Ten days ago I left Phoenix on a solo drive to the Quad Cities! (Retirement has left me a little restless.) The objective was to deliver a “new car” to our daughter in Rock Island, see her Quad City Eagles play a soccer match in Davenport, and get to the PGA’s John Deere Classic played in Silvis (not one of the Quad Cities) near Moline (the headquarters for Deere & Company), the third of the quad. (Bettendorf is the fourth, but we only drove through it a couple of times).
Driving alone, and with orders from the boss to take it easy, I had time to think about all the places I’d still love to see some day. The usual spots came to mind- Alaska, Hawaii, the Florida Keys, Vermont in the fall. A trip to Europe is already planned. Maybe an excursion to Australia? The advantage of going solo was being free to make a right turn or left turn on a whim. That is when I found sites and met people who told pretty unique stories. I may have a desire to head off to see distant places, but here are just a few of the encounters experienced between Arizona and Illinois.
First, there were the high school students working the counter at this little family owned restaurant. Nice as could be and willing to talk about life in Farmington, NM. They turned dinner for one into “a family meal.”
There was the motel owner in Garden City, KS who offered great customer service, and when prompted, shared how her family came here from India. I met the director of the Coronado-Quivara Museum in Lyon, KS. She had a skittish little dog (a rescued mutt) who didn’t take to strangers. Apologizing for her dog’s behavior, she shared she was determined to upgrade the make up of the exhibit. Discovering I taught history in Arizona, the director wondered aloud how I could help. The barkeeper at the little barbecue place in Independence, MO poured a cold beverage. After a little baseball talk while the Royals game played on TV, he shared he was from Odessa, MO, and was, incidentally, a classmate of Arizona D-back’s relief pitcher Brad Ziegler. (No, Brad didn’t throw side-armed in high school.)
I also met a man revisiting the site of the Sand Creek Massacre in southeast Colorado. He came here as a child but was now in his late forties. His Arapaho ancestors were some of the very few who survived one of the worst events in United States history.
Alaska is on my bucket list, but the Rocky Mountains will do for now… 
Finally, I look forward to seeing the sun come up over the Atlantic when we visit the Keys. It will have to be pretty special to beat this sunrise on the Kansas Plains.
Oh, by the way, mission accomplished.
Where do you want to go?
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