HOMECOMING III

Friday morning from atop Crystal Peak I woke early and watched the sunrise, a dramatic play of light and clouds. A large lenticular cloud hovered on the downwind side of Mt. Rainier, with smaller versions located nearby Mt. Adams. A complicated, yet beautiful interplayy of light and shadow, gray, orange pink and gold. It was fantastic to watch. I broke camp, ate a little breakfast and slowly made my way down the mountain. I could not help stopping frequently to gaze upon the beauty and take pictures, greatly delaying my return to the waiting vehicle.

Grip it so tightly

Never wanting to let go

Slips from his fingers

Mountain behemoth

Belched fire upon the land

The dragon lies sleeping

A sea of air above

Cloud waves break on mountain peaks

Ripples cross the sky

Down, back to the car and drive to Packwood where I picked up lunch/dinner, a foot-long Subway sandwich. Took the Slate Creek Road to reach Highway 706 on the west side of Mt. Rainier. After wasting time with some high speed driving up and down twisty logging roads, I eventually made it to a saddle just below Mt. Beljica where I had an unobstrcted view looking into the park and the entire west face of Mt. Rainier. Again the sky was swirling with saucer clouds that shone brightly in the setting sun. The cascade of glacial ice down the volcano's face took on the same color of the sun and sky as sunset progressed. Even after the sun dropped below the horizon, the sky burned with deep colors, like embers glowing after the fire has gone out. Eventually it became too dark to take any more pictures, signiling the start of this evening's party.

He's on vacation

World takes on a golden glow

Looks through the bottle

Sunset mountain blaze

Burns as though lit from within

And then it's gone

This night's show took place at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on October 30, 1998 only ten years ago. This show was near the very end of the Van Halen III tour, and the end of Gary Cherone's time with the band. Another excellent recording that got me shaking out there on that dark logging road. This is what vhboots says about this particular recording:

This is an excellent audience recording. It is also the only show on the entire "3" tour to feature "You Really Got Me", which is performed at an astounding level, as the show opener. The guitars & vocals are clear but there seems to be slight static distortion in the recording, particularly with Ed and Gary's mike's. This may be due to the fact that the person that recorded the show may have been sitting very close to the monitors. At 7:22 some one in the audience, sounds like an American, yells "Take that shit off!" amid the shouts of "Eddie! Eddie!".

After Gary introduces "Fire In The Hole", and the intro starts, another audience member (sounds like the same previous person) yells out "Fuck that shit!" Obviously not a fan of the new Van Halen.

Mikey gives the audience a rowsing shout of "BANZAI!" after "Somebody Get Me A Doctor". After things have calmed down a bit, Gary remarks how they'll be making a new Van Halen record in a couple of months so that they can "get back to Japan". (Obviously, that was never to be.)

Prior to "Josephina", Gary takes the time to thank "Mr. Udo" for all he's done for the band. Mr. Udo is the major concert promoter in the Tokyo area and responsible for booking all U.S. bands for tour dates in and around the Tokyo area. He's Japan's answer to Bill Graham. Gary also notes how they had a "little food and some wine last night", wherein Ed chooses this time to say "Sake!" over Gary's "wine". You can almost hear Ed smiling when he says this.

During the final song, "Jump", Mike and Ed shout something inaudible to each other to each other. The only thing you can hear Ed say is "No, that was yesterday!".

Just as Eddie's guitar solo was beginning, a truck comes roring out of the darknesss and pulls up next to me, two guys jumping out, firing questions to me about Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer,who was still alive, who killed who, etc. I initially did'nt know what to make of this but I was juiced on tequila and simply rolled with the flow, joining in on the converstaion. Turns out it was Tony and Travis, two Iraq war vets who were driving around the back roads drinking beer and having a good time. Tony spoke like the best part of his life was given to the military, acting as though he was somehow now at a disadvantage. I gave him shit when I learned that he was only 22 years old, telling him that life had only begun. They cracked a few more beers, I sipped my tequila, we talking about volcanoes, the weather, UFOs, and of course mass murderers. They eventually jumped back in the truck, sped around the roads in the valley below me before passing by again on their way out.

Back to Van Halen and dancing in the road. When this one ended, I popped in one or two more, I can't remember. I did not want to go to sleep and shut my eyes to the beauty all around me on this mild autumn evening.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Had breakfast at the Mt. Adams Cafe in Randle. I spent some time exploring my old haunt at a trailer park in Silver Brook, alongside Silver Creek. The trailer park is still there. The bridge has been replaced, but the creek still flows down the forest covered mountainside. I floored the gas peddle in the Ford Escape where a Trans Am burned rubber 30 years ago. Time to move on.

Drove to the east side of Mt. Rainier, finding the trailhead on the mountainside above the White River. Dressed and packed for a hike to the summit of Crystal Peak where I planned to camp for the night. I was originally hoping to ski this trip, at Crystal Mountain ski area, but checking webcams the night before my departure confirmed there was no snow to speak of in the Cascades, only wet clouds shown on the computer screen. So hiking up the 3000 feet was a pleasant autumn hike, the sun shining in blue skies above, Mt. Rainier already in shadow at the head of the White River valley.

Reached the summit shortly before sunset, about 4PM at this latitude. Dropped everything to take in the view and snap some pictures in the fast changing light. The chain of tall volcanic peaks stretched out before me: Mt. Hood to the south (110 miles away), decapitated St. Helens (60 miles), Mt. Adams (50 miles), Mt. Rainier before me, Glacier Peak to the north (90 miles) and the even more distant Mt. Baker on the distant edge of the horizon (140 miles). I was as close to heaven as you can get atop this peak!

Once the sun went down with light fading fast, I dropped into a saddle on the ridge below the peak, finding a relatively flat spot to pitch the tent atop a small patch of snow. I was enveloped in darkness by the time I set up the tent, rolled out the sleeping pad and bag, and eating my dinner of bread and canned salmon. The time to party had arrived!

The age of promise

Released into a young world

Walks for the first time

A plane trip away

Flees everydays tedium

Best of both worlds

Just touches the peak

Moonlit cloud swept by high winds

The hand of God

Beacon of the night

Yellow sun's light reflected

Moon watches above

Out came the tequila, CD player, headphones and and tonight's concert disc! This time I had chosen to jump ahead in time to March 12, 1995, the night Van Halen played in Jacksonville, FL, the second concert on the Balance tour. Another sweet recording!! Excellent sound quality. I bobbed and weaved, dancing throughout the nearly 2 hour long show, grooving on both the music and the sight of a moonlit Mt. Rainier rising up before me. I was way higher than the 6500 foot summit I was standing on! I kept flying after the concert ended by popping in another, New "Halen" from 1986. The batteries on the CD player drained from the nearly three hours of continuous playing. Taking them out and warming them up in my hands yielded enough power to get to the end of the second concert. I wish it were that easy when it comes to the many times I've drained the truck battery last winter.

Sometime late that evening it come to an end. No more music, no more tequila. One last feast eying the moonlit mountains before crawling into the tent that night. Going from the ear blasting sound of a Van Halen concert to the silence of sleep.

The past and present
Lines cross in the universe
Carry me so high

Plays on pure instinct

Stringed instrument's cathedral

Essence of a soul

An immense landscape

Trembles with hidden power

Stands in nights silence