At around 40,000 feet, currently drifting somewhere over the Canadian Rocky Mountains, there exists a very tired and slightly buzzed hobbit named Dale.

Rebecca and I just got back from dropping Dale off at Vancouver International Airport, and we had about an hour to listen to his thoughts on the tour, his time away from home, and all the things he was looking forward to doing again when he walked in the door back home. Of course, giving his girlfriend a super big hug and spending a bit of time with his dog Chloe are at the top of the list.

I first met up with Dale a few hours prior to the Massey Hall show nearly three weeks ago. He had his laptop, a backpack, and was clearly excited about hitting the open road with a busload of guys. Catching up with him in Kelowna a few days ago, you could clearly see that he was getting tired, but still was having the time of his life.

Thanks to Matt, I was fortunate enough to see two shows on this tour, and was also able to meet some of the individuals that help pull them all off. In Kelowna I spent some time on the bus drinking beers and chatting with everyone, and it was a really great experience that I’m very thankful I got to be a small part of. Dale and I both agreed that it was such a friendly and welcoming group, full of both dedication and laughter, two qualities I think are probably essential to pulling a tour of this magnitude off.

I imagine it will be a few days before Dale posts again, and I know he will probably reflect one last time on the tour. For my part, it was really great meeting Dale finally in person, along with everyone else on the tour. Big thanks to Matt and Dale for letting both me and my Santa hat come along for some of the ride - it was really an amazing experience.

And for everyone reading — I know that Dale has been working on some humorous video footage from the tour. I’m pretty sure that once he gets home and rested up, bits and pieces will start popping up - the segments that I’ve seen are pretty funny, and definitely well worth the wait.