Vancouver, Before Christ (BC)

A. Chicago B. Appleton C. Detroit D. Kalamazoo E. Omaha F. Fresno G. Seattle H. Spokane I. Vancouver

Post by: Nate

It appears that I've let my blogging duties go to the wayside again. I'm quite possibly the worst blogger ever or at least a high ranking candidate on that list.

Okay, let me recap since we last heard from our intrepid hero when he re-joined the tour in Appleton, WI. The first day back in Appleton I had a quick brush-up with the assistant dance captain and then I was shot out of the canon and back into the show. My first week back was good, it felt great to be back on stage. After the closing the Sunday night performance, I drove back to Chicago and slept in my own bed for 2 nights before heading off to Detroit the following Tuesday. The Mia played Detroit for 2 weeks during that time I stayed with my buddy Derek and his wife Aili in Riverview. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in our cast that "loved" playing Detroit but staying with Derek and Aili was great; definitely a highlight of my tour life. I was able to spend quality time with Derek having a few beers and showing him how to play darts.

After Detroit was Kalamazoo, MI where we saw a changeover of principle cast members; 9 to be specific. The week was full of rehearsals and put-ins and more winter weather. At the end of the week we said our "goodbyes" to old friends leaving the cast and the next week in Omaha we said our collective "hellos" to all our new friends starting. But the icing on the cake was when the girls, DeeAnn and Lilia, joined the tour with me in Omaha. What a relief to finally all be back together again. We stayed at a nice Residence Inn in Omaha and started to get acclimated to tour with baby on board. Like any parent will tell you, it's always a chore with a new baby but touring with a little one isn't much different. We have our Pack-n-Play for Lilia and many other items that make her life on the road comfortable. It's a good thing we own an SUV otherwise, Dee would be hell-bent on already having a minivan. Getting everything into our Explorer is a little like playing Tetris but it all fits and we've made this far without too many bumps along the way. Speaking of new parents, we have some fellow Chicago friends that recently joined the tour with a new baby as well. It's been very helpful sharing the transitions of parenthood and touring with a baby with them.

Following Omaha we had a long trek to Fresno, CA. Dee and Lilia flew with the company, while I caravanned with a friend 1,600 plus miles from Omaha to Fresno. The first day we drove from Nebraska to Beaver, UT driving through Denver, CO and the beautiful Rockies. After 18 hours and over 1000 miles later, we ended our day in Beaver and found a Comfort Inn that fit our budget. The next day we forged our way to Fresno via Las Vegas with a far too short stop at the Cheesecake Factory at Caesar Palace Forum Shops where my sister and her family met us for lunch including a surprise visit from my mother who had found a cheap ticket to Vegas the week before. We had a nice lunch and for good luck we dropped a few bucks in a slot machine in the casino. We rolled into Fresno around 8pm that evening. Dee and Lilia were waiting with open arms. It was nice to be greeted with such big smiles. Our week in Fresno was uneventful: a few rehearsals and nice warm weather.

Seattle was the next stop along the way. Again Dee and Lilia took the company flight while I caravanned with a friend. 16 hours later, we were all reunited. We had a great week in Seattle with visits to Pike Place Market and the Lululemon store. Seattle was great. I would have liked a least another week there. Someday we'll have to go back visit it again.

Next on the schedule was Spokane, WA. The four-hour drive through the mountains from Seattle was nice. We rolled into the Spokane Valley area around 5pm and got settled in for the week. I can't say that I ever need to revisit Spokane.

This brings us to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Mia parked there for 2 weeks. We shared a high-rise apartment with some friends and enjoyed our time in the city. On our Monday off we drove up to Whistler and enjoyed the beautiful, scenic Sea to Sky Highway drive. Vancouver is crazy busy with construction preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All-in-all, we enjoyed our time there but were excited to get back to the US.