Next week, three lifelong friends and I will be leaving on a coast to coast (for me) road trip. The portion of the trip between Chicago and Los Angeles will be following Historic Route 66. This will be the first extended trip I’ve made since the fall of 2019, before the pandemic shut down the world. I am more than ready!
There are four of us old guys, all in our 70s, who grew up on the same block in a small town in western Pennsylvania. We’ve been friends for as long as any of us has memories. We’ve remained close friends over our lifetimes and, over the past 20 years, have managed to get together, along with our significant others, somewhere in the U.S. or Canada every year. In the fall of 2019, while all eight of us were in Nova Scotia, the four of us decided to do an ‘only guys’ Route 66 trip in 2020. Then Covid-19 canceled everything and the trip was postponed and postponed and postponed. This month we are all finally able to get together and make the journey. Imagine four 70s-something 'kids' out there with no supervision!
Two of us made a similar trip in 2013. That was the reason for the original creation of this blog. I created The Wandering Lensman to document that trip for our families and friends. I decided to continue it and transition to mainly photographic content. Now, 1420 posts and nine years later, I once again make the trip. In retrospect, on the first trip we spent 13 days along Route 66 but that was too fast. We missed quite a few things that I hope we will not miss this time.
The plan is for all of us to meet at one of the guys’ home in Michigan. From there we will drive west to Chicago, then south and west along Route 66 culminating at the Santa Monica Pier in LA. We have not yet determined a return route but will most likely take a northern route since we took a southern route previously. There is no timeline, no specific agenda nor commitments except make the trip to the Pacific along “The Mother Road.” Each day we end up wherever we happen to be and return home, well, whenever.
My goal is to post each evening, but only a quick post of a paragraph or two along with a photo or two. I don’t suspect I will have time nor will want to spend a lot of time at my computer after traveling all day. We’ll see how that works out.
I will drive to Michigan, leave my vehicle at my friend’s home and when we return will drive back to southeastern Virginia. I’ll get home whenever I happen to arrive. No stress traveling as I like to call it.
I’m excited. This trip is as much about sharing experiences and making memories with three lifelong friends as it is about Route 66 and photography. You are invited to come along for the ride with me!
In Friday’s upcoming post I’ll detail what gear I’m taking.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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