Timeout in the Tri-Cities
Snake River at the confluence with the Columbia River
Two straight weeks on the road. 24 interviews completed. First leg of the journey done. Phew, I needed that holiday weekend.
Back in the high desert this time in eastern Washington, I find myself surrounded by family and their neighbors. It has been good to see my brother, sister-in-law, and their five kids. It is fun to be the crazy uncle camping out under the stars in the backyard for Independence Day weekend. So good, I decided to stick around another week.
New Timeline, Possible New Route
Taking the holiday weekend off, I had time to reflect on the documentary’s progress. The fact 24 people (so far) have shared their pandemic stories with me is quite the responsibility in my mind. I want to make sure their perspectives are shared as earnestly as they were given.
At the same time, I am tracking on how COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates are back to peak numbers but spread across a wider geography with sunbelt states getting rocked. I am beginning to reconsider my planned route and am already adjusting my timeline.
I have decided to pause my travels for a week to give myself time to review and prepare the footage for the VidLoft team to edit the first couple episodes. Plus, I need to take time to line up interviews for my journey eastward. That way, you can begin to see the fruits of this collective labor while I’m still on the road.
Chances are pretty high that I will not take the originally planned southern leg of the route. I am fortunate my precautions have paid off to date and I want to make sure that continues. Rather than follow the Mississippi River, I will likely travel from St. Louis via Nashville to Atlanta.
What to Expect This Week
While the past two weeks have been filled with new places and tons of photos, I will mostly share interesting footage that I find in what has been captured to date. Plus, I hope to get some fun on-location experiments I shot on my westward journey published. You’ll be among the first to know if you follow on social media and/or subscribe to the Daily Journal digest.
I have also begun to fly the DJI Mavic Pro around and practice aerial photography. I think it will be a great addition to the documentary especially to document the vast beauty of the route I’ll take back east.
What?! Am I really planning to add a new layer in the middle of the trip? Yup, that’s the spirit of this production. Learn by doing and challenge orthodoxy.
What plans have you changed or are considering changing because of the COVID spike happening now?
