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Where are we headed?

/in /by

I sat in the back of the blue 1964 Chevy Malibu with my legs dangling of the blue seats with my feet moving to the beat of the Buck Owens coming across the AM radio.

My father Floyd was driving and my mother Pearl in the passenger seat. The back seat was my domain, the only thing back there was my pillow and a few of my favorite toys, a couple of books. There was a small box with plastic army men, and a few of my Matchbox cars. Unlike today, I could move around as I wanted on the seat or into the floorboard. If I wanted to lay down and take a nap, I could. That was probably how my folks liked me best on those long trips. Because I am sure I wore them out with my impatience asking “Where are we headed?”

It’s not like they decided to go somewhere else while we were driving, but I just wanted up to date information. Of course, back then we didn’t have those new fangled things that talk to us telling us where to turn. We had those big map books, or fold out maps on every state that we went through.

Of course, by the time I came along, the interstate system was solidly in place around the country, so much of the time was spent on those types of roads between places.

And prior to the internet and widespread franchising, every little community we stopped in had its own feel and identity – restaurants, stores, and events. Of course, my mom always had a trunk full of homemade food on ice and we stopped along our paths to eat.

Whenever we hit the road for a vacation, we always had mysteries and new things to find and experience. Even if it seemed odd or hokey, there was great things we were able to see among those too.

I loved those trips with my folks. We always managed to talk to each other. My folks would wake me in case they thought I might miss something, probably not always wise, because it probably broke the silence they were enjoying. But they saw trips as an educational opportunity for me and even for them.

As I grew and my interest in history became primary, those types of destinations were added along the way. I was able to share my excitement and learning with about the topics and locations with them. They could also do the same with me.

I wouldn’t trade those road trips, short or long, for anything. I had my folks sometimes for endless hours right at my fingertips together. We cherished those moments.

When I was very small, especially during winter travel, I loved to crawl up into the floorboard at my mother’s feet and sleep on those trips.

I know travel is now different for families today than they were for us. But I encourage you to find those opportunities to make such adventures come alive for your family. And you know what, you don’t have to spend a mint to make it a memory.

Where are we headed?

/in /by

Freedom of movement is an opportunity many Americans take for
granted.
If you have the money, you can travel by bus or train to points
around the continent and via plane or ship overseas. A personal car
or truck is also a blessing to those who may have the means of
purchase, upkeep, gas and oil.

For generations back to people moving around on bear feet, then
horses, donkeys and mules, when our ancestors took the notion, they
simply packed a few items and point.

Movement was so important to the Ancient Romans; they built roads
connecting points around the empire. Feet carried merchants,
soldiers, slaves and free citizens to places they never imagined.

I remember growing up around folks who seldom travel farther than a
day’s walk or horse ride from home. In fact, taking the annual or
bi-annual production of the farm or hunting was often the longest
trip seen.

With the addition of Mr. Ford’s affordable vehicles to the mix, the
common man could venture beyond their normal circumstances. People
who had never seen a city, the mountains, the deserts, and the sea
were able to do so at their own speed. They were no longer tied to
the cost of a ticket, a stagecoach, or a train, or later the bus.

I remember traveling on the Greyhound and Trailway buses. I even took
two extended passenger train trips. It was generally a cheaper way if
your family couldn’t afford a car or couldn’t spare it to take a
trip away.

As I look upon the landscape of what we see around us, I have the
feeling that there are those who wish to catapult those of us with
little back to the days when we are confined to where our feet might
carry us and no farther. Vehicles are becoming so expensive, for
many, they will not be able to have one. Passenger trains are being
heralded as a future option in my region again, I imagine they will
rebuild all the bus and train stations as they push us further back
in historical practice.

In the early days of vehicles, there were all kinds of ones being
invented. There were some pretty durable electric cars in that first
30 years. Once again, they are pushing us that direction, but to me
their ability for durability, reliability, providing power, is a pipe
dream. I watched a report about a man whose car was recently stranded
where he was vacationing due to extreme cold and an inability of
charging stations to work. He had to find another way home and have
it shipped back.

Men, women, families are amazingly resilient. We have survived for
thousands of years. We have migrated throughout the world on foot
before the first wheel was invented. Then the four-legged animals
joined us in our efforts making travel better. With each leap
forward, we went farther, but our feet still came along for the ride.
While there are segments of our world looking to carry us towards the
stars, there are others wishing to limit our freedom of movement and
keep us within 15 minutes of our home for most of our life. They will
have various reasons, none of which matter in the spectrum of human
history. Ultimately, it will be the freedom of the human spirit that
will decide, where we go, and when. The how may take us backwards, or
it may take us farther than we imagined. Either way, we humans will
maintain our freedom of movement; it’s a natural as breathing. We
will.

The colors of things yet to be seen

/in /by

As I drove through the mountains of Arkansas looking at bright yellows, deep reds and variety of greens and browns, I felt a warmness coming over me beckoning back to my childhood riding in the back seat of my parents blue 1964 Chevy Malibu as we made our way through the mountains heading to who knows where.

The adventure of travel was something that we all enjoyed, trying to find something we had not seen, something that would be an experience we could share throughout our memories.
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