Downtime

Our scheduling gets crazy from time to time. There are weeks when we hit a new city every day, hitting the road as soon as shows ends. After Gillette, we found ourselves without a pressing deadline for the first time in a month. We didn’t have to be anywhere for 4 days and we didn’t know what to do with our newfound free time.

We kicked around some ideas with the Greenroom guys and decided to chill out in an RV park for a couple of days. We chose a place outside Buffalo, Wyoming that sat on the beautiful Lake De Smet.

This place was out there. It definitely provided an unplugged, off the grid feel. It was basically a camping trip - the only difference being our tent (van) was made of aluminum. It was nice to unwind and put a hectic couple of weeks behind us. We did all the traditional camping stuff: cooking over fire, playing poker, and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

The park had no frills. We were ‘roughing it’ without wifi or showers. The only thing they did have was electric hookups -- and we heard the constant hum of voltage coursing through the power lines all day and night. We decided to keep our distance from the electrocution waiting to happen.

The friendly town

After a few days of camping in the boonies, we were in desperate need of bathing. We smelled bad enough to cause immediate distress to anyone in a five foot radius.

After cleaning ourselves up at Planet Fitness we decided to learn more about Casper. The first interesting fact was Casper should’ve been spelled ‘Caspar’ to honor Fort Caspar and Lt. Caspar Collins, but someone botched it when the town's name was officially registered.  Gotta love a town that could easily fix an error but decides not to out of sheer laziness.

Plague upon sinners

Some weird things were happening around town, and it all began on the drive in. There were thousands and thousands of grasshoppers all over the place. Everywhere we went the streets and buildings were crawling with them. We decided to go inside and get away from the omnipresent vermin. It got weirder from there.

We stood in line at Q’doba for maybe 30 seconds before the power blew out with a loud “Whoom”. The whole place blacked out. We went across the street to a Five Guys but it was the same deal - no power. Not about to give up the search for food, we hopped in the van and began driving around to find somewhere with running electricity.

As we drove through town we realized even the traffic lights were out. The lack of traffic control left the streets in mass chaos and confusion. Horns were honking, accidents nearly occurred every 50 feet, and random people shambling through the streets. It looked like a scene out of The Walking Dead.

It felt like the Plagues of Egypt. We were covered in boils (OK - mosquito bites, but just go with it). Then came the swarms of grasshoppers. This was followed by the blackout that left everyone in darkness. The only thing missing was a firstborn massacre.

Showtime

The show was at Gruner Brothers Brewing. The bar, restaurant, and surrounding food trucks all did a great job of marketing the show - it seemed like the whole city showed up. The online tickets sold out quickly, as did the remaining tickets at the door. The place was packed.

Dan and I opened the show and did 12 minutes each, then Cody and James each did 45. The crowd was amazing. In small towns where comedy isn’t readily available, the audiences are always awesome. They’re excited to go out and have fun - unlike, say, a comics mic in NYC.

The people always have a blast and tell us as much after the shows. They always come up and say “thanks”  or talk about how much they laughed. It feels good to serve laughs to underserved markets. It’s our version of a soup kitchen.

When the show was finished we thanked Cody and James for having us on their shows and went our separate ways. We had a long haul ahead of us to Chicago.