Ever since we got together, my wife and I have loved nothing more than taking road trips together. The only slightly complicating factor was that for a long time – as in, the first fifteen years of our relationship – we didn’t own a car.
This meant that our road trips were either done in her mother’s car (a practice that ended when the car, a 1995 Ford Taurus, broke down a thousand kilometres short of our finish line) or in a rental.
It might sound like a hassle, but I loved road tripping in rental cars. The anticipation of the open road was amplified by the fact that we got to explore it in this new, perfectly clean, low-mileage vehicle. It was like having a tiny, mobile hotel room to get comfortable in as we embarked on an adventure.
I still love hitting the road, but now that we’ve got our own car it’s harder to let go. I’m just a bit too paranoid when we go over bumps, just a bit too aware about re-sale value, just a bit too aware of the bits of food the kids might be embedding into the backseat.
One day, when the kids are grown, we’re going to rent a car with unlimited mileage and drive wherever our fancy takes us.
This track by Eugene Goh might have to be the first on our playlist.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The chords in the left hand keep time like passing telephone poles at the side of the road.
2. The descending melody in the right hand reminds me of the deep-in-your-stomach feeling you get when the car crests a hill at speed.
3. The flourish at 2:04 is like the sudden unfolding of a great view as you round a corner.
Recommended listening activity:
Driving while all your passengers are asleep.