Author Topic: Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon ~ March Book Club Online (Read 98858 times)

JoanP · « **Reply #40 on:** March 03, 2014, 07:07:32 PM »

The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome.

March Book Club Online ~ Starting March 3

Blue Highways - a Journey into America
by William Least Heat-Moon

This should be FUN! Whether you decide to read and discuss William Least Heat-Moon's classic 1978 travel account or share your own memories of the "blue highways" of America, you will probably leave winter doldrums behind - in your driveway. Heat-Moon coined the term to refer to small, forgotten, out-of-the-way roads connecting rural America (which were drawn in blue on the old style Rand McNally road atlas).

The book chronicles the author's 13,000-mile journey and the people he meets along the way, as he steers clear of cities and interstates, avoiding fast food and exploring local American culture. His book was on the NY Times’ best seller list for 42 weeks in 1982-83, and its title became a cultural code word for a journey of introspection and discovery.

Some questions we'll explore:
   * What's left of the country stores and cafes on the old blue highways?
   * Do you have photographs?

Discussion Schedule:
   Part One ~ March 3-7 (Eastward)
   Part Two ~ March 8-11 (East by Southeast~The Carolinas)

Relevant Links:
   Read Blue Highways Online (opening chapters) ;
   Least Heat Moon's route map (interactive)
Interview with Least Heat-Moon "Be a Traveller, not a Tourist"
QUOTES noted from Blue Highways

Some Topics for Discussion
March 3-7 Part One Eastward

Let's bring in our own experiences and observations whenever possible.

1. How much time did it take Bill Trogdon to get on the road from the time he lost his teaching job in Missouri? How well prepared was he? What did his packing list reveal about the kind of trip he was planning?

2. Have you ever taken an extended road trip? Will you tell us about it? How much preparation went into it? How did your trip differ from the author's? Were you trying to avoid the Interstates?

3. Least Heat-Moon, Eddie Short Leaf...Osage Indian names. What do you know of the Osage Indians living in Missouri. Least Heat-Moon says he's making the trip to find his roots. Do you think need a purpose if you plan to be on the road for a long time?

4. Is it at all clear why Heat-Moon chose this particular route? (See the interactive map of his trip. Why did he head East from Missouri? Why the circular route, avoiding the mid-section of the country? If you were to start out today, what direction, what route would you take?

5. Part One chronicles the Eastern route he followed the first week of his trip. This MAP might be easier to follow - since he backtracked, went out of his way by 45 miles, to find a place called Nameless, TN. What does this tell about his planned route?

6. Let's keep a list of Least Heat-Moon's philosophical observations, which make this so much more than a travel journal. (Just post your favorites and we'll add them to a list.)

Contact: JoanP

JoanP · « **Reply #41 on:** March 03, 2014, 07:15:31 PM »

Maryz, Kidsal! That's a whole lot of driving! I've questions for you. Kidsal, were you driving alone all that way in that little convertible of yours? Maryz, you sound as if you had company. Don't you think it would make a big difference driving such a distance alone?

I found a picture of Least Heat-Moon's van and a note saying that he purchased it in 1975. (This trip was not until 1978, so he knew how it handled.) I can't imagine you with that trailer on the back of your car, Mary. Wasn't it difficult to maneuver? You didn't have it very long before you set out. Did you ever get tired of it after thousands of miles. I'll bet you stopped in motels now and then during those 3.5 months! Do you have any photos of it?

Here's Least-Heat Moon's van - named it Ghost Dancing. (I don't know why.) He lived in it for three months...

maryz · « **Reply #42 on:** March 03, 2014, 08:06:16 PM »

John and I went on the trip. He drove about 2/3 of the time, me the other third. Pulling the trailer was definitely a learning experience. We had a Ford F-350 auto-transmission truck, pulling a 27' trailer. In California, we were at a family reunion at a state park, but the rest of the time we stayed in the trailer. We certainly ate out many times. There were no digital cameras then, and we were mostly taking slides, so I don't have any photos available.

