We took some fun photos and got to experience the first night of 'Shamu Rocks', and got some cool photos, but we really wanted to just enjoy the show. Without further ado...
Enjoy the show...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sea World Is Awesome
We went to Sea World last Saturday and I think we picked a perfect day. It was chilly, but a great day to be out and enjoying fresh air and beautiful sights. Everything was great, but I think the Clydesdale's and the dalmatian touched me the most. I kept thinking back to the Budweiser commercials and they made me tear up, especially when the dalmatian walked over to us and stared or just made sure little kids didn't get too close to the big horses. It was just a wonderful thing to experience.
We took some fun photos and got to experience the first night of 'Shamu Rocks', and got some cool photos, but we really wanted to just enjoy the show. Without further ado...
Enjoy the show...
We took some fun photos and got to experience the first night of 'Shamu Rocks', and got some cool photos, but we really wanted to just enjoy the show. Without further ado...
Enjoy the show...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Raccoon Mountain near Chattanooga, TN
After I finished up in Knoxville I had to drive south to Chattanooga, TN. It wasn't a bad drive and the 1.5 hrs. went by pretty quick. I knew that Chattanooga had a lot to offer in the way of photo ops, but I wasn't sure which one I would pick. Little did I know that my choice would pretty much be made for me.
Rain. Thunderstorms. More rain. Yepper, I wasn't going to be shooting any animals in Chattanooga. I also knew that this was not going to stop me from exploring and getting some shots. So I did some research, asked the locals and got my answer. I always recommend picking up the brochures in the hotel lobby because they are packed with fun stuff to do. Yes, they can be touristy, but that's what they are there for, right? My solution? Have some balls and ask the people working there. I think I freaked out the lady at the front desk, but she was cool. It was late at night (11pm) when I got back from my training class. I asked her where the cool stuff was to shoot. She pointed out everything in the brochures. So I changed tactics. I asked about what SHE likes to see and do in the area. Then I found out she and her daughter were amateur photographers. She said they liked to shoot B&W and mainly architecture stuff. So I asked her again, but I changed it up. I asked her where a cool place would be to shoot, even in the rain, where I might get a chance to see some wildlife and not run into a million tourists. She got out a map and pointed to Raccoon Mountain. She told me about the caves there and I was sold.
When I got up the next morning the weather was horrible. Sheets of rain and I just wanted to sleep. Eat and sleep. But I knew I would be kicking myself if I didn't make it out to the caves. I took the 15 minute drive (so close) and bought my tour ticket. Fortunately, there were only 6 people in line. 4 kids and their parents. They spotted my cameras and we got to chatting about shooting in dark areas and such. It was good. I felt like I talked over them at first, so I toned down my 'photo-speak' and they seemed to get my lingo. They had recently bought a D80 and wanted some advice. Like I said, I hope I helped.
As we were entering the cave, the guide looks at me and tells me that they don't allow tripods, but I must have looked sad or something because he said he'd make an exception for me. I was shocked, but super psyched.
The tour was 45 minutes of walking and talking about the caves. Cool stuff. I guess it used to be called the Crystal Caves, but there were so many "Crystal Caves" around the US that the owner wanted something new. Our guide gave a great tour and talked about everything they offer. They have explorations where you can go cave diving or spelunking, as the Greeks called it. The cave divers told me that only people that are trying to impress others say spelunking. They have you crawl into a tight cave and then back out to see if you can pass the claustrophobia test. Um yeah... I would fail. I can't do tight space like that. Freaks me the hell out. When I was a kid I got stuck in a snow tunnel for a few minutes and it scared the crap out of me. Ever since I have HATED tight spaces like that. Along the tour I took some photos. Mostly with a 50mm 1.8 hand held. I didn't use the tripod much because there wasn't much room and there wasn't much time.
Here are three of my favs. Can you see the monster in the first shot?
