Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Seven - by Kevin Montavon

(Click here for previous Pearl Jam Road Trip)

"I was just, uh...nowhere near your neighborhood."  - Steve Dunne (character in the film Singles)

One nice thing about the recent Pearl Jam tours is that they always take a day off between a two-night stand at the same venue. So for die-hard traveling fans who want to see both shows, we are forced to spend a whole day off in a new and exciting locale. I have mentioned before that we had passed through Seattle on two previous occasions, but we had not spent any significant time there. So for our bonus day we planned our very own "Grunge Tour" where we would visit some of the early haunts of the Seattle music scene. 

We slept in after the previous night's festivities, and then began our day in Jet City by meeting a friend and fellow road-dog for lunch at Salumi, a New York style sandwich shop in downtown Seattle. Heather and I split a super-tasty roast pork sandwich, plenty for both of us and fuel for the long day ahead. 

We then headed to Easy Street Records in West Seattle for photos at their iconic "Mother Love Bone" wall, which has been featured in movies and as album cover art. The store itself is a record-lover's dream, with an impressive selection of titles at great prices. There is also a cafe and a bar on site. I found lots of albums that I would have otherwise purchased, but we still had a week and a half of the road ahead and I didn't want to try to protect vinyl in the car the whole time, so in the end I just window-shopped...and had a few  beers. 

From there we drove into the Capitol Hill neighborhood for a geek pilgrimage to the apartment building featured in the Cameron Crowe film "Singles," a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the city's Grunge Scene heyday. We snapped a few photos and then gave our friend a ride back to where he was staying and continued on our own. We drove to Lakeview Cemetery next to visit the gravesites of Bruce and Brandon Lee. Bruce obviously being a huge hero to their community, there were car and vans full of Asian tourists coming and going while we were there. One mother was explaining to her children who he was, and I wish I had been able to record what she was saying. I shared a moment with them and said he was poetry in motion, and she agreed.

We then drove through the suburb of Bellevue, home of the band Queensryche, and ended our day at Golden Gardens Park on the shore of Puget Sound, hanging on the beach with all the locals and watching the sun set over The Olympic Mountains on the opposite shore.

The next day we slept in and started the day with a swim in the motel pool and a soak in the hot tub. We drove into the city and found a parking spot in a much nicer area of town, only having to feed the meter for two hours until it was free. We were parked equidistant from the stadium in one direction, and the historic Pike Street Public Market, a Seattle institution in the other. We headed towards the market, but it was an uphill walk the entire way. We eventually grew tired, conveniently right in front of The Seattle Beer Company, so we stopped in to refresh ourselves with a sample of local suds. After that we were fueled for the rest of the trip up the hill, and we made a quick tour of the market district before starting the two-mile hike to the stadium. We ended up catching a ride in a bicycle-powered rickshaw for the second mile, and it was a fun breezy cruise directly to the stadium entrance. We had reserved seats for this show, so we were able to stroll around the ballpark for awhile before showtime.

I didn't know how they were going to top Wednesday's epic show, but I should have known for a Friday night hometown show that Pearl Jam would pull out all the stops. And that they did. From the 36-song setlist, to the moving Tom Petty tribute at the start of Encore One, to the guests that sat in (Mark Arm and Steve Turner of Mudhoney, and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden), this show may well have been the greatest Pearl Jam show I have seen yet. It was a fine way to cap off our Triduum in the Grunge Capital of the world.

A quick word about that label, "Grunge." I always found it odd that so many disparate sounding bands were lumped into one genre. Pearl Jam does not sound like Nirvana, who do not sound like Alice In Chains, who sound nothing like Soundgarden. After spending three days in Seattle I came to realize that the label is pretty much a descriptor of the city, not the sound. It's a beautiful cosmopolitan place in many ways, and it has its issues like homelessness and poverty, but there is certainly a noticable "crust" to the city. It's a well lived-in place that is more than appropriately described with the G-word. And you know, that's not a bad thing..

