• Zack Pomerleau Music

Jewel Tones Midwest Tour 2022

A 20-day adventure by Zack Pomerleau Music Read more
  • Trip start
    July 5, 2022
  • Day 1 - Florida to Lafayette, IA

    July 5, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    Today I woke up at 5am and was out the door by 530 with the guys in the van. Very long drive day; nothing too eventful but nonetheless long. I only slept a few hours total and mostly watched the scenery or rested my head. We also did the first Panera stop as we’re all members of the Sip Club. I got a half green goddess salad with Caesar and half a Turkey sandwich.

    We made a few stops here and there, the only really worth mentioning is Joyland in Nashville. It was cool to briefly go back to that area as it’s right where I used to go visit all the time. This place is a burger place that some famous chef opened and apparently uses special methods to get the temperature just right. I got a “Crust Burger” which is essentially a smash burger but even the buns are smashed. Pretty good, I’d have it again at some point. The curly fries were okay, nothing special and probably the froze Oreida ones.

    Afterwards we drove several more hours and landed up at a Marriott in Lafayette Indiana after Doug took a bunch of wrong turns finding the place. They messed up the booking so we got two rooms (I’m with Doug). Best part is it’s like a suite so it has a separate bed room and everything so I get to be alone a bit.

    Tomorrow is a short drive to Fioras in Geneva, Illinois. Tomorrow should also be the day I get the new Victoria Tremolux. It’s also the day we try a new rectifier in my Bassman…hopefully it powers on without blowing a fuse!
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  • Day 2 - Fioras (Canceled)/Moe Joes

    July 6, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today was very eventful. Waking up late, we left the hotel and headed to Geneva when we were called by the manager of the gig. They informed us a huge storm had hit and we were canceled. So we started heading towards Naperville to pick up my amp. Meeting Mark Baier was very cool and he was a very nice guy. The amp sounds fantastic and better than I imagined. It’ll be a good part of my amp collection. Overall the Bassman is my favorite, and with the new rectifier Mark put in makes it definitely get a good sound. Props to Doug for being so forward and saying “got the Bassman in the van, maybe we should just check it out!” The Tremolux has “the sound” but of course not as loud. It’ll be amazing for small gigs and recording.

    After Naperville we headed to Joliet to meet up with Steve Fazio of Vero amps. Right when we got there he informed us Mondo got us a gig at a local Cajun joint so we hung out at his place for a bit trying his guitars and an amp he built using the Bandmaster circuit. It may have been one of the best amps I’ve ever heard and somehow sounded nothing like my Bandmaster (maybe because it was 1x12 instead of 3x10???). Steve after hearing quietly asked Doug why I keep trying amps because that one sounds great! After we headed to Moe Joes about 25 minutes away in Plainfield, a really nice area.

    Surprisingly a lot of people showed up to see us alongside the regulars, including our friend Jeff Burgos (he’s in the picture) and Mondo Cortez. We all had Jambalaya then played. We had a great time and it all sounded good. Mondo eventually sat in, then Bri Backman sat in on drums and I played harmonica. She was a very loud drummer but good regardless. Surprisingly the Tremolux was capable of handling the volume, but that was the peak. We almost never get that loud regardless.

    After the gig we drove to Nick Moss’ place while we ate leftovers. All in all it was a really good day and I’m looking forward to Summerfest tomorrow!!!
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  • Day 3 - Summerfest!

    July 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Today was a really great day. We hung out at Nicks and then headed out around noon or later. We stopped for the daily Panera and made our way to Milwaukee. When in the city we had to get gas and stopped at a gas station that had two Payday candy bars on the ground with a condom on them…very strange place.

    It took us quite a long time to find where to go for our gig…we found one guy who seemed like he didn’t speak any English and he gave us directions. When we found the place they loaded our amps and random gear to the site of the gig. They told us they had back line, but only actually had one fender twin for amplifiers. Drum wise they had a nice Gretsch Renown kit with super nice light Zildjian Ks (the 15” hi hats were ridiculously nice). We did a sound check and then went to our trailer.

    The gig was a lot of fun. It was two staggered sets so we wouldn’t be competing with the giant stage next to us. We constantly had a good audience and lots of people were stopping to watch us. When we were finished we loaded our gear in and then packed our van then went back to the festival grounds. We managed to see almost the whole set of John Fogerty, missing the first and last song. I actually snuck back some to hear a little bit of Proud Mary while the others were in the bathroom. It was an awesome concert.

