North Country Trail Celebration 2024: August 22, 2024 – St. Ignace, Michigan Yay! I am in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After a long and winding road trip from Vermont, I have reached my destination for the third phase of my summer tour. I am at the Little Bear Sports Center in St. Ignace, Michigan, the hub of activities for the North Country Trail Association Annual (NCTA) Celebration. If … Continue Reading →
DCI = Love in the Rose Bowl
June 26, 2022 – San Bernardino, CA I’m sitting here at San Bernardino Valley College on a sweltering Sunday afternoon. Tonight, is the third and final DCI show on my California tour. Last night, I was at the rim of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for some DCI Love. My plan for this evening is to spend my time outside the stadium shooting the … Continue Reading →
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles for DCI California
June 23, 2022 -10:00am Burlington, VT It is with great anticipation that I am about to embark on my western Drum Corps International (DCI) tour, sitting comfortably in the BTV airport gate 12 in Vermont’s Queen City, Burlington. I am bound for the first drum corps show of the season this Friday. The plane is at the gate and all things seem good for … Continue Reading →
Anticipation for DCI 2022
May 20, 2022 After a long winter here in Vermont, everything is turning green in the Green Mountain State. The skis are put away and it’s time to plan for my 2022 drum corps tour. Until I rediscovered drum corps in 2012 while surfing YouTube one cold winter day, I always lamented the end of ski season. Now, I have something as exciting to … Continue Reading →
A Day in the Phen Basin with the MRVBC
March 2022 On a loverly Saturday morning in March, the Mad River Valley Backcountry Coalition (MRVBC) led a successful tour into the Phen Basin Wilderness of the Camel’s Hump State Park on the Catamount Trail. Our destination on Section 19S from the trailhead parking area at the Battlegrounds on Mill Brook Road was Hemlock Hill for some exploration of Vermont’s natural backcountry. This section … Continue Reading →
A Day on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
October 17, 2021 Kevin Russell Back in the autumn of 2005, a window of opportunity opened for me to walk across Vermont. At the time, I was serving as the Chairman of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council (VT&GC) and I had been hearing about the Lamoille Valley Railroad and the plan by the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) to convert it into … Continue Reading →
Harmonic Journey’s End
August 16, 2021 I want to give full credit to the name of this final blog entry of my 2021 DCI tour to the Phantom Regiment, who’s retro performance of their epic program – Harmonic Journey was the best medicine for many fans who have suffered from DCDD (Drum Corps Deficit Disorder) for over 22 months. It seemed to be fitting to end this series of … Continue Reading →
From the Fifty 2021
August 13, 2021 7:00pm I’m sitting in row 13 at the 50-yard line, thanks to publisher Steve, who had some extra seats not taken this evening. The DCI Celebration is in its second day. The touring corps are performing, intermixed with age-out ceremonies and solo performance by the talented musicians who have come so far. The Cadets just played an encore of Dave Mathews’ … Continue Reading →
Indy or Bust for DCI 2021
August 12, 2021 10:00am – Oxford, Ohio Yesterday was another fine day of trails and travel from Centerville in eastern Ohio where I spent a quiet slumber in the Volvo following my final DCI outdoor show in the Elks Stadium the night before. There was no drum corps show, so my plan was to finally ride my bike on a section of the Buckeye/North … Continue Reading →
From Zoar to Xenia
August 11, 2021 This morning, I am sitting in a public park near Centerville, OH with nobody around, basking in quiet reflection. It is great places to socially distance and catch up with you on yesterday’s travels and adventures and last night’s show at the Elks Stadium in Centerville. It was another perfect evening for outdoor drum corps. Deciding at the last minute to … Continue Reading →
Westward Bound for DCI
August 10, 2021 “It’s raining outside, and that’s not unusual. But the way that I’m feeling is becoming usual.” – Uriah Heep 1972. That tune is going through my head as I am sitting comfortably in the Hilton Gardens in Akron, OH. Time to catch up on my blog. I’m feeling great after another fantastic night of DCI. The Bluecoats’ home show never disappoints. … Continue Reading →