Tag: bonnaroo blues

  • Bonnaroo 2019 – Preparing for the 1,000 Mile Road Trip

    Bonnaroo 2019 – Preparing for the 1,000 Mile Road Trip

    Bonnaroo 2019 is quickly approaching. This time next week, I’ll be relaxing in my campsite, bracing myself for the Tennessee mid-day heat. Before I get there, however, there’s a lot of preparation that I have to get done. In this post, I hope to outline a few of the most important items for any Bonnaroo fan to bring and things that I forget every year.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BxaQw82nmQx/

    First of all, register your wristband. That’s key. I also decided to sign up for the auto-payment feature through Paypal so that I don’t have to fuss about having my card on hand during the festival. Once the basics are established, then it’s time to pack for the road trip:

    1. Cooler: Although our Bonnaroo plan involves creating a large group camp, we still need to bring a cooler for ourselves while we’re on the road. We purchased a cooler on our trip to Maine last month, so that’s what we’re going to use this year. Our travel companions will be carrying the larger cooler for our campsite.
    2. Tent: We don’t plan on using our tent for Bonnaroo, given how hot it can get in the morning with or without a canopy. However, it is still essential to have some sort of shelter if all else fails. Also, who knows what might happen if someone needs to borrow a tent.
    3. Solar Shower: Sometimes it’s worth renting a motel room just to get a good shower. Othertimes, there’s a solar shower. Live Nation has done a great job to increase the quality and access to showers in Bonnaroo proper, so this may not come in handy during the festival, but it is a great way to save a few bucks either way.
    4. Bed: Since we’re driving down in a van, we’re assembling a bed in the back to give us a nice place to sleep on the drive down to Bonnaroo. Thankfully, with enough ventilation and a canopy to keep out the heat, the back of the van becomes a cool little hideout to escape from the hustle and bustle of Bonnaroo.
    5. Snacks: Although we usually pick up food for Bonnaroo itself at the Manchester Walmart, we always bring plenty of snacks for the drive down. Although the GSP says it’ll take ~16 hours, it’s more like 20-22 if we include stopping to eat, sleep, and pee. We’re going to want to bring a lot of snacks that I can eat, given how little I’ll be able to snack on at Southern gas station pit stops.
    6. Medicine: Gotta always take your medicine.
    7. Extra Car Supplies: Although I’ve tried my best to ensure that our vehicle is prepped for the trip, it is always wise to prepare for the worst. In our case, we bring a spare tire (not a doughnut), puncture repair kit, and some extra rags and tools if need be. Worst case scenario, we have AAA and festival insurance in our back pocket.

    Now that the van is packed, the next step is to ensure that I have everything packed for my time at Bonnaroo. Usually, I try to pack light and load up on luxury items like food and comfortable clothes. I’ll be bringing mostly shorts, with a few pairs of pants and sweat pants for colder nights, mostly t-shirts or light button-ups, my raggedy pair of Nikes I bought to bring to Japan two years ago and my knock-off Timberland boots in case of Mudderoo. Always be prepared.

    As mentioned previously, we also plan to bring a reflective tarp to act as a canopy over our van during the day to help keep it cool inside. We’re bringing sheets and other tapestries to hang from our easy-up as well. Solar lights wrapped around the campsite will help keep the place illuminated at night. Unlike previous years, I think I’ll be bringing a small propane camping stove to heat water for morning tea, coffee, oatmeal, etc. Fingers crossed.

    I was tempted to bring my guitar this year, but given its sentimental value to me, I don’t want to chance anything happening to it. That being said, I recommend anyone with musical talent to bring their instruments and get things going back at camp during off hours.

    My girlfriend and I are very excited to make it down to Tennessee again this year, but at this point, it’s just a case of making sure we have everything we need to bring before we ship out. Once we do, it should be smooth sailing from there.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BjtGX4jHYDc/

    There’s a chance I get another blog post out before we leave, but it’s slim. Better chance I publish something on the road. Thankfully, there’s a lot yet to discuss! Stay tuned here, on my Instagram, and on Twitter for more updates, blog posts, and musings.

  • Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 6: Recovery & a Safe Return Home

    Bonnaroo 2018 – Day 6: Recovery & a Safe Return Home

    If you heeded my advice from the last Bonnaroo 2018 blog post, you’ve prepared for an extra day of travel and general detox before trying to reenter the civilian world. Depending on how you got to Manchester, TN, you are either looking forward to a short, albeit cramped, airplane ride or you’re gearing up for a road trip back home. In our case, we had breakfast plans at our favorite local restaurant and lodge, a friend to drop off at the Chattanooga airport, and then approximately 1,500 miles to cover on our drive back to Massachusetts.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj5_Qx1nmOg/

    After meeting up with friends just outside of the festival and saying our goodbyes, we made our way Northeast towards Virginia. My girlfriend and I decided to stop later on in the night to sleep and recharge instead of driving through the night. We found a cozy rest stop, crawled into the back of our van and made room for ourselves among our luggage and festival supplies.

    Driving is rarely an issue for me, especially on long road trips. I grew up traveling from across New England every few months and have found highway driving very therapeutic ever since I got my license. The thing is, you never really remember just how long Virgnina and West Virginia are until you have to drive through them up route 81 for what feels like an eternity. Chalk this up to a whiny Yankee who is used to being able to drive to 5+ different states in less than 5 hours, but the wanderlust wears off after the 8th hour spent driving through the same cow-littered, green landscape.

    The only real thing of note about our trip back was what happened after a brief pit stop in Connecticut. Just moments after taking the wheel and reentering route 95, my girlfriend was able to narrowly avoid being mixed up in a car accident just two cars ahead of us. An SUV in the high-speed lane looked like it had been bumped from behind, causing it to spin out of control across the highway and smashing into an unsuspecting car in the right lane. Thankfully, we were also accompanied by an undercover police officer who, in record time, managed to establish a parameter, call for backup and attend to the scene.

    What’s the moral of this whole story?

    Stay safe, don’t do anything stupid, and get your butt home before the post-Bonnaroo blues sets in. There’s nothing worse than spending the best week of the year at Bonnaroo and then having something dumb happen to put a damper on your festivities.

    The few days after Bonnaroo can be a tough time for all of us. Here are a few ways to avoid the worst of the post-Bonnaroo blues, recover from your festival debouchery, and prepare for next year:

    • Keep the Music Going: Leaving the farm doesn’t mean that you have to leave the spirit of Bonnaroo behind! Embrace new ideas, share your favorite tunes, and always keep the music flowing. I recommend listening to the last few years of Bonnaroo playlists on Spotify during your drive home.
    • Keep in Touch: Whether it’s sharing your excitment for next year’s line-up on social media or discussing your road trip plans in a group chat, it’s always a good idea to stay connected with your Bonna-buds in between visits to the farm. There’s nothing like sharing the Bonnaroo vibe with kindred spirits that can help transport you right back to Manchester in the blink of an eye.
    • Shower & Relax: You’ve survived another year of Bonnaroo. You deserve a break from all of the vacation you just had. First, I’d suggest a shower, then followed quickly by a nap. Jaccuzi? You do you. A trip to the beach? Have a blast. Enjoy yourself and reenergize, because you’ve got work tomorrow morning and it’s going to SUCK.

    Next week, I’ll be discussing some of my preparation plans for our trip to Manchester, TN this June. We’ll be outfitting the van with a bed, packing the bare essentials, and planning our mid-road trip stops. There’s a lot to discuss and only a few weeks left to discuss it! Stay tuned here, on my Instagram, and on Twitter for more updates, blog posts, and musings.