    We then headed to Madison which took us a bit as the traffic getting out of the festival was iffy. The city does a good job and makes a bunch of streets one way just for the purpose of leaving so it only added maybe 20-25 minutes. We stopped at a Kwik Stop gas station which was like a better Cumberland Farms and got pizza slices, snacks, and drinks. They gave us sandwiches at the fest but they were gross. We then made it back to the hotel around 1 or so. We will be here for the night and the next night.
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  • Day 4 - Red Rooster

    July 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today was very eventful. Andrew woke up and said he felt a bit sick so he decided to test for Covid which he popped up positive. Doug and I then left to get tests and we were negative. So after we walked to Culver’s and got some food, coming back with food for Andrew. Doug managed to find a sub for the night and the next few days under the advice of the promoter for these gigs. Before leaving for the gig we went to the gas station and grocery store with Andrew.

    Gig wise we used a guy named Ronn who wasn’t quite versed in blues but at least he was capable. He had played with Papa Jo Jones and Clyde Stubblefield, very cool notes on his resume. The venue had a really nice Rogers kit so I only had to use my own cymbals. I also used the new Victoria but quickly discovered my delay pedal was highly acting up and I think it needs to be sent for warranty repair unfortunately. I was really happy with the sound of my amp, it may be my new favorite!

    The gig went pretty smoothly and Doug and I played really well. It’s unfortunate Andrew wasn’t there. Overall there was a decent crowd and a handful of people were really excited about the harmonica thing including a guy named Bob who managed to survive multiple near casualty events in Vietnam.

    After the gig we packed up and got food. Doug got a Cesar and I got a chicken sandwich which was awesome. They have a seasoning that is ridiculously good and they put it in everything, even their salad dressing. We got back to the room and chatted with Andrew for a bit then went to sleep.

    Thienesville is up next!
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  • Day 5 - Baree

    July 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Today was fun. We drove from the hotel and went to Cedarburg where we stayed in a bed and breakfast. Before checking in we went to where the Baree is at and went to “Daily Tacos” which is owned by the same guy. Really good. There was a really big motorcycle fest happening right down the road.

    After eating Andrew and I walked down the street to the local record store where he found some old blues and soul records. We then checked into our room, which was two flights of stairs up in the bed and breakfast. After checking in I went to walk around and check out the little town of Cedarburg which was really nice, similar to Hallowell. I stopped to get a coffee at “Fiddleheads” and also got a coffee cake muffin.

    The gig was awesome. Lots of people we knew came to check us out, including harmonica great Jim Liban. It was a real honor to have him compliment my harmonica playing and drumming. We also had Steve Cohen there who sat in. I also met a guy named Pinkerton who was there with his girlfriend; I felt bad for her as there was an insanely drunk woman constantly all over her. This same woman did the same to the bassist and we finally had to get her away when she somehow pulled the cord from his bass.

    The Baree was really cool and gave us each two meals. I got the Wagyu sliders (maybe the best burger I’ve ever eaten) and their spicy wings, which I have no idea what the seasoning was but they were good. We headed back to the Airbnb somewhat late after driving to get Andrew cough drops. It was a fun day!
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  • Day 6 - Smiling Moose

    July 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Well today was interesting. We made our way to a town right outside of Newton where the club is. We got some Panera (highly recommend the Thai chicken soup) then went to the room across the street. Doug and I left for the club which was in the middle of nowhere and possibly the whole town was there. As we began to set up people spoke to us including Al Dorn.

    The bassist was okay, could have been the best but he wasn’t very musically intuitive so he needed a lot of instruction. Doug was using the 2x10 Vero and it sounded horrible, the speakers were distorting. People were complaining we weren’t loud enough. Not to mention random giant explosions kept happening. So we finish the first set and Doug asks Al to sit in and for whatever reason he had his amp, three or so bullets, and his entire harp case. It looked like it was going to rain so we got up fast after the bassist showed up his 52 P-Bass.

    The same guy kept asking us to turn up which really annoyed Doug. We were doing what Al called a “Double Harp Attack” aka the end of Doug’s love for harmonica. We got through the set and people went nuts over it. As we were tearing down we heard thunder and lightning approaching so we quickly hurried up. We got most everything in the van before the downpour started and went into the club. Inside we checked out all the posters and ordered food. The server apparently didn’t hear Doug say it was to go, but Doug reinformed her after it can out and she obviously was mad as everything was randomly thrown into separate bags.

    We got back to the room with our food and Andrew’s; we all got the highly recommended “Moose Burger.” It was bigger than my face but legitimately not very good. I’d prefer McDonalds. We then went over to the Meijers and got Andrew cough drops.