On the way to CA, we had planned for a hiking Elderhostel for John do to at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We parked the trailer in the campground at the North Rim, and I stayed there (with the truck, so I could wander around the park) while he did his hiking and stayed with the group.

We rarely drove more than 4-5 hours a day. When we drove the Highway, it was all paved (except for the areas of road construction), and there was gas available at about 50-75 mile intervals, so much easier than when Kidsal drove it. We had been advised to "drive on the top half of your tank", i.e., fill up at the first opportunity when the tank was down to half-full. Our truck had two 18-gallon tanks, so when we switched over, we stopped soon to fill up the depleted one. We took two spare tires for the truck and one for the trailer, and never used any of them. The only mishap we had was a tiny windshield ding, which we got on a paved road, driving about 25 mph. We got that fixed at the next stop, paid for by our car insurance.

We were concerned about too much enforced togetherness, but actually didn't have any arguments or harsh words until we were about 3 hours from home.

kidsal · « **Reply #43 on:** March 04, 2014, 01:45:59 AM »

My mother was with me on my trips to Alaska and back -- Buick LeSabre Convertible -- was planning on a job in California instead of Alaska. Was surprised we didn't see much wildlife on the way -- but did smell a bear. Camped out one night -- hate camping. A lot of traffic on the road -- mainly trucks. We were lucky we didn't get a broken windshield as many do because of the gravel being kicked up by passing vehicles. Was in Anchorage for eleven years and got to see a great deal of it due to my job. But no highways - but interesting bush plane rides.

JoanP · « **Reply #44 on:** March 04, 2014, 05:57:41 PM »

Maryz, I'm still laughing...3.5 months on the road together and only three hours from home when you had words! I think my husband and I would not have been on such good behaviour for so long in the car together all those hours - months. He would have been stressed with that trailer on the back too!

Our William Least Heat-Moon travelled alone for the same length of time. I've been wondering whether it would be more difficult to travell a distance with someone, as you and kidsal did - or alone as he did. I don't think I could have done it alone. (Anniementioned this morning that a woman could not make such a trip alone - and she thinks it's not fair!) Least Heat-Moon says something in the openng chapters about all the driving and battling with his Cherokee wife - the "Indian Wars" he called them. He was probably better suited to traveling solo.

I noticed several things he packed in his gear box - a satchel of notebooks, pens, a microcassette recorder; 2 Nikon F2 35mm cameras and five lenses. It was the microcassette recorder that really got my attention. What did he attend to do with the recorder? It seems he set out to document his trip. Did you take notes, pictures on your trips? Did you make scrapbooks of the places you saw?

JoanP · « **Reply #45 on:** March 04, 2014, 06:04:37 PM »

Those of you who are out on the road already, following Ghost Dancing on the eastward route - Where do you think he's going? Does he seem to have a destination in mind? Where are you at this point?

JoanK · « **Reply #46 on:** March 04, 2014, 06:16:00 PM »

The problem I'm going to have is my bad memory. I've already forgotten what towns he went through. I'll have to take notes, which I don't usually have to do.

I'm a little nervous about what he's going to say about my home town (Washington D.C.) I can see from the "list of states that he goes through it, but I'm afraid it's not his kind of place, and I'm already defensive, imagining what he might say.

Frybabe · « **Reply #47 on:** March 05, 2014, 07:42:40 AM »

I was very much interested in what he had to say about the horses' bones and the water supply being rich in calcium and phosphorous. Here I just thought the horse industry just kind of happened around a good quantity of nice pastureland and the phenomena of "birds of a feather flocking together" mentality.

JoanP · « **Reply #48 on:** March 05, 2014, 09:59:32 AM »

FRY, where are you? Kentucky, maybe? When did you become interested in horses? Horses' bones? Need some context here this morning!

State? Route?
Some of you mention an Atlas. I wonder how many are following the route with a Rand McNally map?

JoanK - Don't worry so much! We won't be back to the east coast till the very end of the trip - and who knows, by that time DC might be Mr. Trogdon's kind of town!

