Davy's On The Road Again Ch. 13

Backstage was a happy scene with lots of hugs and backslapping. This was one fun gig. I have to credit John Sebastian because it was his attitude that brought us together and made us a band. Begley was beside himself with joy. Grisman and O'Flannery were like long lost brothers. The Amys were killing each other over their song and my Amy hugged me so tight. Levon, John and I joked that old guys can still kick ass. Someone said that they can't wait to see the show on YouTube. I also told them that I'd be recording soon and that I wanted Levon, Amy and Larry on "Talk Dirty" but I wanted to get Mac Rebennack on that session, too. I asked Grisman if he'd be on the sessions with Mark because I wanted to try to recapture their magic. John offered to play on anything, he didn't care so long as he could have this kind of fun again. There were a bunch of group photographs. Before we all broke up, John made an announcement.

"First of all, this was one fucker of a show. What fun! And damn, if we didn't sound great! Shit, we even made it through "Life is a Carnival" and it sounded credible..."

"Better than that, man, "said Levon. "That fucker cooked!"

"Well you guys were just super. I can't want to tell Catherine and blog about this on my site. This was the real chicken skin. And now, as a surprise, I had this show recorded. I have the masters right here. I'm going to check 'em out and maybe even release it, if you'll all approve. I'll send all of you dupes just as soon as I can but I really think that this show is a keeper and one for the books. I can't thank the 'Mad Dawgs and American Ramble' more. This was a special treat and I'm so glad you all made it happen. It was a true love fest."

We all hugged again and made our way out where a clutch of fans were waiting to have their programs autographed. Amy grabbed a bunch of programs and we all passed them around signing them for each other. Levon asked me if we might make his gig on San Francisco the next night but as much as I wanted to, I told him that we would be hitting the road again in the morning as we had a schedule to keep and had to make it to Yellowstone. I did promise him that we'd do a ramble in his barn some time soon. I told Elon that we'd be back for the bus around noon and now we were on our way to the hotel. He was nearly in tears. As Ed stood beside him, he seemed to pause and suddenly took on a very serious air.

"Davy, this has been a great ride so far. A few weeks ago, you contacted me about your RV and since then, it has been nothing but an amazing journey. I hope we do a lot of great things together."

"Yeah, well, the display better not go out again!" At first, Elon seemed to be taken aback but then he smiled at me and said "Fuck you, too." and we hugged. I told him we would keep the log going, we would periodically upload the module readings, we would take great pictures for Vanity Fair in Yellowstone, and that I would write a song about Big Chocolate."

Three Tesla Roadsters drove the few blocks to the Hotel Durant. We pulled them into the garage, grabbed our gear and headed for the elevator. Amy, Deb, Mark and Ed were still bubbling but I was feeling beat - that older than dirt feeling. It's a young man's game, I better slow myself down. These are the kind of thoughts that run through my head after a gig. I've been thinking the same thing since 1965. The elevator stopped on the Lobby floor and two couples entered. They had just come from the show and they were surprised and thrilled to see us in the elevator. They loved the show and begged us to let them buy us a drink in the hotel bar. We finally voted and decided to have a nightcap with some fans, something that usually makes me kind of leery.

Henry's was a nice, quiet pub. We found a couple of tables and pulled them together. I ordered a glass of cognac and a Courvoisier XO came out. Mojitos seemed to be the order of the day except for Mark, who had a single male and Ed, who had a Racer 5 Pale Ale. An order of Onion Rings, Calamari and sweet plantains filled the table. There was a lot of talk about the concert, the symposium (which they were here to attend) and the amazing Big Chocolate. They told us they'd heard us yesterday and had to see the Zellerbach show. They asked Ed lots of questions and it was an education listening to him. They asked us where we were headed to next and we told them our itinerary. They were quite envious and it was obvious.

Ed turned to me while the others were deep into a discussion about Big Chocolate. Amy was telling them about some of the features. Ed spoke quietly, for my ears only.

"You know that song about Big Chocolate you told Elon about? Do you mind if I have a stab at it. I have some lines in my head I'd like to get down."

"You go, girl. I can't wait to read it."

We all made it back to our rooms that night after a couple more drinks. We were all a scosche tipsy. I know that we slept well.

Next morning, we were having our breakfast in the room when Ed knocked. He was about to head back to the symposium but he wanted to tell me that he'd stayed up late writing and he'd emailed his song to me. I told him I check it out immediately. Amy had him add his autograph to the program and mentioned that one of these days, she was going to frame all the autographed programs she'd been collecting.

I logged on and clicked on Ed's email. This is what I found.

