Sacramento LOVES Five For Fighting!

Originally posted on MySpace on November 16, 2009.

I left Los Angeles early this morning...about 7:00 am. As I drove north, I observed commuters traveling south in huge freeway backups. It's amazing...I could NEVER stand going to work like that AND going home the same way!

I had a 6-hour plus drive to Sacramento ahead of me, but there were a few places I needed to go to. First, was Charlie Brown Farms in Littlerock. I stopped there once on a previous road trip and LOVED their salt water taffy. I picked up 3 BAGS, in addition to nuts, dates and orange blossom honey. It's a tourist draw, but a great place to pick up snacks for the road!

Next...a VERY IMPORTANT stop at a spot in the middle of nowhere. I drove north for about a half hour, on desolate roads through desert-like terrain. Then...there it was. Club Ed. The location of the Five For Fighting promo photo shoot AND the Chances music video! The site is private property, so I couldn't really check it out, but I DID take a lot of photos from the road. The photo that you see was taken at about the same spot as the Slice CD cover. Yes, that's my groupie mobile in the picture! I can just imagine John's Mustang tearing down the road. I wonder how fast he was driving?

Another half hour away in Lancaster is a most unusual piece of pavement. It's known as The Singing Road, and the only one of its kind in the U.S. and probably the world. Several years ago, an auto company created a musical road for a TV commercial. Grooves were placed in the asphalt, which played a tune when tires rolled over them. Afterward, it proved to be a popular tourist attraction. Unfortunately, it wasn't popular with the locals who lived near the road, who had to put up with the constant noise. Subsequently, the grooves were taken out, and the musical road was no more. Well, there was an outcry from those who missed the road and wanted it back. So, the city of Lancaster made a brand new "singing road", but located it out of town away from any populated area. I just had to check it out, and I wasn't disappointed. I drove, I heard...and I recorded a little video of my experience. Onward to Sacramento!

After I checked into my hotel, I pulled into a parking space in the hotel lot. I had my radio tuned to a local soft rock station. Right before I shut off the engine, 100 Years started playing on the air. Cool! I never get tired of hearing John's songs! I unloaded my stuff, and went to get something for dinner. I was so tired from the long drive, I just went to the nearby McDonald's to grab a salad. As I walked into the restaurant, what should be playing over their speakers? The Riddle. It brings to mind John's story about hearing American Pie when he was in the coffee house with Stephen Schwartz and they came up with the idea of his song Slice. Is there such a thing as coincidence? I think some things are just meant to be.