Did you find his route a bit confusing when looking on the Interactive map? I did. It seems he left Columbia, Mo - drove east (looking for Spring?) and then headed back out of his way, looking for a place called NAMELESS. When he came home, he followed a similar east-west route back to MO.

This map makes it a bit clearer -

maryz · « **Reply #49 on:** March 05, 2014, 10:05:46 AM »

I'm in Chattanooga, TN. I've never been to Nameless, TN, but I looked on google maps. The area where it is is very sparsely settled and rugged. Poor soil, so no good farming...just "hard" country.

I've been through Ninety-Six, SC. Our daughter lives near there. Her kids went to school in Due West, SC, which is right down the road from Honea Path, Ware Shoals, etc. Real "blue road" places.

Frybabe · « **Reply #50 on:** March 05, 2014, 10:21:34 AM »

Yes, I forgot to mention Kentucky. I was quite a horse nut in my younger days. Learned to ride English saddle, but then we moved to an area where the stables all taught Western (or at least the ones my parents found). Parents didn't want to drive me the whole way back to the stable I had taken lessons, and I didn't want to learn Western, so that ended most of my riding days. (Snooty of me, I know) I spent my high school years watching my school friends ride in the local horse shows, and went to the polo matches held on Max Hempt's farm. Max used to be very heavy into Standardbred Harness racing. He along with the Horseshoe Farms in Hanover were big names in that venue. My friends in HS were mostly farm kids who had horses of their own. If you don't live on a farm, stabling a horse is expensive, as are the vet and feed bills. The lessons couldn't have been all that cheap for my parents, so I doubt they minded not having that expense after we moved.

PatH · « **Reply #51 on:** March 05, 2014, 10:22:51 AM »

Horses bones--what he meant was that the limestone soil provided horses an unusually good supply of the minerals needed for strong bones--I'm not sure whether in the grass or the water or both. This is an issue for racehorses, who are more slender than workhorses, and put a lot of strain on their bones. So that combined with the very suitable climate would make Kentucky a natural for racehorse breeding.

pedln · « **Reply #52 on:** March 05, 2014, 10:36:17 AM »

This is fun reading everyone's comments about where they are and where they've been. Then I'm kind of like PatH, getting hung up on the map and looking up the towns.

Sally, good to see you here. I've been near your town in Wyoming, even tried to stay there one night, but all the motels were full up, and I wondered why. Guess you get a lot of people in the summer. (That was my one and only cross country trip from Mo to Seattle, nine years ago.) Now all this conversation is getting me in a mind to go somewhere again.

Frybabe, I wonder why Least didn't go to Pennsyvania. Some 60 years ago I went with my best friend and her parents from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania and north. We were two 13-year-olds just enthralled with the Amish farms, the barns, the hex signs. And music nerd that I was, I was so excited that we were going to see Fred Waring's place at Shawnee on Delaware.

JoanP, I've never heard those strange words. Not MO-speak here, at least not Mississippi River speak.

That road he took across Illinois -- I-64 -- was very new back then and has been my road of choice for years, when driving east. Beats the heck out of that truck route I-70.

Sallie, back in the 1950's, maybe 60's, our neighbors drove from Wisconsin into Alaska, and they were told to take a trailor-full (not a mobile home) of tires.

PatH · « **Reply #53 on:** March 05, 2014, 11:05:39 AM »

Frybabe, we were posting at the same time. I'm pretty fuzzy-minded on the difference between English and Western; would you care to enlighten me?

The froe seems to be a widespread term, though I'd never heard of it. If you like tools, it's worth looking at that Wikipedia link. It seems like a nifty, well-thought-out device for a specific problem--cutting slices of wood of even thickness, especially if your aim isn't good enough with an axe.

ANNIE · « **Reply #54 on:** March 05, 2014, 11:52:43 AM »

Oh, the horses! And such interesting posts! I am having lunch with a friend and she has arrived so will post later!

Frybabe · « **Reply #55 on:** March 05, 2014, 12:47:33 PM »

Pat H, a picture is worth a thousand words, so they say:

http://horsesrock166.hubpages.com/hub/English-Horseback-Riding-Vs-Western-Horseback-Riding

English is for what I'd call leisure riding, also for thoroughbred horse racing, jumping, fox hunting.

