The End of Summer
Summer is ending and with it, my perennial urge to take a cross-country road trip.
It's been two and a half years since Dad and I drove away from DC like madmen with an aim to make it home in time for the annual Christmas party. We missed it, but we completed the 2,000+ mile trip in 2 and a half white-knuckled days. It went something like:
DC to South Bend, Indiana. South Bend to somewhere in Nebraska. Nebraska to Home.
A year and a half before that, in car that lacked a functional speedometer, odometer, air conditioner and sufficient brakes, I meandered my way across I-90, eagerly absorbing Yellowstone, Teton National Park, the lovely Black Hills, the endless stretch of South Dakota freeway, the forsaken town of Albert Lea, MN, the lush farmland of Wisconsin, Chicago at a distance, Notre Dame, and finally the Appalachians at Dawn.
I remember that drive with great clarity and affection. Wyoming in the blazing red and orange heat. South Dakota with its subtle beauty and tacky billboards. Local postcards. Historical sites. Football stadiums that ring with old rivalries.
Now the days are shorter and I am wearing my black fleece jacket more often. I reluctantly let go of another road trip-less summer.
It is time to turn my thoughts in the general direction of bonnie Inverness.
It's been two and a half years since Dad and I drove away from DC like madmen with an aim to make it home in time for the annual Christmas party. We missed it, but we completed the 2,000+ mile trip in 2 and a half white-knuckled days. It went something like:
DC to South Bend, Indiana. South Bend to somewhere in Nebraska. Nebraska to Home.
A year and a half before that, in car that lacked a functional speedometer, odometer, air conditioner and sufficient brakes, I meandered my way across I-90, eagerly absorbing Yellowstone, Teton National Park, the lovely Black Hills, the endless stretch of South Dakota freeway, the forsaken town of Albert Lea, MN, the lush farmland of Wisconsin, Chicago at a distance, Notre Dame, and finally the Appalachians at Dawn.
I remember that drive with great clarity and affection. Wyoming in the blazing red and orange heat. South Dakota with its subtle beauty and tacky billboards. Local postcards. Historical sites. Football stadiums that ring with old rivalries.
Now the days are shorter and I am wearing my black fleece jacket more often. I reluctantly let go of another road trip-less summer.
It is time to turn my thoughts in the general direction of bonnie Inverness.
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1 Comments:
Great post...I enjoyed it ;) Roadtrips are beyond a doubt the best way to experience life in a completely random sorta way. I'm from IL and I remember driving somewhere in Oregon along the coast and just taking some unmarked roads and getting lost. I remember driving to Massachusettes just because I had a three day weekend and wanted to see New England in the fall. Gas prices may limit my roving around, but spontinaity + driving = who the hell knows...but I can't ever wait to find out :)...
Monday, September 12, 2005
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