    Pictured is the settings Madison Slim supposedly uses. Thanks Al.
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  • Day 7 - The Alamo

    July 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today’s drive was a bit long. Around six hours. We started our drive and landed up at Steve Fazio’s again to pick up two amps Doug left for repair. We returned the 2x10 and Doug told him he didn’t like it, which we were informed it had the cheapest speakers possible with smooth cones not to mention it was wired for lower wattage. we then made our way to Springfield.

    Like last time in Springfield, we have two rooms at the State House Inn. Since this is the land of Lincoln the hotel has tons of pictures of him throughout including the rooms. We checked in and got ready as we needed to get to a restaurant to meet a blues society guy.

    We get to this little brewery/restaurant and this dude runs out and tells us he’s in their beer garden. The menu has like four things and we’re informed it’ll take 45 minutes at least. This is also when the guy says he already ate. So we went to their normal restaurant and all got baby sized salads and talked to him for an hour or so and then headed to the club.

    The show overall went great. Bob Keiser of Blues Blast was there and the crowd was good for a Monday. It was also good to have Andrew back and not random bass players. It was a really fun night. We did have a guitarist sit in, named T-Mo or whatever. Doug simply said to me “it’s my turn tonight!” Double guitar shred. During the set Doug’s amp he just got back started making insane noises (video below) so he had to swap for his big amp which he also just got back. That one was fine.

    After the gig we tore down and the guitarist said he had a ton of drumsticks which he gave me, all completely shredded up and no use. I tried to leave them but they kept getting handed back to me so I just threw them away. After leaving we wanted to get food and everywhere was closed, even Arby’s which Doug really wanted. We went to a gas station and they had nothing. We even went to Dominos and they wouldn’t let us order for some insane reason, so we finally went to McDonalds and waited in line for an hour.

    We finally got back to the hotel and I was exhausted. I pretty much slept instantly.
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  • Day 8 - Austin Community Tavern

    July 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today was fun. Headed to Steger for a gig. On the way we met with Fazio again to deal with amps and he took us to Portillos where I got a Maxwell Polish and onion rings. We then headed to the Priceline Doug booked which as we went he found out it looked like a crack house. We drove by a roadside motel and laughed at how terrible it was, and got to where the motel was supposed to be. Nothing. Just a very bad part of town. We then found out Maps was taking us to the wrong place and the hilarious motel was where we booked. We left and decided to head to the gig and not stay there.

    The gig was great. Really nice room and great stage and nice drumset (Tama). Rodrigo and Gerry Hundt both came out plus some harp and guitar guys I know from various places. Gerry and Rodrigo both sat in. The food there was okay, I got “fajitas” which was just grilled beef chopped up I think. Another thing, was my amp sounded terrible. The curtains behind me were sucking up all the treble, but easy fix…just put the cymbal case out back of it!

    After the gig we headed back to Nick Moss’ place to sleep in the cold basement.
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  • Day 9 - Fioras

    July 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we woke up super late and went to a taco place Nick Moss likes. The carnitas was okay but they made a good horchata. We then made an impromptu Starbucks stop and then went to hang out at Nicks until the gig.

    We got to Fioras and set up; Andrew and I had grilled romaine salads. Tasted good, but not a fan of having to cut up the salad. We played and it sounded bad, the cement and outside environment just killed all amp tone and made the drums sound harsh. Nick’s old drummer Patrick showed up and sat in with us, not to mention lots of people came to see us from the area.

    On the way back we went through the Portillos drive-thru and got some hot dogs and onion rings (Doug got a salad to accompany his burger from Fioras). We then tried to find a gas station but many of them you couldn’t go in and had to let them get the stuff for you. Doug was annoyed by this.

    We then headed back to Nicks to call it a night. Decent drive to the next club!
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  • Day 10 - Cutters

    July 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Today wasn’t too bad. Just a drive to the Illinois/Missouri border to play in East St. Louis. The club was a really big and echo-y place with a weird stage. You had to walk down into the dance floor then step up onto the stage. We got there pretty early and met with the guy who booked it and the Branson gig.

    The stage was super loud because of the environment. We set up then ordered food. I’m almost certain it was just a chicken patty they dropped into the fryer. Can’t expect much from those prices. People we know from the St Louis area showed up and we played. The promoter claimed he is booking us in Las Vegas now because of how much he liked us.

    After the gig we stayed at Shannon Courto and John Logan’s place. On the way we tried to find food and stopped at a Wendy’s but they close while we were in line. A group of people tried to get us to help them as they didn’t have a car so just stood in the drive-thru area. We had to get gross sandwiches at the QT down the road. Shoulda gotten pizza but the guys don’t like the St Louis style.

