See the U.S.A.
In seventeen days we will get in our leased Mercedes Benz 450 GLS, loaded up with luggage, the dog (and his dog seat…complete with seatbelt) and my Audible book files. We’ve done this before a few times, the biggest reason being that its the only way to get the dog cross-country. I like driving, so this is not something I dread. The last time we did this, we did it in three days by driving fifteen hours to St. Louis, fourteen hours to Albuquerque and then twelve hours to Escondido. That’s forty-one hours of driving. This time we are taking a slightly more southern route through Tennessee. I’m not sure why I chose to do that except that it’s winter, and it only maps out a few hours longer. But we are taking a more leisurely pace so we can stop for dinner in Santa Fe one night. It will be 12 hours to Knoxville, 12 hours to Oklahoma City, eight hours to Santa Fe, followed by twelve hours to Escondido. It will take forty-four hours (Santa Fe is adding two hours), but we’re in no rush…mostly.
It’s not exactly intended to be a sightseeing trip, but I enjoy the scenery just the same. We obviously have to stay at dog-friendly hotels along the way, but that’s easy to arrange these days with Google maps and a pet-friendly filter. It’s a bit more challenging to price-point hotels. What’s the difference between a $99 4-star and a $139 4-star? The answer is I have no clue and go for the one closest to the highway. I have one basic rule for the road, which happens to be totally consistent with the whole dog program, and that is that we eat all meals either in the car or in the hotel room. That way, we save time and never have to worry about Cecil. This is something akin to a forced-march and I drive 100% of the way. That works for me and it works for Kim. There’s eight hours to sleep, a few hours to rest and wash, and everything else is about driving. Those few extra hours each day are necessary for Kim to run Cecil around since he sleeps in his car bed all day.
We just drove upstate yesterday to visit friends for the day. It was two hours and it seemed like a long drive. I think it’s all a big head game and I’m expecting that I will be steeled for the cross-country march. Life is always about expectations. I expect the ride will go by quite easily and pleasantly. I look forward to it. It feels liberating to be on the road again.
For some reason, the way I am wired, the definition of freedom is the ability to hit the road at will. What’s funny about that is that being a goal-driven person, I’m more likely to want to get where I’m going rather than dawdle along the way. Nevertheless, I dream of taking road trips yo the parts of the country I don’t know well and a few I do know. My list starts with the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been to Seattle a few times and I’ve even taken a motorcycle ride up through the Cascades of Idaho and dipped into eastern Oregon. But what I really hanker for is a trip up the Colombia River Gorge to retrace dome of the steps of Lewis and Clark two hundred years ago. Along the way I’d like to see a few friends in Seattle and Jackson, Wyoming, not to mention Glacier National Park.
The other area I feel I have under-visited in the continental United States in the Deep South, particularly along the Mississippi River. From Memphis down to Vicksburg and Natchez and then down into Louisiana to see Baton Rouge and NewOrleans. From there I might drive across the Gulf Coast along the Florida Panhandle to visit lots of friends who have chosen Florida as their happy hunting grounds. If I do that I will drive all the way down to KeyWest as one of our country’s geographical extreme points.
The northeast is an area I’ve covered from top to bottom,but I’m always up for a Bidyut to Maine to rekindle my middle school memories from age twelve to fourteen. The biggest reason to go there would be to carry through to the Canadian Atlantic Provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edwards Island and Nova Scotia. Newfoundland and Labrador might be further than I care to reach, but you never know once you get to wandering.
I’ve also lived in the Midwest, but I’m not so sure that intrigues me in the same way. Lots of people like vacationing on the Great Lakes from the shores of Michigan. My concern about touring the land of lakes area is that it may depress me too much to see the historically blue heartland in its recent red condition. I think with Kim’s show playing in Indiana and Missouri, we are likely to get our fill of the Midwest.
For twenty-five years now I have taken motorcycle trips all over the Southwest. California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and Nëw México have all been covered thoroughly and with great pleasure.
Having run a Canadian bank for two years and even having taken the Rocky Mountaineer Trans-Canadian rail line, if eel like I’ve also covered that territory. Similarly, I’ve been all over Mexico both for East and west coast vacations as well as all along the border and center in the 80’s when trying yo collect on a billion dollar debt owed to my bank.
Both Kim and I have travelled extensively all over the globe. There are places we still Yanker to see, but there’s very little of the map that has not received lots of our attention. We have no need for a grand tour or cruise. So we have decided to spend some time on the road with Cecil in tow to make sure we’ve not skipped any corners of our own country. I know that we are a divided country right now and that there is a great deal of fear and anger out there, but ultimately, we believe there is far more love and goodness in Americans all across the country. Thst is the greatness we want to visit and celebrate.