The latest AAA "Traveler" magazine urges "take an American Pilgrimage, a cross-country road trip."
Ours is such a magnificent, scenic country. Everyone should tour our grandeur.
As a child 70-some years ago, I fondly remember my family; mother, father, grandmother and I, driving on many wonderful trips. Most of these trips were from my hometown, Enid, Okla., to Coldwater, Kan., some 145 miles northwest. Our favorite cousins lived there.
Our maroon 1935 Ford held our family nicely. The car's normal highway speed was 35 mph. Therefore, the trip would take nearly five hours. The last 40 miles were dirt. But, so much fun when we got there.
At other times, my family traveled to Texas and Arkansas.
From an early age, I loved to travel.
After marriage in 1954, our family grew and we always had a station wagon to hold six kids, my wife and I.
In the 1960s and '70s, we took many trips back to Oklahoma, visiting relatives in Arizona and New Mexico along the way. We would pack up the Ford station wagon for the journey and head out. As I drove, mother, Joanne, became the monitor, police, arbiter, judge and food dispenser to our children, who occupied the two back seats of our station wagon. No seat belts back then.
Nevertheless, our road to Oklahoma was old "Route 66." In those times, motels were not affordable for our large family and we tried to stay with relatives along the way. I wonder, now, what they thought when this large group dropped in.
By the 1980s and '90s after our children matured, my wife and I had traveled throughout California and most of the United States west of the Mississippi, except the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa. We also loved traveling to British Columbia and Alberta.
Now, in this decade, we have found a new way to travel. Our son-in-law has become our driver. Two years ago, he drove us, our daughter and granddaughter to Oregon and Washington. Last year, he drove us some 3,500 miles to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. In fact, our granddaughter has been in as many states as she is years old. This year, we hope to travel to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
There just is no other way to see our great country than by car up close and personal. Not by plane, train or bus.
Have you ever toured the West? Have you ever been to the Cowboy Bar in Jackson, Wyo., Jackson Hole, the Grand Tetons or Yellowstone? Have you ever taken the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Kamloops and from there traveled to Salmon Arm and Revelstoke, all in British Columbia? Then on to Banff, Lake Louise, Alberta? Have you ever boarded the giant buses, which travel out onto the Athabasca Glacier ice fields?
Or, the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, the Great Salt Lake? Or Ernest Hemingway's grave at Sun Valley, Idaho?
I fondly remember these fantastic scenic vistas. As well as taking the ferry through the San Juan Islands to Sidney and Victoria.
I laughingly remember almost being stuck in muddy ruts of the country road near Imnaha, Ore. close to Hells Canyon National Recreation Area at the northeast tip of Oregon.
I can't forget watching a cloudy sunset where a hole in the clouds beamed a heavenly stream of light down on us as we sat on the deck of our lodging at the Windemere, viewing the beach at Bandon, Ore.
I can't forget Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, The Broadmoor Hotel, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, Colorado.
Nor the Alamo.
Of course, my clean, green, no graffiti or trash home state of Oklahoma.
Nevertheless, we now travel in our SUV. With ample room, I can't think of a safer way to see the USA. I think most people prefer SUVs. It has been estimated that there are two trillion barrels of oil in the west.
In fact, the United States has the largest shale oil reserves in the world. So, why not get it? Gasoline can be a monetarily reasonable power source for the next 80 years.
Unfortunately, gas prices are moving over $3 a gallon. However, on our 3,500 mile trip last year, the average was about $3.35.
Now, it appears that the government owns the car companies and are intent on building "tiny" cars and not providing what the majority of us really want. Recent reports indicate 60 to 70 percent of the public want SUVs.
According to "Autodata Corporation/Motor Intelligence, 2009 U.S. vehicle sales to date: SUVs sold 226,057; Hybrids sold 52,895.
Be ever watchful of those who will try to control your freedoms.
So, get out there and tour this great country, while you can.
Burton Anderson Burton Anderson, a U.S. Marine veteran of the Korean War, has lived in California for about 50 years. He has a background in the aerospace industry. He may be reached at bandtp@aol.com. The Board of Contributors is comprised of local writers whose views appear on Tuesdays and Fridays.
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