beautiful drive in our sick rental (bright red brand new Kia that self drives if you want it to) and he showed me his fave new YouTube channel called "not just bikes". Fascinating deep dive into America and its fucked up-ness. A great tour topic we've really been hammering on. We all showed up right around the same time and had such a lovely hike into this hotspring. It was a 2.5 mile hike, but once again, these high elevations get cha. We also had somehow chosen to not eat anything that day other than some slices of salami and cheese. But good conversation and beautiful views kept us going, and we were amazed by the hot springs when we arrived. Tons of little pools blocked off by rocks and sandbags that people have built up a bit over the years. You walk through this river of multiple streams and pools and and you never know which bodies of water are going to be hot or cold! Some are burn-your-feet-hot and some are ice cold. The waterfall was freezing and so pleasant to sit under and get pounded by. I met these awesome teenage gals who are from Phoenix and one of them told me in so many words that if no one in our generation will help fix the planet and save it from humanity, then she will. I said she had my vote! We all wandered around this gorgeous playground for a few hours and then we realized it was past 6pm, so we made our way back down the mountain, along the turquoise river and red rocks, all the while getting to know these lovely people better and better. The Blitzen Trapper crew are some of the sweetest, most welcoming people, and it felt so cool to get to be in the outdoors with them, bonding in that special outdoor adventure way.
Matt and I drove to Salt Lake City straight to Matt's good friend from high school's house - Tommy! Last I saw Tommy was in Camden, Maine, when he was visiting, and my grandfather accidentally drove his own car into Tommy's car and into the side of his own house. That was the last time Diado ever drove - luckily no one was hurt! Tommy is a really nice guy though, and Matt had only hit him up the night before. Classic old friend style, he welcomed us open-heartedly. His girlfriend is also amazing and I had so much fun chatting with her about her crazy family in Spokane, WA (which we play in on Saturday!). We didn't eat until about 10:30pm, which they said is quite normal for them, but when we did it was one of the best tour meals I've ever had. Lamb steaks with mint sauce, corn on the cob and baked sweet potato. After not having a single square meal in days, this was the best food we could have eaten. Matt and I were freaking out! I went to bed soon after and now I sit at a coffee shop in Salt Lake City. Park City tonight!
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