Tag: blog

Hiking in Vegas – Lake Mead Railroad Trail

One of the easiest and best hike in Las Vegas is the Historic Railway Trail that over looks Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. TripAdvisor gives this trail a 4 1/2 rating and calls it the #15 thing to do in Las Vegas.

The Historic Railroad Trail is an easy, dog-friendly hike along a former railroad grade. It provides panoramic views of Lake Mead, overlooking the Boulder Basin area. As hikers travel through five large tunnels, they will experience a portion of the railroad route that ran from Boulder City to Hoover Dam from 1931 to 1961.

As one of Southern Nevada’s most unique trail experiences, the trail was designated as a national recreation trail on June 4, 2015. It shares the rich history of the construction of the Hoover Dam and the creation of Lake Mead.

In 2017, the Historic Railroad Trail was graded and received a new layer of decomposed granite, improving its accessibility and the overall visitor experience. The trail can be accessed near the Lake Mead Visitor Center or via the Hoover Dam Parking Garage.

This is the only remaining section of Hoover Dam Railroad system that is not highly disturbed or under water

You can walk, run, bicycle or even push a stroller on this flat easy trail. Along the trail you will see a section of rough, rocky road on the south side of the railroad bed that is believed to be the first section of pioneer trail or road for the construction of Hoover Dam. Approaching Tunnel 1, on the right, look down the ravine to see concrete plugs taken out of Hoover Dam to install the turbines.

  • The first tunnel is around 1 mile from the trailhead.
  • The fifth tunnel is around 2.2 miles from the trailhead.
  • The elevation change from the trailhead to the fifth tunnel is about 11 feet.
  • After the fifth tunnel, the trail continues another 1.5 miles to the Hoover Dam Parking Garage. The elevation change between these two points is around 445 feet.
  • Total distance = 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) round trip.

All tunnels are approximately 300 feet in length, and 25 feet in diameter. The tunnels were oversized to fit penstock sections and large equipment being transported to Hoover Dam.

Tunnel 1 has eight sections of vertical supports, five of which have horizontal planks to prevent the fall of loose rock on to the tracks so there would be few delays during the 24-hour dam building schedule. Weight from the rock has damaged the outermost, eastern arch.

Tunnel 2 burned in an arson fire in 1990. You can see it looks different from the other tunnels. It was sprayed with shotcrete to fortify the now looser rock.

Rocks excavated from the tunnels were undoubtedly used for the fills. The outermost east arch was deformed by pressure of the rock in tunnel 3.

Tunnel 5 was burned in 1978 and was then sealed. The tunnel was restored, sprayed with shotcrete and reopened in July 2001. The trail continues to Hoover Dam and the visitor center parking structure. The gates after Tunnel 5 are locked at sunset.

Historic Lake Mead railroad tracks leading to tunnel

Nine steam and four gas locomotives and 71 people used to operate the system. It was a standard-gauge, 90-pound rail construction that used Oregon fir ties.

This section of the railroad was used in the motion picture “The Gauntlet” starring Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke for a sequence in which they were on a motorcycle being chased by an assassin in a helicopter.

You can access the trailhead from the junction of Nevada Way and US 93 at the northern end of Boulder City, Nevada, take US 93 approximately 2.4 miles in a easterly direction to Lakeshore Drive. Turn left onto Lakeshore Drive and proceed a short distance past the Alan Bible Visitor Center. The trailhead is located on the right side of Lakeshore Drive.

Note: Major parts of the information included in this article are taken from the National Park Service Lake Mead National Recreation Area website and the National Recreation Trail website. Photo credit: Photos were taken from NPS.org and NRT Database.

Last Day in Maine: Sea Coast, Wild Blueberries, Lighthouses and King

It is our last day for touring around Maine before my wife and I return to Los Angeles through Logan Airport in Boston. And we still had so much to see. So up early and breakfast in Bar Harbor and on the road.

