"Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway..."

We went on a road trip! There were ups. And there were downs. I experienced yet again the joy of (relatively) unbound travel, hitting the open road with no particular destination in mind ~ an approach that's frustratingly incomprehensible to a five year old. The band of brothers are commendable travelers, though, and adept at cheerfully tuning out repetitive matronly utterances such as, "Keep your hands to yourself" or "Why oh why oh why are you doing this to me?!" They never threw up. They played nice more often than not and they settled for old-fashioned amusements like spotting license plates from each state and identifying roadkill.

Still, I was reminded that I'm not designed to be in close proximity to other people 24/7. (The feeling is no doubt mutual.) I remembered that I love hot, dry weather, and learned that running at sea level on a regular basis is not akin to running at altitude. I can testify to the realities of the phrase, "If all else fails, we can always sleep in the car!" and to the fact that the Wal-Marts of the world are fast creating one vast Anywhere, U.S.A.

But despite that sad reality, there's still an awful lot of interesting stuff out there ~ not to mention interesting people. The melting pot syndrome goes beyond the boundaries of class, race, and ethnicity. Only in America can you put ten white, middle-class people in one room and have such diversity in appearance and outlook. Many a small town in the upper left-hand corner of our country is "Northern Exposure" come to life.