Essays on the absurdity and elegance of the "Great American Road Trip"

and a celebration of the man who steered mine.

Ride "shotgun" on a celebration of the open road that will resonate with all who remember fondly the poignant, tragic, poetic, wondrous, and often ridiculous elements that comprise the "Great American Family Road Trip."

Only months after his father's death, Randy Young is hitting the open road with nothing but his father's urn and ashes and his cherished memories for company. Through stories from friends and family along the way and a few detours through recollections of classic family road trips, he seeks to reclaim an image of his dad unfettered by the dementia that had plagued him for years, and thus, happens upon a transcendent healing.

En route, the author invites us to meditate on "The Great Abyss," lucky birds, bad omens, and time travel, and to ponder 360° turns, life, death, pierogies, and the efficacy of portable urinals. Rediscover a time when we were all regaled with ghost stories, jokes, or family histories by the glow of dashboard lights, when the ultimate sense of security was curling up and sleeping in the backseat on a long ride home.

Come along for the ride. The destination may be uncertain, but the journey is joyous.  

Prefaceix

Acknowledgementsxxi

1. North Carolina into Virginia 1

2. Across the Appalachians 13

3. Interstate 81 and Central Virginia 23

4. Virginia into Pennsylvania 31

5. Leaving Bellefonte 41

6. Western Massachusetts 51

Photo Insert 63

7. Dartmouth and Northern New England 73

8. I-91 South to Connecticut 85

9. Connecticut to New York City 97

10. I-95 South to Maryland105

11. Southbound on I-85117

Epilogue137

About the Author145