"What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing?- it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's goodbye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." Part 2, Chapter 8, page 156 (From Web site Book Rags: Quotes from Jack Keroauc's On the Road.)

Isn't this just a perfect sentiment about what travel feels like sometimes? When I think of travel, Jack Keroauc comes to mind. Yesterday I came across articles about this being the 50th anniversary of the year On the Road was published. Growing up with that traveler gene, I missed out on this book, but carried its title with me in my head until I read it sometime after my Peace Corps days. Still, Keroauc paved the way for those of us with a passion for travel, pondering and writing about those experiences, hopefully touching on what is the soul of those we meet along the way--and ourselves.

If you want to brush up on Keroauc, here is a link to an NPR show about him. There are some terrific photos, anecdotes and audio tapes of him reading from his work. Here's another link to the New York Times Arts Beat section where people are currently leaving comments about the book's lessons. This is what tipped me off about the anniversary. There were 154 comments last I checked.

Filed under: History, Festivals and Events, United States