Kevin Montavon has visited National Parks in the 48 lower states and attended over 1,500 concerts before beginning this road trip. He also sings in the band Plow Horse.

Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Six - by Kevin Montavon

"We walk the long road" - Pearl Jam 

When the concert dates for this tour were announced, we were certain that the Seattle shows were going to be our first choice. Seeing the band in front of a stadium-size hometown crowd was too good to pass up. We were elated when Heather won the 10 Club Lottery for both shows, including one night in the general admission pit. We celebrated hard the night we bought tickets. In fact, that night was one of the most fun times I have had this year. Now the day had finally arrived. We had driven through Seattle on two previous vacations, but we had never spent any significant time in town, so we were looking forward to checking out The Emerald City, especially since we had a full day off between shows.

After having driven most of the last night through Idaho and Oregon, and upon consultation with our phones' GPS apps, we realized that one of the sites we wanted to check out was fairly close to our hotel: this being the gravesite and memorial to perhaps the greatest guitarist who ever lived, Jimi Hendrix. We followed Google Maps to the cemetery in the suburb of Renton, and easily found the large gazebo-style memorial. We were surprisingly the only ones there, and had plenty of time for photos, reflection, and reading all of the lyrics on the walls. Not surprisingly, there were various "gifts" left at the site, including empty alcohol bottles and half-smoked joints. There wasn't a large amount of detritus however. It was obvious they clean the place up daily. 

We moved on to the luxury accommodations of the Motel 6 in Federal Way, Washington, which is about 20 miles south of Seattle. I was surprised to find our hotel neighbors openly smoking a joint in front of their room when we arrived. It dawned on me that with Washington now being a state where recreational marijuana is legal, that smoking outside of a non-smoking hotel room would actually be the proper course of action, same as going outside to smoke a cigarette. The two ladies were also going to the shows, and offered us some tips on parking in the city.

Once we got all of our things moved from the car to the room, we headed into town for the first show. We had GA pit tickets for tonight, but the doors were opening at 4:30, so we knew we were not going to get there in time to be on the rail in front of the stage. We drove up Interstate 5 into the city, and experienced an immense sticker shock at the parking price for the SafeCo Field garage...SEVENTY DOLLARS! Anyone who knows me is aware that I am a notorious cheapskate. You don't make this many trips and see this many shows without pinching a few pennies. No way was I paying that price, even for the relative safety of being in an enclosed garage. So off we went in search of the elusive free parking in a completely unfamiliar town. We got "lucky" and found a spot next to some train tracks about one mile from the stadium. Noting that most of the property around the spot we parked was tagged with graffiti, we locked the car, hoped for the best, and took off walking. 

The route to the stadium was a direct line up a wide alleyway behind the city's 3rd Street bar district. We immediately experienced a bit of culture shock, as it became apparent that we were traveling through a homeless camp. On both sides of the street were tents, old campers/RV's, and cardboard shanties. The band had announced that proceeds from the Seattle shows were going to be used to help fight homelessness in the city. They definitely picked the right venue if they wanted the issue to be right in front of your face.

We got inside the stadium about an hour after doors, but we were still able to get a spot about ten yards from the stage. A little while after we got there, the roof started to open, causing a huge roar of approval from the gathering hordes. At 8:30 PM the band took the stage with "Long Road," appropriate since so many of us had taken the long road to get there. Over 2,400 miles for us alone. They followed that up with one of their usual openers, "Release." Pearl Jam tends to open their shows with one or two mellow numbers and ease into the rockers. They like to pace themselves. 

After several numbers, Ed Vedder spoke to the audience and said, "Hello, we are Pearl Jam, and since this is Seattle, we must be...home." He also informed us that they had raised over $11,000,000 for Seattle's homeless. Read that again...ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS. Say whatever you want about this band, but they put their money where their mouth is, as they say. We all rocked our hearts out together for the better part of two hours before the band left the stage, delivering several hits as well as their usual deep cuts before finishing the main set with "Porch," always a raucous audience pleaser.

