That’s the question that popped into my mind this spring as I tried to arrange thirteen interviews with people all over the country for a new film I’m working on. Was it possible? Could we make it work with everyone’s schedule? The answer was yes. It turns out that not only was road tripping more economical than flying, it was a lot more fun. My initial question turned into an epic month-long adventure that spanned over 10,000 miles and 24 states. I’ll have plenty of updates on the documentary and the content of the interviews in future posts; for now, here’s some reflections on the state of the country from behind the wheel of a Kia Carnival. This is what most struck me about America, and the benefits of getting out on the road, as I experienced it from highway level in the summer of 2025.
I hate to start out with a negative, because we did have an amazing time, but this is absolutely the fact that struck me first, and most consistently, as we traveled around America: people were publicly smoking marijuana at every stop we made. Every gas station, every hotel, every state. It didn’t matter if we were at dusty cheap motel in West Texas or Eastern Wyoming or a business hotel in cities like San Antonio, New Orleans, Washington DC, or St. Louis. The smoke and odor of pot was ubiquitous. It wafted around everything from the shopping centers to the tourist traps to the national parks. Heck, I literally smelled it from inside the van with the windows closed as we drove I-5 through Portland, OR at 50 mph. (OK, that one’s not surprising at all.) I realize that personal anecdotes don’t translate to hard national numbers, but clearly there are a lot of Americans partaking of weed, and to put it bluntly, this is a disaster. I won’t take the time to make the case against it here, but if you are interested, read this. Bottom line, don’t do drugs, kids.
I’m certainly not the first to point out the bland sameness of America’s cities, especially when it comes to business districts. If you were blindfolded and dropped from the sky into a random American town without reference to signs or geographic markers, you’d be hard pressed to figure out where you had landed. The streets with the restaurants, hotels, and other retail and service establishments all look similar, no matter what part of the country you are in. And not only do cities in general look the same, but now most individual businesses even looks the same. And any hope that postmodern architectural trends would lead us away from the utilitarian hideousness of 70s era strip malls seems to have been tempered by the fact that corporate profits now require even small amounts of differences between business brands to be eradicated. We used to at least get Pizza Huts and McDonalds with uniquely shaped red and yellow roofs. Now every chain inhabits soulless boxes that can be turned into a Starbucks (or anything else) at a moment’s notice.
In the midst of the gray mediocrity of American marketplace architecture, there were a couple of bright spots. We enjoyed walking through the old neighborhoods and cemeteries of New Orleans. And Greenville, SC’s downtown area is amazing. Whoever planned and implemented that urban mix of cool architecture and landscaping should be applauded and copied.
And then there is what is by far the best of American architecture. (Albeit because it copies the ancient European ways of Christendom.) Indeed, the contrast between these buildings and the structures around them was so stark that their beauty shone like a beacon as we traveled, a guiding star in the modernist darkness. I am talking about the churches. No, not the warehouse churches, of course, or those that meet in strip malls, but the old churches, the classic stained glass churches with all their wonderful intricacies.
As we drove from place to place, I was continually drawn to the magnificence of these houses of worship. And it wasn’t just big city cathedrals. Beautiful churches dot the small towns of this land as well, in places like Dyersville, Iowa, and Lexington, Virginia, and each of them proclaim truth and goodness to the culture around them, no matter how much it may get ignored by most.
Thankfully, there seems to be a renaissance, at least in some Catholic circles, of beautiful church building. We visited a brand new church in Greenville, built in the ancient basilica style, that was stunning. May more follow that example.
One of the main reasons to drive rather than fly, of course, is to be able to see the parts of the country that exist outside the city. It is spectacular. America is blessed with some of the most beautiful natural places on earth, and as a nation we have been wise enough to protect many of them. Thankfully, there were several national and state parks along our route, and we took advantage of that as often as we could to stop and explore.
It was during those times I was reminded again why it is so important to get outside and touch grass (or wade through a creek, or descend into a cave, or swim in a lake, or slide down a sand dune, or hike up a mountain, or wander through a corn field.)
Putting out bodies in nature heals the soul. It connects us with reality in a way that is increasingly absent from our screen infested world, and in doing so draws us closer to the fount of all reality, God.
My fourth takeaway builds on the idea that we need to get our bodies outside. We also need to get them in the presence of other bodies. Being around people is good for us.
God made us to live in community, and in the type of community that is simply not possible apart from physical proximity. In other words, we were made for each other, and we can’t achieve the type of communion we were made for through emails, texting, or even video chats. I saw that in a few different ways during this trip.
For one, the interviews were fantastic. One of the main reasons I travel to visit with my interviewees face to face is that I believe the quality of the discussion is much higher when we are both in the room together. Zoom discussions are fine, but they are not nearly as good as sharing the same space. This trip confirmed that again for me.
I also saw the “better in person” principle in action in a couple of other places. We arrived in South Carolina just in time for Fourth of July celebrations, and we had a wonderful time in the park with thousands of others eating, listening to music, and watching fireworks.
We also lucked out and arrived in St. Louis the night of a Chris Stapleton concert, to which we scored some last-minute tickets.
Would either experience have been the same if we watched them online? Or if we were the only ones in attendance to either show? Of course not. There is a reason our cyber driven society still calls in person experiences IRL (In Real Life). As humans, they are more real than our online life. Indeed, being with other people is a large percentage of what real life is all about, and we are missing out if we never get off our screens long enough to experience that.
Finally, we were able to stop and see family members that we love dearly and stay in fairly close contact with, but who don’t live near. We also got to pop in on and old friend as we were driving through her town. This trip proved again that there is simply no substitute for actually spending time together. Even few hours together is better than a month of texts and calls, as good as those are.
America is an amazing place, and I consider road trips the preeminent way of getting to know your country, warts and all. More importantly, it is a way to get to know your fellow Americans, including those with whom you are driving. As a final observation, I will say that that this trip confirmed for me, for the millionth time, that I married the most amazing woman in the world, and that we made a good choice years ago when we decided to try to get on the road with our family often and have as many outdoor adventures as we could. We have never regretted it.
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