Western is a work saddle, as seen in numerous cowboy movies and rodeos, and cattle and horse roundups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStl1sUzIN4 Calf roping. The first 38 seconds are sufficient.
Notice that the rope is tied to the horn on the saddle. The horse and man are a team. The horse's, job is to get the roper close enough to the calf for him to throw and then once the calf is roped, the horse must hold the rope taut while the rider ties the calf. This rodeo event has its roots in the ranch roundups to catch and brand new calves. But you all knew that.

ANNIE · « **Reply #56 on:** March 05, 2014, 03:17:01 PM »

Frybabe,

Those links that you left are so interesting but I strongly disagree with the first author when she says
" To conclude, english and western riding styles are very different.''

That is not true! I first rode English while taking lessons at the age of 41 (I was also taking flying lessons that the same time). After I got a feel for the English, a friend offered to let me and my 12 yr old son ride her Western styled (trained?) horses after supper every night for the whole summer. Never had any problem switching back and forth from English and Western. I did both, regularly. I also also rode a barrel horse during that time and it tried to get rid of me, on the wall of the paddock. Not an experience I want to repeat!

I did love riding and was fortunate that my daughter was into horses up to the top of her head! She worked to earn enough money to buy her own horse and because the horse was only 1yr when she bought her, Barb spent that first year, just getting acquainted with her love, never riding her. She was stabled about a half mile from us and everyday Barb had to feed the horse before going to school. After supper, more feeding and stall cleaning was there to do. Due to the fact that she needed money to feed the animal, she continued to work. Her boarding charge was $10 a month but she had to pay for and provide hay and feed. We paid the boarding fee. Later that year, her best friend and she, were offered free board at a large private stable belonging to another friends parents, if they would take care of the other horses, belonging to the family. The girls got up every morning, to feed those horses (now numbering 9 with the parent's horses included) and to put them out to pasture. After dinner, every night, they returned to bring in the 9 and to clean stalls and feed and water. And both of us mothers became the girls' "gofers"! Both of the girls were into jumping and horse shows which is a lot of work for everyone involved including us moms. The girls both rode English.

But, I was going to say, about the book and me, I live in Columbus, Ohio and I was in the Kentucky chapter when I posted. Am now too far ahead and will slow down a bit.
We used to live closer to Columbus but in a different zip code and the very differently named town called Blacklick, which was out in the country. I have no idea of why it was named that but my luncheon buddy still lives there, and she wondered if it had anything to with deers and salt licks? I just know that the horse mill was located about 2 miles from home and that I was often asked to pick up feed for the girls' horses.

[/b]

maryz · « **Reply #57 on:** March 05, 2014, 03:31:26 PM »

My husband and daughters got into basket-making at one time. They used a froe to split the reeds or oak used in basket-making.

ANNIE · « **Reply #58 on:** March 05, 2014, 03:58:58 PM »

Here is a pic of a 'froe'.

https://www.lehmans.com/p-686-lehmans-own-old-fashioned-froe.aspx

JoanP · « **Reply #59 on:** March 05, 2014, 04:51:11 PM »

Pedln, I think we're all wondering at the chosen route. Sometimes I feel he's just driving around looking for odd-sounding names, wanting to know more about how they got these names. Bug, Kentucky was one of the names I remember. I read in an interview that one of his favorites, if not his favorite story was how Namesless, Tenn. got its name. I think you'll enjoy that one, Maryz - He left his Kentucky route to go out of his way to Tenn., just to talk to people in Nameless to learn about the name.

Got so excited following him through Kentucky, actually found Kentucky 53, while looking for Shelbyville - an interesting place to stop. It seems that most of the places he stops are restaurants or cafes - when hungry for local cuisine or conversation/information. I can understand that. In Shelbyville, he stopped at Claudia Saunders Dinner House. Claudia is Colonel Saunder's sister. Place is still open - don't know if Claudia is there...but I noted the restaurant just in case I find myself in the neighborhood.

