1 - The Journey Begins
In 1978, I graduated from the University of Michigan with no job, no plans, and a 1973 Pontiac Catalina my father got me for graduation. With a 400 2-barrel V8 engine, it managed 13 miles to the gallon. It was artichoke-green, with a black vinyl roof, whitewall tires, and (later) a Presidential Seal I let my brother-in-law attach to the hood.
I immediately
drove it to Cincinnati with my friend Mike. He had a six-pack of Heineken and I
a jug of homemade Pina Coladas (hey, it was the 70’s). I revved my new car over
100 MPH on I-75, repeatedly. It was sweet, and the freshly installed cassette
player was bonus.
In Cincy,
we visited my best friend Bruce, and hatched a plan to take my car across
America. Mike had a real job lined up, but Bruce was game. After working a few
months of double shifts at Ann Arbor’s Campus Inn, in the restaurant “Victors”
(no apostrophe, as in “Hail to the –”), I returned to Cincinnati on September
23, 1978, with $400, savings bonds from my grandmother, and a Rand McNally road
atlas.
Twenty-five
states and two months later - including a stint as busboys in a Mexican
restaurant in Boulder, Colorado - the Giant Artichoke limped back into Ann
Arbor, with two broke and weary travelers, still with no real plans.
As life
went on, I started bugging Bruce about recreating our 1978 trip. We had the old
journals and photographs, and even a few bits of contact information, like
first names and seven-digit phone numbers. “We’ll call it 33 Years Across America ,” I
told him. Then it became 34, or 36. Bruce remained unmoved. But with blessings
from my wife and law firm, I determined that it was time to take a break from
the law and hit the road solo.
“40 Years
Across America” will take the same back roads and blue highways we traveled in
1978, thanks to my meticulous journals. It will visit the same towns, seek out
the same people, and dine in the same restaurants.
My new
adventures will be chronicled, and compared against my 1978 entries whenever
possible. Although, I do read those old passages and cringe. I wish I had been
more in tune with my surroundings, rather than my own awkward angst - when I
wasn’t writing about girls, food, or my obsession with chess.
But when
our journey began on September 23, 1978, on the Main Street of a small town in
Indiana, I dutifully recorded our encounter with these gentlemen:
We told them we were headed for
California, “The long way.” One replied, “You can’t get there from here.”
Now if I
could just find the guys in this photograph, I’d love to hear what they’d say
about the last forty years.
I’m hoping
the 2018 record of my travels will show a better understanding of my
surroundings, with sensitivity to the people and places I visit. I’m also
determined to eat a more varied diet than cheap burritos, although I am looking
forward to again visiting the Giant Artichoke in Castroville, California. (Too
bad my eponymous car won’t be with me, but gas isn’t 69 cents a gallon
anymore.)
I may not
come away with any more clarity than I had when I graduated from college, but I
will better understand how our nation has changed, what people think about it,
and whether we are really any different than we were back then.
Forty years across America may seem
a long time. But the journey, and the stories, are still unfolding.
Wow! Love the chess photo. That is a photo of the Nick I remember!
ReplyDeleteMalto! I was hanging out with Bruce and Hooven tonight.
DeleteThis is awesome Nick!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marie!
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea, Nick. Wishing you all the fun and insights you are seeking...and more.
DeleteRandy! Great to hear from you.
DeleteYou have "a cooler filled with Gatorade, water, and emergency beer."
ReplyDeleteWhat? No jug of homemade Pina Coladas?
Come on by: I'll set you up with a better sweet drink than that.
RANDY!!!!! Will do.
DeletePS What are the odds of comments from two consecutive Randys?
DeleteAbout 100%, on this page. :-) Dunno why it doesn't show a photo for me, though -- I do have one on my Goog Profile!
DeleteThis is AWESOME, Nick! I'm so happy that you are doing this and can't wait to read all about it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Patti!
Delete