31-03-2021, 12:09 PM
(This post was last modified: 31-03-2021, 05:43 PM by Oxford Jack.)
I think I understand from our perspective in 2013, perhaps it applies to JC. By the time we reached the USA we had been on the road for nearly four months, I wont speak for the others but I was beginning to feel rather well traveled, tired, approaching a sense of humour failure. Up to Laredo everywhere we had passed through had been both a challenge and a pleasure. The challenges were language, altitude, poor fuel, finding new accommodation every night, concern about whether the cars would make it, crossing borders, police interest (polite or demanding) heat and curiosity. The pleasures included foremost the people, their interest and delight in the cars, the landscape, overcoming the challenges etc.
Reaching America was something of an anticlimax. We traveled on the old Highways, avoiding the Interstates, small town USA is fascinating, we loved stopping in small towns and briefly joining the crowd in a Mom and Pop Diner or chatting with people in shops. We stayed in budget motels, where it was sadly Anywheresville, USA. On the road, filling stations and the like it was if we were transparent, I think we may have had interested questions on less than a dozen occasions. We might get a comment such as "neat car" tossed over the shoulder while stopped. I described it at the time as being viewed as just "another bunch of crazy folks, doing their thing, dont look they might ask for help or money". This may be too harsh, but were not sufficiently noteworthy to be worth time or effort.
We reached Newark, outside NYC where we were staying for the last push in the City. The States were on high alert following a recent major bombing incident.Setting off at 05:30 to avoid the worst of the traffic we arrived in Times Square at 06:15 and parked the three cars abreast on the pavement. Expecting to be jumped on by the Boys in Blue in short order, by 07:30 there was no sign of any interest, to people had made passing comments but we drew no attention at all. In the UK we were visible on the Times Square webcam. We left shortly afterwards back to Newark and arranged to deliver the cars to the shippers.
We were not seeking fame or notoriety, but had imagined that our journeys end might be of interest to the media. There was absolutely zero response from TV, papers or magazines in the USA, unlike the other 13 countries we had passed through. Back in the UK were invited to Beaulieu, we were fortunate that the cars arrived by ship with one day to spare.
I concluded that south and central America are car crazy, travellers welcomed and arriving in a new country, town or just on the road, people were pleased for the visit and interest. This was almost completely the opposite in north America. The car craze is there but its all about modern cars. Even at the ACA Museum in Hershey, where we were parked immediately in front of the Museum, our cars attracted little attention, whilst the gleaming exhibits inside were examined minutely. We were outside the scope of imagination of most I think.
I am beginning to sound sour about north America, which I am not, but it was such a contrast in response that it left us all rather deflated I think, perhaps JC had a similar experience. Sadly he had died before we left, I was unable to thank him for his push that made us do it, but I shall ever be grateful that he was so very enthusiastic.
Reaching America was something of an anticlimax. We traveled on the old Highways, avoiding the Interstates, small town USA is fascinating, we loved stopping in small towns and briefly joining the crowd in a Mom and Pop Diner or chatting with people in shops. We stayed in budget motels, where it was sadly Anywheresville, USA. On the road, filling stations and the like it was if we were transparent, I think we may have had interested questions on less than a dozen occasions. We might get a comment such as "neat car" tossed over the shoulder while stopped. I described it at the time as being viewed as just "another bunch of crazy folks, doing their thing, dont look they might ask for help or money". This may be too harsh, but were not sufficiently noteworthy to be worth time or effort.
We reached Newark, outside NYC where we were staying for the last push in the City. The States were on high alert following a recent major bombing incident.Setting off at 05:30 to avoid the worst of the traffic we arrived in Times Square at 06:15 and parked the three cars abreast on the pavement. Expecting to be jumped on by the Boys in Blue in short order, by 07:30 there was no sign of any interest, to people had made passing comments but we drew no attention at all. In the UK we were visible on the Times Square webcam. We left shortly afterwards back to Newark and arranged to deliver the cars to the shippers.
We were not seeking fame or notoriety, but had imagined that our journeys end might be of interest to the media. There was absolutely zero response from TV, papers or magazines in the USA, unlike the other 13 countries we had passed through. Back in the UK were invited to Beaulieu, we were fortunate that the cars arrived by ship with one day to spare.
I concluded that south and central America are car crazy, travellers welcomed and arriving in a new country, town or just on the road, people were pleased for the visit and interest. This was almost completely the opposite in north America. The car craze is there but its all about modern cars. Even at the ACA Museum in Hershey, where we were parked immediately in front of the Museum, our cars attracted little attention, whilst the gleaming exhibits inside were examined minutely. We were outside the scope of imagination of most I think.
I am beginning to sound sour about north America, which I am not, but it was such a contrast in response that it left us all rather deflated I think, perhaps JC had a similar experience. Sadly he had died before we left, I was unable to thank him for his push that made us do it, but I shall ever be grateful that he was so very enthusiastic.