I recently read a great post about cross-country traveling that gave insight on the beauty of the United States. It’s true – if you’re not too excited about flying from continent to continent, you can get a lot of scenic indulgence in the U.S. There’s a lot to see and a lot to be inspired from. I had my own experience with cross-country when I relocated from New Mexico to Maryland. A friend of mine accompanied me at the time (I was nervous about driving by myself). I remember driving through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Each state had its own “feel” to it. Their own sights and sounds.
I kick myself now for not doing a better job at keeping a journal because there were so many inspiring scenes to write about. Not even the tourists’ sights, just the windy roadways, the valleys and hills of Pennsylvania, and the run down streets of St. Louis. Other sights were just plain and scary. Completely abandoned gas stations that reminded me of scenes from horror stories, and stretches of roads so plain and quiet the only action they had was tumbleweed blowing across them. When it wasn’t my turn to drive, I could’ve busied myself with pen and paper. Instead, I opted to take a nap. Oh well. I know there will be many other opportunities and sources of inspirations to use in my writing journey. One day I would love to drive from coast to coast and write about the folks I meet, the scenes I witness and the overall experience of a journey.
Have you taken a road trip? What was your experience like?
Have you read John Steinbeck, “Travels With Charley” or the Beat classic “On the Road” by John Kerouac. Or the scene from the recent film “Inside Llewyn Davis” that has the main character and two strangers driving from New York to Chicago and back, (a singer-songwriter, a jazz musician, a Beat poet — this is 1961)?
I have a picture of Mother Jones funeral memorial marker, from somewhere between Springfield, Illinois and St. Louis but do not remember why I was heading that way, and not back to Chicago, unless I was flying out of St. Louis. I remember, a separate trip, afraid I would fall asleep at the wheel between Springfield and Chicago.
I did drive across the country, after graduating from college, years ago, with a friend — I doubt I could do that much sitting these days.
Good luck with your blog, and travels.
I haven’t read those books – but now I’m curious to see what they’re all about! I drove through St. Louis, so of course I took a picture of the arc. I don’t remember anything standing out in Illinois…as for Kansas, just a lot of dust and scenery! That was the hardest state to drive through and it took us forever to get through it.
Thanks for stopping by – I’ll be sure to post about my future travels!