As Gustaff and I parted ways on April 23rd in Florence, Colorado I couldn’t help but feel grateful for this unique experience in my life. I never could have imagined that one day I would be traveling around the United States playing guitar and sharing my music for crowds of all kinds. I left Key West early February not sure what to expect, nervous and hopefully prepared. Through the last 82 days of this EP Shadows tour I evolved in to the musician I feel I am today. I am confident in my music and I enjoy sharing it for others to hear.
At the same time as sharing our music I got to build a special, brotherly bond with Gustaff. Together we experienced the exhaustively long drives, the extremely breathtaking views, the overwhelming hospitality, and the joys of performing for crowds of all backgrounds and beliefs. We drove almost 13, 000 miles, had four cops pull us over, one gave us a ticket for speeding and the other three reluctantly let us go. We ate many meals, shared many laughs, and got to know each other beyond the surface. He supported me as an equal although I looked up to him as a mentor. I truly hope and look forward to the day where we can collaborate again, but until then I wish you all the best brother and I look forward to hearing your EP Shadows when it comes out.
Now for me, while driving towards Kansas where I was set to stay the night, I was running through a lot of things in my mind. One thing that I could not stop thinking of was that I wanted to see Romi. My original plan was to stop in Kansas, then Georgia the next day, then get to Tampa where I was supposed to bring the van back to the owner, and then fly out from there to New Orleans on April 28th. From New Orleans I get on S/V Contango and work as crew sailing south to Panama. But that plan did not include seeing Romi, so with all this time to think I derived a new plan. My friend in Georgia messaged me saying he will unfortunately be out of town so he would not be able to host me. At first I was sad but then I realized I wasn’t meant to stop there, or Kansas for that matter. When I got to Hutchinson, KS I told my friends that I would not be staying the night and instead I will be driving straight to Key West.
I left Florence, Colorado at 8:30 am on Friday, April 23rd, and did not arrive in Key West, Florida until 5:00 am on Sunday, April 25th. I drove through 8 states (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) and stopped for one quick 2 hour nap somewhere in Arkansas, with two very brief stops for food. The only other stops I was forced to make was to fill up the gas tank and keep going.
Guided through the night by moonlight:
I am now in Key West with Romi by my side, and I cannot explain to you how happy I am to be home. There are friends here that I will not get to see this time, but if they understand my love for Romi then they will not be hurt by having to wait for next time.
Tomorrow (April 27th) I will leave Key West to Tampa where my new journey begins. I will begin a new blog to keep you all informed of my travels, but this one may be a bit more spread out as I will be out at sea for long periods of time. Stay with me and hopefully you can enjoy the next blog series.
With love, Stevie…. and Romi.
Ps. Romi cut my beard short 🙂
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