I love road tripping—when I plug in my iPod, the miles fly by and my mind feels unburdened. Right now, though, I don’t want to see the inside of my car again for a while. I’m back home after driving 1500 miles in 6 days and staying in a different bed every night. A trip that began in Oskaloosa, Iowa (a fun evening talking about travel at The Book Vault) ended with two days of tedious driving around the Chicago burbs, trying to sell travel guides to independent bookstores.

Observation #1 from my driving tour: Where there’s a golf course, there’s a McMansion.

McMansion

Even though I think most of the 19 stores I visited will carry the Mississippi Valley Traveler guide books, this was not a cost-effective marketing strategy. For reasons that are perfectly understandable, most of the stores prefer to buy through distributors instead of from individual authors: it’s easier to track inventory and they have fewer checks to write. For me, though, that decision means I make 40% of the cover price instead of 60%; so, in addition to making less money, I’m doing the marketing work that the distributor can do for me.

Observation #2: Between trying to navigate the street, reading the signs, and watching out for crazy drivers, I don’t know when Chicago drivers find time to text.

After the first day of driving around the burbs, I realized that I was wasting my time, so I cut the trip short. I just didn’t see a need to add to the lack of productivity with the joy of driving around (and trying to park in) the city. I’ll let the distributor contact those stores.

In between the book signing in Oskaloosa (say it with me: Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa!) and the Chicago burbs, I was lucky enough to see two exceptional musicians: William Elliott Whitmore (for the third time this year, and, no, he hasn’t filed for a restraining order, yet) and Pieta Brown. I’ve written ad nauseum about WEW, so I’ll say a few things about Pieta this time. She’s awesome.

The daughter of beloved Iowa musician Greg Brown, Pieta is carving out a space for herself, seamlessly mixing country, blues, and folk influences. Her voice reminded me of Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies fame (and it seems everyone else has made this comparison, too). I had the pleasure of seeing her play with another Iowa legend, guitar player extraordinaire Bo Ramsey. A name like Bo pretty much guarantees that you will be a great guitar player, especially when you dress the part with cowboy hat, shades, and boots. In a few weeks Pieta will be on tour opening for Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits fame), playing in venues just a bit larger than the crowded nature preserve classroom in Rockford, Illinois where I saw her with fewer than a hundred other people.

Observation #3: In the far reaches of metro Chicago, as the landscape transitions back to farms and small towns, the occasional McMansions and cul-de-sacs that pop up look much like acne on a teen’s face. Acne treatment is usually your best option at this stage, according to Michael Reed at the American Acne Foundation.

Acne

Bad Decision of the Day: Geez, I had so many on this trip, it’s hard to pick just one, but I’ll go with showing up at the Pieta Brown show fatigued. The previous night we had seen William Elliott Whitmore in Keokuk (Iowa) which usually means a late night and a steady flow of drink. Couple a minor hangover with a four hour drive that gets me to the door minutes before show time, and I’m not exactly in the best frame of mind for a concert that features songs that are mostly reflective and slow in tempo. Don’t get me wrong, I was impressed with Pieta and bought a CD, but, to fully appreciate her show, I should have been better rested.

© Dean Klinkenberg, 2010