First stop was Schoodic Point about 4 miles away from Acadia as the crow flies but about an hour away by car. Schoodic Point is on a peninsula about 4 miles from Mt. Desert but there is no direct route there so you have to drive off the island and take Maine 1 north to the turn off for Winter Harbor. You travel down this lovely peninsula to the Schoodic Point Park. It is actually part of Acadia National Park, but much less crowded or visited. The views are amazing and the air actually smells clean – that is hard to describe, but it was the freshest air I have ever smelled. Just smelled pure.

This is a great place to picnic weather permitting and just look at the wave crashing on this rocky granite coast full of tidal pools and amazing rock formations.

Second stop was further up Maine 1 at Columbus Falls, Wild Blueberry Land. It is an iconic place to stop according to all the websites – Google, TripAdvisor, and others. Maybe back in the day – but when we dropped by other than some fun photos, the place is pretty run down and inside you can watch a baker actually make off the blueberry goodies right in front of you, there was no stock in the cases and the coffee was out. There is a putt-putt course outside – old and overgrown but still works. Maybe later in the season there is more going on!

Third stop and really the entire reason for the trip up Maine 1 was to get to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. The most photographed lighthouse on the Eastern seaboard and one of the most iconic images of Maine. It is located in Lubec, ME, and is the eastern most point of the US before entering Canada.

You get there and it is lonely there. Nothing out this way except the lighthouse. There is a mile long nature walk in the woods surrounding the lighthouse. Deep, old woods that offer glimpses of rocky cliffs and bluffs high above the crashing waves below.

Back in the car and now looking for places to stay – not much out in this part of Maine in terms of housing. Some quaint B&B’s but also some of them looked a little sketchy. So we decided to head for Bangor in the late summer light and found a good hotel. We had dinner that night at a wonderful place called McLaughlin’s at the Marina. A two story place with great views of the Penobscot River and boats coming in after a day on the water. Food and service A+.

Final stop in Maine – Stephen King’s house. Lovely Victorian home in Bangor perfect for the Master of Horror with its spiderweb front gate. The house is really easy to find – it has its own Google map location. Do not go in please. It is a private home, but there are literally thousands of photos online from drive-byes.

Than down to Boston and home. A really wonderful adventure covering all the things I love – theatre, travel, and adventure.

 

Acadia Images, Day 2 – Mt. Desert Island, Maine

Day two on Mt. Desert Island was focused on the western side of the island. So it is less about the Acadia National Park, which while still there – this part of the island is more about local villages, fishing, and a much slower life style. Here are some images from hiking Wonderland Trail, Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Mill Cove outside Pretty Marsh Village on a wonderful bright blue day. Enjoy!!

Hike

 

Images: Acadia National Park

These are views from our first day at Acadia National Park taken while driving the Park Loop Road, including Cadillac Mountain views, Jordan Pond and views from the trail around Jordan Pond, and walking the trail to Thunder Hole.

June 2018

All photos by James Carey

Acadia National Park, Day 1 – Mt. Desert Island, Maine

We woke up to a beautiful bright day, and after breakfast, set out for the park.

View from Cadillac Mountain

The first part of the park that you encounter as you enter is the Park Loop Drive which is on the east half of Mt. Desert Island. This takes you pass almost all the high traffic sections of the park like Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond and its hiking trails, the Bubbles, Thunder Hole, and the little town of Northeast Harbor.

Islands viewed from Cadillac Mountain

The first stop was Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the North Atlantic coast and the first place in the US where you can view sunrise from October to March. At 1500+ feet, it is not really that high but it offers spectacular views of the surrounding bay and islands. Also the drop in temperature even in summer was dramatic. At the base of the mountain is was 87F’ that morning on the top with winds it was about 49F’. So bring a coat or jacket, you will need it.

Continuing along the Park Loop, you come to Jordan Pond and the historical Jordan Tea House. Finding parking in the car lot is tight so bring your peaceful, calm side because it can be frustrating and this was just the early summer season for tourists. The Park Service does offer a free shuttle service to various parts of the park, so check their website for more info and schedule on this service.

