Podcast 379

National D-Day Memorial. The Road Trip continues, south from Indianapolis to Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Western Virginia. Stopping off for a street fair in Berea, Kentucky and by chance, the National D-Day Memorial at sundown, on June 6th, 2015; the 71st Commemoration of the landing by allied armies in occupied France, at Normandy. Meanwhile, more and more politicians declare their ‘candidacy for the Presidency’ and where’s the first place they go? Iowa. There’s many interesting and valuable small and medium sized towns across this country, with interesting people, that could do with a little attention from politicians who are supposed to be representing the people, but no. The entire media and political focus in this country is on the diffused population of a state that has made a tourist business out of politics, a full year before it will matter. This is how a handful of political ‘activists’, which really means ‘groupie’, ‘attention whore’, ‘fame vampire’, get to have an outsized influence on the American political process. The founding fathers not only are turning over in their graves; they’re spinning like tops. The best thing about travel is it all blurs together until its like a dream, and that’s good. All the better to turn off those idiots, and hit the road. The thing about travel is, once you let you go, and let the countryside and the experiences that go with it come and go, sometimes you get to see amazing things. This is the case with the National D-Day Memorial, which many people probably don’t even know exists, reached at sundown on June 6th, after an unexpected detour to save time, just in time to hear one soldier play taps, in honor of those who gave their lives that day so many years ago. Travel east of the Mississippi is different because the distances are shorter, but there’s more places to pull over and dawdle. College towns like Berea, Kentucky. Rocky Top Tennessee, and the birthplace of country music, Bristol, Virginia. Anyplace but Iowa! Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

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Podcast 270

Florida Christmas. We’re in a ‘News Lock’. This happens in between major events, when the media machine keeps churning away on the same topics, even though everyone has moved on. And while The Bob Davis Podcasts continues to keep an eye on world and national events, the great thing about podcasting is, there’s no point in joining the crowd, repetitively pounding away on the same nonsense, and saying nothing new. We’re getting close enough to Christmas, 2014 to say its the holiday season. The trials and tribulations. The expectations. The disappointments. And, the good things too. (Editor’s note: One of the things that comes up this time of year for me is the road trips my family used to take to Florida every other year, to spend Christmas there with my grandparents. It was oddly free of the pressures and intensity of ‘The Season of Peace’. I think its because we were on an adventure, and the main topic of conversation was where to stay when we got to Valdosta.) Take a break from the ‘News Lock’ and reminisce about your own family’s Christmas road trips. From the used cars my father insisted on buying, including the 63 Chevy, 66 Buick ‘Vista’ wagon, the 64 Elektra and the 68 Elektra, a lifetime exposure to secondhand smoke, the luxury of the Howard Johnson’s, versus the TravelAll (Dad’s favorite, cause it was cheap!), Uncle Roy in Jacksonville, the Orange Groves and finally…finally, the Ocean. Plus, discount shopping with my Grandfather, spilling Raisinets on Grandma’s expensive couch, Christmas lights in the humid night air, walks down the beach, and Jelly Fish. Lots of Jelly Fish. And the places we visited on those trips. Kennesaw Mountain (Editor’s Note: Which I thought was in Kentucky, but in fact it is in Georgia), Caverns, Saint Augustine and the Mansions of South Florida. In today’s high speed culture, most people fly if they go anywhere, and its too bad because there is much to be learned on a road trip. Sponsored by X Government Cars and by Depotstar. 

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Podcast 262

White Line Fever. Road Trip Return! The trip back to Minneapolis, staying in the warmth of the southern late fall for as long as possible. Richmond, southwest to Roanoke, Virginia and then onto Nashville, Tennessee. Passing through Bristol, Virginia and Knoxville, Tennessee and all points in between. You know all that talk about ‘infrastructure’ in the US? How we need new roads and bridges? With many miles covered on these Road Trip Podcasts, there have been few – if any – pot-holes, rotted bridges, or signs of any crumbling infrastructure. Even cities like Bristol, Virginia and Roanoke feature new construction, smooth roads, brand spanking new housing developments, and new and thriving downtown ‘urban’ experiences like Farmer’s Markets, yoga studios and the like. There are so many smooth roads you can get ‘white line fever’ rolling through hills and gentle turns, as traffic comfortably hits eighty plus mile an hour speeds. Sounds like a science fiction novel, but it is true. From the Twin Cities east, all the way to Virginia, and now coming back across the mid south, it’s hard to find evidence of ‘decaying infrastructure’, not to mention all the shiny new cars! Hear tips on how to travel fast and easy, avoiding speed traps, and getting a boat load of coffee before departure. As we ease back into the work week after a long Thanksgiving Holiday, some thoughts about what we should be hearing from politicians in Washington; how to make our economy thrive, not just ‘do better’. Traveling across the country this quickly, you can’t help but notice the developing economies of small, medium and large sized cities you pass through, especially outside the center cities. The overall effect is optimism. Americans are still innovative, and ready to work. Its about time our lawmakers understood what to do, how to do it, and how to talk about it so they can get what they need to get done, so we can get done what we need to get done. Sponsored by Baklund R&D.

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