(The Ballad of) Big Chocolate

"Got a full house, rolling down the street
Got my baby right beside me, Got our dog under her feet
Got my buddy and his fiddle by his side, Got his missus looking sweet.

Got an upstairs terrace, got a dumbwaiter, too,
Got a shower with a lot of heads, to hit you where want them to,
Got solar heated water and a cold box full of brew.

Big Chocolate keeps rolling,
Big Chocolate keeps rocking,
Big Chocolate keeps reeking,
Big Chocolate keeps going and going and going and going...

Got tiltable beds and big TV screens,
Got a clothing dryer and a washing machine,
Got a toilet that flushes when you eat too much pork and beans.

Runs on diesel, lithium and solar cells,
With a smaller footprint, it's green to the extreme,
With all the extras, whistles and bells,
It's the travelers' motorized traveling dream.
It's Bran, Elon and Ed's Big Chocolate Supreme.

Got a full house, rolling down the street
Got my baby right beside me, Got our dog under her feet
Got my buddy and his fiddle, Got his missus looking sweet.
And when I pull out my guitar, and light up a cigar, everything's complete.

Big Chocolate keeps rolling,
Big Chocolate keeps rocking,
Big Chocolate keeps reeking,
Big Chocolate keeps us going and going and going....easygoing and going and going and gone."

I was flabbergasted, to say the least. I emailed it to Mark immediately. Amy and I kept reading it aloud over and over and rolling with laughter.

About ten minutes later, Mark and Deb came in raving about the song. We agreed to work on the music on our way to Yosemite and maybe fix 'the pork and beans' verse...too much information! We packed up and checked out of the hotel, still humming and reciting the words. We walked Santo around the block with it on our minds. The Roadsters were stuffed, ready and waiting for us and we drove them up to the campus for the last time. Big Chocolate was ready and waiting for us, too, fully cleaned, tweaked and fueled up. Ed and Elon were waiting for us and they were in animated conversation.

"Ed, your song is priceless." said Amy.

"We're going to work on the music while we travel," said Mark.

"Fuck the song, you guys. I sold out all my stock of Ed's Special Cleaners!" We laughed and congratulated him. He told us that he was leaving for LA. in a few minutes because his TV Show was going back into production and he had a movie role lined up in a Judd Apatow movie. Again we wished him well. I thanked them all but I was really trying to get away and they sensed it. Susan pulled Amy aside and told her that they had 'refreshed' the refrigerator with food and that she had left a Bon Voyage gift in the galley tableware drawer. Susan also appeared to be hitting on Amy, who seemed to be enjoying the flirt.

We pulled out of Pimental Hall and headed for the road to Yosemite. It was a fairly direct route and the sky was clearing. Take 580 to 99, through Modesto and straight to Yosemite. Nothing to it. As we passed through Modesto, Amy wondered what the big chemical facility was and after surfing the web discovered that it was the Gallo Winery. I commented that they were two and the same and that we should stop and get some Thunderbird cheap but then wasn't it already? Amy pointed out the bus was loaded with great bottles from the Napa...real wine...no light green glass. "What's the word? Thunderbird! What's the price? Thirty twice!" We had a good laugh at Gallo's expense.

George called a few minutes later and said that he couldn't meet us in Yosemite - things had come up but that he and Sarah would definitely meet us in Yellowstone. He said he'd call us again in a couple of days.

We drove along Route 120 until we found Yosemite Lakes RV Park nestled in Yosemite Valley - Ansel Adams and John Muir country. It was a rustic place with good facilities and it was centrally located to the park. We set up Big Chocolate while Amy and Deb walked Santo. I opened the tableware drawer and pulled out Susan's gift - a bag of pot and, holy shit(!), some mushrooms! I lit a doob from the stash and it was mighty tasty. I looked to see if maybe she'd left her panties the tablewear drawer, too, but no such luck!

We sang as we set up the bus:

"Big Chocolate keeps us rolling,
Big Chocolate keeps us rocking,
Big Chocolate keeps us reeking,
Big Chocolate keeps us going and going and going and going and going..."

We already had a good chorus and the makings of a good theme song with some differet beats provided by the little drum machine. Now, we settled in and prepared for our next adventure.

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In Chapter 14, we get back to nature and what's real as we hike our greatest national parks. There's plenty of kinky fun, too as we make new friends and new music.

Keep those beautiful comments coming, vote early and often and enjoy the story. Any names and persons used in this story are purely coincidental, fictional, nonexistent and utterly intentional. All the lyrics are copyrighted, too. If you want more of the music, listen to "The Ol' Hippie Show" on podarama.com.