What I Like About the Road

My road trips mostly follow the same basic pattern. I either take I70 or I80, depending on the weather. The route I like the least is the I40. That’s only because it’s the preferred route for animals in trucks heading to slaughter. I know it’s a reality, but it always makes me sad, being that I have an overabundance of empathy, and once I start thinking about things, I can’t stop thinking about things.

I70 is the prettiest route, but there is something about the I80 I have always loved. I’m not sure what it is. It might be that it goes through Salt Lake City, a lovely big city. The big sky of Wyoming is nice, as is the long stretch of Iowa and Nebraska farm lands. I did take the 76 to the 80, which is the route that will take me to Ohio.

I was listening to a podcast on American History Tellers about the Gilded Age (I highly recommend):

Link: here.

The wealth gap back then, plus the flood of immigrants, caused many of the same problems we’re living through today. Between listening to this and reading a book on the Civil War, I’ve discovered that the immigrant/migrant problem has nothing to do with race. They were angry about Italians and Irish immigrants, too.

Then, I listened to the American History Tellers series on political parties (also highly recommend):

Link: here.

In this series, I learned that what we’ve lived through this past year and the Trump story overall (January 6th and the like) is nothing compared to our past events, which were fraught with chaotic elections, uprisings, riots, etc. We forget what a young country we are and what a strange experiment all of this is: a people-run government.

I also learned that Lincoln’s Vice President, Andrew Johnson, was a real piece of work. What a strange guy. I never knew he was such a walking catastrophe—appearing drunk in public and then spinning around after he was elected to undo so much of what the Lincoln Republicans did in the South.

Perhaps some of you have a different viewpoint of Andrew Johnson, but I never knew his story or thought much of him.

He made me think about Kamala Harris and how sometimes the Veep position can turn into a disaster, not that the Democrats see it that way. They are in full denial mode and are prepared to run her again in 2028.

The only downside to driving so much is that getting my work out is much harder. It’s slower going because I can’t write and tinker for hours. I have to be out the door at a specific time, and by the time I get to the motel or hotel, I am often too tired. But I shall find a way.

Here are a few pictures:

Somehwere in Nebraska…