After leaving the library yesterday Tom and I found a ride back to our kayaks that were hidden behind some weeds on a steep muddy bank of the river. We both nearly fell in trying to get back into them and paddle/drifted to the next bridge where we saw two police officers on motorcycles and asked if we could camp underneath of it. “The only ones who would have a problem with it would be us, and we don’t have a problem with it.”
They informed us of an Aerosmith concert taking place within a mile of the river and told us we would be safe there for the night and that they would alert the other officers.
Tom not being a fan of arguably one of the greatest rock bands of all times wanted to stay and watch the boats. I didn’t fight him in this want haha. I purchased one of the last 94 remaining tickets and found myself in the nosebleed section next to two big fans, Robert and Judy, who bought me a beer during intermission. The rest of the evening resulted in what normal concerts are known for…drunken people falling in the stands screaming at the top of their lungs to words they can’t hear because the noise is so deafening…and I was right there with them, minus the drunken part.
Afterwards I walked back to the bridge in awe that they can still rock for no less than 2 ½ hours after over 30 years of touring to find Tom wide awake on his deflated air mattress (it’s had a hole in it since the first week, I told him to buy a Thermarest but he didn’t want to listen :p). I heard music coming from a bar near buy and decided to check it out.
Eventually I found myself playing bongo’s (I play a variety of different drums at home) to Latin music and eventually dancing with a group that meets there every Thursday night to dance until 1am when I finally decided it was just too much for one day and I needed some sleep.
I awoke this morning to the sound of thunder and the mist of rain water blowing in the wind. I love waking up under bridges, especially in the rain.
Currently I am back at the Omaha Library after waiting outside with the mob of homeless people for it to open to update this site one final time before we push on, though the weather doesn’t seem to want that to happen right now.
Once again – I spend the days dreaming of all the things I want to do in life and the nights dreaming of waking up, literally living the dream.
-Charles