As I am relaxing on an overcast Sunday afternoon, I begin to wonder, why a road? Out of all the various subjects, the road peaks my interest the most. I guess it is because of the unknown that lies out there. For example, as I drove up US 89 from Flagstaff to Page, Arizona, I stared straight into the plateaus and open road that waited before me. As my rental kept pushing ahead a few things ran through my head: what is waiting for me up ahead, why does it look so close, yet is so far and I forgot what I was thinking about as I was distracted by its innate beauty.
The highway causes me to not only think about what lies ahead, but what was left behind. Is it merely the gas stations, motels and trees or is it more? As I stopped for a soda pop at an Indian Trading Post, I looked at the sun, the beautiful blue sky and then back towards where I came from. I thought to myself, it does not look the same anymore. Physically, the places are the same, but it feels as if I was entering some form of Twlight Zone. I was expecting Rod Serling to lead me to the Hi-Way Cafe, where I would find juteboxes randomly playing music and telephones ringing unexpectedly. Nevertheless, everything appeared the same as I drove back to Flagstaff. Or was it?
No matter where one travels, even if it is for a second or fourteen time, as Johnny Bush says, "no two journeys ever end the same." There is something different about that trip. For me, going to back to Albuquerque in 2008 felt sharply different then the first time I went in 2005. I loved it so much that first time I contemplated moving over there. However, after driving on Route 66 along Central Avenue, as well as Interstate 40, I discovered that while the Land of Enchantment will always be a place to come back to, it is what it is, a wonderful stop for a roadie. For example, in 2005, I was only two years removed from graduating from college, and while I enjoyed developing a rapport with many Lobo students it felt totally different three years later, as interacting with these young people did not carry the same "coolness" as it did before.
The road is a place where you can go back in time and see where you were. Perhaps that is why this nostalgic roadie enjoys it so much. Driving down 66 or any other Blue Highway enables me to use my imagination and wonder, what's out there?
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