Traveler's Rest

The Decemberists on stage

As I write this I'm sitting in a camp chair listening to Sylvan Esso rock out and watching crowds of people dance and get lost in the music. Here we are at Traveler’s Rest, the first ever music festival hosted by a band I've loved for over 12 years: The Decemberists. This is the reason we've traveled thousands of miles and encountered so many wonderful surprises along the way.

If you don't know them, I recommend looking The Decemberists up right now. If you don't like their music, at least look up the lyrics to their songs. It's poetry. All of the other bands here have been great, but nothing compares to seeing, in person, the people who've written songs that still make me stop and say, “Holy cow! Where did they learn to put words together like this?!”

The second day of the festival with the mountains behind me

Then, there's the venue. This festival is taking place at an amphitheatre nestled in the mountains of Montana. We're in a little oasis of sound. The food trucks aren't half bad either. At the moment, we're scoping out the various taco trucks for dinner.

Friends, there may be ugly things going on in the world right now, but if you surround yourself with sounds and sights that bring you happiness, you'll have strength to smile another day.

I love and miss you.