Snapshots from the Road

When it comes to travel, summer is always the busiest time of year. Things ramp up in late July and don’t show any signs of slowing down until mid-September. I like that. Some of the trips are for work, while others are purely for pleasure. As you read this, I’m on an adventure that falls into the latter category; it’s a weeklong tour of Northern California and Southern Oregon with my parents.

San Francisco. Lassen Volcanic Park. Crater Lake. The Redwoods. Frank Lloyd Wright. Neon signs. Roadside Americana. Diners. Museums. Motels. Lodges. Hikes. The ocean. All this, plus more, connected by a little bit of highway and mile after mile of scenic byway. My dad planned the whole thing—and even printed out his own TripTik, just like his parents used to get from AAA the 1950s.

I love being out on the road, experiencing new places, and hearing bits and pieces of everyones’ stories. The majority of the people have been nice, and the landscape is breathtaking to say the least. But, as you may have guessed, today’s post isn’t focused on the great outdoors, per se. Instead, it’s a gallery of mid-century goodness from my week on the road.

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Regardless of where we are, my family loves spotting old cars in the wild. “Oh! A rod!” one of us will blurt at the first sign of early iron. Depending on the traffic conditions, we very well may turn around so we can inspect it further. Case in point—this ’47 Ford we came across in Cave Junction, Oregon.

The same goes for old signage. My folks appreciate it, and they’ll even travel off course (a little bit) to let me snap photos for my collection. We stay in motels, motor lodges and motor courts whenever possible, and we’re drawn to mom-n-pop restaurants. I have a good feeling many of you travel (or have traveled) much like we do.

These trips are a chance to see the American road. For me, it’s an opportunity to catch up with my parents while learning about the things that interest us. As far as family fun goes, it doesn’t get any better than that.

—Joey Ukrop