Rain. Thunderstorms. More rain. Yepper, I wasn't going to be shooting any animals in Chattanooga. I also knew that this was not going to stop me from exploring and getting some shots. So I did some research, asked the locals and got my answer. I always recommend picking up the brochures in the hotel lobby because they are packed with fun stuff to do. Yes, they can be touristy, but that's what they are there for, right? My solution? Have some balls and ask the people working there. I think I freaked out the lady at the front desk, but she was cool. It was late at night (11pm) when I got back from my training class. I asked her where the cool stuff was to shoot. She pointed out everything in the brochures. So I changed tactics. I asked about what SHE likes to see and do in the area. Then I found out she and her daughter were amateur photographers. She said they liked to shoot B&W and mainly architecture stuff. So I asked her again, but I changed it up. I asked her where a cool place would be to shoot, even in the rain, where I might get a chance to see some wildlife and not run into a million tourists. She got out a map and pointed to Raccoon Mountain. She told me about the caves there and I was sold.
When I got up the next morning the weather was horrible. Sheets of rain and I just wanted to sleep. Eat and sleep. But I knew I would be kicking myself if I didn't make it out to the caves. I took the 15 minute drive (so close) and bought my tour ticket. Fortunately, there were only 6 people in line. 4 kids and their parents. They spotted my cameras and we got to chatting about shooting in dark areas and such. It was good. I felt like I talked over them at first, so I toned down my 'photo-speak' and they seemed to get my lingo. They had recently bought a D80 and wanted some advice. Like I said, I hope I helped.
As we were entering the cave, the guide looks at me and tells me that they don't allow tripods, but I must have looked sad or something because he said he'd make an exception for me. I was shocked, but super psyched.
The tour was 45 minutes of walking and talking about the caves. Cool stuff. I guess it used to be called the Crystal Caves, but there were so many "Crystal Caves" around the US that the owner wanted something new. Our guide gave a great tour and talked about everything they offer. They have explorations where you can go cave diving or spelunking, as the Greeks called it. The cave divers told me that only people that are trying to impress others say spelunking. They have you crawl into a tight cave and then back out to see if you can pass the claustrophobia test. Um yeah... I would fail. I can't do tight space like that. Freaks me the hell out. When I was a kid I got stuck in a snow tunnel for a few minutes and it scared the crap out of me. Ever since I have HATED tight spaces like that. Along the tour I took some photos. Mostly with a 50mm 1.8 hand held. I didn't use the tripod much because there wasn't much room and there wasn't much time.
Here are three of my favs. Can you see the monster in the first shot?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Cades Cove, TN
I was reading in American Photo last month and saw the article about some of the top places to visit and photograph. Cades Cove, TN was one of those spots. It just so happened that my work needed me to fly to Tennessee for a week to facilitate some training. It got better when they changed it from Nashville to Knoxville. It made it much closer to get to. It was about an hour drive.
I drove from my hotel at 4:30 am on Monday morning to hit the Cades Cove Loop (which is 11 miles) at sunrise and get some great shots. I prayed for protection before I left and for a great day. My navigation system had different thoughts. I got the loop entered in and it decided to take me down a dead end road to where I could hike to the loop, but it couldn't find the loop itself. I drove back down the 2 mile winding road and went back to the highway. I drove a half mile and found a visitors center, but of course they were closed that early. So I tried some back roads. I figured the navigation could get me back to my hotel if I got lost. So I took a side road and got these shots as the sun was coming up. I had driven around for a couple hours, but I got one good shot.
Well, the road I was on would take me to part of the loop, but the road was closed. I laughed and told myself that no navigation was going to keep me from nature shots. I backtracked and went beyond the visitors center by a mile and wouldn't you know it - there was the entrance to Cades Cove. Hooray!
I came the start of the loop and this was what I saw...
It was absolutely beautiful and I knew my wife would have loved to have seen this. There were lots of fences throughout the park and I knew she would have snapped some great shots of them. I wanted to see animals and that is what I set out to do.
I first encountered a tom turkey gobbling like crazy. Everyone else drove past me, but I got out and waited and he was magnificent. I clucked a few times (I can do a mock hen turkey call with just my voice) and he gobbled right back. Here is one of the shots.
I drove on and saw a group of photographers capturing shots of a herd of whitetail deer. I stopped and got out and they disappeared. I must have had stunk or something. The deer came close and were quite animated. They tussled about and even crossed the fence right in front of one of the other photographers.