I wasn't able to find Tenn. 42 on the Kentucky map though - but did find the town of Livingston on his way to to Nameless...
Tiny city - As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 228 people, 104 households, and 63 families residing in the city. I wonder how many there were in 1978 when Heat-Moon stopped to chat.

Here's one more cafe in Kentucky - here he got the directions to Nameless. The City Cafe in Gainsboro, TN. The waitress here thinks he needs a dog to keep him company. He disagrees. Needs to talk to people, not dogs...
Do you recognize this town, MaryZ? I don't think the City Cafe is still open, but it was an interesting stop...you'll see the five calendar ratings in this link.

JoanK, are you finding these cities in your memory bank? (My memory is as bad as yours - I confess, I'm writing them down.) I'll bet you won't forget Nameless once we find it... I'll bet your noticing the different birds he's noting -

maryz · « **Reply #60 on:** March 05, 2014, 05:25:13 PM »

Re eating while travelling: When going through small towns, we've learned to stop at a café on (or within a block of) the town square. Or a place that's named "City Café" or "Ninety-Six Café" (whatever the name of the small town might be). And order the special of the day, or ask the waitress for her favorite thing. Then enjoy your meal and eavesdrop on the conversations of the regulars. Fabulous!

JoanK · « **Reply #61 on:** March 05, 2014, 06:10:05 PM »

City folk like me know almost nothing about horses. I do have a friend who loves horses -- she has a t-shirt that reads "horse riding is the art of keeping the horse between you and the ground."

I'm glad to know the difference between English and Western saddles. Thanks, FRY for that clear description of the saddle and horse's role in calf roping. Rodeos are broadcast on TV here in LA, and I watch them. It's a new world to Eastern city me. I like to understand it as much as I can.

Is a barrel horse, one that's trained to do the barrel racing? I can only imagine how much skill that takes.

CallieOK · « **Reply #62 on:** March 05, 2014, 06:19:56 PM »

JoanP, the City Café link is wonderful! Thank you for providing a source of information about the entire book! I have bookmarked it for future reference.

Some would advise stopping at a diner where there are a lot of trucks in the parking lot. I don't know that I would suggest that if they're all semis, but pick-ups often indicate a café where the local guys meet for morning coffee and conversation. That doesn't necessarily mean great food, though. I wouldn't recommend either of the diners in my home town in southeastern Oklahoma.

I realize this road trip is an escape from unhappy times in Least Moon's life but the tone of his writing reminds me of an old "Wee Pals" cartoon I have on my "social comment" board. One character is walking with his head down and his hands in his pockets as he comments, "I don't mind facing reality once in a while, but when it's every day, it gets to be a drag."

maryz · « **Reply #63 on:** March 05, 2014, 06:36:53 PM »

Joan, we haven't been to Gainsboro, TN, but we may have to look for it. I LOVE the calendar ratings. The food is usually just plain, good food, but a large part of the charm is the ambience. We have heard more wonderful things - stories we've told for years - listening to the local conversation, or just chatting up the wait persons and/or cooks and/or proprietors.

Our daughter has a friend who has just built a house in a horse-friendly retirement/vacation community just outside of Jamestown, TN. This is one of those very small towns - there's a non-super WalMart and a hardware store, but not much else. She moved there from the Washington, DC, suburbs, so it's quite a shock to her system. We've visited once, and will go again. We'll check out some of the eateries.

salan · « **Reply #64 on:** March 06, 2014, 05:16:36 AM »

I have just left Nameless & am on the road!
Sally

Frybabe · « **Reply #65 on:** March 06, 2014, 07:44:19 AM »

I am about where you are Salan, just drove by Oak Ridge.

George and I spent many a lunch/dinner at diners. We just loved the atmosphere and the food generally good and plentiful. Diner waitresses were always good with the back and forth banter of the regulars, which of course included us. One of our favorite diners in the Allentown area eventually went out of business after the off track betting parlor was built across the wide street. The powers that be reconfigured the roadway, putting in barriers so that people could not make a left hand turn into the diner parking lot. That and the fact that the owner liked to gamble, so I suspect that also was a factor.