For the first encore, Vedder asked everyone in the audience who had at least one teacher who changed their life, to raise their hands. He then brought out his two daughters and each of their favorite teachers, and they danced together as he played an acoustic cover of The White Stripes song "I Think We're Going To Be Friends." That is certainly one way to make sure your kids don't flunk out of school! Later, singer/songwriter Brandi Carlisle came out and joined them for a cover of her song "Again Today." She seemed as amazed to be on stage with them as any fan plucked from the audience would be.

After another encore (they almost always play two long encores and enough songs to count as a second set, it's one of the things that make their shows worth seeing), they finished the night with their usual closing number "Yellow Ledbetter." As he often does, Mike McCready tagged the end of the song with a few bars of Hendrix's "Little Wing." I reflected on our visit earlier to the great man's final resting place and thought about how this day of Rock greatness had come full circle. 

Afterwards, we walked cautiously back to our car. For the last several blocks we were virtually alone with only a few homeless people hovering about and scoping us out. We were happy to see that our car was still grafitti-free on our return.  Tomorrow we would have a day off to see the city, and we had plans for our own "Grunge Tour." The party in the Pacific Northwest was just getting started........

Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Five - by Kevin Montavon

(Click Here for Pearl Jam Road Trip Part 4)

Grand Teton National Park sits just 15 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, and just north of the popular resort town of Jackson, Wyoming. In peak season, Jackson swells in population, becoming the largest city in Wyoming. Despite this, GTNP is often treated as an afterthought for many Yellowstone visitors. This is a mistake. I have written about how I try to avoid overcrowded situations in our National Parks, and Grand Teton can at most times be a respite from sitting in the traffic jams of its more popular northern neighbor. 

The Teton Range is like something out of a fantasy painting. Snow-capped Alpine Mountains that rise over 2,000 feet from the valley floor of Jackson Hole, which itself sits 11,000 feet above sea level. Grand Teton Peak rises to a total height of nearly 14,000 feet. I have a friend, a professional photographer, who has documented this wonderland with thousands of photos and in viewing them I am constantly reminded of the beauty here. So there was no way we were passing through this area of Wyoming without going through the Tetons.

We checked out of our cabin at 7 AM and drove back into Yellowstone, which was necessary for us to reach Grand Teton. Traffic through the construction wasn't as bad that early, so we had a little extra time to pick up the part of the Lower Park Loop Rd we had missed the night before. Since the Old Faithful complex sits on that section of road, and it was still early in the day, we decided to stop in to the visitor center there and get our stamp (each visitor center has a unique stamp cancellation so we try to collect them all). Crowds weren't too bad yet, so we parked and saw that the geyser was set to erupt in 15 minutes. Heather grabbed her camera and headed for the bleachers, and I went inside to stamp our journals. Just as I finished and turned around, Old Faithful was blowing. I snapped a photo through the massive picture window and then another from outside, but it was already losing steam (pun unintended). 

Next we made the short drive between Yellowstone and Grand Teton along the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway, but not before passing a very serious car/motorcycle crash just before the South Entrance of YNP. I said prayers for those involved. It looked pretty bad. 

We drove only half of the main roads in GTNP, skipping the spectacular Snake River Drive (U.S. 191 through the east side of the park) due to time constraints. I don't recommend skipping that as the views are breathtaking. But we had seen it before and had to make sacrifices. There was plenty to do on the part we did travel. Travel tip: if you want to see the majesty of the Tetons for free, drive the U.S.191 portion that we skipped...there are no entrance stations along that route. If you have already paid the entrance fee for Yellowstone, you can also enter GTNP from the North for free, and see all of the park, if you stick with one Loop and don't need to re-enter through another gate. This is a great option if you are just passing through. 