My goal in going to Cades Cove was to encounter a bear. I had heard that there are 1,500 black bear in the park and they usually come out in the morning and late evening. I had missed the sunrise, but I figured I had a chance. My hopes were soon to be as I drove over a small hill. I saw a group of people stopped on the road and sure enough there was a bear. Not just any bear though. It was Smokey the Bear! Ok, just kidding. This was a big boar that had to weigh 180-200 lbs. (At least that's how I saw it. He was large and was toppling saplings and eating the leaves. He was about 300 yards away and I took a few shots, but he was too far away. I watched him cross the road and I just waited. a minute later he emerged from behind two large trees... and headed right for my car. Closer. Closer. CLOSER! He got to about 100 yards and I realized I was on his trail. Crap! I took these shots of him as he turned. I then got in my car and waited for him to turn and go another way.
I kept encountering photographers and wildlife. Over a hill I noticed no one and saw two coyotes heading right for a herd of deer. The lead dog howled as they approached, but as you can see, the deer were alert and ready.
I saw more deer and saw them playing and eating so I stopped and got these shots. They were so cool! I have seen multitudes of deer in my life, but this area had so many different types of landscapes that you could get a variety of interesting shots.
The next parts of my adventure will be, by far, some of the best experiences of my life. I drove on and stopped to listen to some turkeys. A mountain bike went by, said hi and asked what I was taking photos of. I told him I was listening to the turkeys. He rode on over the hill. Suddenly, he came flying back towards me with HUGE eyes. "There's a big black bear coming right over that hill." That was all I needed to hear. I jumped in the car and drove 50 yards and there she was. She spotted me and kept coming. She was right along the left hand side of the road and walking towards me. I slowly opened the door and took a few pictures. I didn't want her to get too close, and I was a bit nervous so my shots suffered. Her hair bristled up and i knew she was nervous, too. I got back in the car and waited. She went over a small hill and then came back towards me. She stopped and stared at me. I opened the door and took some more shots and just then a friggin squirrel jumped by her and scared her. She jumped and huffed and about crapped my pants. You had never seen a guy my size move so damn fast! She moved to MY side of the road and came within 10 feet of my car. Here is one of the close ups. She was beautiful!
Wow, right? So cool. It gets better! I saw this pileated woodpecker, swallow, and rabbit as I drove on. Such a cool adventure and I was loving life.
Here is the best part of the animal encounters. I drove a bit more and got behind a guy who was stopped in the middle of the road. I had to stop and wait for him to move. You are supposed to pull off, but I figured he was seeing something cool. So i waited patiently. He pulled over and so did I. I asked him what he saw and he told me there was a sow and her cub right by us, about 150 yards away. Well, he and his wife (they were in their 70's) went ahead of me and spotted them. Then they lost sight of them. I quickly found them walking right towards the road where we were. So did grandma!! She turned on the afterburners and ran right by me as I was back peddling. Mama bear came right to the road and crossed about 75 yards away. I'll post photos of her tomorrow. The cub was nowhere to be seen. I hadn't seen it yet and we all just waited. i saw three cars coming and they weren't slowing down and just then I saw the top of his little head poking out. I quickly walked towards the car (so not to spook mama and get torn to shreds) and yelled for him to stop. I even threw up my hands! He stopped JUST as the little one high-tailed it for the other side of the road. He was TINY!! No bigger than a young Pug! Here is one of the shots I got.
He made it across and right up a tree. mama came over to him and grunted and he climbed down and followed her into the forest. Just then a herd of deer came by and walked right in between all of the cars. I'll post shots of that, too.
Needless to say, I had a wonderful morning. I was there for 4 hours and could have spent 10! I will definitely try to get back there sometime soon. It was a spectacular area and wonderfully preserved. I hope you can all get a chance to go there sometime. It is worth the drive.
I drove from my hotel at 4:30 am on Monday morning to hit the Cades Cove Loop (which is 11 miles) at sunrise and get some great shots. I prayed for protection before I left and for a great day. My navigation system had different thoughts. I got the loop entered in and it decided to take me down a dead end road to where I could hike to the loop, but it couldn't find the loop itself. I drove back down the 2 mile winding road and went back to the highway. I drove a half mile and found a visitors center, but of course they were closed that early. So I tried some back roads. I figured the navigation could get me back to my hotel if I got lost. So I took a side road and got these shots as the sun was coming up. I had driven around for a couple hours, but I got one good shot.
Well, the road I was on would take me to part of the loop, but the road was closed. I laughed and told myself that no navigation was going to keep me from nature shots. I backtracked and went beyond the visitors center by a mile and wouldn't you know it - there was the entrance to Cades Cove. Hooray!
