The big horizon...

The expanse of the horizon is something unknown to a New Yorker. There is nothing quite like seeing the whole horizon without buildings, without roads, without power lines and without people. As we drove through west Texas this afternoon and up through New Mexico this evening we could see for miles. The sun began to set over the mountains in New Mexico and it was a gorgeous orange which gradually turned to pink illuminating the clouds as it did so.

What is it about space that allows our souls to sour, our minds to wander and our hearts to run free? Perhaps it is the natural site that we so infrequently witness in our busy lives, or perhaps it is the endless possibilities that comes with that great expanse of nature. Perhaps we are forced to listen to ourselves think, there are no more distractions that we have created for ourselves.

In our culture of cell phones, ipods, iphones and droids we don’t ever have to watch the world go by, we can simply continue to watch tv or listen to our music. There was an ad for the Olympics this year demonstrating just that point, it is a man walking down the street who is watching women’s figure skating as he walks along and turns the corners. Now maybe I’m old fashioned or maybe I love living by the old saying “to stop and smell the roses” but this seems a bit unnecessary.

I think that’s why I found this stretch of the drive so mesmerizing. We were told before we made this 14 hour stretch of our trip that it would be long and it would be boring, as it is in the middle of nowhere by our busy standards. Now reflecting on the drive, I found it refreshing, it is an incredible privilege to be able to see so much of mother nature, and see all the beauty that God has created.

The Texas/Mexico Border

I found today that we were faced with an interesting issue, illegal immigration. We were driving from Houston to Santa Fe, this takes us along I-10 which cuts along the south of Texas through El Paso. It actually takes you right along the border of Mexico. Tempting though it is to have made this a Nafta trip we thought better of it given the current state of drug wars that are occurring in Juarez at the moment. We heard from Jacob’s cousin Matt, who is in the air force, that the US military have been banned from going to Juarez. So we used my father’s words of wisdom, which always ring in my head anytime I travel “It is looks like a bad idea, if it sounds like a bad idea, it’s probably a bad idea.”

What was fascinating as we drove this stretch of highway is that the police are out and about looking for any illegal immigrants who are trying to cross the border. As we drove through El Paso it is obvious this is a border town, you can see trucks and men’s clubs littering the city. Through the fence you can see Mexico and it’s dilapidated homes. As we drove out of El Paso there were four policeman surrounding one man, who we assume is being arrested for crossing the border illegally. Now why 4 cop cars is needed for one man, I’m not sure, but it certainly made us think, how far do you need to get into the states to be considered safe. In the North we have come in contact with illegal immigrants who are trying to make a better life, they clean homes, stand ready for work at day laborer locations and their children attend our schools. So how far north do you need to travel to stop being hunted??

The final interesting part of our immigrant lesson was that as we drove up I-25 toward Albuquerque, New Mexico we actually had to go through a border inspection, despite the fact we had not actually left the country, we still had to go through border patrol. They actually have every vehicle come through the inspection and check that everyone in the vehicle is an American citizen. Now I don’t know what happens if you aren’t all American citizens. They did not even check our licenses which I think had more to do with our blonde hair than anything else. It is really amazing that in this rugged part of the country there still remains a rugged life and people continuing to seek a better life and find their frontier.

Is everything bigger in Texas?

During the drive across west Texas with the 80 mph speed limit and deserted landscape, Texas certainly felt big. A couple days ago in Houston, the four levels of overpasses and the 10 highway lanes each direction felt pretty big. The turbo diesel, extended cab, V10 trucks were also big. But I suppose that’s to be expected when the oil is right under your feet.

A big ego is understandable from a state that was a stand-alone country for nearly a decade and requires all high school students to take a course dedicated to Texas history. It is this spirit of independence that has been immortalized in one of the most well known moments in Texas history—The Alamo.

174 years ago, next week, Davy Crockett and a handful of men made their last stand against thousands of soldiers in Santa Ana’s army. The men hailed from across the United States and were standing up against recent centralization of power in Mexico City. Less than two months after they all made the greatest sacrifice, Santa Ana was captured and his army expelled from Texas earning de facto independence (a treaty formalized the independence two years later in 1838).

Our Texas experience may have been less historic than Davy Crockett’s, but it turned out a little better for us. Although we have never lived in Houston or San Antonio, we reunited relationships built in France, Connecticut, Illinois and Tennessee. Despite our country’s dispersion and diversity, our almost daily meetings with friends and family make each stop seem uniquely familiar.

Home of the King

How can you possibly drive through Tennessee and not stop at the home of the King??

The man who transformed American music and culture and created the beginning of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, yes folks that is who I am speaking of. We made the trip to visit Graceland, we paid the $34.00, and yes it is in fact $34.00 to see his two planes, numerous automobiles, 13.8 acres of land, one floor of the home and his grave.