We were able to make stops at most of our favorite spots in the park. This was our third time through so we actually knew what we were doing...somewhat. We stamped our journals at all 3 visitor centers, stopped in for reflection at the Sacred Heart Chapel (an active Catholic Church in a log cabin within the park), took some photos at Jenny Lake, and made the 5-mile winding drive up Signal Mountain for 360-degree views of The Tetons and Jackson Hole. The only real disappointment about the day was our lack of time, and the haze that hung in front of the mountains (which was actually smoke from wildfires burning to the northwest of Yellowstone), washing them out to the view and making any truly spectacular photographs impossible. Earlier I mentioned my photographer friend, I realized while I was there that I really never need to take another photo of this place as long as I can look at his. 

We reluctantly drove on south and west, out of Jackson Hole, over the mountains, and on through the night into Idaho. Tomorrow we would finally be seeing the first show of the trip, which is of course why we are doing all of this. I am pretty sure we are coming back here to the Greater Yellowstone area next year to spend some more concentrated time. And I will miss it every day until then.

Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Four - by Kevin Montavon

(Click here for previous Pearl Jam Road Trip)

Our National Parks have been called “America's Greatest Idea”. That's a sentiment that I can get behind. The setting aside of public lands for the enjoyment of all people is imperative in this day and age of unchecked development (do we REALLY need more condos?). So, since our government has seen fit to provide us with these places, I decided that I should see as many as possible. I have been working on that for a few decades now.

Yellowstone National Park was the first such set-aside tract in the US. Sitting in the Northwest corner of Wyoming, and extending into Idaho and Montana, it is a park that is larger than the entire states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. A magical place of geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, lofty mountain peaks, and abundant wildlife, Yellowstone has something for everyone. However, it seems that year after year, everyone wants something from it. Our first National Park suffers from an overcrowding problem. In the busy summer months, it can become choked with automobile traffic and crowds. Old Faithful Geyser, the most famous such natural feature on Earth, now attracts crowds so large during the peak season of July and August that bleachers needed to be built to accommodate them. It looks like an ampitheater there now.

In our travels, Heather and I try to avoid crowds as much as possible. We drive the back roads, we choose activities within popular areas that are off-the-beaten path. We pull over and let cars pass us when we are cruising through the National Parks. In Yellowstone however, this is becoming harder and harder to do. We have visited three times before, and have seen most of the popular tourist stops in the park, so this time we decided we wanted to take a hike and really get away from it all. Destiny had other plans...

We arrived in the park early enough, entering through the popular East gate. The approach road is undergoing some major construction, so we weren't able to just “cruise right in.” Once we had stopped at the entrance sign for our photo (always have to take a picture with the sign at National Parks) and then the Visitor Center at Fishing Bridge for our Passport Stamp (a stamp cancellation that shows the date you visited the park...we have collected hundreds), we made the turn into the Hayden Valley and headed North. We were immediately caught in a traffic jam. Seems a herd of Bison had decided that this was the perfect time to cross the road. When dozens of these 1,000 pound beasts want to cross the road, there really isn't much you can do except wait. So wait we did. After about 40 minutes, enough Buffalo had cleared the road that cars were able to pass, so we continued North. We stopped into Artist Point in the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone to take photos of the Lower Yellowstone falls. But the crowds were so dense there that we immediately regretted the decision. We still took our photos but got out of there as quickly as we could. A little further up the road, we just cruised right on by the turnoff for the Upper Falls/Canyon Rim drive. Just way too many cars choking the road. Another quick stop at Tower Falls went much the same way, but we did get out of the car there and take some photos as well. 

Then fate took a turn. The hike that we wanted to take was closed! Due to bear activity! So on we drove. What we ended up doing was driving a one-way dirt road called The Blacktail Plateau Drive. While this got us away from the crowds, there were still more cars on that road than we normally see on National Park back roads. Unfortunately I think the secret is out. 

Overall, despite the setbacks, it was a wonderful day. We even were able to drive most of the remainder of the main park loop road before nightfall. Then it was back to our cozy cabin in Cody (say that 10 times fast). Tomorrow is a drive through Grand Teton, and on to Seattle for the real reason we are trekking...Pearl Jam!