Jordan Pond

The Jordan Pond House traces its history from 1847. A man by the name of William Bennett built the first road to the pond in 1836. He had bought the land to start a logging business. He built a house and two mills. Three years later the Jordan brothers bought the property and operated the mills for many years, cutting and sawing the heavy growth of timber which covered the valleys and sides of the mountains, – and the pond gained its name.

In 1847 they built the original farm-house which forms a part of the present Jordan Pond House.  The pond was named for the Jordan family for whom the pond and house were named. The Jordan Pond House was founded as a restaurant by Mr. Melvan Tibbetts in the early 1870’s. People would ride out in their carriages on the weekends from Bar Harbor to the pond and the Tea House would serve refreshments to people on the grounds while they hiked or admired the views. Both the Pond and the Bubbles are visible from the Tea House, which still serves food today.

The Bubbles

The Bubbles are two small mountains located on the northern end of Jordan Pond. They are asymmetrical pink granite hills that were abraded and smoothed on the northern side and quarried—rough and steep—on the southern side by overriding ice. The Bubbles got their name because of their unusual shape. When viewed from the southern end of Bubble Rock Jordan Pond, the twin mountains look bubble-like. They are different from most other mountains on Mount Desert Island. Rather than the typical elongated shape of most mountains there, they are instead more round.

Bubble Rock or the Balance Boulder is perched precariously on the southeast corner of the summit of the South Bubble. This large rock was transported from the area around Dedham, Maine and left in its current position as the glaciers receded thousands of years ago. Bubble Rock is clearly different from the rocks on which it sits. Bubble Rock is made of white granite rather than the pink granite that makes up the Bubbles and the surrounding mountains. It is called a glacial erratic.

From the Jordan Pond Trail

The Bubbles are accessible from two trails; there is the much steeper Southern Trail that leads from the Jordan Pond Loop Trail to the summit of the South Bubble. It is a short hike, .6 miles, and offers wonderful views of Jordan Pond and the surrounding mountains. The Bubble Trail is short, about four tenths of a mile, and not very steep, quite accessible. Start in the parking area right off of the Park Loop Road. The trail doesn’t offer any views until the summit of either mountain. Both the North and South Bubble peaks are accessible from the trail. There are no restroom facilities at the trail head.

Shoreline Jordan Pond

A carriage road on the western side of Jordan Pond provides spectacular views of the mountains. Also there is also a hiking path surrounding the pond. Jordan Pond Full Loop Trail is a 3.4 mile lightly trafficked loop trail  and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. Half of the hike along the pond shore is very manageable with easy pathways, but then the path than gets very difficult for older or unsteady hikers and children. Lots of climbing, elevated and narrow plank walkways, and difficult terrain so check which side of the lake suits your hiking style.

From Jordan Pond Trail 2

Our next stop was the little village of Northeast Harbor, which is located on the southern tip of Mt. Desert Island. The village was extremely quaint filled with art galleries and eateries. The village has a significant summer population, and has long  been a quiet enclave of the rich and famous.We stopped at 123 Main Street Restaurant for ice cream and coffee, and a walk down to the marina. Really lovely and off the main track so there were not many tourists that day.

An interesting side note is that this part of world was settled by Quakers among other religious groups seeking a peaceful life in the New World, and there is a Quaker Friendship House in Northeast Harbor. Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should occur in any special place. They believe that “where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among them” (Revised English Bible, Matthew, Ch 18, v 20). Therefore, meeting for worship may take place in any place.

Thunder Hole

Final stop for the day was on the east part of the Park Loop Drive. We parked and hiked about a mile by a sea-side trail to Thunder Hole. This is a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom & high-flying foam when seas are up. Thunder Hole is just past Sand Beach while traveling south on the Park Loop Road.