    We then got to the house and half of what they have is cat stuff, the other half baseball. I went into my room and got some sleep, long drive the next day to Omaha.
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  • Day 11 - B Bar

    July 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Todays drive was about 6 hours. We woke up and had breakfast with our hosts. Doug told me his blowup mattress they gave him didn’t work and lost air so he slept on the floor.

    We made our way to Nebraska, on the way stopping at Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City. Amazingly enough (or oddly) I got ribs which were great; I should have gotten more sauce but the woman was berating me for pouring some in my take out container. Not to mention the dudes there “loved” my Instant Lunch Maruchan shirt.

    We got into Omaha and checked into the hotel which was a nice Hampton. Two rooms and I lost the “pick the year” penny game so I stayed with Doug. We then went to the place and it was dead; we found out this was supposed to be an after party for some festival and now they wanted us to play at 10pm. Problem is we have to get up at 7 to get to Branson by 2 or so. We order food (they didn’t have the pork tenderloins the guys wanted but I got a Buffalo chicken salad) and do soundcheck. Maybe the worst soundcheck ever. The guy couldn’t figure out how to stop the vocals from howling and everything was in the sub woofers. During the gig it was insane, some notes on the harmonica fed back and hummed. Andrew eventually removed the DI and used just the amp. Really the best part was Dennis G’s sisters boyfriend was there (John) not to mention Brian, the husband of the lady who came to see us at Fioras (Laura). I legitimately didn’t remember them, it’s been so long.

    After the gig we landed up back at the hotel and I practically passed out. It was about 1-1:30 and it was time to call it a day!
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  • Day 12 - Branson Star

    July 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 37 °C

    Today was a long day having to wake up at 7 am and then driving about six hours. We made one stop to get lunch (Chipotle) then landed up in Branson decently early. Very big stage and they had a giant drumset but we convinced them to let us use mine. They put all of our gear on moveable risers so they could quickly cart it off. The sound check also took forever, they couldn’t manage what microphone was what.

    After we went to our rooms (I lost the game again) and then went to get kind just okay tacos. We then went as the other guy was playing and it was kinda cringey and funny, very over the top. He had dancers and everything for a pretty small audience. We then played and he introduced us, and then we met all the guys in the band. One was the grandson of Charlie Rich. We talked about amplifiers and drums.

    Afterward they had an after party karaoke thing which was really weird. Some guy talked to me about blues and then went on a rant about how if your mother eats too much salt you’ll have a salt womb, and that Bill Gates is controlling the population, and masks are unnatural and you breathe in sickness. Not to mention vaccines and medicine is bad because of some doctor in the 1800s saying so.

    After we left we headed to a gas station and I got a Klondike then we went back to the rooms. Des Moines is next.
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  • Day 13 - Noce w/ The Bel Airs

    July 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today was a long drive, and early morning. We drove for several hours and made it to Kansas City again and tried “Slaps BBQ” which was okay. We drove direct to the gig at Noce and set up.

    This gig was a lot of fun. The sound guy was really good and works with Boz Scaggs. As we walked in he was making insane noises into the microphone as he EQd it. I set up all my gear and then played a few songs very quickly with the Bel Airs as their drummer was sick and needed me to play with them. Overall the show went well, with Doug and the Bel Airs. At the end of the night we all played together, two bassists. It was also a great night as I got to meet my friend Guga!

    After the gig we drove to a Taco Bell and it was supposedly open. A little kid was running around outside and he was out there for about a minute until his mom came running from the gas station berating him then he fell down and started to cry. We went through the drive thru and they told us they were closed even though they just gave food to the person in front of us. Doug backed up and hit something (just a grate) then Andrew told him it was a person and then jumped and hit the ceiling to make Doug think he did it again. Don’t put that evil on Doug!!!

    We then drove to Casey’s and got pizza. It was better than last time we went there. We then went and hung out for a bit with Scott, then headed to bed. Day off tomorrow.
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  • Day 14 - Day Off in Des Moines

    July 18, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Nothing insanely eventful today. Hung out with Matt Woods and Scott. Got lunch at Grazianos (got a sandwich with all kinds of Italian meats, called the Knuckle Sandwich), took a nap, ate some of Scott’s bbq pork and beans, had pickles, nothing crazy. Rock Island tomorrow.Read more

  • Day 15 - Kavanaughs

    July 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Fun day today. We spent the morning with Scott discussing booking next years shows in Iowa plus a winter blues festival with him. We then drove two hours to Rock Islam. On the way we stopped at Panera and I ran next door to the Starbucks. Because of that the guys made fun of me. We got to the hotel which happened to be a casino also (Harrahs) and we did the coin game and I won, so I got my own room. I walked around the casino and checked everything out.

