The Music Fog crew is preparing for The MusicFest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Sounds simple enough…but you would marvel at the various alternate plans we have considered to get there.
It is akin to those old WWII movies that feature the “War Room” where troop movements are monitored on a large glass map in the middle of the room. There are uniformed men and women swarming around the map with long wooden sticks, pushing toy soldiers, tanks, airplanes and supplies around on the map. All of them are smoking. Some are yelling on telephones to god knows who. That is what we look like right now.
Plan A: Get on a plane and fly to Denver. Then take a Go Alpine taxi up the mountain to Steamboat. Total cost (with equipment) One bazillion dollars.
Plan B: Get on a plane and fly to Kansas City. Eat a steak. Then jump in a rental truck and drive across the great snowy plains. Risking everything we have in favor of saving $50.00. And possibly freezing to death, only to be found later huddled together naked in a lame attempt to stay warm and alive on the side of a highway.
Plan C: Take the train from Washington, DC to Denver. Then engage a stranger with some sort of truck to drive us (with equipment) up the mountain to Steamboat. Total travel time – 3 days hostage on rails with the possibility actually having to go #2 in a train bathroom.
Plan D: Split up and each fend for ourselves. Split up the gear too, and ship it one piece at a time through the Post Office and their new “If it fits – it ships” flat rate packages. It would require a postal carrier in Steamboat, CO to actually deliver over 450 packages (all on time).
Plan E: We all jump in the BBC (Big Blue Crew) and make the 1800 mile trek, taking along equipment we don't even need. Last time we brought along Jim's elliptical machine so he could get in a workout between swills of vodka. The downside to driving the whole way is that, if it goes like the last road trip, it will take us four days to get there...what with stopping every two hours for cotton candy, sunglasses, and fire-roasted soybeans.
Plan F: Drive all the gear to a rendezvous with Celebrity Coaches and hitch a ride to Steamboat from there. If there's a snowstorm, we have to consider the possibility that the bus may not be able to make it up the hill. Who cares? We'd be stuck on a luxurious motor coach with heat, food, booze and friends. Of course, going #2 on a train is better than holding it in on a bus (to comply with “no #2 on tour bus” rule). Have you seen how much Aaron can eat?
All in all, just like those WWII movies, the final decision comes down to strategic trade-offs. How far would you go for new Music Fog material? Would you rather go broke or risk divorce? Would you rather be lost in a snowstorm or constipated on a cross-country train? Today, we'll weigh these decisions as we each make our way to our turkey dinner destinations, and we'll be thankful that we've got some choices, and good friends and family to help make it all happen. Happy Thanksgiving from Music Fog.
-The Music Fog Crew