Steve and Kristen

She's a music teacher and he's a retired trumpeter. Used to have his
own repair shop in Seattle.

One of the family

Great kids.

A good touring instrument?

Up the Canyon

I borrowed Steve's mountain bike and went for a ride.

Kristen answered my last minute request. I'm 10 minutes up the road in
the next town along from Leavenworth.

Onwards to the next adventure

Nancy the waitress where I had lunch making me a badge for the road

She has a friend in Seattle who's a costume designer and I might be
able to stay with her tomorrow.

Poor advancing

I was just about to get into the car to drive to Seattle for tonight's show when I thought I'd better check if it's still on and I found an email in my inbox from two days ago that it's cancelled. I've been a bit slack with advancing and planning and everything.

It's a strange feeling sitting in a cafe with no place to go. Nowhere to stay tonight. Especially with a hangover. You have to look at it positively. I just sent out a few requests to local couchsurfers to see if anyone will have me, otherwise I'll get a motel. It was a hotel I played in last night and they gave me a very nice room!

I only have about 10 shows in the next month or so, which is a good thing. I need some lengthy laptop sessions to get on top of everything. It's a pain in the butt - literally.

The coming weeks look like this:
5/30    Skylark Cafe & Club    Seattle    WA
Then stay in Seattle for four days.
6/4   The Anchor Pub    Everett    WA
Get on down to Portland
6/6    Mississippi Pizza    Portland    OR
Hang around in Portland for four days between shows.
6/10    Thirsty Lion Pub    Portland    OR
Two-day drive down Route 1 to San Francisco. Should be a beautiful drive. Wish I was spending more time in that area.
6/12    House concert - Live on Amaranta     Palo Alto    CA
Two days in San Francisco.
6/15   Fly to Toronto for NXNE
A week of meeting folks, watching shows and playing one show myself. It could be information overload though.
6/22   Fly to Rejkjavik
Five days in Iceland - need to organise one show
6/28   Fly to Amsterdam
A week of shows, sorting stuff out and watching the start of the Tour de France
7/5    Fly to England
And relax for a month.

It's even got real Germans

They like it here surprisingly. It's like a playground for them they
said.

Steini would have hated it.

Sure it's twee but it is quite refreshing after months of over-
powering Americaness.

The after-party in full swing

Back in the USA

The audience took me out for drinks

I hate outdoor shows

Dinnner with Ellie and Kirk

On there way to the Sasquatch festival.

Tasting... After-tasting

Tasting... well you get the idea

Punk rock joga teachers

Tasting four

Tasting three

Tasting two

The alps

For Fraser

I recommend the Syrah

Wine tastings

$2 tastings

Come on Fraser

Welcome to Bravaria

Leavenworth

I drove from Canada to Germany today.

Leavenworth was a failed logging town and got a grant in the 60s to
become a tourist town.

Vines

This view looked so much bettter here

America again

Back in the states. I feel more at home here. More welcome. Probably
because I have a Visa.

A long drive today. Down into Washington through national parks. And a
long stretch alongside the Columbia River. Huge vineyards and fruit
farms.

The view

The iPhone has a very short focus. The mountains look huge in real
life not the road.

McDonalds is good for something

Free hotwater

Fellow cyclist

Paul who owns the cafe ran successful organic shops and moved out here
to get his kids out of the city. Before that he was a top amateur
cyclist, living in Italy for four years and training with Pantani.

A quiet place in the country

Turns out the town's major industry is growing marijuana for America.
This valley alone produces $85m a year.

My alarm clock

Cedar Creek Cafe - Winlaw, CA

10 hours back into Canada for a show I'd forgotten I'd booked. I did
the trip in two days now I'm without my Tonto.

The town of Windlaw. Population 400. I hope they all come out.

Prius country

There was a Prius on every street. Even the taxis.

Vancouver

I think Vancouver has to be the best city I've visited so far. With
both the mountains and the sea. It's a multiple-dimensional sensory
overload. I had a very good time.

The pacific

I did it. Coast to coast across Canada.

Steini gets the bus to Seattle and a flight back to Germany

The end

Goodbye Steini

A lockin

The host of the after after-party

The Wind Whistles

Friends from here who helped me with venues for the tour

The Main - Vancouver, CA

James Lamb and band, the local act on the bill. The draw in other words.

A tough crowd (reserved) but at least it was a crowd and I had
something to work with.

The harder it is the harder I try, the better the show. The more bored
I get of playing the mire I have to make it interesting for me, the
better the shows.

The set is evolving. Where are we at now? The first song tonight I got
(most) of the audience on stage for a singalong and said 'we'll get
upset if you talk through our songs'. So that wakes them up at the
start.

I need to work out where to take itfromtherenow, because I followed it
with upbeat but that didn't connect.

I'll have a think

A pick me up

Bingo quickly becomes boring

A whole secret underworld

Bingo night

The things I do for the blog

The view

It's a shame the photos looks so crap, because British Columbia is
very beautiful

Golf in the mountains

It got pretty boring

Hermann our host in Salmon Arm

Halfway between Calgary and Vancouver

Elk