What Do You See?

So begins another night in a hotel in a town that many travel through. It seems like such a negative statement but is something I very much love. With twelve years in coaching, a few years racing dirt bikes, many years competing in tennis and as a youth racing BMX around the country it is a life that is normal for me. It is funny how a hotel room feels comfortable. I have spoken to so many people that hate hotels because they cannot sleep or many other reasons. I find it relaxing. I truly enjoy traveling with my family but even when they cannot be with me I still love curling up in the hotel bed, turning the a/c down, hitting the television button, and falling off into dream land. Okay, so hotel breakfast isn’t the best but it gets you going and on your way to your next adventure.

I guess the best part of traveling to me is just seeing what is out there. Whether it is a big rig, I love semi’s, hauling a load cross country or a motorhome pounding out miles down the road I find myself wondering where they are going or what they are hauling. It may sound crazy but I really enjoy the process of traveling. I like truck stops, seeing race haulers of all kinds, horse trailers moving north and south, or dirt bikes in the back of a pick-up truck. I don’t get the opportunity to travel the backroads as much as I would like but I still find amazement in the interstates. There is so much out there to see. You just must look. I find beauty in a freshly tilled field or a set of rolling hills. How can you not be amazed by some of the mountain views that our country provides? Whether it is a farm of windmills or a pasture of cattle it is America the Beautiful.

Having had the opportunity to travel by vehicle all over the country I have seen a lot of what is out there. I guess I should be bored with it but it is ever changing. There is a recent Jason Aldean song titled Fly Over States that references the farmlands in the Midwest. They do look different from the sky and for someone who doesn’t like to sit in a car can be quite boring from the ground. For those that fly over them you are missing the wildlife in the dirt mounds on the edge of the highway or the beautiful flowers that pop up randomly. You are missing the incredible interaction of small town people who know you aren’t from around here. You miss the opportunity to eat at the local diner. You know it is good because the parking lot is packed. There is so much to see. I feel sad when people say they just don’t like driving or when you pass by a vehicle and everybody, even the driver is buried in their phone. Look up, look out, there is so much to see. Allow yourself to be amazed by these 48 contiguous states. They all offer something.

As you can tell I love being on the road. I joke all the time that if it was a different life I would be an over the road truck driver. Oh, the places you can go. I have changed that to oh the places I have been and the places I will be going. Enjoy the drive and get out and see something.