Eugene, OR - The First Luckiest Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me

The band woke up after a night of dance parties in a comfortable house whose owner's name escapes me (nevertheless, we are very appreciative of the warm place to stay) and hopped in the van on our way out of California for the first time in a week. We had heard about the beauty of northern California and southern Oregon, but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw (I don't have access to the pictures right now, but I will post them soon for a more visual experience). We decided to take the long route through Redwood National Forest, which took us into Oregon. Of everything we have seen on this trip, this is by far my favorite. HUGE moss covered trees creating a forest so dense you couldn't see more than 10 feet in any direction, and then out of nowhere a break in the forest making way for canyons filled with the bluest water. Unbelievable.
We arrived in Eugene fairly late and found out that the communication we had had with the venue had been lost in the personnel changes they had underwent recently. But they were able to squeeze us in, playing first before 2 heavy metal bands. We were unsure of the reception, but if nothing else this tour has made us comfortable playing for a plethora of crowds, and by the end of our set people were up and dancing. After we played the two metal bands played, and everyone was out dancing for them as well. Gotta love metal crowds, they are down with everything.
At the end of the night we called our CouchSurfee (Richie) and packed up the van to head over there. We decided that it would be best if Boomer drove, if nothing else just start the car for someone else. Seemed easy enough. Boomer hopped into the front seat with vengeance for Lindsay in his eyes. With one swift forward motion, he turned the key forward igniting the engine, but that wasn't enough for Boom, as he held the key in the forward position the engine screeched for 10 seconds until he pulled the key back. Quite frightened, Boomer slowly put the car into reverse and started heading the 3 blocks to Richie's. When we arrived, there were cars lining the left side of the street and no cars on the right....so we parked on the right. Just as we shut the car off, Richie came outside and informed us that we had just parked on an freeway offramp and had to move it across the street. I went to the drivers seat and turned the key only to hear a 'click' sound. Quite frightened now myself, I tried it several more times, but to no avail. Between the four band members, our mechanic skills range from "pop the hood and look at the wondrous world of moving metal parts" (Boomer and I) to "I haven't ever owned a car that works but have read a lot of internet forums and handle car talk like Aaron handles sports talk" (steven) to "took a couple of mechanics classes in high school and know some things" (bird). But just as we were all about to put our mechanic skills to work, Richie jumps under the car and starts to troubleshoot. After a bit of skepticism on our parts, Richie tells us that he is a professional mechanic, that it is a starter problem, and that he can check out his secret mechanic internet database in the morning and see if he can find us a starter. What kind of luck is that? Just absurd. After 2,500 miles without a single car problem, we roll up to the house of someone we have never met, the car doesn't start, and he turns out to be a mechanic.
Well we all retired to the house with a new sense of optimism for the day ahead (we were due in Portland at 6pm the next day, so we had to find a starter and replace it before the mid afternoon). Richie showed us to our rooms (each person had his own) and showed us around his instrument room (basses, guitars, pianos, etc.) and then to his brewery in the basement....really just couldn't have been a better situation.
The next morning we woke up, called around for parts, found a starter, found a mechanic who dropped everything he was doing to work on the van, and got the starter replaced VERY cheaply around noon. As we left the mechanics place on our way to Portland, the brakes started to make some awful metal on metal noises....so we figured we should probably get those fixed at some point....foreshadowing the second luckiest/most coincidental thing that has ever happened to me.

-Aaron E.