I like the back roads, the blue highways, that lead from one place to the next by often the most indirect routing possible. I get to see things I’d miss on the interstates, bits and pieces of America.
Reminders of old railroad lines…
old cars looking for new life…
… or an old blacksmith’s forge turned into a museum piece, awaiting the next visitor.
Sometimes a sign makes me turn off from a two-lane road to an even smaller one, where the lure of the unknown is stronger than the fear I’ll find a dead-end with no room to turn around with trailer in tow.
Sometimes, like yesterday, the risk pays off in a beautiful reward.
At the end of the day, I can relax into the sunset colors, happy that I’ve explored another part of this huge place called America.
There are two kinds of people in the world, observers and non-observers…
John Steinbeck (Travels with Charley: In Search of America)
Thank you for reading my blog! I don’t have a tranny cooler on my Subaru 3.6R (six-cylinder). I have been careful about long uphill climbs (out of Death Valley, for example), and not had any issues. I do monitor the water temp and oil temp on those types of climbs. In general, if it’s that hot, I’m usually somewhere else!
That is a great name, carrying the spirit of the book with you will inspire great adventures, I hope!
Annie love the Backroads thoughts and sentiments. When we travel we choose the backroads as much as possible. We have been enjoying your blog for the last several months, and we are picking up in August a new Safari Condo Alto 1743 trailer like yours, and pulling it with a Subaru Outback 3.6L engine. We have found your blog information to be incredibly helpful as we prepare for our adventure. We have a question: Did you add an Automatic Transmission Cooler to your Subaru Transmission? If not, after a year of towing with this car, do you think it is necessary? Safari Condo is recommending this in their documents? Could you email me to let us know. thanks Leslie
You are living my dream life. Happy for you, and thanks for sharing.
Thanks for another fun journey to a place I might have never seen without you!
Love your Steinbeck quote. We recently decided to name our Alto Charley in his honor.
Back roads are the best and I love things that are old and time-weathered. So much story there to imagine.