Dan's Diary: Pacific To The Rockies
CBS News producer Daniel Baruch writes about his latest travels as he drives one of two Early Show Winnebagos across the country for the "Great American Vacation" giveaway.
I write to you on the dawn of the next giveaway in Austin, Texas. Why the wait? Well, much of my time has been spent driving and driving … and driving some more. I've had plenty of time to reflect upon my travels and decided to present this entry in the raw fashion of my personal diary. There's not much action when traveling eight hours a day for a week straight, but there's plenty of time to think.
Here's a day-by-day account of my thoughts and experiences of the past week or so. I'll save some goodies for the next time:
View my photos!Monday, July 10:
At a clip usually reserved for airline pilots, I have traversed the expanses of our country and begun to discover an odd rhythm that I suspect only truckers experience. Eight-thousand miles into my trip, I've learned to embrace passing the time in silence. The road hums with emotion — sometimes whiny, occasionally soothing, but always talking. The lush, green, stout mountains of Western Oregon have given way to the soft, brown, undulating mountains east of the Cascades. These desert-like vistas pass more slowly as my eyes attempt to pierce the unknown distances surging towards the horizon. The clouds play tag with the Winnebago as they, too, streak across the landscape … sometimes a lone puff providing a perpetual shadow at speed in an almost entirely clear sky. When the shade passes, the sun beats on my arms… they throb to my heartbeat … I can see them darken as the day wears on. Burnt sienna-colored trains, rusted and weathered, creep silently along the base of the mountains like enormous slinking millipedes. Breaks for food are brief; I don't want to lose the groove I've found behind the wheel. It's hard to believe the Pacific Ocean will soon give way to the Rocky Mountains.
Tuesday, July 11:
I strolled along the streets of Salt Lake City today. Things finally cooled off when another sapphire sky was invaded by rumbling storms. It was suiting, though. The grey skies lent an appropriately serious backdrop to the architecture in Salt Lake City. The Mormon Temple and the Cathedral of the Madeline transported me to another century with their decidedly Old World style. Billowing thunderclouds pulsating with lightning eventually cut my foot tour short. The downpour was a welcome relief from the afternoon's scorching heat.
On the drive to Cheyenne, Wyo., the heavens cleared and the highway seemed to sniff out every snowy peak that crept over the horizon until the sun set the white snow aglow in fiery oranges and lurid pinks.
Wednesday, July 12:
I've driven 1,500 miles since Sunday and I can finally roost for a few days. Although I'm a huge fan of Kamping at the KOA, it's a treat to have a fresh, king-size nest of pillows and blankets to fall face-first into after a 10-hour, 500-mile stint. I've become a Holiday Inn connoisseur in light of the smorgasbord of locations I've sampled over the past six weeks. Today, though, has not been a day of rest.
Dave Price and The Early Show crew visited Arkansas River Adventures in Idaho Springs, Colo., for a bucking-bronco raft ride with Keystone Rafting on Clear Creek. Ordinarily my services are rendered for the prompt transport of our trusty Winnebago and a few clever words for my diary; today I was rafting down the river wild.
Class 4 rapids are by no means for the faint of heart — and that's what we were facing. Thankfully, action-hero Dave Price, lion tamer Paige Kendig, world-renown getaway driver Daniel Baruch and the fearless white-water river guides of Keystone Rafting were up to the challenge.
The uglier obstacles on the river had cute but worrisome names like: Guide Ejector, Double Knife and The Devil's something or other. We wet ourselves thoroughly… with river water because Clear Creek did its best to join us in the raft as it pummeled us. This was easily the most fun I've had this whole trip. The best part about the ride? It took three takes (i.e. three trips down this particular section of the river) to get all the shots we needed. Good times indeed.
Thursday, July 13:
It's Denver., and it's hot, pushing the upper 30s… Celsius that is. That's the upper 90s for us in the United States, where Celsius is even less popular than the metric system. Thank goodness for the occasional "off" day, where my responsibilities end with the thud of my skull hitting a fluffy Holiday Inn pillow. A much-needed rest and recharge is in order, and that's exactly what I'm getting.
It's hard to get too excited about rest, seeing as how I have to return to Denver's Civic Center Park, a flowering park between Town Hall and the Capitol Building, at 2 a.m. for our next live vacation giveaway. I did have the distinct pleasure of dining with my producer and a few CBS crew members at the anything but lucid Bravo Ristorante.
Seemingly one of the nicer establishments in downtown Denver, Bravo served first-rate food with Broadway service. What? Let me explain. About 10 minutes into our scrumptious appetizers, the entire waiting staff, unexpectedly and simultaneously, burst into song, something from "The King and I," I believe. It was all I could do to stop from laughing as this impromptu Rodgers & Hammerstein medley unfolded at the dinner table. Drew, our resourceful sound guy, had chosen this restaurant at random; no one had any idea we were about to have dinner at the culinary equivalent of the George Gershwin Theatre. We stuffed ourselves and had our fill of fine cuisine and even finer vocals. To our delight, ham wasn't on the menu.
Friday, July 14:
It's about that time again — the time of the week when the planets align and the sun wakes to find a bustling crowd cheering and jeering the pre-dawn comedy stylings of Dave Price. I've got to give the man credit; being funny at 5 a.m. isn't easy. I digress. It's "Great American Vacation" time, and Denver is in fact the chosen city. There was plenty going on this morning. Dave drank some beer for breakfast, showed off his stick skills with the Blue Knights Drumline, rough-housed with a dozen local mascots and, oh yeah, gave away another "Great American Vacation." It might seem a little formulaic by now, but imagine how difficult it is to keep the great secret from our would-be recipients while managing to get him/her to the giveaway location without giving up the game.
Well, it's not easy, and kudos to The Early Show for pulling off one genuine surprise after another.
The shock of the moment was written all over the face of Jo Stevens, a fiercely dedicated mother who has sacrificed everything for her family, including any modicum of luxury or self-indulgence. Although you may have read it on the main page, it's worth repeating here. Her daughter Toya Daugenbaugh, who nominated her selfless mother, had this to say:
"My mother is nearly 56 years old and has never had a real vacation … never flown to another city, stayed in a hotel, checked out the local hotspots, gambled at a casino, eaten in a fancy restaurant or gotten dressed up for a show."
Maybe modesty and moderation are generally unappreciated virtues in our relatively decadent culture, but surely every once in a while it's OK, if not, necessary, to indulge in a moment of luxury. After a lifetime of self-sacrifice, that moment of luxury is finally upon Jo Stevens as she's been given five days and four nights at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on the South Carolina coast. Daily breakfast, oyster roasts, miles of beach, and a pampering spa … I'm sure she'll be overwhelmed. We're very happy for Jo. Aren't you?
unsuspecting vacation recipient Jo StevensSaturday, July 15:
I face yet another afternoon and evening of driving, as I've got just a few days to find my way to where "the stars at night, are big and bright, (clap, clap, clap, clap) deep in the heart of Texas." My friends await me in Austin, the second-to-last city on my summer adventure with the "Great American Vacation." The end is nigh… I can feel my heart beginning to go all aflutter. I'm already missing you, America. You know where to find me in the meantime … sleeping in at the Holiday Inn.
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