Adoannie, I don't think boarding fees around here were ever that low. Those few people I knew who had to board did cut their costs by mucking their horse stall and feeding the horse themselves. One or two who took lessons at the same stable as me paid for their lessons by mucking, feeding and exercising the stable horses. The stable owner was pretty ambitious for herself and her better riders in the hunting and jumping competitions. After I left, I kept track of one or two of them who entered competitions in national competitions. The owner herself went on to sell her stable and later married into the RJ Reynolds family. After that, I lost track.

JoanP · « **Reply #66 on:** March 06, 2014, 11:18:28 AM »

Maryz, Frybabe... we loved stopping at the local hangouts too! And asking for the special of the day. When Mary referred to "eavesdropping" on the locals' conversations...I was reminded of how much we enjoyed the regional differences in as we went through different states. At the same time I was having these fond memories, I couldn't help but be envious Least Half-Moon's ability to strike up conversations with the locals. Sometimes I think you have to be travelling alone - or maybe you have to be more outgoing than we were.. DId feel more like eavesdroppers than a participant in the banter as you did, Fry.

"I wouldn't recommend either of the diners in my home town in southeastern Oklahoma." Callie, have noted that struck stops don't necessary mean good food. Where DO you recommend we stop when we get there?

Isn't anyone going to tell MaryZ about Nameless, TN? She's having a hard time finding it in her Atlas?

JoanP · « **Reply #67 on:** March 06, 2014, 11:32:49 AM »

I don't remember where Least-Heat Moon heard of Nameless, but he was willing to drive out of his way to get there - just because of the name. Or lack thereof. It seems it was all word of mouth - From Gainesboro, he was told to go down Shepardsville Rd...(there is no such place as Shepardsville)

"I was looking for an unnumbered road named after a non-existant town to a place called Nameless nobody was sure existed."

Is how he came up with this route? Following whims and odd-sounding place names? I don't know if I could do this. No, I know I wouldn't - I'd have to have a destination - though I do believe the the journey is more important than the destination. I think. Now I'm confused!

JoanP · « **Reply #68 on:** March 06, 2014, 11:45:54 AM »

No wonder you didn't stay long, in Nameless, Sally - very little to see, besides Thurmond Watt's General store - and it's closed. There Least Half-Moon satisfied his curiosity about the name. There was a small settlement - The population was only 90 - (who knows what it is today?) They had applied for a Post Office...but the settlement had no name - couldn't agree one one either. One man walked out of the meeting and said the place is "nameless" and would just have to stay that way. And it did! Nameless, TN

So why isn't it on the map? From what I can see, Watt's General Store has closed (his son turned it into a museum of sorts - some call it an antique store)... and guess what? The PO is gone too!

Quote

"The old J.T. Watts General Store, now a museum, will be open for visitors, who will be able to enjoy a soft drink or eat a Moon Pie or a baloney and cheese sandwich in remembrance of the past." A Happening in Nameless, TN

This is addictive - finding all sorts of information on Nameless, but must get back on the road. Can't help but posting one more photo of JT Watts - and his son on the porch of the General Store:

I guess we won't find good honest food at good prices here. I bet we won't even find a McDonald's franchise either! I take it back - if you did stop in to the store, you'd find they are giving away baloney and cheese sandwiches...probably on white bread!
I'm going to try to catch up with you all in Oakridge.

maryz · « **Reply #69 on:** March 06, 2014, 02:11:22 PM »

It must've been somebody else. I did find Nameless, TN, on google maps. It's in the area between Crossville, TN, and the KY border.

Frybabe · « **Reply #70 on:** March 06, 2014, 03:12:29 PM »

Quote

DId feel more like eavesdroppers than a participant in the banter as you did, Fry

JoanP, we were often a part of the conversation, and always where the local diners were concerned.

CallieOK · « **Reply #71 on:** March 06, 2014, 04:23:58 PM »

JoanP, this group won't get to Oklahoma. It's not on the route.

