My family took the jingle “See the USA in your Chevrolet” to heart in in the 1960s and 70s. We logged thousands of miles in our Chevy Nova station wagon. By the time I graduated from High School I had driven through 41 states. Grady Clay’s description of his cross section method brought back lots of memories of our travels off of interstate highways. We were on the road to meet people and to see and learn about different places.
I like J.B. Jackson’s name the “Stranger’s Path” as a way to learn about an unfamiliar place. The “Stranger’s Path” could also be the “Insider’s Path” for those who live in a particular city. My family moved to Boise in 1973. I learned to drive here long before the construction of the roadway we call the Connector and I was a teenaged shopper here pre-Boise Towne Square Mall. I lived away from Boise for several years in the 1980s and when I moved back to Boise in the 1991 I had to decide how to deal with the change in traffic patterns and the emptiness of Boise’s downtown. I didn’t use the Connector because I still knew perfectly good ways to get places and driving so far out to the mall seemed inconvenient. Now I’m just stubborn. Friends who’ve never known Boise without the Connector or the Mall are always interested to ride with me and see which route I’ll take. I’m always surprised by their comments about how they’ve never seen certain parts of Boise.
I love reading travel books that include lots of history and human interest stories. Here are some of my favorite book titles about “roadtrips” in the U.S.:
Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure by Matthew Algeo. The author revisits a “roadtrip” taken by Harry and Bess Truman after they left the White House. Harry Truman was the last President able to travel with freedom as a private citizen.
States of Mind : A Search for Faith, Hope, Inspiration, Harmony, Unity, Friendship, Love, Pride, Wisdom, Honor, Comfort, Joy, Bliss, Freedom, Justice, Glory, Triumph, and Truth or Consequences in America by Brad Herzog. The author and his wife traveled the United States visiting towns with these names.
On the Road by Charles Kuralt
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
A book on my “to read“ list:
The Magic Bus: An American Odyssey by Douglas Brinkley. The author is a college professor and historian I heard speak at the Idaho Humanities Council dinner last fall. He takes students for on-the-road class experiences to historical sites and to meet people involved in politics and literature.