Setting up at Wakarusa 2011
I got to Wakarusa not long ago and was greeted by giant rainbow colored letters yelling, “WELCOME” at entering cars. I got my press credentials at the conference center and began setting up my camp site. This was when I realized I forgot a pillow, a tent and tooth paste. Things I did not forget include, dumbbells in case I feel like working out, enough beer to tide over a dry prison for a few hours, cologne and five sketchbooks of varying sizes. Obviously my priorities were skewed.
It’s all a learning experience though, right? I mean, I’ve learned a lot today. For instance I learned that armadillos are plentiful in Arkansas, something revealed to me when I ran over my 17th armadillo carcass on the way here from Kansas. I’ve learned to keep my driver’s side window rolled up when driving on the highway, because about two hours into my drive here a bumblebee kamikaze bombed my face and fell, stunned, onto my lap. I began screaming when the bee started to regain consciousness near my junk and I panicked. I took the only bag of tobacco I had and used it to grab the bee and toss it out the window. Which leads me to the most important lesson I’ve learned about Wakarusa, Arkansas, and road tripping all together: always bring a back up tobacco stash because you never know when you’re going to need to use the initial bag for swatting bugs on the highway.
I will be camping in my car instead of a tent, but I can’t think of a more beautiful place to sleep in a car. The mountains here are not like any mountains I’ve ever seen in Colorado or Arizona. They are more like leviathan turtle shells emerging from the earth in the thousands. Wakarusa is being held at Mulberry mountain in a clearing surrounded by rolling turtles. There is a profound energy taking over the mountain as the sun sets, because in just hours, Wakarusa will be kicking off with Totojojo and Saturday Sirens! I am feeding off the anticipation around me and am excited to meet some of the bands tomorrow. I’ll be sure to write all about it.
Currently however, I’m learning yet another lesson; pee before you sit down. Gotta go.
Until tomorrow!!!