I’ve been thinking about the poet Geoffrey Chaucer lately. (Especially since I misquoted him in this post and was immediately corrected by reader Tali.) In Canterbury Tales he writes that, in April, with new life bursting all around, “Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimage.” I think scholars, many of whom call Chaucer the Father of English Literature, have determined that what the narrative poet was trying to say was: “It’s Spring! Roaaaaaaadtrip!” I’m right with you, Geoff.
So I’m busily planning up my next roadtrip — which to me is a serious undertaking. You see, I could easily lay claim to being the Queen of Roadtrips. And that’s not even counting the serious mileage I’ve chalked up on trains, buses, boats and airplanes. Confining my travel just to cars and just to the United States, well, I’ve probably done at least eight coast-to-coast roadtrips, more than four North to South treks and dozens of middle distance trips.

A shot from my first roadtrip. My mother prepares a meal, somewhere in the middle of nowhere on the Al Can highway.

Don’t ask me why, but I’m thinking the Crystal Cathedral of Hour of Power televangelism fame should be part of this tour.
I give the credit or lay the blame on the US Army which stationed my Dad all over the United States during his long military career. Better yet, the Government always seemed to feel that if Dad was stationed in, oh a place like Alaska, supervising surveillance on the Soviet Union, the next logical posting should be as far as humanly and continentally possible — say West Point, New York. By the way, that was my first road trip which my parents accomplished in a Chevy towing a pop up trailer, with three-year-old me, my infant brother, the unfinished Alaskan-Canadian highway, a tent, a camp stove and cloth diapers. I remember it as being really fun. My mother says it was a blast, but then she’s blocking out things like the cloth diapers which I think she had to wash in a pail since there were only towns about every several hundred miles on the Al-Can at the time. Childhood continued this way with a major roadtrip from posting to posting about every two years. That doesn’t even take into account family vacations which were always done by car and always seemed chalk up serious mileage. Yes, America’s love affair with cars and fossil fuels? My family has done its part.
These days I’m driving a Prius, so I’m trying to reform, but otherwise I stick to my distance-tested rules for road trips. And since my mother was a partner in instilling my wandurlust, I’m taking her along. Granted, a roadtrip with a 76-year-old is a different kind of experience, but the rules still apply:
1. A trip must have some sort of theme. The idea for this trip came from a sudden desire to see the swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano on St. Joseph’s Day. Then I found out that Capistrano is near that monument to Televangalism, the Crystal Cathedral. And we’ll also be worshiping at the Altar of Art (or money) at the Getty Museum. So perhaps the theme will be “The Get Religion Trip” or “The Trip of Good and Evil”, especially since we’ll be in the heart of Nixon Country.
2. A roadtrip requires a reading list or a movie list. When I traveled to Monument Valley, a marathon of John Ford/John Wayne Westerns was mandatory. I’m still thinking about what will work for this trip. Since we’ll be traveling down the center of the San Joaquin Valley to get there, perhaps I should revisit the Joads in The Grapes of Wrath. Certainly, since we’ll be so close to Nixon Country, the movie Frost/Nixon will have to be viewed. I’m looking to my loyal readers to supply more suggestions.
3. A roadtrip requires a playlist. I’ve got enough Country and Western to get me through the San Joaquin. Classical will have to do for cruising around the Getty. I’ll have to think about the rest, but certainly some Gospel as we head out to Cathedral City.
4. A roadtrip requires proper Road Food. If you are passing the “Artichoke Capital of America” (Watsonville, CA) or The Garlic Capital of America (Gilroy, CA), you must find a way to stop there and eat artichokes and garlic. Preferably at some little joint that has been family owned for three generations. My Bible for finding regional specialties and the places to eat them are Jane and Michael Stern’s Road Food site and books.
5. You’ve got to keep a record. As a kid, these were postcards and letters. My recent roadtrips have all been blogged. Luckily, I’ve learned a lot technically since my late lamented blog that covered the cross-country roadtrip I took my niece on for her college graduation (from Massachusetts to New Orleans, back up the Delta and over to California.) Only a snippet remains here due to technical issues with Apple’s then-hokey iWeb service. So watch this space, especially during the week of March 15-21.
Or better yet, help us plan the trip with your suggestions for food, sites, playlists and reading.