From Trail to Thunder Hole

Went back to the hotel and changed for dinner at a local eatery just outside of Bar Harbor called the Chart Room featuring classic New England seafood, pasta & prime rib are on the menu at this casual indoor/outdoor eatery. The wine was very good and dinner hit the spot. During the summer they recommend reservations – 565 Eden St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, chartroombarharbor.com, (207) 288-9740.

Next – Acadia, Day 2

From Trail to Thunder Hole 2

Historical info by Wikipedia, photos by James Carey

Images: Houses of Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor, while not as famous for grand “cottages” of the Gilded Age, as its neighbor to the south, Newport, Rhode Island, it did have some spectacular homes before a massive fire in 1947 burned many of them down, or they were torn down. These are some of the amazing houses still left in Bar Harbor, both private and converted for some other use. Enjoy!

Going Down East – Bar Harbor, Maine

PortFringe was over and we were on to the next part of our Maine excursion. We pulled out of Portland in our rental car after saying goodbye to our wonderful hosts, Laurie and Ross, and headed for Mt. Desert Island. Mt. Desert might be better known to you as Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park which are located on the very large island off the coast of Maine.

We were early in the season for Maine tourism, so the traffic on the 1 as you drove north up the coast was not to bad so we made decent time. We stopped for lunch in Camden and walked around. Pretty little town, but very touristy and crowded.

We turned off the 1 to the 3 at Ellsworth and in about 16 to 18 miles took the bridge over to the island and headed to our hotel – the High Seas Motel on Highway 3 on the outskirts of Bar Harbor. A very reasonably priced, clean family run motel with a heated pool in summer. There is morning coffee and an open kitchen area with microwave open from 7 AM to 10 PM. There is also a coin laundry on the premises for the guests.

After settling in and getting unpacked, we headed for Bar Harbor about 3PM. Bar Harbor is located along Maine’s Frenchman Bay. It serves as the gateway to the mountains and cliffs of neighboring Acadia National Park. Towering over the park, Cadillac Mountain has trails and views of the town, the bay and the Cranberry Islands.  From the town pier, the Shore Path winds along the bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Porcupine Islands, and several of the remaining grand houses of the Glided Age building craze in the 1890’s.

Here I will take a moment to comment on the National Park and its relationship to the island. Acadia National Park covers much of Mt. Desert but there are many selections of the island that are purely residential. When you arrive on the island you are encouraged to buy a $40 pass that allows to travel and park in the National Park. But to be honest, we were on the island and in the National Park everyday – we were never stopped or given a ticket. I am not advocating not supporting the National Park Service, but it is not absolutely necessary to buy a Park Pass in all cases. You may run the risk of getting a parking ticket from the Park Service. Yet, with so many out of state people living on the island during the summer, it is almost impossible to keep track of all the cars and knowing who is a part-time resident or a park visitor. That said I would encourage to support the work of the National Park Service and buy a pass.

Brief History of Bar Harbor

The town of Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount Desert Island, which the Wabanaki Indians knew as Pemetic, meaning “range of mountains” or “mountains seen at a distance.” The Wabanaki seasonally fished, hunted and gathered berries, clams, and other shellfish in the area. They spoke of Bar Harbor as Man-es-ayd’ik (“clam-gathering place”) or Ah-bays’auk (“clambake place”), leaving great piles of shells as evidence of this abundance. In early September 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain ran aground on a rock ledge believed to be just off Otter Cliffs, and when he came ashore to repair his boat he met local natives. Champlain named the island Isles des Monts Deserts, meaning “island of barren mountains”—now called Mount Desert Island, the largest in Maine. The community was first settled by Europeans in 1763 by Israel Higgins and John Thomas and incorporated on February 23, 1796 as Eden, after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman.

The Famous Balance Rock!

In the 1840s, its rugged maritime scenery attracted the Hudson River School and Luminism artists Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, William Hart and Fitz Henry Lane. Inspired by their paintings, journalists, sportsmen and “rusticators” followed. Agamont House, the first hotel in Eden, was established in 1855 by Tobias Roberts. Birch Point, the first summer estate, was built in 1868 by Alpheus Hardy.

