COLUMN: Learning to travel America
Well, it’s been a long, cold winter, but spring is finally here. Butterflies drift with the breezes of renewal, flowers poke up through last autumn’s dead leaves and the green buds of new beginnings are everywhere.
I love to travel, and every year about this time I get the urge to hit the road and see some new sights. Two of my favorite hobbies are car camping and backpacking, and the American West is chock full of nooks and crannies worth exploring.
Over the next few months, many of you will be traveling as well. Most folks can’t get away from their jobs for more than a few days at a time it’s true, but whether you’re taking a crazy summer-long adventure or simply headed to Ma’s house for the weekend, your time on the road can be greatly enhanced by the following guidelines:
1) Avoid interstate highways whenever possible. Sure, these expressways are the quickest way to get where you’re going, but what’s the hurry? Older highways, such as Highway 89 in Logan, are a direct link to an America that is quickly disappearing. Drive slowly and enjoy the old neon signs and brick buildings on Main Street, USA and check out the local museums and historic markers.
2) Turn off the CD player and check out the local AM radio. You’ll be surprised at what you hear, especially in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere: Blood redemption from Bakersfield, alien invasions from Nevada and classic country from Oklahoma are just a few examples. And remember, “there’s no FM in AMerica.”
3) Avoid chain restaurants. Forget the fast food and fake “diners” of Denny’s or Wingers. These places are cheap imitations of the classic American eateries they’ve been putting out of business for years. Seek out the old family-run cafes where you can order up a slice of homemade pie and listen to the locals talk about the weather.
4) Don’t be afraid of coffee. There’s nothing like staying up all night and driving into the rising sun. A cup or five of truck-stop coffee can bend time, especially when the AM radio is crackling a Buddy Holly tune whilst 18-wheelers whoosh past like jet airplanes. Be sure to bring your own mug, cause it’s cheaper and better for the planet.
5) Avoid motels and hotels. At $50 per night, these places are overrated. It’s better to camp and save the money for gasoline and postcards. Besides, Western America consists largely of National Forest and other public lands, which means you can almost always pull off on a side road and sleep for the night, usually for free. Just carry a tent and sleeping bags, and don’t build a campfire unless you’ve got a shovel or five gallons of water to put it out.
6) Pick up hitchhikers. Jesus said, “As you do unto the least of men you do unto me.” That dusty vagabond could be the great redeemer Himself, wandering the land like a hobo messiah. Besides, how can you expect God’s mercy if you’re too selfish to help out a fellow human being? Open up your self-contained world and share it with a stranger. Hitchhikers have great stories to tell, and besides, it feels good to follow the Golden Rule.
7) Don’t own a car? Then take the Greyhound. The ‘Hound can get you there for not much money. Leave the driving to them, sit back and watch the scenery unfold. Or engage one of the colorful personalities in a conversation about their home and family. Bring some sandwiches though or be prepared for a lot of Burger King meals.
Most of all, take plenty of pictures. If you stay off the interstates and stay out of the boring old chain restaurants then you will surely see a side of America that won’t be around much longer. Our insatiable desire for convenient shopping and discount prices, combined with billions in corporate marketing and advertising schemes, will eventually destroy what’s left of 1940s and ’50s Americana.
Old highways can connect us with our roots, can take us back to a time when things were “made in America” and built to last rather than mass produced in foreign sweatshops. Remember: Wal-Mart wasn’t always the town grocery store, Denny’s makes a lousy cheeseburger and Krispy Kreme can’t compare with the “made from scratch” hole in the wall donut shop somewhere on the two lanes of US Highway 40.