Road trips revisited
I discussed some elements of road trips a few weeks ago, and have now just returned from one. Although they are generally more costly (with fuel, food and motels) than domestic round-trip airfare for two, and use up more time than air travel, I still love road trips.
Part of that love comes from the sense of freedom they offer. Anyone with a vehicle, license and insurance can legally head anywhere, anytime, on our huge road grid, without a ticket or boarding pass, without filing a route plan, while carrying many ounces of liquids on board.
Besides that, road trips allow participants enough time to encounter an unlimited number of interesting people, places and things along the way.
While I maintained a frenetic pace for the 2500 miles to my destination, I more than doubled the time (from 3 days to 7) allowed for the return trip. The “speed-run” to northeastern Mississippi relegated sightseeing to convenience/fuel stops, evening motels and other roadside attractions passed at 80 miles per hour. Still, I saw interesting people and sights everywhere, like the clerk who apologized for not having an elevator at the motel, but offered “calories to burn” to help take baggage to the second-floor room.
But the more leisurely 7-day return made for plenty of time to relish a sampling of people and places scattered throughout our country. To me, these treasures are priceless.
Take, for example, the town of Tupelo, Mississippi. There, one can imagine Elvis Presley roaming the streets during his youth at his place of birth. You can even buy Tupelo Honey (rising to fame in Van Morrison lyrics) there, when the shop owners are not closed due to vacation as they were when we passed through. Oh well, Tupelo Honey is actually concocted from White Tupelo trees blooming each spring in southeastern swamps, having little to do with the town of Tupelo, Mississippi. See what you can learn on the road?
A tour of Elvis’ Graceland mansion is a worthy stop. It seemed many of those viewing the grounds were vying for top fan status, based on mode of dress seen and conversations overheard. The assemblage of platinum and gold record awards on display there is impressive enough by itself, not to mention the available peanut butter and banana sandwich offered at the on-site café.
Another good stop is in St. Louis to take a ride to the top of the Gateway Arch. The 630-foot-high monument constructed in the 1960s is a tribute to modern engineering. Though the upward trip might trigger claustrophobia in a small pod that is like riding a slow roller coaster in an enclosed Ferris wheel car, the view from the top of this stainless steel clad marvel is worth the effort and stress.
From Wyoming’s Heart Mountain Japanese “relocation center,” Nebraska’s Bailey Yard (largest rail yard in the world), the rolls thrown to diners at Lambert’s Café in Missouri, to the local bar in Lovell, Wyoming, each stop was filled with human interest. The owner of the Cattlemen Hotel in Lovell spoke of her grown children by number, since she had 13! One of the stories she told was leaving number 6 in a restaurant as an infant, recovering him safely a bit later.
The people and music on Beale Street in Memphis alone made the trip worthwhile; the dozens of other encounters were all “icing on the cake.”
Readers may contact Bill Love via e-mail at precisiondriving@spokesman.com.
