Drive Through Nowhere

When I worked in information technology, the mega-corporation I was employed by at the time had a sister office in Frankfurt. I once had the opportunity to visit that office, and during my time there, I got to know the gentleman who was my German counterpart relatively well.

He had been to the States, what sounded like at least a handful of times on vacation, and thoroughly enjoyed every visit. I, of course, was interested in the places he had found with so much favor and inquired. Was it the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone? Perhaps New York City or Hollywood? Did he come for the blues, BBQ, or baseball? Across the board, no. With all due respect to the following states, I was surprised to hear his response - Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska…

“What!? Why!?” Again, with all due respect, but in that moment, I couldn’t quite fathom how, when you’re spending all that money and traveling halfway around the world, you would pick anything other than headliners. The aforementioned are fine states in their own right, mind you. But there are a few spots I can think of that would arguably offer a bit more bang for your scenic or cultural bucks. My German colleague then went on to detail why vast swaths of let's say, “openness,” were his destinations of choice. Turns out that openness was exactly why.

He was born and raised in Frankfurt. A large city in a part of the world that has been largely developed and saturated by humanity for a very long time. As such, he yearned for space and sparsity. And to an extent, nothingness. Sure, there would be ever-shifting backdrops of subtle scenery to take in while he’s clicking off the miles. And an occasional small township with its own quiet charms to enjoy.

But his primary goal was to get off the plane, get into a rental car, and drive as quickly as he could out into, and through, nowhere. To any place where he could pull over, get out of the car, and see not another soul or unwanted distraction in any direction across the entire horizon. Those were his vacations to the United States. Those were the things that were new, and different, and alluring to him. That’s what he wanted and needed the most. All these years later, and for many reasons, I still think about that often. And even sometimes when I’m driving.