By 1880, there were 30 hotels, and tourists were arriving by train and ferry to the Gilded Age resort that would rival Newport, Rhode Island. The rich and famous tried to outdo each other with entertaining and estates, often hiring landscape gardener and landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, a resident at local Reef Point Estate, to design their gardens. A glimpse of their lifestyles was available from the Shore Path, a walkway skirting waterfront lawns. Yachting, garden parties at the Pot & Kettle Club, and carriage rides up Cadillac Mountain were popular diversions. Others enjoyed horse-racing at Robin Hood Park-Morrell Park. Many of these grand estates and homes were burned down in a massive fire at raged in the town in 1947.

On March 3, 1918, Eden was renamed Bar Harbor, after the sand and gravel bar, visible at low tide, which leads across to Bar Island and forms the rear of the harbor. The name would become synonymous with elite wealth. It was the birthplace of vice-president Nelson Rockefeller on July 8, 1908.

Many influential people have called Bar Harbor home for at least part of the year. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., son of John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil Co., donated about one-third of the land in Acadia National Park and built the carriage roads that are used for hiking and biking. J. P. Morgan owned a house that is adjacent to Bar Harbor. Cornelius Vanderbilt built cottages in Bar Harbor. The Astor family owned hotels and cottages in Bar Harbor and the surrounding areas. The co-founder and CEO of Burt’s Bees, Roxanne Quimby, has a home near Bar Harbor. Martha Stewart has also been known to frequent Mount Desert Island and been seen in Bar Harbor.

Shore Path

We sent the late afternoon and early evening exploring the small streets of Bar Harbor and walking along the Shore Path (described above). Seeing what remains of the houses that at one time rivaled Newport Beach in Rhode Island, as a playground of the super-wealthy. The walk starts at Argamont Park and moves along the shore till it reached Wayman Lane.

There are several yacht tours of the harbor and islands, some even on large sailing yachts, all docking and leaving from the terminal next to Argamont Park. Many of the large old homes have been converted into hotels, B&B’s and restaurants, and all with wonderful views of the harbor. And of course there are tourists, t-shirt shops and sports bars everywhere.

We opted for dinner at a natural food store on Main Street, but there are eateries of every variety to choose from all serving lobster (especially lobster rolls),  haddock and salmon.

After the walk and dinner, we returned to our hotel for a bottle of wine and some time in the heated pool before the mosquitoes got too bad. Next day  was Monday and that was to be part 1 of two days in Acadia.

Historical data from WikiPedia, Photos by James Carey

 

PortFringe, Part 2 – Portland, Maine

Fringe festivals are very interesting events. Some are by invitation, some you just pay a fee and come do your thing. Some are small and some are huge in terms of numbers of shows and people coming to see them. Some feature local artists and some draw on international artists. No one (well very few) make any real money but the festivals continue to spring up around the world because someone has a passion for presenting weird theatre experiences and hopefully they can find an audience that will support that desire.

Portland, or PortFringe as it is called, is a small festival (31 artists), by invitation (names are drawn out of a hat), and this year mostly featured local artists. There was a wide spectrum of material from storytelling to magic to Shakespeare to dance to physical theatre. There were 3 artists from the West Coast and a bunch from along the East Coast, and about 50% local artists. And when you come to a festival the politics of fringe begin to take effect.

You have to hustle up an audience in order to play before people and get the name of your show out. You go to other shows and support other artists so that they will come see your show. You go to events where you talk to other artists and you exchange post cards and ‘excitedly’ talk about your shows. Anything to get the word out so you don’t end up performing for no one. Hustle, schmooze, sell, support and repeat! And if done correctly, you get a decent audience, other artists begin to talk about your show, you support them, and really work to see shows and be seen. This results in awards from the festival (audience awards, critic awards, best this and that award, etc.) that you use for PR in advancing and advertising your next fringe festival performances.

