Trip Report: The Southeast (October 29-November 10, 1998)

The following is an account of a trip I took to the Southeast from October 29th to November 10th, 1998, comprised of two weekend country-western dance events plus a week’s vacation in between (and a little bit on either side).  There will be a lot of country-western dance content in this trip report, a lot of gay content, and more than a little leather content, guaranteeing that portions of this report will just go past any given person other than me.  Live with it.

Leading up to this trip, of course, was a lengthy sequence of calls to my travel agent and leafings through the 1998 Damron Address Book in order to lay in plans for nearly two weeks of traveling throughout the Southeast.  I won’t bore you with all those details, though. And then there was the packing for the trip!  Oy!

Day -1: Packing (Wednesday, 10/28) On Wednesday, October 28th, I had Saddletramps dance practice like usual, followed by a dessert date with Robert.  Normally, this would have been fine, but I was to be picked up by the airport shuttle at 6:00 am, and I hadn’t finished packing.  So at 12:30 am, I finally finished as much packing as I would manage that night, and prepared to awaken at 5:00 am.  Naturally, this unusual hour just created other stress, so I awoke several times during the night, peering at the alarm clock to assure that I had not overslept.  (I didn’t.)

Day 0: San Mateo to San José to Washington DC to Arlington (Thursday, 10/29) Click here (last update: 01/03/99)

Day 1: Arlington to Richmond to Virginia Beach (Friday, 10/30) Click here (last update: 11/22/98)

Day 2: Virginia Beach (Saturday, 10/31) Click here (last update: 11/22/98)

Day 3: Virginia Beach (Sunday, 11/1) Click here (last update: 11/22/98)

Day 4: Virginia Beach to Asheville (Monday, 11/2) Click here (last update: 11/22/98)

Day 5: Asheville to Greenville to Atlanta (Tuesday, 11/3) Click here (last update: 01/03/99)

Day 6: Atlanta to Savannah to Jacksonville (Wednesday, 11/4) Click here (last update: 01/03/98)

Day 7: Jacksonville to St. Augustine to St. Petersburg (Thursday, 11/5) Click here (last update: 01/03/98)

Day 8: St. Petersburg to Orlando (Friday, 11/6) <TBD>

Day 9: Orlando (Saturday, 11/7) <TBD>

Day 10: Orlando (and a side trip to Tampa) (Sunday, 11/8) <TBD>

Day 11: Orlando (Epcot Center) (Monday, 11/9) <TBD>

Day 12: Orlando to Dallas/Ft. Worth to San Jose to San Mateo (Tuesday, 11/10)  <TBD>

Aftermath There’s not really much more to tell (and you should be thankful, no?).  It has taken me nearly two months to finish this report, in part because I diddled around and didn’t get the two rolls of photos from Florida developed.  I mentioned Robert at the top of the report; while on the trip, I called and e-mailed him regularly at the place he was staying, but got negligible response.  After I got back, I ran into him at the Lonestar and tried to get some response out of him the following week, but to no effect.  Sigh.  Yet another flake.