I came the start of the loop and this was what I saw...
It was absolutely beautiful and I knew my wife would have loved to have seen this. There were lots of fences throughout the park and I knew she would have snapped some great shots of them. I wanted to see animals and that is what I set out to do.
I first encountered a tom turkey gobbling like crazy. Everyone else drove past me, but I got out and waited and he was magnificent. I clucked a few times (I can do a mock hen turkey call with just my voice) and he gobbled right back. Here is one of the shots.
I drove on and saw a group of photographers capturing shots of a herd of whitetail deer. I stopped and got out and they disappeared. I must have had stunk or something. The deer came close and were quite animated. They tussled about and even crossed the fence right in front of one of the other photographers.
My goal in going to Cades Cove was to encounter a bear. I had heard that there are 1,500 black bear in the park and they usually come out in the morning and late evening. I had missed the sunrise, but I figured I had a chance. My hopes were soon to be as I drove over a small hill. I saw a group of people stopped on the road and sure enough there was a bear. Not just any bear though. It was Smokey the Bear! Ok, just kidding. This was a big boar that had to weigh 180-200 lbs. (At least that's how I saw it. He was large and was toppling saplings and eating the leaves. He was about 300 yards away and I took a few shots, but he was too far away. I watched him cross the road and I just waited. a minute later he emerged from behind two large trees... and headed right for my car. Closer. Closer. CLOSER! He got to about 100 yards and I realized I was on his trail. Crap! I took these shots of him as he turned. I then got in my car and waited for him to turn and go another way.
I kept encountering photographers and wildlife. Over a hill I noticed no one and saw two coyotes heading right for a herd of deer. The lead dog howled as they approached, but as you can see, the deer were alert and ready.
I saw more deer and saw them playing and eating so I stopped and got these shots. They were so cool! I have seen multitudes of deer in my life, but this area had so many different types of landscapes that you could get a variety of interesting shots.
The next parts of my adventure will be, by far, some of the best experiences of my life. I drove on and stopped to listen to some turkeys. A mountain bike went by, said hi and asked what I was taking photos of. I told him I was listening to the turkeys. He rode on over the hill. Suddenly, he came flying back towards me with HUGE eyes. "There's a big black bear coming right over that hill." That was all I needed to hear. I jumped in the car and drove 50 yards and there she was. She spotted me and kept coming. She was right along the left hand side of the road and walking towards me. I slowly opened the door and took a few pictures. I didn't want her to get too close, and I was a bit nervous so my shots suffered. Her hair bristled up and i knew she was nervous, too. I got back in the car and waited. She went over a small hill and then came back towards me. She stopped and stared at me. I opened the door and took some more shots and just then a friggin squirrel jumped by her and scared her. She jumped and huffed and about crapped my pants. You had never seen a guy my size move so damn fast! She moved to MY side of the road and came within 10 feet of my car. Here is one of the close ups. She was beautiful!
Wow, right? So cool. It gets better! I saw this pileated woodpecker, swallow, and rabbit as I drove on. Such a cool adventure and I was loving life.
Here is the best part of the animal encounters. I drove a bit more and got behind a guy who was stopped in the middle of the road. I had to stop and wait for him to move. You are supposed to pull off, but I figured he was seeing something cool. So i waited patiently. He pulled over and so did I. I asked him what he saw and he told me there was a sow and her cub right by us, about 150 yards away. Well, he and his wife (they were in their 70's) went ahead of me and spotted them. Then they lost sight of them. I quickly found them walking right towards the road where we were. So did grandma!! She turned on the afterburners and ran right by me as I was back peddling. Mama bear came right to the road and crossed about 75 yards away. I'll post photos of her tomorrow. The cub was nowhere to be seen. I hadn't seen it yet and we all just waited. i saw three cars coming and they weren't slowing down and just then I saw the top of his little head poking out. I quickly walked towards the car (so not to spook mama and get torn to shreds) and yelled for him to stop. I even threw up my hands! He stopped JUST as the little one high-tailed it for the other side of the road. He was TINY!! No bigger than a young Pug! Here is one of the shots I got.
He made it across and right up a tree. mama came over to him and grunted and he climbed down and followed her into the forest. Just then a herd of deer came by and walked right in between all of the cars. I'll post shots of that, too.
