
There’s nothing more freeing than the open road. It’s especially nice if you get up early to watch the sun rise and make time to brake along the way for roadside attractions.
I especially like neon signs, great downtowns, old churches, rustic barns and covered bridges.
As I begin planning this year’s adventures, I have been looking back on the road trip by which I measure them all. It was in the days following Christmas 2018 and I set out on the National Road through Indiana all the way to Terre Haute and back to Springfield, Ohio. There is nothing like rambling down the National Road if you want a slice of Americana.
I had no hotel reservations but a list of places to see – the Model T Museum and an old firehouse turned restaurant in Richmond, Lynn’s Soda Fountain in Brazil, the magnificent Oasis Diner in Plainfield and a host of antique stores along the way. I talked to people, saw murals and learned so much that trip.
The last day, I left Richmond in the pitch black with a breakfast sandwich in hand and a camera on the seat next to me. It took hours to make it to Springfield because I rambled down side roads and around the block in small towns just to see what was out there.
The journey was the destination and the plan was to have no plan.
It was the epitome of freedom and adventure and the absolute best vacation from reality. Everyone should experience such joy and independence as I found on the National Road for those cold late December days.
Will I get to experience this type of joy again? I honestly don’t know but have my sights set on some new places to visit and some familiar spots in Indiana. Perhaps a few days rambling through small towns in the Hoosier State will be just the ticket.
So, roadies- where will your rambling take you this year?