ATC NOT Monday but TUESDAY: Driving into the American Dream - The Globe and Mail

We'll be discussing part of this article for class tomorrow  Tuesday! We didn't use this on Monday: Driving into the American Dream - The Globe and Mail

Even without the escaped murderer roaming nearby, this was by any reasonable measure a terrible campsite. The grass was dry and mixed with thorns, the ground was dusty and infested with a plague of grasshoppers that twitched over everything. Worst of all, not far from the site, we had seen a snake that looked an awful lot like a rattler. Shotgun shells littered the ground, and lying next to them chunks of white plastic emblazoned with the NASA logo. There were no hot showers, no water, not even a campfire ring.

But somehow, we had stumbled into the American dream, or at least a version of it that remains surprisingly easy to find in the western states, where the fireworks are cheap, the beer even cheaper and, best of all, great parts of the sprawling landscape double as a giant campsite that is free of rules and free of charge.

The idea that we could camp just about anywhere was a wholly unexpected discovery – but, of course, so were the free copies of the U.S. Constitution at a Wyoming gun shop, and the man who insisted we hold his Honk If You Heart Drilling sign on a busy Utah street corner.

Sometimes, serendipity happens with a full gas tank and no real itinerary. We had left Calgary with a vague plan to thread through Montana into Yellowstone National Park.

Then, if we had time, head to parts beyond. We were two couples – my wife and me, plus close friends of ours – whose normal idea of adventure involves a place where English isn’t spoken. This time, we wanted to see if our own backyard might brings us the thrill of the far away.

We turned south with our camping gear, a dog-eared road atlas and fingers on the AM dial – conservative talk radio seemed like a suitable soundtrack for this foray into the heart of Red America and its odd attractions. We were, after all, pointed toward some of the continent’s strangest vistas – geysers and lava fields; red sandstone arches and salt flats.

Vocabulary

by any reasonable measure
littered
free of charge
serendipity
itinerary
dog-eared
AM dial
vistas


Discussion:
We will be discussing the themes here:  freedom, serendipity, adventure, wilderness, friendship, road trip, camping