America the Diligent (Weeks 6&7)
Not a closed course… DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
The adventure begins after the jump!
Our host in Palm Springs sprung for us to stay at the Desert Paradise Resort, a gay, clothing optional resort that caters primarily to the retired crowd. We optioned to keep our clothes on. But our new friend Wayne didn’t.
Wayne ended up donating some $$$, wonder where he was hiding it?
Unfortunately we arrived mid week during a rare rain storms thus turning the city into a ghost town. The turnout for our event at the Ace Hotel was dismal but that didn’t stop us from taking advantage of the situation. We had a heated pool, a hot-tub, a sauna, a steam room and 20+ channels of gay porn to keep us preoccupied.
Desert Paradise Resort
These photos were taken some between Palm Springs and Las Vegas…
It’s actually higher than it looks
Las Vegas, What’s the saying again? Whatever happens in Vegas??? Well nothing happened in Vegas. I swear! We had two events scheduled and neither went as anticipated but we did our best to make lemonade…???? The first event was supposed to be a reading at UNLV however that ended up being more of rally for democratic candidates. Still we had a good time learning the ins and outs of local politics with J.Son of Naked Boy News and Nate got the opportunity to meet senator Harry Reid.
J.son of Naked Boy News
Dina Titus for Congress (she lost her race)
Nathan & Harry Reid
The second event was supposed to be a fundraiser at a new bar/club called Secrets. Secrets is a loud, dimly lit “cabaret” joint with both male and female performers. We were escorted through the red velvet rope, seated in a VIP area and were provided “complimentary” bottle service. Wha??? All of this for us? Well, it turns out that they were expecting an entire film crew to film a couple of the their performers. Oooppsss we had zero intention of filming that night and we definitely weren’t equipped to handle a club situation like that. With a makeshift light bank I managed to pull something together in their back “champagne” room. We filmed for a few minutes and then partied the night away in our booth. I even managed to lose a buck or two to one of the performers ;-) Ohhh, that complimentary bottle service came with a healthy $40 service fee. Still, it was well worth it.
Leaving Nevada, we stopped to take in some sights….
Me at The Hoover Damn
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Next, we had a choice… Go hours out of the way to see the Grand Canyon OR, go straight to Phoenix, AZ. That’s a no brainer right? “Of Course Go the Grand Canyon!” Right? Well, that’s exactly what we did. The plan was to drive to a town close to the Canyon, crash at a cheap motel, and rise early in the morning to catch the sunrise. Well, the motel wasn’t terribly cheap, and we woke at 4:30 AM to the sound of rain against our window. Uggghhh Ohhhhhh! Needless to say, there wasn’t a spectacular sunrise and our Canyon experience wasn’t so Grand. :-(
Grand Canyon Sunrise… whee!
It got a little better tho
Every time Pheonix was mentioned throughout our road trip it was accompanied by a distasteful glare and remarks of disgust. And now that I’ve visited I think I understand why. It’s a lot like Vegas but with out the casinos; Useless! Why on earth would anyone go there? In it’s defense we were only there one night, so i can’t say i got a sampling of everything the city has to offer and in an effort to be positive, I will say that the weather was nice and that we had a good time at a local gay bar. Nex
Alamogordo, New Mexico is a strange little town. You have to drive through a “live” missile range and a border patrol check point to even get there. It appears like one of those towns time has left behind. If it weren’t for the cars on the road, you’d think you were damned back to the early 80’s. It’s known for being the site of the first detonated nuclear bomb and if it weren’t for the few really cool people I met there, I’d suggest they drop another nuke on the place. At first the people we met there appeared to be caricatures out of a Terry Gilliam film, but after chatting with them and hearing a few of their stories we warmed up to them to the point that there were many hugs and well wishing as we loaded up the van to leave.
Another thing Alamogordo has going for it is it’s proximity to White Sands. White Sands is stunning. It’s quiet, still, and calming!
Nick @ White Sands
Nate @ White Sands
Me @ White Sands
After New Mexico we began our “rest week” and headed back to Austin with a quick pit stop in El Paso. On the way we had a blow out and got searched by the Border Patrol because our McDonald’s hot cakes tipped off the drug dogs. I’m not kidding! Rest week turned into stress week in Austin We had some serious issues do deal with It seems like money was the solution to all of our issues, however we don’t have a lot of it. The Van needed new tires and ball barrings amongst other things We’ve somehow managed to fill several hard-drives with footage from the road so we needed to purchase more. And Orbitz failed to provide us with the promised vouchers to get us to LA, Hawaii, and Alaska so we had purchase them too. Needless to say the bank accounts are empty thus putting the second leg of the tour in jeopardy. With all that on our minds we still managed to have a fun halloween weekend.
Next up Las Angeles, Hawaii, and Alaska.
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America The Diligent!
So, today marks week two for the I’m From Driftwood Story Tour and I must say things are going pretty well!
After the launch event in Driftwood we headed to Dallas where the Manske boys got to meet my mom dukes, have some BBQ, and hang out with my friends Marvinh and Alex formerly of Philadelphia. It was fun but awkward at the same time. Home, this time around just didn’t seem like home! Not sure if anyone can relate but I’m wondering if I’m a Texan any longer? The house I grew up in, my mom, and a couple of friends are the only ties I have left to that identity. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate where/what I consider home.
Alex and Marvinh in front of the house I grew up in.
After Dallas we headed north away from the familiar and into the unknown. In Norman OK, we met Scott Mahaney, a football loving comicgeek with an insane collection of DC action figures. Thankfully Nate and Nick are big into comics and were able to keep the conversation going, I just tried my best to stay awake. Scott works for the University of Oklahoma and was kind enough to give me and Nate a short tour of the campus, stadium included!
