Page 204 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY

“They were the first tapes or albums I ever
owned,” Kevin said of the Eagles in response
to a fellow tourist’s unreasonable suggestion
that such fandom could amount to a freakish
anachronism.
Curiosities, surprises and serendipity still
compete for attention on the American road
trip. We remain a nation of roamers who
sometimes pause from our wanderings long
enough to talk to each other about the uncom-
mon wonder we happen across. Such wayfar-
ing has a glorious history among people who
write things, fictional and otherwise. Chaucer
nailed it more than 600 years ago. Others fol-
lowed, emboldening Johnny to seek out those
who drive the spare asphalt web of the Four
Corners states. You could think of what fol-
lows as road-trip reporting inspired by the
work of Steinbeck, Kerouac and Thompson,
but without the poodle, Dean Moriarty or a
suitcase full of psychoactive substances.
Shunned and scrappy Winslow. It suffered a
fate common to towns along Route 66. The in-
terstate system, in this case I-40, long ago
took traffic off the Mother Road and demol-

204 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023