6 Days on the Road
Hitting the road, tarmac, and rails without a net
Travel with this solo traveler
I’m not special in the fact that I love to travel. Who doesn’t love to get out of their comfort zone and explore a new area, feeling the vibe, hearing the accents, drinking the coffee, and learning what it’s like in the elusive elsewhere?
Well, my adult kid, for one. They get stressed out by my general lack of itineraries and occasional outbursts directed at Apple Maps. My best friend’s another. It’s St. Louis, or it’s crap. She’s a stay-at-home rockstar, and the city is luckier for that. I drag her out of the city limits every five or so years, just to make sure the panic part of her brain is in good working order.
But you love to travel, right? Being an armchair tourist counts, too. I’m writing for both types of travelers, sharing my experiences as a mostly solo traveler of America with places and people from all the places I love. Here’s the details:
1. Six days where, doing what?
No, this isn’t going to be a gimmick where I take six-day road trips. Although if I had the financial means, I would absolutely be down for that. The title is a reference to one of my favorite songs, “Six Days on the Road” by Dave Dudley, Charley Pride, George Jones, Taj Mahal, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Sawyer Brown, and way too many more. I prefer the Steve Earle version. It’s also a nod to my grandfather, Charles Berry (no, not that Chuck Berry, who had a lot of good traveling songs.). Grandpa Chuck was an over-the-road trucker from the late 1950s until he retired in 1986. What did he do when he retired? He traveled. Granny Viv often went on the road with him. Going seemed to be their default mode, a part of who they were.
I grew up with stories from all over the U.S., told by my grandfather. I’ve been told that my first steps happened in a Kansas motel room on the way to Colorado. My parents took me on trips as often as possible. When I was 21 (1993) I took my first solo road trip. From Columbia, Missouri to Memphis, Tennessee, without a map, never mind a cell phone. I walked my feet bloody in ill-advised cheap cowboy boots and found Sun Studio around 4 a.m.
2. Where are we going?
Wherever! As an unemployed writer, we’re going to be traveling to the past, mostly. Because I lack income and, for once, don’t have any trips scheduled. So far I’m strictly a domestic traveler. Timing and funds and fear have prevented me from going beyond Canada. It’s all so much.
I live on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metro area, and I love it when people visit me, so I’ll hit some STL sites. My other favorite cities include Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago, Tulsa … I’m limiting my writings to places I’ve visited in the last two years.
3. Are you some sort of influencer?
Not even slightly. For the time being I’m not accepting any sponsorships. I just write about places I love. Should this change, I’ll let you know. I like transparency.
4. Why should I pay you?
Because I’m an unemployed writer always in search of my next cheap trip. And I have a kid in art school and a fancy coffee habit. You don’t have to pay me. My writings and archives will stay free. As I figure out what I’m doing, I’ll add some media components—video, podcast interviews with travel-related people, and I don’t know what—that will be available to paid subscribers. I’m not offering the paid option yet. It’ll be introduced when I have material worth paying for.
Get your Stanley full of cold brew and let’s go!
Not into travel and prefer angst? You might like my other Substack. Although it has a lot of travel, too.