Pearl Jam Road Trip: Part Three - by Kevin Montavon

(Click here for previous Pearl Jam Road Trip)

"The Mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir

I am a child of the mountains. Now, I don't mean that I grew up in the mountains, although I do hail from the rolling hills of Southern Ohio, which, as my Father impressed upon me at an early age, are a part of the foothills of The Appalachian Mountains. More importantly however, during my formative years, Dad took me and my younger brother on two annual trips to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, once in the Summer and once in the Fall...to "see the leaves change" as he liked to say. These trips were usually "just us boys." My Dad, brother, and I shared a special bond with each other and with the mountains, which only grew stronger with each trip. 

One of the highlights of any Smokies trip is a drive over the Newfound Gap Road, which is a high mountain road that traverses the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. Dad - and later when we were old enough to drive - my brother and I loved to make a day of it. Naturally, when I got older and started taking my own vacations, I was drawn to destinations with lofty vistas. In the last two decades I have driven on as many high mountain parkways as my stomach could handle. Some people like roller-coasters: I like driving, or even better, riding shotgun, in the mountains. 

One such road that I have eyed on the map since I was a kid is The Beartooth Highway, a road that runs along a stretch of border between Montana and Wyoming, and crosses Beartooth Pass at nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. It is one of the highest mountain roads in The United States, and it is only open for a small window of time in the summer. For various reasons Heather and I had never been able to drive it in the previous three times we visited the Yellowstone region, so this time I had my heart set on it. 

We began the day at a rest area on I-25 south of Buffalo, Wyoming. Interestingly, the town was not named for Buffalo Bill, as was the nearby tourist town of Cody, but rather because when the time came to choose a name for their new settlement, the 30 citizens of the town put suggestions in a hat, and one man wrote his hometown of Buffalo, New York. A little farther north, near the large-by-Wyoming-standards town of Sheridan, we turned off onto US Route 14 and headed west into the town of Dayton. We always enjoy finding towns with Ohio names when we travel. Dayton, Wyoming is an exponentially smaller place than its Ohio namesake, but still large for Wyoming. Keep in mind that the entire state, which is over twice the size of Ohio, has a population smaller than the city of Columbus. These stats, however, don't take into account the millions who visit annually, but more on that in a future post. 

West of Dayton, Route 14 and Alt Route 14 are known as The Bighorn Valley Scenic Byway. I am a big fan of guidebooks, and one that we brought with us on this trip is a National Geographic "Scenic Byways Of The United States" guide, which covered both this drive and The Beartooth. So we were able to stop at points of interest as we drove, and already knew something about them. 

Shortly after leaving Dayton, we encountered a large number of cars parked on the side of the road, and people standing outside taking photos towards the woods. We thought it must be a bear siting, or "Bear Jam" (named for the traffic jams bear sitings cause in National Parks), but it wasn't. It was, however, a beast just as elusive...a Bull Moose! We have seen several Moose in the wild during previous travels, but they were almost always Cows, and even once a Cow and Calf. We had even seen two Bulls together years ago at Rocky Mountain National Park, but they were behind a lot of tree cover and we couldn't get a full look at them. But this guy was right out in the open munching on some Willow branches. I hate to admit it, but we spoiled it for everyone when we pulled over. Bullwinkle looked right at us as I was trying to snap his photo, and began walking away...right behind our car! We then rolled on, leaving everyone there cursing us I am sure.

