Road Trip
By John W. Vander Velden 6-4-2014
I guess people travel
differently than we did when I was young, in the days before Interstate
Highways, when the road taken went through every town large and small that stood
in our way. There was a time we lived in
Florida and those years we made the pilgrimage back to Indiana each year. Typically the journey took the better part of
three days -- providing we stated early.
We always started early. The
filled 59 Chevy Biscayne, with six and later seven, made for long days.
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But staring out the
window at the ever changing landscape revealed a portion of what America was
then. Looking out across the farmland or
what seemed the endless ups and downs of the Appalachians as we moved on the many
two lane highways. One particularly hot
day, for cars were not air conditioned then, I remember the slow traffic and
the endless row of stop lights as we made our way through the heart of
Nashville. The child, I was, wondered
why the traffic signals were painted black.
That memory has left me avoiding that city even today. Perhaps it is a silly notion for many adore
the Music Capital. But this country boy
much prefers open spaces -- I guess I’m allowed my preferences -- I will allow
you yours.
As a third grader, I had
not full developed my understanding of U.S. geography. The time spent traversing Georgia and Alabama
seemed to stretch toward eternity but we crossed Tennessee and Kentucky in a
matter of hours. My favorite part was
the grand horse farms of the Kentucky green hills. The miles of white fence that raced beside us
along the road. The land so groomed as
mile after mile, farm after farm filled my young eyes with wonder.
We didn’t have those
electronic wonders that fill the lives of travelers today. My nephews scarcely noticed the world beyond
as they spent hours on attempting to complete some game or another. It passed the time -- but I wonder. No, the world is not the same. In many ways it is better. Better roads --- better autos -- better
ventilation -- better seats – yeah -- better.
Vans have DVD players and video screens to entertain cross country
travelers. But what do they miss?
But we are all on another
“road trip”. For each day we travel
forward on the journey called our life.
And I wonder how the changes in society and technology and our use of
all the electronic wonders at our finger tips change that trip as well. I fear a disconnect caused by “social media”
where we engage others on the screen and the person across our table goes
unnoticed. Do we no longer look out of
life’s window as the world rushes onward while focused on gadgets, phones with
greater intelligence, or the infinite wisdom of “Google”, and doing so
purposely disconnect ourselves from those that stand at the roadside waving as
we pass by.
We cannot expect the world
to return to those times of my past.
Cars move with the windows sealed, the scents of city and country are
pretty much left beyond the reach of our noses.
The Interstate highways allow rapid crossing of the distance but also
hide so much of the landscape – the ordinary places – that we cross. So the road trip is not what it once
was. Neither is our everyday “road
trip”. It becomes a challenge – one we
can choose if we only will – to use all the tools we have available to not
separate but to connect us to those closest – those that desperately need our
touch – physical touch -- those that
need real contact – face to face contact.
For my friends, we are all on a “road trip”, on this journey together.
(633 Words)
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