However, if we were going through my hometown, I'd recommend either the Diner at the north end of town or the Truck Stop at the south end for breakfast or pie/coffee. Not sure the locals would visit like the ones in the book, though. They're friendly to "outsiders" but not prone to give out personal information.

Earlier on, I posted that I have some pictures of interesting places on Blue Highways in Oklahoma and you suggested I send them to you for posting. May I still do that?

I like the way Least-Moon is elaborating on one story in different areas. I'm sure he visited with more people along the way.

I'm just past Morristown TN - where he considered turning west and going home on the Interstate, which would be a one-day trip. It has taken him a week to get to Morristown.

JoanP · « **Reply #72 on:** March 07, 2014, 08:32:12 AM »

Fry, you must have fit right in! Callie, please do send on your photos. That would be great! A question about that truck stop on the south end of town - do they consider YOU a local?

Maryz - you found Nameless by googling, right? Not on a map? A paper map? a Rand McNally map? Maybe the population has increased since the General Store has turned into a Community Center?

Callie's in Morristown - we're still in TN, right? Easter, black starlings, a pall of snow. One week into the trip - it's either been raining or snowing the whole way. Some of it is what he refers to as "white knuckle driving."

I guess I'd reconsider too...Why didn't he decide to go home? He says, "a man becomes what he does." Deep. Let's add that to our list of Heat-Moonisms.

nlhome · « **Reply #73 on:** March 07, 2014, 08:51:02 AM »

I've read this book before, shortly after it came out, and am reading it more closely now. I have to get it back to the library, so I am far ahead on this journey.

What comes to mind is that once behind the wheel, my tendency is to keep going, same with my husband, so we have to plan ahead on our trips to make a point of stopping, or we don't do it and then look back and wish we had. Never have we regretted a stop. I get the sense from the author that sometimes inertia just kept him behind the steering wheel.

Our trips are often just 3-6 hours, and often because of the destination we need to use the two-lane highways or county roads because of where we live and where we are going. (And to avoid rush hour in some places). We try to take rustic roads when we see them, now that we're retired and not in a hurry to keep to a schedule.

Mr. Heat Moon didn't get through the midsection of the country, so he missed traveling down the Mississippi River. The Great River Road, the portions we've traveled so far, can take a long time to go down, lots of little places to stop. We have a lot of it to go yet, and that's on my list.

JoanP · « **Reply #74 on:** March 07, 2014, 09:10:49 AM »

Sounds like something I'd like, too, nlhome! Will put the Great River Road on my "bucket list." I'd love to go with you! My husband, sad to say, is a "gotta-get-there" kind of traveler. Point A to Point B by a pre-planned time. Although he does schedule stops he's read about. And if I holler to stop and look at something, he'll usually do that - reluctantly.

Least Heat-Moon quotes his father, Heat Moon -

"Any traveler who misses the journey misses about all he's going to get. A man becomes his attentions."

I think he's learned a lot from his father. Can we talk about his father? Heat-Moon, an Osage name. His brother is also a Heat-Moon. Are you at all confused about the author's name.(s) his father have an Osage name as well as the Trogdon name? In this first section, the author says he left MO as Bill Trogdon - came back as Least-Heat Moon. Do you know anything about the Osage Indians living in western Missouri? Do they live together, or have they assimilated? ( I'm wondering about the name of William Least Heat-Moon Trogdon's Cherokee wife's name.)

ps...just glanced at my bookcover and see that the author's name is "William Least Heat Moon" - no Trogdon at the end... Wonder what that means...

Frybabe · « **Reply #75 on:** March 07, 2014, 09:42:06 AM »

I am not confused at all about the two different names. I think the author describes them very well in his intro. I've forgotten what his wife's name is already - will have to look when I pick the book up again.

