Slow Drags tour entry #4.

Tuesday, October 9th. 3:57pm. Portland, Oregon.

Saturday night was our last gig on the tour, and we knew it. We had reached the nadir the night before in Willits, when the whole bar cleared out at the beginning of our second set, and we played the rest of the night (an hour and a half) to the bartender and the doorman. Later we were told that we should come back in a month or so, since mid-October is harvest season, and everyone in town is working all day, harvesting. "What are they harvesting?" we asked. "Marijuana," they answered. "Everyone's up at six in the morning to pick, so it's not really a 'let's go out and party' time." Okay.

Ukiah is just a few miles from Willits, so when, at 11pm, we were left with only the employees of the Ukiah Brewing Company and one regular, we chalked it up to another long day in the pot fields. Even with an excuse, it was frustrating. After 3900 miles and 22 days, with nobody to play to, we did not play well, and I, for one, did not care.

The next day we drove 12 hours north. It was as far as we've driven in one day on this tour, but it didn't feel like it. We were mostly quiet, talked a little bit about baseball, not much about the tour or the band. Eugene, Salem, and Portland welcomed us home in succession with rain, as if to say, "Are you sure you want to be back here?" Yes, we do.

Today is gray and chilly, quiet outside. We left at the end of summer, and returned for fall.