My name is Jacob Godbey and I’m a comedian/filmmaker currently based out of Missoula, MT. In late 2015, my comedy partner Alex Tait and I started Gingers On Ice, a humorous variety show to showcase everything we find funny.

After a warm reception in our home state, we took the show on the road for a month in June 2016. The following are of my tour journals, edited down a bit from the stream of consciousness that originally filled my notebook pages. If you'd like to know more about the show, find us on Facebook, or at my website. Here are parts one and two.

6.19.16

Sacramento, CA

I woke up at approximately 4:47 A.M. It didn’t take me long to piece together that I was still drunk. I rolled over and said to no one in particular, “I’m still drunk.” Eventually I got up and called my parents to let them know that we had made it to Sacramento. My parents, bless their souls, only asked why I sounded so tired, not why I sounded so hungover. I wished my father a happy Father’s Day, and while I haven’t spent one with him since I moved to Missoula, I pretty desperately wished I could have been there with him this year.

Eventually I went to grab some food out of the pantry, and Cassidy’s father, Eric, opened the door right into me. Super hungover and unshowered, I clumsily offered up a hand and introduced myself. I also introduced myself to her mother Mona, who is a saint. Alex and I later spent some time in the Grotte pool. We traded our accounts of the evening before and if you want to know more, talk to me in person. Apparently people read these things, go figure.

6.20.16

San Francisco, CA

Cassidy navigated us to San Francisco in the mid-morning. Along the way, we stopped at the Jelly Belly factory, which was pretty sweet. Like, it smelled very sweet. Alex and I taste-tested two jellybeans of the same color. I was lucky enough to eat chocolate pudding, while Alex had to suffer through dog food.

San Fran is a city I’m happy to say lived up to expectations. We looked at Union Square, we went down to the Wharf and basked in the piss smell, and we drove down the most crooked street in the world, Lombard Street. Alex and I have cities down to a science. Nearly everything worth visiting is within a mile or two of each other, so Alex and I spend 6 jam-packed hours in a city and we can leave without feeling like we missed anything. San Fran also continued the trend of me actually being pretty good at driving in downtown cities. Sure, I blew through a red light or two, but I didn’t hit anybody, and that’s what counts.

In Chinatown we ate at a restaurant called Chinatown Restaurant. I haven't yet decided if they were the first restaurant there or just the least creative. We also went to the Leica camera store, which was sparse. I whispered to Alex, "Holy shit, that camera is 35,000 dollars." Then we stole it.

But not really.

After we deemed San Fran officially visited, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge due north, toward Cassidy’s family’s cabin on the Russian River. We stopped in Santa Rosa and ate at a bar, where Cassidy and Alex didn’t get carded. I’ve never been good at lying or hiding thoughts, and I elected to wait two more days for my 21^st to order a drink. We drove through some beautiful rural California and made it to the cabin.

The Russian River is... small. It's what we here in Montana call a creek. But nonetheless we practiced rock-skipping until the sun went down. We retired to the cabin and watched some Amazing Race. Alex and I will be auditioning for next season. I don't know if you can start a petition to get us on the show or not, but that would be killer if someone wants to head that up!

6.21.16

Sacramento, CA

I woke up in the morning, feeling more homesick than I had the entire trip. I especially missed my sister Aubrey. Alex later told me the way he viewed it: “You didn’t get laid and then started bitching.”

On the way back to Sacramento, we stopped at Goat Beach and each of us spent 45 minutes in silence, just admiring the sea. I had the realization that although I spent most of this trip next to the ocean, this would be my last time seeing it for a while. I was sitting next to Cassidy on the beach when a cocktail of feelings decided to emotionally intoxicate me.

I crawled up onto the rocks behind her and I don’t think her or Alex knew this, but I just cried. Yes, I cried by the ocean. Cried that this trip was even possible, cried that I was having such a good time on it, cried because I missed my sister so much.

6.22.16

Sacramento, CA

My 21^st birthday! My sister was the first to wish me a happy birthday, but Cassidy was the first to tell me in person. I rocked the fuck out in the shower to Descendents and The Menzingers. See, Alex and Cassidy love shitty rap and hip hop, which I do like as well, but eventually I need some lyrics with substance. You know, songs about relationships and life’s hardships instead of songs about big dicks, drugs, and pussy (the holy trifecta, Amen).

We drove down to a taco place I can’t remember the name of and I was feeling really great and ordered a taco with sheep’s brain as the main meat in it. A little worried, I bit into it and… it was delicious. Probably the best taco I’ve ever had. In fact, the chicken and steak tacos after it were a little bit disappointing.

One item that has truly stuck with me throughout this tour is that I’ve made a lot of great friends. I really don’t like to spend time with people I don’t consider good and this trip more than ever it has paid off. Over and over again I have been frequently amazed at how altruistic, kind, and loving the people we stayed with were. Alex and I were treated very well and I sincerely appreciate the efforts of all of our hosts.

So when Cassidy’s mother Mona lit the candles on the small coconut cake she had purchased me, I didn’t really know how to process it. Here I was, just some dude that wandered into her house four days ago and I was already being treated like one of the family. It really touched me and I even tear up a little bit when I think of it now. This picture Alex took really sums up how we all felt at the time.

I look like a dweeb who feels guilty because people are being too nice to him, Eric is doing the dishes, Mona is very invested in the joke she seems to be telling, and Cassidy is trying her best to get out of the picture because she knows I’ll write in my fucking tour journal about her and she hates that she has to be part of my memories. But my 21^st birthday isn’t a day I’m inclined to forget, and I spent it in such a unique place, it’ll be a fun story to tell far into the future.

In fact, the conversation will probably go something like this:

Jacob's son or daughter: "Dad, what did you do for your 21st birthday?"
Me: "Go read part three of my tour diaries."
Them: "Dad, we're right here, just tell us. You know The Odyssey shut its servers down years ago and none of your articles exist anymore."
Me: "Yeah, but not before Mona Grotte read part 2..."

Next week: I struggle with the quick elevation change, we make two great friend/fans, and the tour wraps up!