By K.J. Donoghue

My entire life has been about one thing: living life to the fullest. For me, that means not missing out on anything. Living life in this way has provided me with endless good times, life-long friends and unforgettable moments – things that some will never have the privilege of enjoying. In 2008, I thought I had found the Holy Grail of good times at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which remained true up until this past Bonnaroo, when I joined Pick Up America.

Being on the road with the Pick Up Artists is truly the experience I have sought all these years. Of course, having two of my best childhood friends on the team, Greg Katski and Davey Rogner, doesn’t hurt, but in all honesty if they weren’t here it would still be the experience of a lifetime. Everywhere we go we’re welcomed with open arms and loving hearts. Just thinking about all the beautiful people I’ve met even in my brief stint here on the road brings a smile to my face. Literally everybody we meet and tell about what we are doing are beyond enthusiastic and look at us with a sort of child-like wonder. Some ask us questions like: “How can you stand picking up trash all day? I would shoot myself if I were in your shoes.” We chuckle and tell them it’s not that bad. For me, it’s all about how you look at it. Davey’s dad, Rich, taught me a valuable lesson years ago: take pride in your work and you will begin to enjoy it. And at the end of the day the feeling of accomplishment is phenomenal. The woes of the blazing sun beating down on you seem to just melt away. The endorphins are pumping and you feel as if you’re ready to take over the world, or at least change it a bit for the better. The fact that that’s exactly what we’re doing gives you even more of a feeling of exuberance.

I call it silliness, but the way things unfold in front of us is really quite ridiculous. Everything works out for us on the road, down to the smallest detail. Even things that are above and beyond necessary for our comfort seem handed to us. For example, on our way through Lawrenceville, Illinois, Greg was at a bar with Emily Biggins, a sweet girl he met during Clean Vibes after Bonnaroo this year. While there, they met Matt Tredway, who joined us on the road and became PUA’s newest member. We had a bit of a predicament in that while picking up through the small town of Breese we had no idea where to stay. This is where our newest member Matt (who, by the way, everybody loves at this point) came to the rescue and phoned an old friend he had known most of his life. Tony Wellen, a most gracious host and a great liver-of-life, took us in to his beautiful park-like property. As if the epic rope swing into his lake and the private pavilion weren’t enough, he went on to share with us fresh home-shot deer brats, caught-that-day catfish from the lake, and his private wine cellar. All of them homemade and lip-smackingly good combined with the greatness of his Eden-esque property made for the most memorable stay to date. I will never forget it.

All-in-all, joining Pick Up America has been the best decision of my life, and, if I can afford it, I plan on seeing this thing through all the way to San Francisco next year. Yeah. It’s that good. So if you have the means and the mind to help us reach our goal and would like to experience an epic adventure at the same time, by all means do it.