We felt as though we were really embracing this piece of history, the beginning of rock & roll and the beginning of “blingdom”. Until working at Tommy I never realized how America loves and embraces bling. As we walked up to the entrance to the “home of the king” the first sign reads “enter the blingdom” and indeed we did enter the blingdom.

A trip to music city USA…

The true value of this trip is the range of American culture we are able to see and take in, our first stop took us to Music City USA…Nashville, TN.

After living in the big apple Nashville feels like coming home. It’s small downtown, center of intellectual development (Vanderbilt University), up and coming artists striving to achieve their dreams and it’s truly unique and individual coffee shops, create a feeling of community that transcends the layers of diversity. It is beautiful to see people all seeking to create something new and to express themselves through their music, their research and their beliefs. The culture of individuality and the desire to achieve your dreams is contagious.

We were floored by the quantity of people we were able to check in with over the course of 40 hours. Seeing old friends and professors and hearing their stories are a great reminder of the freedoms we have in America. The freedom to think, the freedom to teach, the freedom to share beliefs and the freedom to start our own businesses.

Although it has been several years since we have lived in Nashville, it still feels like home despite the changing restaurants, changing faces and new buildings. The welcoming nature of the people and the open and honest conversation continue to make us consider what life would be like in Nashville…

Playing in the Dirt on the Road of Independence

"A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." - Confucius

Our first step was in New Canaan, CT on Sunday afternoon, and fortunately for us we have wheels. By Monday evening we completed our first 1,000 miles when we rolled into Nashville, TN on three good tires and a spare.

The best part about renting is the lack of responsibility. As renters of our car, we don't have the pride of ownership, but we also don't have the burden of responsibility.

When our tire burst on I-40, I was somewhat glad it wasn't entirely my problem, but then again we were the ones on the side of the road in the rain. When the car rental company told me roadside assistance would be there in an hour, my impatient independence inspired me to get out in the rain, lie on my stomach in the dirt and change the tire. But the joys of renting prevailed when we took the car to the Nashville airport and exchanged it for a new one.

On this first leg of our journey we are retracing our steps of independence. We spent much of Sunday driving through Pennsylvania--a vital link to our Nation's independence as home to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In Carlisle, PA we visited Dickinson College where Amy lived for her first year after moving away from home. On Monday we completed our drive to Nashville, TN where I (and Amy, after freshman year) moved to attend Vanderbilt University. It's been more than 8 years since I moved from my childhood home to explore the world beyond Illinois. And now I just keep moving...

Americans and their Cars

Americans like to drive. Cars are our freedom--ask any 15 year-old. The 16th Birthday means freedom to go where you want without parental supervision.

In fact, cars tend to be a necessity in most American neighborhoods. Drive the streets of the suburbs, or even the exoburbs, of any American city and you may notice nothing but houses for miles. If you didn't have a car, you might starve before you could walk to a grocery store.

We don't have a car. But we live in an anomaly of an American city--the Big Apple--New York City.

So, we rented a car. Because we're driving 9,000 miles. Coast-to-coast-to-coast. The Atlantic to the Pacific and back again.

A year in the life of Amy...the challenge of decision-making

The road trip started with a stop in Carlisle, PA to visit Amy's freshman year of college, Dickinson College.

As we drove off I-81 into Carlisle, PA, we passed the land of strip malls, Jacob turns to me and asks "so why did you decide to go here?". I say, "well it's actually really cute, wait until we get to downtown and the college." It is in fact an adorable old town with Colonial townhouses and buildings, the challenge is there's not a lot here beyond Dickinson, so the outskirts of town are not as quaint.

This one question launched us into a discussion about the decision making process, something that I've never been exceptionally good at. I began to reflect on how I made my decision my senior year of high school and how much that decision was about asserting my independence and rejecting the influences that surrounded me. The funny thing is sometimes when you try really hard to not be influenced by the people we are surrounded by, we still are.

The Foundation of Family

It's important to always begin with who you are, and the people who know you best. You may not realize it but your family knows what your mood is before you even say a word.

We picked up the rental car in Stamford, CT and packed it up with more than we probably need. That always seems to happen when you travel by car.

There is something strengthening about coming home, we went to church and it is so encouraging to walk into a place where everyone knows your name, and they are excited about everything you do. I mean it has always been that way, I would sing a solo growing up and probably make multiple mistakes but everyone still told me I did great. That's why it was so wonderful to start the day of our departure with church; they sent us off with great excitement.

We followed church with a wonderful brunch with family, Grammy, Elizabeth, Mom, Dad and the two Christophers (Chris the adult and Christopher the nephew). It was wonderful to sit down and laugh and find the foundation of family.

Welcome to the Road Trip

The Challenge: 9,000 miles in 5 weeks

The Financial Capital to the Political Capitol via the rest of the USA.

This is The Road to the Foreign Service.