Finding America The Great American Road Trip

Welcome to my web page about a quaint little trip around these United States of America. From here, you can follow links to four main parts:

If you want a background on the trip, keep reading.

Picture it : America, just past the dawn of the twenty-first century. The United States, the world's lone superpower, is facing a an economic recession and a worldwide war on terrorism. Having recently received and responded to the worst terrorist attack in Earth's history, the nation is redefining itself. Patriotism sweeps the land under a president who tells us that to fight this new kind of enemy, we must not live our lives in fear. If we avoid New York and Washington, if we fear travel, if we hold up in our homes and distrust our neighbors, then the enemy has won.

The attacks on our way of life made me realize how fragile freedom is. I once told some friends of mine from India that I admired their country's democracy. "When the people are fat and happy, and when two vast oceans protect you," I said, "democracy is easily maintained. To preserve it amid chaos and poverty is an entirely different endeavor." Now that our society has come to accept we will have to preserve our democracy under slightly harsher circumstances, I have come to accept that this society is vulnerable. I feared this country that I love so much would be swept out from under me before I ever had a chance to really know her.

Because of the recession and attacks, I had no job, but I had just graduated from college. In other words, I had no obligations. I did, however, have savings and a brand new car. So, I made the decision to see this country now, while I still had the chance. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I decided that this trip should be a culture tour. Instead of seeing the biggest sites and the best-known monuments, I would observe the real distinct American cultures. Much to the chagrin of my friends, I spent most of my time on the trip people-watching. I didn't see a Broadway play, but I did watch tens of thousands of people walk by me in Times Square. I did not go to the top of the Washington monument, but I did watch political protests. I sat in bars, restaurants, park benches, and Starbucks cafés, trying to find America.

I refused to bring any companions with me, so that I might be forced to talk to locals. In spite of my having a six-disc CD changer, I refused to bring a wealth of music, so that I might be forced to listen to each city's radio stations. I left behind all possible distractions so that at every street and town, my eyes would focus outward, even if "outward" was just an endless expanse of desert.

Here you will find my humble journey, with my hope that these words and pictures might help and inspire others to see America. Seven short weeks do not provide nearly enough time to find this land. But then again, as I soon found out, neither would a lifetime.

Last updated 2002-08-26 at 18:40 GMT
Copyright © Van Goodwin, 2002
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