Needless to say, I had a wonderful morning. I was there for 4 hours and could have spent 10! I will definitely try to get back there sometime soon. It was a spectacular area and wonderfully preserved. I hope you can all get a chance to go there sometime. It is worth the drive.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Stagecoach Country Music Festival 2008
This past weekend was a fantastic mosaic of country from all over. The Stagecoach Country Music Festival is held at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, CA. It's the same place where Coachella is held every year. It is in the middle of the dessert. There will be a few photos from the three days we were there, but for the most past I am just going to comment on how much fun I had and what bands/artists were good, bad or ugly.
Kymberli and I went last year and in a word it was - HOT! One of the days last year hit around 108 degrees and we were hurting. We spent about $100 on just water alone because they weren't allowing people to bring in their own. Thank goodness they changed that rule for this year.
Last year we camped out and it sucked. Most of the campers were 20-25 and they were up drinking and partying until 4:30am. Ok, I guess I am getting old because I wanted to sleep. When 6am came around it got super hot in our tent. Fat Guy + Enclosed Material = Bad News! Anyway, this year we opted for a hotel room. It cost us 10x as much, but it was so worth it. A/C, clean room, a bed and peace and quiet.
We decided the first day to walk because the hotel desk said it was less than a mile. In cowboy boots and 90 degrees it feels like 10 miles. We made it there and went right for the beer tent. We needed a cool refreshing beverage for the long walk to the Palamino Stage, which was on the opposite side of the grounds. We walked over to see Shooter Jennings and then got to see one of my favorite country bands, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. My dad introduced me to these guys 20 years ago. I never realized what an impact he and this band would have on me. I knew all but one of the songs they played. Kymberli got some shots and I am posting one here. These guys were awesome. They got the crowd into it, played plenty of great songs and thanked everyone countless times. "Mr. Bojangles" is a song that they covered many years ago and it is awesome. Brought back some great memories of my dad, brother and I when we used to work the farm in Geneva, NY.
There were some great bands throughout the day. We listened to some of John Fogarty and then decided to head back. The Eagles were the headliner, but come on people - they are not country. So many people showed up right before the Eagles performed. Now my dad would kick me for not staying and listening, as the Eagles are one of his (if not THE) favorite bands of all time. I just did not want to hear them at a country music festival. As we left, there was a line of cars about a mile and a half long waiting to get into the parking area. It was insane. People kept asking us if they had gone on yet. Crazy. We walked back to the hotel and it was the worst decision we made all weekend. We walked back and got some serious blisters from our boots. Unfortunately, Kymberli got the worst of it. I lucked out with one blister and sore feet. She had quite a few and they looked painful. We vowed to grab a taxi for the rest of the weekend.
Day 2 was great. The short of it was that we got to party and the weather was awesome. High eighties and the crowd was huge. I really, REALLY wanted to see the Kentucky Headhunters and they were one of THE best live shows I have seen. Again, my dad introduced them to me years ago, but they seemed to be better than before! They came out and riled everyone up. They played hit after hit and played the crowd. The best part was when Fred Young, the drummer, went into a drum solo. Not only was it the most powerful solo I have ever seen live, but he played the last 2 or 3 minutes with his bare hands!! BARE! He crushed the cymbals over and over with his knuckles. Totally Awesome! The rest of the show was great. I truly enjoyed being a part of their performance.
We stayed there for Cross Canadian Ragweed and they drew a big crowd. They sounded great, but I have to say that I haven't listened to much of their music. It had a cool sound, but I will need to listen more to see if I like it.
The main reason we parked our behinds at the Palamino Stage was to see Dwight Yoakam. I think Dwight's music is incredible and the crowd he drew was enormous. Hundreds of people showed up. I would venture a guess at over a thousand. We had a choice to see him or Dierks Bentley and we voted for Dwight because we have seen Dierks a couple times and had never seen Dwight live. I am so glad we stayed. Dwight was by far one of the best performances at the festival. He got all of the women swooning with his swaying and hip shaking. He played so many great songs, gave props to Rick Nelson and Buck Owen and still didn't play all of his hits. Here's a couple shots from the show.