Me and Nate at Memorial Stadium on OU Campus.
On the drive up to Manhattan Kansas Nick jumped off of the main Interstate onto highway 77. We were unexpectedly awestruck at seer beauty of the rolling green landscape. Once we arrived at our destination we met with some students in the Kansas State Student Union to talk about our tour and to listen to some of their life experiences. After a few of them shared a story or two I realized that we were definitely in Jesus country as religion played significant roles. I’ll never forget one of them, it’s so tragic, infuriating, and senseless that I can’t fathom how some Christians can call themselves good people yet have such contempt and anger towards others. This particular story came from a young guy name is Sam, he’s had to endure mental and physical torture at the behest of his missionary parents in attempts to reverse his homosexual ways. Once you see his video story you’ll cringe at what he’s been though yet you’ll be inspired by his positive outlook and ambition. He says he wants to change the world for the better… I believe he’ll do just that.
A Kansas Landscape
Sharing stories at Kansas State
The next stop was in Kansas City, MO for the weekend. After a quick photo shoot in front of some graffiti art we met up with our hosts, two Queer activist with whom we made quick friends. After checking out a festival in Hyde park they took us out on the town to a bar called Missie B’s; it was cheap, the crowd was diverse, the lights were dim, and the dance floor was hot and sweaty. It was perfect I tell you! We stayed out into the wee ours of the morning dancing like animals. We got back just in time for the the cutie pictured below, Wick, to pack and dash off to the airport. I’m still amazed he didn’t miss his flight.
Impromptu photo shoot, Downtown Kansas City, MO.
Des Moines, Iowa was interesting to say the least, we stayed at this haunted Bed-n-Breakfast on the edge of Drake’s campus. We spent an hour or so the first night just exploring the house. So so so creepy! If anyone is in need of a set for their next horror film, I’ve got the perfect spot. On the way out of Iowa we stopped in Dubuque at a scenic overlook where we met a few girls from Japan who fell in love with me. The insisted on taking picture after picture with me and one even asked if I was a model. I enjoyed all the attention so much that I wanted to invite them along with us as my fan club but Nate said there wasn’t enough room in the van.
Nate looking creepy @ Haunted B&B
I did NOT inquire about this sign.
Poor Teddy!
We were too scared to read past day 1.
Me and my Japanese Fanclub.
The drive to Madison, WI was just picturesque… once we made it into the city we stopped at a restaurant on the main strip for dinner, drinks and a sunset. After working and filming a video story, me and Nate made an attempt to check out the local night life which apparently is non-existent on a Wednesday night. But, let me tell you about the drink specials. Two-Double well drinks will run you $5.50 at Shamrock Bar. Yes! I repeat $5.50! That’s essentially four drinks for again, $5.50. Wow.
Wisconsin Landscape
Capitol Building at sunset (Madison, WI)
Last Thursday stopped in St. Paul MN, before making our way to Minneapolis to film a story with a Serbian teenager who’s visiting for the year on a State Dept. exchange program. He has a hilarious host dad and another Kosovan exchange student to socialize with. His name is Stefan and his story is a bit frightening as gay life in eastern europe can be extremely dangerous, especially if you’re an outspoken activist, like he is. He’s had it rough but he’s safe for a while and can relax a bit and just be a kid. Hopefully he’ll be able to stay once the program has ended.
Flamur, Herbert, Nathan, Stefan
We got into Minneapolis later that same night and pretty much went straight to sleep after hunting for an elusive late night meal. I spent most of the next day in side catching up on work and getting things in order. That afternoon I was able to make some time to walk around the city for a bit. Our host, Waqar took us to happy hour at the Eagle where you can get 3 for 1 drinks simply because. Unfortunately MNPL has the least attractive boys of all the towns we’ve been to thus far; downing my three drinks in 45 minutes didn’t help either. We switched bars for a bit where i hand a bit of an allergy attack so I popped a benadryl and patiently awaited the familiar drowsy sensations. We ended up at a small house party where I eventually passed out on the couch.
After a pit-stop in Alexandria, we finally arrived in Fargo, ND with enough time to go straight to bed. Yesterday started out as a lazy Sunday, we slept in late and ran errands for much of the day before eventually we headed out to North/Grand Forks North Dakota. We have more work to do today, and I’m sure this post is exhausting enough, so I’ll save the SD recap for the next post… Stay Tuned!
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Diligent Dance??? Across 50 States?
If Ya’ll didn’t know, I’m doing this 50-State Story Tour with my good cohorts at I’m From Driftwood. I haven’t been able to take a breath since we started so i just wanted to say that, NO! I’ve not forgotten about you, this here blog, or the monthly mixtapes. As soon as I can get into a routine of sorts I’ll be back to my usual shenanigans. You can check out the trailer below to see a bit of what’s been keeping me occupied.
I’m From Driftwood @ 2010 NYC Pride
I’m From Driftwood Crew @ NYC PRIDE! Try to figure out which one I am!
Kickstarter - “I’m From Driftwood” 50-State Story Tour: Collecting and Sharing True LGBT Stories.
Link: Kickstarter - “I’m From Driftwood” 50-State Story Tour: Collecting and Sharing True LGBT Stories.
Watch! I’m From Melbourne, Australia
I haven’t posted any of the I’m From Driftwood video’s that i do in a long while, so today is as good as any. Tom Jackson is a pretty funny guy and his story had me laughing out loud. I suppose it’s the accent, but he seems quite charmer. Anyway, Tom puts out a weekly Gayletter highlighting gay things to do in New York. Hmmm… I’m thinking Philly needs its own version of this as Philly Gay Calendar is not effective in that regard.
