The Ride
One could stretch back to Lewis and Clark as the original road trip buddies. Yes, they were sent out to study botany, geography and learn the culture of the various Native American tribes, but it was still a road trip at heart. The McConnell’s trip offers a new angle on an adventure that has become a right of passage in America and the basis for a genre of literature and film. The Journal is providing a brief overview of the trip, but readers wanting more can always visit the McConnell blog at ValleyDocRide.
Mark Twain’s early work Roughing It, about his travels in the wild west, is probably one of the first pieces of modern travel literature that helped formulate America’s idea of the open road. Jack Kerouac’s classic On The Road brought a new popularity to the story of the American road trip, as did John Updike’s Travel’s with Charley. Updike was older, and in less than robust health, when he embarked on his solo adventure in 1960 in a hodgepodge camper. But it was a keen desire of his to see the America he had so often written about prior to his death which occurred in 1968. Another famous book covering the genre in a literary manner is Blue Highways by Least Heat-Moon, and this narrative recounts journeys along the back roads of America.
While many Americans when asked about a trip they would like to take will offer exotic places such as Africa, Old World locales such as Paris, and mystical areas like Tibet, the majority will usually respond with a cross country trip. As a country of immigrants we share no ancestral attachment to the land we call America, only a shared spirit. This may be why the grand road trip is so ingrained in American consciousness: the belief that one must travel the land, meet the people, take in the landscape to get a full understanding of America as more than just an ethereal state of a shared spirit. One must travel its highways and byways to understand we are a compilation of unyielding dreams born from natural resources and human resourcefulness.
The story of The Doc and Marjie offers a new angle on the ultimate in American journeys. The Alaska-Florida itinerary differs from the traditional East-West travel, but there is also the peculiarly individual roles assumed as driver and bicyclist. As mentioned in the Pedaling for Prevention blog, and in previous Journal articles, this shared experience is made up of two very independent perspectives. Marjie, piloting the RV through American byways is living the experience through the parameters of the windshield. Driving the over-sized vehicle with the added responsibilities of keeping an eye out for “the boy” on the bike, her time alone is spent in the windowed bubble which by nature offers framed images of the land passing by and opportunity for introspective reflection. The Doc experiences a completely different perspective as he biked along through the elements with only inches and air separating him from the land.
“Some people wanted to know what I think about when I ride – mostly nothing. Sometimes I think about how much further I have to go, the scenery, road conditions, sing songs to myself, wonder what the hell I am doing out here…”, he writes in the beginning of the trip. Only a few days later he realizes the inadequacy of the response and adds, ” I was a little too sarcastic. In reality I do look and marvel at the beauty of the North Country especially the mountains and rivers. The rivers are large and incredibly fast.”
The role of support person, caregiver, is often more strenuous mentally if not physically. It lacks the immediacy of the drama that revolves around the physically challenging endeavor of The Doc, but it does provide some insight into the power of humor. “I am going crazy in the RV driving for 6-7 hours 10-30 miles/hour to spot a “boy” who LOVES to ride a bike. I am bleary eyed, have listened to 4 books on tape and when my tom tom GPS gets confused and tells me periodically to turn left in 400 ft over large cliffs or into a mountain – I am tempted.”, she blogs in the early part of the trip.
Nearing their goal, driving an RV which was lacking AC and a working refrigerator, Marjie’s humor remained intact and a sense of satori is evident in her observations, “But maybe this has been an emotional growth experience for me – working through trust issues with TomTom girl, making new friends along the way (Watson, Al the moose mounty and Nebraska), working as a team with my spouse as his support and living in a tiny space together, simplifying life (drastic reduction of clothing, food, entertainment choices), indulging in endless hours of internal dialogue and personal reflection….I’m thinking now this RV experience should be a required college course, an integral part of marriage counseling, a hallmark of Buddhist practice or behaviorist therapy. Maybe, sold as a franchise fantasy…”.
In our interview with The Doc, he confirmed that it was a great bonding experience; the couple celebrated their 37th anniversary while on the road. Bonding not only with each other but with a greater emotional attachment to the mass of America. The psychological impact of varying landscapes over so great a distance is the prime factor that evokes growth, both intellectual and spiritual. As The Doc reported, people are generally the same but live under different circumstances and perhaps speak with different accents.
There is no talk yet of a movie. Perhaps Hollywood might need to alter this simple storyline back to a different era. Instead of chasing a dream, perhaps the McConnells might be chased by Nazis spies with Marjie dragging the RV through the swamps of Florida in order to help The Doc escape the evil Fascist clutches. Or, more likely, perhaps members of the younger generation might be inspired by two retirees who covered a continent, and publish a movie online and in turn inspire others.
The Doc’s blog offered some insights on the energy crisis in America, or the crisis of creativity in failing to solve it, but the continually rising cost of gas might give the grand bicycle tour a new place in the history of road trips. For the adventurous adult with a flexible schedule, or for one of recent high school graduates choosing to take a “gap year”, the call of the open road is an exciting education. The Doc and Marjie’s trail from Alaska to Florida is not common, but not unheard of. A young man, Wade Anderson, has a very detailed website with a journal he kept on his solo bike ride from Alaska to Florida. He describes the adventure as, “An incredible journey across North America and into my soul.” It offers day to day entries along with a packing list and bicycle information. Associated Press reporter, Calvin Woodward, is a bit older than Wade but took on a no less challenging ride across America.
In the video below, in what must have made a great school essay, an 11 year old describes his 4000 mile bicycle tour across the USA and Canada.