Hey, gang.
And welcome back to our countdown.
Was thinking maybe we could channel our inner Robert Pirsig today and take a brief Chautauqua together.
Unfortunately, the esteemed R. Pirsig isn’t with us anymore (he passed away in 2017), but he did leave quite a legacy.
If you haven’t heard of him, just think of your own wanderlust (which is probably at a pretty high level right about now), and then multiply it by a couple hundred. And even then, you’re really only scratching the surface. You want to travel somewhere? Or better yet, you want to find the mindset that gets you there? Anywhere? Well, plain and simple, Pirsig is your guy.
And as for Chautauquas, and what they might mean to us, think of it as a type of old traveling show – one of your own creation – that allows you to go wherever and whenever you want.
In Pirsig’s most famous work, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974), he gives you the joy of the road, sure, but maybe even more importantly, he reminds you that wanderlust can only take you so far. (Not sure that the University of Minnesota’s favorite son could have imagined our current travel – or more-accurately, non-travel – anxieties, but Pirsig definitely had a plan for his imagination to do most of the driving.)
So, let’s play along and share that Chautauqua. Cool with all of you?
If you guys are game, we can even make a few stops along the way.
For openers, we can file a quick flight plan for our own F-22, buzz the tower out at Pensacola, FLA, and then later, we can just hop on the highway. We’ll drive north on Highway 29. (In fact, let’s take the truck route.)
And before we leave the Pensacola city limits, we can make a quick stop at a local haunt called the Fishing Hole Restaurant on North Palafox Street; word is that the grouper sandwiches are legendary.
After that, we can get back on Route 29 North, and we can drive the 44 miles to Escambia County Alabama.
Hell, we can drive right on through, straight into Day 28 if you want. We are bound by nothing.
And oh yeah, speaking of Day 28, hope you guys will join me for it.
JFish