(I won a PortFringe 2018 Critics Choice Award – that is pretty cool!!!)

I chose Portland for a few reasons. I need to get back onstage, the fees were some of the cheapest, it was small with a good chance I could get in, they found housing for the artists, and I had never been there. When I got selected – I was surprised. Not because my show is not good, but I had only applied for 3 festivals and to get into any of them is by chance.

Drydock

So I pulled  my show out of mothballs (been over a year since I last did it in San Diego), rehearsed it, got my ad materials together, bought my ticket and waited for the dates to arrive. I was giving the name of a couple that would host me and my partner, and we planned of seeing all the shows that we could. Our goal was to get one of those awards – either critic or audience – whether it was based on actual quality of the performance or just that we had supported everyone else and played the game correctly.

PortFringe just never told us how effing beautiful the city of Portland was! It was gorgeous! The small city, the bay, the islands in the bay, the parks, the old houses and working class neighborhoods, the water front, the lobster boats and always the light and sky. Summer in Portland must be heaven.

Our plans to see all the shows went out the window because we were so busy seeing the Portland area. Our hosts were always telling us about some new place or adventure we should take. The city is so walk able – so the parks – West Prom and East Prom got done. The Mailboat cruise to 5 of the closest islands, a boat journey through Casco Bay with my host to see his new boat in dry dock up on Long Island, a cruise and hike around Peak’s Island with a lovely dinner by the water, the amazing food available in Portland, and the exciting and vibrant history of the town and its port right in front of your eyes. So instead of fitting in scenery around the plays, we were now fitting shows in around our journeys through Portland.

We got some very nice reviews and a standing ovation at one show, plus a  Critics Choice Award. Yet, we mostly got a truly wonderful feeling of Portland and the surrounding area. The people, the places, the bay and the history all made for a wonderful experience. Plus we did see some really good theatre from our fellow artists.

Most memorable for me were three shows: First, Breakneck Julius Caesar was fun. Filled with humor, background, effects and history, Tim Mooney runs through Shakespeare’s political tragedy playing all the parts and uses the audience to help him along. His acting is spot on especially his juxtaposition of Brutus’ speech to the Roman citizens at Caesar’s funeral against Marc Antony’s speech to the same group. You truly see the contrast between the two characters – an arrogant flawed nobility of Brutus against the cunning and ambition of an intelligent Marc Antony. Very good! Tim does 200 shows a year around the country so look out for him. Whether you understand Shakespeare or not – he will make it worth the ride.

Second, was the sci-fi story, The Sibyl of Mars by my friend, L. Nicole Cabe. I have seen 3 of Nicole’s shows and what always impresses me is the depth that her scripts go to create the world that she is trying to bring us into. They are always about the end of civilization as we know it. Some dystopian  future where everything is breaking down and she leads us into these dark, multi-layered worlds using words, symbols, and images to create this fantastic fantasy. The Sibyl is a seer from Mars,  who has come to Earth to find ancient records of Mar’s original mission. Using tarot cards that the audience pulls for her, she pieces together scattered records, learning why her home world’s ecosystem is collapsing. Interesting, interactive and thought-provoking.

Third, I saw a piece by a local artist, Chris DeFilipp. Using the device of a Dungeon and Dragons game, he examines his disturbing childhood filled with abuse and emotional upheaval and survival. Dark, very personal but touching.

I saw some other shows and heard about others that we missed, but these three stood out to me plus Walking While Black Through Moscow which I reviewed in my last column.

Thank you PortFringe for a wonderful festival that I did not support as much as I should have because our city is so damn nice. I feel guilty, but not much. Thank you for the wonderful hosts – Laurie and Ross – and their generous hospitality. And thank you for some great parties at Local 188, Matthews, and Fringe Central.

Next Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park!

