from well beyond the range of Rocinante:
I am sorry I won't be able to attend this meeting of the LTBC. I will be attending a reunion at Ghost Ranch. I would have enjoyed hearing what others had to say about your selection and certainly would have enjoyed eating the hot dogs. My comments regarding Travels With Charley follow.
I was delighted when Keith selected Travels With Charley. I read it the first time over 30 years ago when I was ten years
younger than Steinbeck was when he went on his search for America. Reading it now after reaching my “greater age” and
after doing my share of wandering, I believe I have even a better appreciation for his experience and his ability to describe
it.
Reading the first page of Steinbeck’s travelogue where he describes his urge to travel, I was immediately reminded of the
opening lines of my own memoir, the creation of which none other than Keith had assigned each member of the LTBC to
complete three years ago: “I’ve always been a wanderer…. I’ve always been on the move looking for something different.
It comes naturally and started early. It’s in my blood.” Steinbeck claims his itch to travel was not cured as he aged and
concludes “once a bum always a bum.” I was hooked and found it difficult to put the book down.
Often, I felt like I was riding along. Many segments of the journey Steinbeck describes reminded me of some of the
observations I had made when traveling the “red and black roads” (avoiding interstates) crisscrossing the country. His
conclusions seem prophetic when I think about what we have seen over the past 60 years since he made his trip—feelings
of uncertainty, racial tensions, technological changes, environmental destruction.
I am glad I read it again. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to my friends. A+
Regards, Jack
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