Tour Diary: Albany, OR & Crater Lake

An Oregon house concert, old/new friends, and a trip to a true one of a kind spot that blew my mind.

I pulled out metro Seattle on a beautiful late Saturday morning. As I hit I-5 to head southward into Oregon, I caught a stunning view of Mt. Rainier in the morning sunlight. Even at midday, the mountain was lit with purple, orange and pink coloring. It was a trick to keep my eyes trained on the road and not taking in the gorgeous peak that was completely obscured by clouds when I had visited the day prior.

Jam packed roads are a mainstay of life in Seattle, but as I headed south the traffic finally began to abate a bit and eventually I rolled into Oregon, whizzed past Portland and made haste towards Albany, OR and the home of my friends Brian and Tye Vossler-Schipp. It was late afternoon when I arrived and the family was busy prepping for the party.

I first met Tye and Brian this year in Las Vegas at the Stand Up With Pete Dominick Podjam. They’re a part of the Stand Up podcast universe and while I had been friendly with them during our weekly hangouts, I didn't develop a friendship with them until our real world time in Vegas.

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While the Vossler-Schipps took to prepping food and getting things organized, I headed out to Aretha to begin the load-in process. My home for the night was on a lovely patio in a fenced in backyard right in downtown Albany. Two large pine trees watched over me as I arranged my gear under the canopy where I would be playing. Once I had my shit in order and the merch table looking right, I headed back in to hang with my hosts.

I spent much of my time at Tye and Brian’s playing with Ari, their adorable two year old son. Ari is whip crack smart and as full of energy as any toddler you have encountered. We played “catch”, worked on colors and even managed to clean up the play area bit. It was a blast to hang out with the little dude, but I had forgotten how much attention is required by a two year old. It was so much fun to dive back in for a short stint and then jump out of those duties when I wanted to. Hats off to Brian and Tye for doing the work of raising that little guy right. It sure ain’t easy work even when it goes great.

Guests began to shuffle in as the sun dropped and I was onstage by just after 7:00. I played for nearly an hour and a half sharing songs and stories with the attentive crowd. Each night, I play The Pantones’ ‘Cabin By The Lake’ which I wrote more than twenty years ago. It’s a song about sacred spaces, sudden loss, and moving on when it seems impossible. In Albany that night, three different folks told me that I made them cry with the tune. This sort of interaction happens nearly every night and I am so very grateful for it. As much as I love playing and and a much as I need to get paid for it, the connection of those moments is what keeps bringing me back to the road and to the stage.

With the set completed, I cleaned up my gear and hung out with the crowd for several hours after the show was finished. Folks filled the tip jar and I sold some merch before the audience slowly found their way home. We stayed up well into the wee hours laughing and chatting. I was especially taken when the conversation turned to parental relationships. After just a few minutes, it occurred to me that in a group of something like ten adults in a conversation, I was the only not expressing a strained or non-existent relationship with their parents.

This theme of conversation found me feeling very wistful and grateful. I have alsways known how lucky I am to have been born to the parents that had me. Our house was filled with love, support, and security. It was not always easy, but I never wondered if we would have food, and I never questioned whether or not I was loved. Sitting on that patio in Albany, I was confronted with just how rare a thing that kind of relationship can be. I kept my gratitude to myself and listen to folks share their stories.

At some point, the crowd began to thin out and we all made our separate ways to bed. I hit the pillow feeling fully recovered from my cancelled shows in Seattle and Bellingham. Within a matter of minutes there were visions of sugarplums dancing in my head and I stayed sound asleep until the morning.

When I came down just before 8:00 on Sunday morning, Ari was already up and at ‘em. He showed me how well he already knows his colors and we picked up a few of the balls around the play area as well. I shared coffee with Brian while They slept in. Finishing my second cup of joe with Brian, I filled up my travel mug, grabbed a bottle of water and proceeded to head out on my own for the day. I’d be back later in the evening for dinner, but I was headed out to Crater Lake National Park.

Attempting to describe Crater Lake is a little like trying to explain the feeling of falling in love. One can get close to approximating the emotion or the awe, but words can never quite express the full details. The lake was formed some 7,600 years ago when a volcano blew the top off a mountain in south central Oregon. In the hole that was left behind after the eruption, a lake was formed by rain and snowmelt. Because of its unusual formation, the lake is incredibly deep and unbelievably clear.

A glimpse of Crater Lake National Park.

The drive from Tye and Brian’s took more than three hours, but as I walked to the first viewpoint, I knew that it was worth every mile. The lake and the sky were two slightly different shades of a brilliant blue, the midday sun lighting it up in incredible fashion. I stood near the edge of the precipice and inhale deeply. Even with dozens of other tourists around, I once again felt hole and even calm in the presence of nature and its majesty.

I slowly drove the 35 mile road that encircles Crater Lake. Along the route, there are various spots for cars to pull off of the road to allow for a bit of exploration. At each viewpoint, there were new features in the lake at which to marvel. At one spot, I hiked down a lengthy trail to get about halfway from the rim to the surface of the lake. The trail does extend all the way, but I managed to find a great viewpoint without heading all the way to the water. Despite not finishing that trail, I more than managed mystics for the day.

Once I had circumnavigated the lake, I began the drive back to Albany with a few stops to enjoy the sights. I found a river winding down from the mountain and cascading over rocks. On the trip back through the Oregon forest I made several stops along the fast-moving and serenely beautiful Rogue River. As the Rogue drifted away from the road I was traveling, I slowly found my way back to the highway and began the drive back northwest to the Vossler-Schipp compound.

The Rogue River and surrounding forest.

With a full day at Crater Lake, stops along the Rogue River and a lengthy drive home, I managed to miss dinner with the family. I stopped at an Oregon staple, Burgerville for a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. I wolfed down my dinner and caught up with my hosts. I got there in time to tell Ari goodnight, plus Brian, Tye, and I got in a bit more time together before we all hit the hay for the evening.

In the morning, Brian’s daughter Alayna was up and prepping for school. Ari was wolfing down some peanut butter pancakes and Brian was getting the cat ready to head to the vet for a blood draw. It was a busy morning, but after Alayna ran to school, Brian got Ari to day care and the cat to the vet, the three of us headed out to a local bar for breakfast.

The joint was a beer and a shot place with a small kitchen. Regulars were already saddled up at the bar with drinks in hand before 9:30 am. The three of us slipped into a booth, ordered coffee and I then proceeded to wreck a plate of steak and eggs. Brian very kindly sprang for my breakfast and we made our way back to the car.

Post-breakfast we spent a couple of hours talking on the porch in the sunshine and marveling at the work of a nearby spider busy weaving a massive web for its next meal. The morning waned and began to touch the midday hour and I knew that both my hosts and I needed to get on with our day, despite the fact that we want to keep hanging out.

Just before noon, I packed the last of my gear into Aretha, hugged my hosts, thanked them profusely, and began my journey southward towards Gold Beach, the Pacific Coast Highway, and northern California.

Cheers,
Matty C