ah the fame'd trip...

General Overview:

wed: leave freaking-ass early in the AM to catch a flight to east to Albany, NY. Get in 'round dinner time there, settle in to a nasty motel-6, have some grub at this place, sort of like an old-school Denny's cross a KFC... weird. played with my glowstick-swing on in the parking lot...

thurs: wake up late-ish, split the group into the RV team and the FOOD team. Total 'needs' collection took until about 3:30pm and thusly we embarked on a 600-ish mile drive up to Limestone, ME. There was lots of road, random naps, some dvd watching and some PS2 playing (RV had a TV!). I'm sure there was some shift-changing and gas-gathering, but... truthfully, it was kind of a blur.

friday: wake up long enough to catch the sunrise (4-something-am). i think, around this time, we were on one of the long roads into Limestone... behind a very long line of cars. go back to sleep. Wake up again - observe off and on the stop and go as people inch closer and closer to the festival grounds. Get to the gate at around noon. We are parked and eating bacon-wrapped hotdogs by 2pm. Lazyness the rest of the day. We watched people trickle in and set up from the roof of the RV. Did some wandering around and checking out stuff pre-show. Ate food. Caught the late-night sound-check.

sometime between friday and saturday, it rained.

saturday: breakfast late-ish, clean-up... also late-ish. hauled over to the stage area around 4... waded across large mud puddles to a choice spot between the soundboard and the second set of speakers. we managed to score a large sheet of particle board to stand on. first set was amazing. i was on set-break-sammich detail, so, quick jaunt back to the RV to gather miscellaneous warm clothing and sammiches. came in during the first song of the second set. had yet another nice set... ended up moving backwards a bit (to get out of the mud/crowd) for 3rd set.

Highlights - ALL of the first set and Scents and Subtle Sounds (3rd set)

sunday: another late morning, vow to be at the show earlier to get a closer spot. Had Maine blueberry pancakes for breakfast (at 1:30 or so) tasty, but *so* very sweet. hang around the arr-vee for most of the day, some wandering around. Then, another 3 sets of Phish!

{small note - i need to cut back on my passive entertainment. i think b-man should be a great segway}

Phish was - again, amazing. They have such great stage presence and are such talented musicians.

Highlights - the shortest Wilson ever, Mikes/Hydrogen/Weekapaug, YEM and Lovin' Cup

sacked out after the show... sleeping in close quarters with -- 5-ish other people is doesn't make for good/deep sleep for me.

monday: got up way too freeking early, packed up and headed out. Took Gerb to the Bangor airport and headed into Acadia National Park. Settled into our campsite, took showers, got mosquito bit, and played some frisbee - then we headed into the local town for some laaabstah. Yummyness all around. Nice and buttery, tender lobster bits... then back to the campsite.

tuesday: by far the best day of the trip (besides the long drive back to Albany, but i wasn't driving, so i guess i can't complain) Cleaned up camp and headed over to check out the park. Spent some time boulder-ing on these rocks by the sea (in a dress no-less!). The atlantic ocean ... smells different than the pacific, it's colder, there was fewer things crawling about in the tide pools. Headed out from there to check out this thing called the 'Bee Hive trail' - very cool - it was this twisty trail up the side of this little mountain. Bouldering in the mist! Also very fun... Then we headed over to this lake (basically a large granite bowl in the middle of the island) called 'the pond'... I think the coolest thing about tuesday was that it was so rainy/misty/wet - it made everything look fuzzy, but it wasn't the least bit cold. (not like SF wet...)

Anyway - then a long drive in shifts down to Albany, NY.

wed: pull into the campsite at 4am or so. catch a few winks of shut-eye before getting 'rousted to embark on the last leg of the adventure. Cleaning and returning the RV and getting to the Aeroporto. All pulled off without much of a hitch. Made it back into SF by about 9:30 or so. Did a load of laundry and unpacked, slept and dreaded thursday morning...