We are somewhere in Western Pennsylvania , and this post is coming from the road. Cathy and I have been making a version of this drive, off and on, for over 40 years. Cathy hates it, and always has. I enjoy it, and almost always have. We are making our way from The DC area back home to Ottawa, Illinois for a visit.  We brought Carmen with us this time, hence driving and not flying.

The drive is typically somewhere between 11 1/2 and 14 hours, depending on your skill, luck, bladder, the weather, and traffic. Once, in December of ’75 or ’76, it took us over 18 hours as we returned to DC in the middle of a raging snow storm.

Cathy hates this trip because “it sucks”. It’s long, it’s boring, and often ugly. She says it’s not like driving to Alabama, which is shorter, plus you have woods and mountains. Also, we often make the trip at Christmas time, which means it can be treacherous.

I guess I love the trip for a variety of different reasons. It’s long, so I get time to think. I love seeing the changes in the farms along the way, and the gradual flattening of the terrain. At Christmas time, you see lights in the farmers fields. In the summer, endless rows of corn, or beans, or some other grain. I see America as we are driving along.  

Plus, I occasionally get to play mind games, or challenges. Once, on a return trip, I drove across half of Illinois, all of Indiana, and 40 miles of Ohio without using my brakes. I did have a manual transmission, which particularly helped while passing through Indianapolis.

We’re only going home for about a week. We are looking forward to seeing family, and my mom who’s having a few issues. Only about eight or nine more hours to go. Along the way, I’ll gaze out the window, looking for America….. Maybe more so this year.