Experience is a good teacher.
Oct 17 '00
I thought I'd prepared pretty well for a road trip. I had a guide book to two-lane highways with me, I had boned up on car maintenance, I had a handful of tapes, I had a map. I hit the road. But there were one or two things I hadn't anticipated before setting out, and ended up having to learn on the fly. For example:
* THE DIRECTION YOU DRIVE MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. I was driving West, during the summer; my plans were to get on the road at 9 a.m. and turn it at 8 p.m. each day. I learned fairly quickly, though, that driving west INTO A SUNSET is probably not a very good idea. There is an entire stretch of Missouri that I spent driving with one hand on the wheel and the other shielding my eyes, looking for a place to pull off and into a hotel.
* OVERESTIMATE HOW MUCH MUSIC IS ENOUGH. Actually, your best bet is to gather as many tapes as you think you will possibly need; then, double that. I now know the song "Love Shack" far, far better than I ever thought I would, after having run through all my other tapes and having to play COSMIC THING again and again and again.
* EAT IN AT LEAST ONE TRUCK STOP. I didn't think this country still had waitresses that winked at you and called you "Hon" and joked around with you about how fast you cleaned off your plate. Here's where they all are.
* STICK TO THE SMALLER HIGHWAYS. There are many reasons to stay off the Interstates -- you get a more scenic drive, you're more likely to make unexpected discoveries, you find cheaper hotels. But another blessing I learned is that, except in some remote sections of the Southwest, on the two-lane highways, you are never all that far from a place where you can eat and use a rest room.
* EXPECT TO GET LOST AT LEAST ONCE. Along with that, though, is a note that churches are good places to ask for directions. (A special thanks to the parson of a Lutheran church in Missouri who got me heading the right way back toward Carthage...)
* PAY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF. I never knew just how physical an act driving is. However, after the third day I began getting interesting muscle aches in my right leg and neck from holding them in one position for extended periods of time. I also was pushing myself to make good time and ignoring the fact that I was getting more and more tired at the end of each day; I ended up having a panic attack somewhere in Kansas when my physical and mental energy plain ran out. All it took to set me straight again, though, was a much shorter drive the next day and an afternoon sitting by a pool. If you're getting tired, you're getting tired. Take it easy on yourself.
* THE JOURNEY IS THE POINT. At the end of the day, a road trip isn't about where your ultimate destination is. A road trip is about what happens to you on the way. Make the road itself your destination; try picking a single highway and following it from beginning to end, wherever the end is, just to see what happens. Or drive in one direction for half the trip and another direction for the other half. Whatever. Where you go doesn't matter half so much as how you get there, or even IF you get there. If you missed something you'll see it next time. And there will be a next time.
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