Does I like travel, or dislike it? My jury’s out, because travel is so often inconclusive. Much of what happens is so mysterious, a rush of achingly incomplete tableaux. Landscapes withhold comprehensibility, no matter how intently we stare, no matter how attractive they may be. Every surface, every complex of elements, leaves off, just as it engages the curiosity.
There is the top of an old barn, just the top, fleetingly visible above a cornfield. The roof is discolored and gradually acquiring a layer of moss. The shape, the wood of the barn declare it to be very very old. The silo to the right looks like it was made in another century, another country–it has an Old World look to it. Where are we? Yes, we are in Wisconsin, but beyond that I have no idea.
The people who built this barn, whether they were happy or unhappy, whether they prospered or went bust, the life sheltered in this barn–all these are matters unknown to me, and might remain mysteries even if I were to pull off the road and spend the whole day making local inquiries. For, to be honest, this barn and its companions are just one mystery among many.
The story of our travels may remain forever untold.
harley says
I generally have a hard time starting a trip but once on the way I find adjusting somewhat easier than the leaving………I too often wonder at the diversity of what I see.
Celia says
I’m a reluctant traveler because it disrupts my work habits, but I’ve seldom regretted going on a trip once it’s over.
janet says
Just got back from traveling to Arizona for a week. Drove through the desert and mountains all in one day. I thought I loved car travel, but a full day of driving and everything became blurry.
Celia says
Welcome back, Janet. I was wondering where you were :). The West is so big. And I find mountain-driving so adrenaline-producing that it exhausts me. The truth that I am too detail-oriented to take in the big picture of what I can see from the car. But I do love seeing the West from the train–we’ve taken both the Empire Builder and the California Zephyr from Chicago to the West in order to enjoy its spectacular landscape.