    We got to the gig and it got pretty packed. We got our gear in and had a pretty decent burger. Guga showed up, along with BJ, Kim, and Jayme. It was an awesome show and the blues society did great. People really liked the harmonica thing. I’m feeling positive about it and think over time it’ll get more notice and hopefully get elevated even further.

    After the show we spoke to Jayme about working for the K Cup factory and how they make 1600 a minute. We then headed back to the hotel and I watched Seinfeld (Mulva), King of Queens (the episode they make them babysit Arthur and he eats spicy food), and Law and Order (the episode some guy buys a kidney for his son).

    Tomorrow St. Louis again. The tour is wrapping up here soon!
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  • Day 16 - Blue Strawberry

    July 20, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Today was a short drive. We started at Panera and I got some Buffalo chicken sandwich. Pretty meh. The best part was Doug was making fun of me for getting Starbucks the day before and he landed up forgetting his drink in the restaurant.

    Getting into St Louis we get to the venue and set up. Without divulging the club owner doesn’t really know how to work out a good deal for musicians. The room was super nice and we did well for sales, especially on a Wednesday. We made them money. The sound was also really good. After we set up Andrew and I went to Five Guys down the street and Doug went to Qdoba and regretted that as they had an insanely long line.

    The crowd at the gig was the old blues city deli crowd, plus a lady brought her teenage son to see us (he wanted to see us!). We played really well and apparently the club owner really wanted us bad as he paid us a bit more. We all ordered Cesar salads as the 15 dollar allotment for food was insanely low as all their food was 17 dollars up. It was the tiniest baby salad ever. We then went to Shannon and John’s house and talked to them for a bit then went to sleep.

    Off to the Peoria area tomorrow!
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  • Day 17 - Oz’z Bar

    July 21, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We woke up and hung out for a bit with John and Shannon at their place in St. Louis. Doug informed us they tipped us 200 on venmo which was super nice of them. We then left and went to the Blues City Deli. The owner Vinnie gave us a huge discount and was ridiculously nice. Everyone there was. I got a sandwich with a bunch of Italian meats called the Big V.

    We drove to the Peoria area and stayed on Blackjack Boulevard…yep, another hotel at a casino. Weird thing was the casino was separated and on a boat. Apparently in Illinois casinos have to be off the land. We then drove to the gig, set up, and someone helped Doug reattach something that was falling off the front of the van and then we got some Taco Johns (terrible).

    The gig was okay. Lightly attended. The owner talked to us about how he apparently knows Hulk Hogan and calls him Terry. Bob Keiser also made another trip out which was nice of him. Apparently he is close.

    After the gig we went right back to the room. The show in Oxford, Ohio is sold out which is super exciting. Back to the Eastern time zone!!!
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  • Day 18 - Big Song Music House

    July 22, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today was just a five or so hour drive to Oxford, Ohio. We made the trek and stopped in a small college town right outside of it to get lunch. Andrew and I got some Skyline Chili. We then got to the house and set up. Lisa Biales got there and sound checked with us and showed us the two songs she wanted to play with us.

    Afterward we all hung out as people arrived. The show was really well attended and we played quite well. We talked a lot between songs and overall it was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever played. One thing touring does is improve your playing and for sure I feel I’m playing better than ever.

    After the show we hung out and I tried a few of the chocolate pastry things then we all went to bed as we needed to be up for 7:30 breakfast then an 8:30 hit to drive to North Carolina for our last show in Brevard.
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  • Day 19 - DFR Music Lounge

    July 23, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Todays trip was pretty long but I managed to sleep through half of it amazingly. When we got to Brevard we stopped at Bob and Nancy’s house to visit. Bob is very sick and couldn’t come to the show and they’re long time fans of the group. We spent time with them chatting about various things. After we went to the show and set up. It’s a really nice venue that’s under ground level with a nice stage. We were playing with Brian who is a friend of Doug and has played or known a lot of the big guys. Eddie Martin was supposed to make it out but had some family commitments.

    Overall the gig was great but it seemed like the old adage of being the biggest amp and turn it up held true. Doug and I used our small amps and every guitar player that had been invited did exactly the opposite. Regardless, it was still cool with a great audience. They invited us back and I’m sure we will be back.

    After the show we stopped at a gas station and the gas station had a full bar inside. Never seen that before. We then went to Brian’s house and I met his giant dog Luke then we went to bed. Another early morning as we have an 11 or so hour drive home.
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  • Trip end
    July 24, 2022