The Good Old American Road Trip:

From the rainy Northwesst to the fast paced Northeast

I'm happy to report that I have made the trip unscathed. I packed up my whole life, threw it in a car, and drove coast to coast. I was excited for the trip as not everyone will have the chance to do something like it so I can officially say it's checked off my bucket list. Easily, my biggest concern was making sure all my music gear got from A to B. I had a nice little set up in Seattle: 

If someone has a trip of this length, it's imperative that everything makes it through the thousands of miles of highways, byways, and bumpy roads, not to mention the threat of theft if everything isn't covered up by something like a blanket or tarp. The years of touring and cramming gear into cars, playing Tetris with everything surely came in handy as I had to fit everything in my car and hopefully have a little visibility through my rearview. 

The key is pretty intuitive but sometimes overlooked: Heavy stuff low, light stuff high, and make sure not to start packing things too early. I had all my things in one room before I started loading it in the car to see the biggest boxes/cases. You may have to reassemble some things if you start loading up too early. I also sold my desk, mattress, and dresser to make room for all the gear. The extra room certainly came in handy. 

The trip itself took 5 days and I had the good fortune of having some friends in Chicago and Pittsburgh who put me up for the night. I'd have to say Montana was the biggest surprise as the drive from Butte to Billings was absolutely gorgeous, especially early in the morning when the sun was just reflecting like crazy off of everything.

There was also a place in Billings MT called Mary's Sunny Cafe that specialized in health food. A welcome change of pace from McDonalds and Wendy's. I have to give a shoutout since it was just a fantastic meal. 

The driving did start to get a little long by day 3 but on day 5, I arrived to my destination around 7:00PM, and had my home studio set up by 9:00PM. I couldn't wait to get it up and running! 

All in all, it was a great trip: A couple late night motel rooms, talking to some really nice people in the Midwest, the Badlands in SD(amazing), a sunrise over Lake Michigan in Chi-town, a bit of a crazy night in Pittsburgh, and you have a trip full of memories that was a great time. 

-Ryan