About 50 miles west on the Alt 14, we came to Medicine Wheel National Historic Site, which is an ancient circle of rocks (placed there by people, not a natural formation) that is sacred to nearly all Native American tribes. Some wait their entire lives to visit "The Wheel," and it is considered such hallowed ground that some purify themselves for up to a year in preparation for their pilgrimage. After driving the side road up Medicine Mountain, we came to the visitors center, which was a glorified hut manned by two friendly rangers. One of the rangers greeted us and the others who arrived at the same time as us and explained the basics. It was a three-mile round-trip hike along the rest of the mountain road, uphill both ways. That wasn't hyperbole, as the road was laid out like the letter M. She also impressed upon us the sacred nature of the place and said that they have Native Americans come almost daily to pray and make offerings, so we should treat it with the same respect as we would any church. The hike itself wasn't terribly strenuous, as we had been preparing ourselves with hikes in Ohio over the Spring and Summer. When we reached The Wheel we were the only ones there for a few minutes, and the spiritual nature of the place was best described as eerie. The various prayer ribbons and offerings were interesting to see, and even moving. Typical offerings included tobacco, sage, bundles of herbs, flowers, and animal skulls (there were several big cattle ones). We took photos and had our moment to reflect, and back down the mountain we went. 

A little further northwest we came to the town of Red Lodge, Montana, where The Beartooth Highway begins. Having waited for this drive for two decades, I can say that The Beartooth lives up to the hype. At this point in the story I should point out that Heather was driving, as nothing fazes her behind the wheel, and I nearly screamed like a little girl when I looked down at the road getting smaller and smaller way down below. After stopping at some overlooks and snapping some photos (which never do the real view any justice), we turned off the Beartooth just before Cooke City and Silvergate, Montana, which are the service towns for the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The original plan for today was to go on into Yellowstone and see the Lamar Valley before checking into our cabin near Cody, but the breathtaking views on The 'Tooth had made us lose track of time, and it was approaching evening. We headed southeast and made it to the cabin just after 9:00 pm. It was great to lay down in the super-comfy bed after two nights in the car. I fell asleep before my head hit the...

Pearl Jam / National Park Road Trip: Part Two - by Kevin Montavon

Pearl Jam / National Park Road Trip: Part Two.    (Click here for part one)

Any good road trip requires some night-driving. As an avowed road hog, I learned a long time ago that you can put some serious miles behind you by driving at night, and keeping pace with the trucks. 

With that in mind, this trip began at 9 pm in Columbus, and by 8:30 am we were having breakfast in Omaha, Nebraska. After that it was an all-day slog through Nebraska. I have been reading about the Lincoln Highway (US Route 30), which was the first cross-country highway in the United States.  The stretch across the center of Nebraska is particularly historical, and since it pretty much runs right next to the busy Interstate 80, we decided to spend our day with a leisurely drive through the heartland of America. 

The soundtrack to any long drive can greatly enhance the experience, and I am known as a guy who can pick a song for any occasion, and today was no exception. Beginning with the Counting Crows "Omaha," and continuing with the entirety of Bruce Springsteen's album Nebraska, followed by music from other Heartland heroes like John Mellencamp and Bob Seger, we rocked the day away as I drove West. 

A road sign sign in the middle of the state directed us to the site of The Plum Creek Massacre, in which 11 homesteaders travelling along the Oregon Trail were attacked and killed, and two, a woman and child, were kidnapped by hostile Cheyenne warriors. You can read more about that here: [https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/plum-creek-attack-unfolds-to-horror-of-soldiers/article_1c037340-3008-11e4-aa70-001a4bcf887a.amp.html]. We were virtually alone at this off-the-main-drag location, providing a quiet moment for reflection on the difficulties and challenges that early pioneers faced in the push to settle this land. It also was not lost on me that we had travelled in just a few hours what pioneers took months to traverse. It's a lot easier from the inside of an air-conditioned automobile, that's for sure.

Late in the night, we rolled into a rest area near Casper, Wyoming, where I kicked the seat back and took a snooze for a few hours. Tomorrow's destination is Yellowstone National Park, via The Beartooth Pass. Another long day of driving lies ahead, but the landscape is a wonderland. 

"Go west young man." - Horace Greely

"The West is the best" - Jim Morrison

Kevin Montavon has visited National Parks in the 48 lower states and attended over 1,500 concerts before beginning this road trip. He also sings in the band Plow Horse.