“On the road again…I just can’t wait to get on the road again” ~ Willie Nelson
Road trips. When you live in Texas like I do, road trips are a way of life. My home state was really late to the mass transit party (some might argue that we’re still not there) and our cities and neighborhoods have been built around the idea that nearly everyone has a car or truck. We Texans measure trip distances in units of time, not miles. I live 5 minutes from the grocery store. It’s a 9-hour drive to my in-laws’ house and that’s still in Texas! In fact, the longest segment of any road trip I’ve taken to anywhere in the lower 48 has been to get out of Texas.
I decided to name my blog Road Trips because, well … my last name is Miles and I thought the play on words was clever. The other thing that road trips conjure for me is music. In my life, long car trips have all had a soundtrack. Now, with satellite radio and in-car Bluetooth capabilities, you can listen to the music you want whenever you want. However, I distinctly remember a summer vacation drive with my family in a car with no air conditioning heading to visit extended family in California. Yep, it was hot – vinyl seats sticking to my legs and the windows down, hot air swirling around my head like some miniature tornado from hell.
Those are the background remembrances, though. What is clearly etched into my memory is me riding with my legs propped on top of our travel ice chest to keep them from sticking to the seat, and the melodies that my dad whistled endlessly and beautifully. There was no radio reception in the desert, but our soundtrack included show tunes, jazz standards, R&B and other songs popular during that time. An adventure with a distinct soundtrack.
That’s another thing about road trips. By definition a road trip is a journey; maybe short, maybe long. They promise discovery – possibly of something unexpected, desperately sought after or unexplored; more often than not, of things more ordinary, overlooked, under-utilized. They hint at adventure. Scary stuff? Sometimes. New directions? Most likely.
My hope is that, as you join me on this journey, you will read something that might be the beginning of a road trip for you. The playlist of my life is quite eclectic, and you won’t always connect with what you see here. But hang with me and let’s see where these Road Trips take us. Let’s listen for the soundtrack that develops.
So, what’s the soundtrack for your most memorable road trip?