And, by the way, if you think a trip with a septugenarian can’t be interesting, you should check out my blogging on the Golden Girls Roadtrip I conducted with my mother and her friend Gerry down Big Sur back in 2007. First installment here.
I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work 🙂
I get the urge to get up and go, but there’s always something in the way. Every road trip I’ve taken I’ve enjoyed, even the one where my shoulder acted up and I had trouble driving.
I’m thinking about driving to Chicago in July with my adult daughter, but I don’t think I’ve consciously thought about the rules you have here. Nevertheless, the food, the music, the books, and now movies will probably all be in there. I have also considered theme trips before, namely the black history tour.
The Crystal Cathedral always makes me think of my mom because she liked Schuyler.
Oh man. I can’t wait to read the stories!
Verite, the trip to Chicago in July, I’m assuming you mean to Blogher. I’m contemplating DRIVNG from California, mainly because I’ll do anything not to fly into O’Hare. From NOLA where you are, a trip up to Chicago is a Black History Tour, as you’ll be following one of the routes of the Black Diaspora of the Twenties and Thirties along the great Blues Highway. I made that tour two years ago and it was wonderful. Consider it.
My oh my have you made me see the errors of my ways. Never again will we take a road trip without a theme! BRILLIANT.
Can’t wait to read your postcards. My idea of a road trip is going to get the mail.
Yay!! Take lots of pix. I love road trip reading!
…and there I was leaving a comment on a Year of Pix about your impressive ability to always have a proper quote on hand 🙂
This road trip will be quite the adventure. Looking forward to reading about it. Is Alcatraz included in the trip? I am eagerly awaiting the cheeseball photo, as I know it will be good. Possibly your mom in the photo as well if she’s game???
carma
which reminds me of my Rule No. 1: Pack cheeseballs 😀
Thanks for reminding me. I’d better get my Cheez Balls so I can post to your site.
nice how you speak of your mother. guess she doesn’t read your blog. http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/10/08/elderspeak-belittling/
Actually she DOES read my blog and finds no fault with me describing her as someone adventurous enough to travel, more than 40 years ago, with babies by car, across a continent, down an unfinished highway through Yukon and Canadian territory. And that she’s someone I’m still planning up roadtrips with.
Methinks someone has such an agenda of uncovering hurt feelings that they make up instances that don’t exist.
i guess she loves being called the septugenarian and the natural assumption that “a trip with a septugenarian can’t be interesting.”
Hmmm. Someone needs a course in reading comprehension. A septuagenarian is someone who is in his or her seventies. Which she is. And proud of it.
And if you read the sentence I wrote, it says:
“If you THINK that a trip with a septuagenarian can’t be interesting, check out my blogging on the Golden Girls Roadtrip.”
The meaning of that sentence is to tell people who MIGHT think that traveling with a seventy-year-old wouldn’t be interesting, that I have proof they are wrong.
If you bothered to read any of those referenced posts, you would have found an account of a hilarious trip down Big Sur with two very lively and fun septuagenarians who completely disprove anyone’s doubts that traveling is only for the young.
These are long posts and are aimed at people who like to read. So if it’s not for you, don’t check in. Unless there is nothing else to do in Utah these days.
I didn’t say it was your assumption. I was referring to those of your adoring readership who MIGHT assume (as you suggested) that traveling with a person in her seventies MIGHT be less than fun.
Major back-pedal there, but okay.
And hey, anyone who thinks septuagenarians don’t make good roadtrip companions: watch this space in the next week or so when we head down to San Juan Capistrano to see the swallows return.
You’re right about someone needing a course in reading comprehension.
I for one wouldn’t travel across country with anyone over 70, I have a very high IQ (158) and need constant stimulation. James are you an idiot?
If there is anyone in America who doesn’t know who my neighbor Stephen Fowler is, find out here:
https://leftcoastcowboys.com/2009/02/24/another-stephen-fowlerwife-swap-pile-on/
But is this the real one or a clever imposter?
I believe I know who the clever imposter is. An old editorial trick.
Actually a snarky British friend who was outed but is having so much fun with his “assumed” email identity he continues to lurk. I suspect he’s going to be popping up in post comments until another funnier “identity” present itself.
I Love the way you write…thanks for posting