After Dwight was over we ambled over to the Mane Stage to see the last bit of The Judds and then Rascal Flatts. Naomi and Wynona were great together and they got pretty emotional. Heck, they hadn't performed together since 2000 or something. Great show. Rascal Flatts was great, too. They opened up strong and kept hollering out to the people in the back. the only part that really disappointed me was when Jay did his James Brown bit and guys, it's old. Get some new material. For those of use who have seen you the past 2 years - we want something fresh! Hopefully next year. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open, so we headed out about halfway through their set. We had made sure to wear comfy footwear, but still didn't want to walk back. We walked to where the cabs were, but wouldn't you know it the 4 that were there wouldn't take us because they were waiting for others. We called for a cab and they didn't show, so we walked back!! It was easier than the day before, but not fun. We were so tired, but we made it.
Sunday was great. We knew we could sleep in and head over about 4 hours later than Saturday because we only wanted to be at the Mane Stage to see the big acts. We got up and hit the breakfast buffet at the hotel and let me tell you, it was dee-lish-ous! We ate and went back to the room for a nap! It was a great morning. When we did get around, we got a cab to the event. The bad news was that the cops wouldn't let the cabs all the way through, so we still had to walk. Payback for eating so much food! Even though it was a hike, the weather was great yet again. high eighties - again! We were loving it. We went in and went right for the beer tent. The main reason was I forgot to put sunscreen on my face. We did want to find a nice area to sit and enjoy some tasty beverages, too. We lucked out when after only a half hour, 2 people got up from a picnic table and left. We grabbed the seats for the remainder of the evening.
Can I just say that Trace Adkins had the best opener? He came out singing, "I got my game on..." and the crowd went nuts. He put on a show and sang incredibly. I know some of the speakers weren't working well (they kept fluttering in and out), but his voice permeated the entire grounds. People at CMT said they heard him all the way over on the opposite side. Here is the crowd when looking out from the beer tent during Trace's performance.
The rest of the night was great. We met a wonderful woman and her husband who came out just for Sunday. We spent most of the night getting to know them, chatting and enjoying the music. They were a pleasure to talk to and were so much fun! I hope we get to see them next year! We all enjoyed Carrie Underwood's performance, too. She belted out some songs that had everyone singing. The woman has come a long way since American Idol. We saw some crazies and interesting people the entire weekend. I could go on and on, but I have blabbed long enough. Next year we'll try to get our cameras in to take some nicer photos. For all that went, we hope you had a great time! We certainly did!!
To add insult to injury, when Kymberli looked at our map of the walking distance from our hotel to the venue it was 1.5 miles. One way! We had it all wrong. Next year it's all about the flip flops and cab rides.
Kymberli and I went last year and in a word it was - HOT! One of the days last year hit around 108 degrees and we were hurting. We spent about $100 on just water alone because they weren't allowing people to bring in their own. Thank goodness they changed that rule for this year.
Last year we camped out and it sucked. Most of the campers were 20-25 and they were up drinking and partying until 4:30am. Ok, I guess I am getting old because I wanted to sleep. When 6am came around it got super hot in our tent. Fat Guy + Enclosed Material = Bad News! Anyway, this year we opted for a hotel room. It cost us 10x as much, but it was so worth it. A/C, clean room, a bed and peace and quiet.
We decided the first day to walk because the hotel desk said it was less than a mile. In cowboy boots and 90 degrees it feels like 10 miles. We made it there and went right for the beer tent. We needed a cool refreshing beverage for the long walk to the Palamino Stage, which was on the opposite side of the grounds. We walked over to see Shooter Jennings and then got to see one of my favorite country bands, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. My dad introduced me to these guys 20 years ago. I never realized what an impact he and this band would have on me. I knew all but one of the songs they played. Kymberli got some shots and I am posting one here. These guys were awesome. They got the crowd into it, played plenty of great songs and thanked everyone countless times. "Mr. Bojangles" is a song that they covered many years ago and it is awesome. Brought back some great memories of my dad, brother and I when we used to work the farm in Geneva, NY.
There were some great bands throughout the day. We listened to some of John Fogarty and then decided to head back. The Eagles were the headliner, but come on people - they are not country. So many people showed up right before the Eagles performed. Now my dad would kick me for not staying and listening, as the Eagles are one of his (if not THE) favorite bands of all time. I just did not want to hear them at a country music festival. As we left, there was a line of cars about a mile and a half long waiting to get into the parking area. It was insane. People kept asking us if they had gone on yet. Crazy. We walked back to the hotel and it was the worst decision we made all weekend. We walked back and got some serious blisters from our boots. Unfortunately, Kymberli got the worst of it. I lucked out with one blister and sore feet. She had quite a few and they looked painful. We vowed to grab a taxi for the rest of the weekend.
