Road Tripping and the Garden of Eden

One of my most vivid memories from the trip I took across the country in 1972 is my visit to an off-the-beaten-path place called the Garden of Eden in Lucas, Kansas. Built by Samuel Perry Dinsmoor between 1907 and 1928, this rendition of the Garden of Eden is a conglomerate of postrock limestone figures and structures that recreates scenes from the book of Genesis. After reading about this wonder in a trip-tic we got from Triple A, my friend Margie and I decided to visit. We spent several hours in Lucas and spoke to the curator of the museum about S.P. Dinsmoor and his desire to create a Biblically-inspired wonderland. Though tucked away in a small town and most definitely away from the hypnotizing hum of the interstate, visiting The Garden of Eden is still one of my most vivid memories from that road-trip in the summer of my twentieth year.

I’ve been thinking about how I travel through life and whether I approach things with a super highway or an off-the-beaten-path mindset. Like most people, I mix up my approach based on time constraints, sometimes opting for the fastest route with very few stops. But more and more I find myself preferring the slow-paced trek that takes me on the back roads and by-ways of life. I like eating in local restaurants as opposed to chains and visiting farmers' markets or browsing in antique shops. You can’t do any of those things easily and freely when you travel on the interstate. Besides, in that mode of travel it is about the destination, the time, and the speed.  

But when it comes to the arc of my days, I am more determined than ever to take a back roads approach to living, stopping where I want, chatting with friends, and being available for a spur-of-the-moment surprise. I like to eat meals on my patio in total quiet and gaze at the flowers. I like to shop in farmers’ markets and chat with the vendors about where they live and what kind of tomatoes are best that day. I refuse to wait until whenever to relax and travel.
With every passing year I realize more and more the value of the experience as opposed to a fixed focus on a goal. I hear Tony Bennett jazzing in my ear as he taunts, “Are you having any fun?” Yes, I answer, every day! Taking the off-the-beaten-path approach to life is my preferred mode of travel. If I hadn’t done that years ago, I never would have seen the Garden of Eden.