2004-04-16 - 1:46 p.m.
After a grueling drive to Park City we arrive to find a difficult load into the Suede Lounge. At the complete opposite end of the building there was an elevator to the second floor. All of the equipment had to be transported up in the elevator and then carried clear to the other side of the building. Confidence was not high for a large turnout, as we’ve never really done all that well in this neck of the woods and it being Sunday. There was a small but appreciative crowd on hand and we had the added bonus of having belly dancers perform on our set break. They thanked us for letting them take over our dressing room to change for their performance, leaving a sweet note to be found when all that was left of them was the smell of their perfume.
The following day we lay over in town and I use the indoor pool and hot tub for a nice swim and soak. There’s a library across the street where I retrieve my e-mail and reconnect with the world at large. An hour or so before dusk we’re to meet photographer Fred Hayes to take some snaps out by the Great Salt Lake. We don’t really know Fred but he contacted us via e-mail and offered to shoot us on spec, providing a link to his website to view some of his work. We liked his photos so here we are wandering around a deserted resort on the edge of the fetid smelling, aforementioned lake that looks as if it were born of the world of Scheherazade. He was very easy to work with, gently but persistently guiding us into position for the various shots. It was a great spot for photos and at the end of the session he was able to create a CD of them all right on top of his car with a battery operated CD burner! My favorite series were taken in front of the lake with a large puddle in front of us. The sky and dried lakebed blended into a seamless gray. He had us jump on a count of three and his photo froze us in mid air, our images mirrored in the still water before us. Todd never seemed to quite get all the way up in the air and so seemed to be standing at attention while the rest of us were suspended in wild contortion. Very surreal indeed. After the shoot we convened at one of the finest Mexican restaurants I know of for dinner and drinks. The Red Iguana is famous for it’s mole sauce, a rich sauce that has a hint of chocolate. I had the fennel mole and was not disappointed. A couple of strong margaritas later and back to Park City we went. In the morning more swimming and soaking and then we’re off to Boise.
Idaho has the most land held in public trust of all the states in the union. The ride to Boise takes us through the Snake River basin. Pretty flat and arid and not the most attractive land you’ll ever see. What strikes me is the immensity of it all. There seems to be valleys a hundred miles across, some looking more like moonscape. Things get greener as we get closer to Boise. The capitol of Idaho is quite nice actually. It’s clean and filled with friendly folks of all walks of life. . The Neurolux is a pretty cool club that we’ve played before. After sound check I check next door at a really cool record shop and I find one of the CD’s our bartender in Colorado Springs turned me on to, “Chocolate Genius”. Cool stuff. The crowd this evening is medium sized but very friendly. The bartenders are very friendly and free with the whiskey so I have a couple. I meet a fellow fly fisherman who offers to take me on a float trip on the Boise River the next time we come to town. Sweet!