 

Images of Maine

 

 

On The Road Again – PortFringe – Portland, Maine

It has been a long time that I have written my column consistently. In January, I took over the artistic direction of a small theatre in Los Angeles and getting them on the right path plus directing 5 plays in 6 months has pretty much taken all my creative time. Not all my personal time, because one cannot live by theatre alone, but all my creative time has pretty much been taken up with running this theatre.

But I also do Fringe festivals around the world presenting my one man shows that I write and produce. And for summer 2018, I am doing PortFringe in Portland, Maine. Literally in the opposite corner of the country. I thought since my duties at the small theatre in LA (the SkyPilot Theatre) were winding down for the summer, this would be a good chance to return to my writing by documenting my Fringe experience at PortFringe, and then take a week-long tour around Maine, a place I have not been since my early acting years when I was based in New York City.

This will take the form of stories, photos and possibly daily diary entries.

Friday, June 15 – Los Angeles

It is 11:59 PM and I am sitting waiting for a United flight to Chicago that is now running thirty minutes hour late. Everyone by now has noticed that the airline business just seems to get worse and worse, and they seem to care less and less about customer service. I will eventually take off one hour late putting me in Chicago about 20 minutes after my connecting flight to Portland has left. Free water and pretzels for a 4-hour redeye to Chicago. No movies to even rent, but I did get free wifi!!

I walked off the plane in Chicago having no idea where I was supposed to go to find out about a new connecting flight and I was greeted by a United rep who handed me a ticket for the next flight to Portland at 8 AM. Cool and my luggage would be transferred as well. She promised!

I hate to fly and the only way that I can do it is to take Xannax with a vodka tonic. That chills me out enough that I can usually stand anything, but I can never sleep on the plane, so I always arrive in a zombie state. Got a lame airport breakfast and Bloody Mary and boarded the next flight. Arrived in Portland on a warm bright summer morning and took a taxi into town to the waterfront, where PortFringe had arranged for a couple (Laurie and Ross) to put me up in their condo next to the marina. The view from their deck is truly beautiful.

I dropped off my luggage and walked up to Fringe Central to check in and drop off some promotional material. As I wandered through Portland’s down town, I realized how little I knew of Maine and its history except for Steven King books. Portland was having Gay Pride that day and the town was live with people and colors of the rainbow. Beautiful buildings and a vibrant downtown. I had the feeling this was going to be an extremely fun festival.

Fringe Festivals are all alike and all different. What they have in common is the passion that one or more people have in presenting theatre pieces from all over the country and sometimes the world to their home audience. The difference is how they operate, and most are operated by well meaning and dedicated but underpaid staff plus passionate volunteers. The all have different rules and operating procedures that you as the artist just have to deal with because they are not going to change for you. The fact that you are getting to present your work in another city on the other side of country is an amazing thing in the first place.

You are self-produced and self-funded and if you make any money it is because people at the festival come out for your show, but there is no guarantee that will happen. Some festivals you can play for large houses and some you will play for crowds of 3 or 4. I have had both experiences. Sold out shows in Harare, Zimbabwe and played for 2 people at Hollywood Fringe one night. You just never know.

I went why do it? Because you have too. You have a need, a desire, and passion to tell a story and connect with an audience of perfect strangers.

After lunch, I went back to the luxurious condo – believe me the living conditions are never this nice – and took a nap. As I write this little report, I am sitting on my hosts’ deck watching the sun set over the river and marina. Lovely and relaxing and very nice after the hectic past months.

Meanwhile, my writing partner who is coming to join me has been sitting in the LA airport for 7 hours because of a delayed flight by United. They offered to pay for a hotel room and gave her (2) 10 dollar food voucher. In LAX you cannot buy anything for 10 dollars. Ouch!

Tonight I caught the new show by my road warrior friend Les Kurkendaal called While Walking Black in Moscow with fellow road dogs Nicole Cabe and Chris DeFilipp. Very funny show and descriptive about what it is like to be gay in Russia.

Home to bed about 1:30 AM – theatre life on the road again.

 

Verified by MonsterInsights