They disappear from the rearview mirror like bubbles escaping from a newly opened bottle of a carbonated beverage, places with names like Lincoln, Princeton, Cortland, Beatrice, Wymore, Marysville, Junction City, Salina, Ellsworth, Great Bend, Larned, Kingsley, Dodge City, Sublette, Hugoton, Elkhart, Keyes, Boise City, Clayton, Springer, Wagon Mound, and Las Vegas. After hours on the road as we crest a hill the object of our journey, Santa Fe, NM finally comes into view.
For years we’ve made this trip, joining a long procession of travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. Some seeking their fortune, some adventure, and some just trying to get to or find a home. I’ve made the trip in a car, a truck, and a van. Multiple times I’ve searched the ground for familiar sites from a single engine aircraft following basically the same route. (but that’s a story for another day) I am constantly amazed at my brains ability to recall the scenes as they unfold along the way, and smile when I correctly guess the next landmark that awaits around the next bend.
And yet this time, and for the last few years, it’s been different.
As I pass through these places, as well as those that have barely more than a grain elevator and a co-op to offer, I fondly recall the times when our family would stop and explore the shops that somehow, despite the odds, still cling to life along the mostly vacant main street. As we pass by, I have to take a breath and yes, perhaps wipe away a tear or two when there in the small town park, in the vacant picnic table, swings and teeter totter, I see the shadows of our children where it seems like not long ago, they excitedly welcomed the opportunity to escape the family mini van and enjoy some exercise and a tasty lunch courtesy of momma’s loving foresight. Can you remember how good a PB&J sandwich or a bean burrito washed down with a Capri Sun can taste? Forget the hot sun and the humid mid-west air, this my friend, is what it’s all about.
Or anyway it was.
Though this time it’s just my wife and I along for the ride, old habits kick in and we engage in the travel rituals we’ve come to cherish. Things like “the acknowledgement” – driving down the two lane highways and byways along our route, we are more often than not “acknowledged” by drivers passing in the opposite direction. What will the next encounter produce we wonder? There’s the nod of the head, the tip of the hat, the wave, and the ever popular “lift of the index finger from the steering wheel.” And to the delight of the kids, (ok me too since I’m the one that made it up) when passing by a bunch of cows that are close enough to the road to hear, laying on the horn to see how many will turn and look. (most don’t bother however the few that occasionally do make it worthwhile) Or how about stopping for truck stop coffee, a honey bun and some cracked pepper sunflower seeds? It doesn’t get much better.
So why have these last few trips been so different? Well obviously I am. Looking at things from the point of view and perspective of my current age and circumstances certainly colors my perception. Not to mention a freak car accident that left a good friend in a hospital bed with his friends and family wondering if he’d survive, and an article entitled “The Tail End” (you can find it here: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html ) Both have helped me become even more aware than I already was of just how important it is to live in the now and to cherish each moment like it was the last, because after all, it just might be.
And so, as hours upon hours of driving afford me the opportunity to partake in uninterrupted thinking (as long as the cell phone is shut off) yielding the conscious realization and awareness:
This is likely the last time I shall pass this way.
This is the last time I’ll see these sights.
This is likely the last time
I’ll get to grab a cup of coffee at “Perks” in Great Bend, KS or enjoy some tasty carne asada at Taco’s Jalisco in Dodge City.
Ultimately, perhaps the realization that another recent trip is likely to have been one of the last times that our entire family will be together in this way has made the biggest difference and made the most impact .
I admit, it’s for this that a part of me mourns – even though I know, God willing, there are plenty of new and different adventures awaiting out there in the future. : )