Thankful for the time

Tonight I had a funeral at church, and one of the women there asked if I had seen the obit in the Journal Sentinel about a guy riding his bike on Route 66 who was killed on his journey. I looked it up now tonight, and found the obit - a man from Kenosha who rode his motorcycle the whole way. He had actually finished the Route and was on his way back when he crashed his bike.

I found his blog and saw that he was leaving on his adventure as I was arriving at the Santa Monica Pier, so we didn't cross paths. However, we did cross dreams. I am very happy that at least he managed to finish the Mother Road and fulfill that dream. I am also very thankful that I managed to do so safely and make it back home to share the stories. Mostly I am just thankful.

Travel Soundtracks

One of the things I did right before my trip was get my music organized. I didn't want to haul all my CD's along, so I made sure I took a good mix of my favorites. Sometimes the most important criteria for picking CD's for the day was singability. As long as I could sing along well and sing loud, it was good road music.

But some days I tried to make the music match the leg of the journey. As I drove into Oklahoma, I knew the necessary soundtrack was classic country - which of course I don't have in my collection. So I hit the scan button on the radio instead and what do you know? Classic country immediately! And guess what song was playing? "Okie from Muskogee" Yep, perfect. The next day, after leaving the Oklahoma Memorial silence was the only appropriate sound, followed by Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising."

Texas though was my favorite. What better than Lyle Lovett to escort me into the Longhorn state? And follow that up with the only thing better - Dixie Chicks! Two CD Live recording. Yes, I know. No self-respecting Texan would be caught dead listening to the Dixie Chicks. That's why I just had to!

Hmmm.... next state was New Mexico. I don't know what would qualify as New Mexico music, so I figured the next best thing would be another "New" state - New Jersey! The Jersey boys of Bon Jovi just felt right.

Yes, the right soundtrack is always important for traveling. And after listening to the same CD's for 3 weeks, I can honestly say I don't think I'll ever get tired of "Enjoy Every Sandwich" - Warren Zevon songs recorded in tribute to him by other musicians like Don Henley, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, et.al. That music fits every time and every place.

Post-trip Reflections

During my journey back, I was so tired from driving as far as I could each day (other than in Las Vegas,) I didn't get very motivated to write on the blog. Today one of my friends made the comment that he thought maybe I drove into the Pacific since my blog ended so abruptly. Guess I better do some reflecting on the journey now that I'm home for a few days.

This really was a good journey for me to take. I've always wanted to do it, to feel the history of this country and relive the westward expansion of the land. But it turned out to be so much more. My trip along the Mother Road really was like a life journey. As I began those first couple of days in Illinois, I was like a toddler wanting to explore every part of life - I stopped at all the kitsch and took pictures at every opportunity like parents with their first child.

Moving into Missouri was the confused teenage years. You try to follow the signs, but sometimes they just disappear or seem to point in conflicting directions. Eventually I learned that even if I made mistakes, as long as I got where I was going it was ok.

Kansas and Oklahoma were the young adulthood years. I had a growing sense of confidence in this journey, and everything was still exciting and new. I trusted my own instincts more and knew what things I would skip because they weren't of priority to me.

New Mexico was my 30's & 40's. Life is good - the best time of the trip so far. I'm loving this journey, and all the chances to learn and grow and meet people and see culture. Yep, this is the best part of life.

Now Arizona.... that's another story. By this time I'm feeling a little like "Been there, done that." I'm just thinking of the destination now like retirement. I have to keep plugging along to get there and occasionally there are some surprises along the way. But mostly I'm just looking forward to California.

California... promised land.... glory years. Life is rushing by me again now, and I just want to get to the ocean. Once there now, I can relax, enjoy, and soak up all that life offers.

Yep, the Mother Road is a life journey. Unfortunately I didn't get to stay in that retirement zone though. Now I'm back to real life and plugging along. But life is still good. Mostly. :)