Day 2 was great. The short of it was that we got to party and the weather was awesome. High eighties and the crowd was huge. I really, REALLY wanted to see the Kentucky Headhunters and they were one of THE best live shows I have seen. Again, my dad introduced them to me years ago, but they seemed to be better than before! They came out and riled everyone up. They played hit after hit and played the crowd. The best part was when Fred Young, the drummer, went into a drum solo. Not only was it the most powerful solo I have ever seen live, but he played the last 2 or 3 minutes with his bare hands!! BARE! He crushed the cymbals over and over with his knuckles. Totally Awesome! The rest of the show was great. I truly enjoyed being a part of their performance.
We stayed there for Cross Canadian Ragweed and they drew a big crowd. They sounded great, but I have to say that I haven't listened to much of their music. It had a cool sound, but I will need to listen more to see if I like it.
The main reason we parked our behinds at the Palamino Stage was to see Dwight Yoakam. I think Dwight's music is incredible and the crowd he drew was enormous. Hundreds of people showed up. I would venture a guess at over a thousand. We had a choice to see him or Dierks Bentley and we voted for Dwight because we have seen Dierks a couple times and had never seen Dwight live. I am so glad we stayed. Dwight was by far one of the best performances at the festival. He got all of the women swooning with his swaying and hip shaking. He played so many great songs, gave props to Rick Nelson and Buck Owen and still didn't play all of his hits. Here's a couple shots from the show.
After Dwight was over we ambled over to the Mane Stage to see the last bit of The Judds and then Rascal Flatts. Naomi and Wynona were great together and they got pretty emotional. Heck, they hadn't performed together since 2000 or something. Great show. Rascal Flatts was great, too. They opened up strong and kept hollering out to the people in the back. the only part that really disappointed me was when Jay did his James Brown bit and guys, it's old. Get some new material. For those of use who have seen you the past 2 years - we want something fresh! Hopefully next year. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open, so we headed out about halfway through their set. We had made sure to wear comfy footwear, but still didn't want to walk back. We walked to where the cabs were, but wouldn't you know it the 4 that were there wouldn't take us because they were waiting for others. We called for a cab and they didn't show, so we walked back!! It was easier than the day before, but not fun. We were so tired, but we made it.
Sunday was great. We knew we could sleep in and head over about 4 hours later than Saturday because we only wanted to be at the Mane Stage to see the big acts. We got up and hit the breakfast buffet at the hotel and let me tell you, it was dee-lish-ous! We ate and went back to the room for a nap! It was a great morning. When we did get around, we got a cab to the event. The bad news was that the cops wouldn't let the cabs all the way through, so we still had to walk. Payback for eating so much food! Even though it was a hike, the weather was great yet again. high eighties - again! We were loving it. We went in and went right for the beer tent. The main reason was I forgot to put sunscreen on my face. We did want to find a nice area to sit and enjoy some tasty beverages, too. We lucked out when after only a half hour, 2 people got up from a picnic table and left. We grabbed the seats for the remainder of the evening.
Can I just say that Trace Adkins had the best opener? He came out singing, "I got my game on..." and the crowd went nuts. He put on a show and sang incredibly. I know some of the speakers weren't working well (they kept fluttering in and out), but his voice permeated the entire grounds. People at CMT said they heard him all the way over on the opposite side. Here is the crowd when looking out from the beer tent during Trace's performance.
The rest of the night was great. We met a wonderful woman and her husband who came out just for Sunday. We spent most of the night getting to know them, chatting and enjoying the music. They were a pleasure to talk to and were so much fun! I hope we get to see them next year! We all enjoyed Carrie Underwood's performance, too. She belted out some songs that had everyone singing. The woman has come a long way since American Idol. We saw some crazies and interesting people the entire weekend. I could go on and on, but I have blabbed long enough. Next year we'll try to get our cameras in to take some nicer photos. For all that went, we hope you had a great time! We certainly did!!
To add insult to injury, when Kymberli looked at our map of the walking distance from our hotel to the venue it was 1.5 miles. One way! We had it all wrong. Next year it's all about the flip flops and cab rides.
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