I have two thoughts regarding Trogdon not being used on the cover. The first is rather commercial, which is that the editors may have thought the Osage name would sell better. The other is that with all of the crumby things that happened to Least Heat Moon, he may have had some notion of reconnecting with his heritage. I see no signs, though, that he actively was seeking out Native American sites on his travels. I think the travel itself may have a healing quality to it. There were times, especially on nice days, when I headed for work I seriously wanted to just keep going on the interstate rather than turn off towards work.

pedln · « **Reply #76 on:** March 07, 2014, 09:59:33 AM »

Late to the party -- I found Nameless on my trusty old Microsoft Roads map, my travelling bible. It's there just off of Dry Creek Ford Road and Shepardville Hywy. (microsoft actually found it for me -- it finds things invisible to the naked eye.)

JoanP, nlhome, if you go the Great River Road you want to be sure to stop at Elsah's Landing (in Elsah) to heat. Great soup. You'll find a Christian Science college there -- Principia College.

ANNIE · « **Reply #77 on:** March 07, 2014, 10:02:52 AM »

I think that earlier, a fella he was speaking with along the road, said that, JoanP,but its a good quote. This trip is sometimes hard to follow even with the map as he does seem to go back and forth while traveling on what he calls his circle of the country and life.

JoanP, I was telling Ralph about our book and its author and he said, "Why would anyone travel without making reservations?"

But we had a "stop here" incident yesterday, right in our own hometown. When I saw a little corner tavern just south of the university medical buildings at OSU that offered food and said, "We ought to try that place!", my husband (also a gotta-get-there man) made a u-turn back to the tavern (shocking moment!) where we had a delightful time talking about the place with our waitress,who was also the bartender. She told us about their mixed of patrons. Construction workers from OSU(that's Ohio State, Callie ) come for lunch plus some of the students from the college but mostly, its a family tavern(30 yrs old) visited by people who live in neighborhood. They were all decorated and ready for St.Patrick's day on the 17th and their food was delicious. We had Philly Cheesesteaks and french fried onions. It was a bit dark in there but I got out my little Led flashlight so we could read the menu. They had many tv's on the sports channels but not loud, and a new kind of juke box which we asked about. It was outlined in blue Led lighting surrounding a huge touchscreen used for choosing one's favorite tunes. And an ATM right next to it. Wish I had thought of taking a few pictures with my cell phone. There was a pool table back in its own special corner, and a game table in its own corner. Can't think of the name of the game, maybe air hockey. Needless to say, the place was not as small as it seemed from the outside. So now we have something new to talk about. And that's always a plus when one had been married for over 60 years.

nlhome I like the way you are enjoying your retirement! Seeing the other side of life, off the grid of super highways. Sounds like your trips are like Least Heat Moon's but in little increments.

Is anyone here ready to follow his path of many years ago? Would you drive down that road and walk to his great, great grandfather's gravesite? Hmmmmm!

I am just starting into Morristown.

CallieOK · « **Reply #78 on:** March 07, 2014, 11:48:44 AM »

JoanP, it would take an entire essay to explore the attitude of my hometown toward those of us who went away after high school - and didn't move back!
However, I have always had family and friend connections there - and have gone/still go often enough to remind them who I am.

Of course, there are fewer of my contemporaries left.

One of my relatives, who grew up in Jacksonville FL, married a navy man from St. Ansgar, Iowa. After he was discharged, they made their home in St. Ansgar - where his family all lived. His brothers had all married local girls. After 45 years of raising a family and being active in the community, my relative was still referred to as "the wife from Away".

AdoAnnie, you were ahead of me with the OSU i.d.

I was just about ready to comment. Stillwater, where Oklahoma State University is located, has a few diners with that kind of atmosphere, too.

My husband was a "point A to point B' traveler, also. I did get him off the beaten path a few times - but he didn't enjoy it. My sons, OTOH, love to take time to explore while traveling. Their dad died before they were able to do this with their wives and I often wonder what he would think about the places they go and the way they look at the trips.

Heat-Moon/Trogdon seems to be focusing on a certain type (maybe stereotype) of places and people for his longer stories. I wonder if this will change as he gets farther west.

salan · « **Reply #79 on:** March 07, 2014, 11:51:55 AM »

I am travelling on to the next session. I am enjoying the journey and find it an easy read.
Sally

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