I recently visited Santa Fe, New Mexico and it is always a pleasure to hang out in that town. Adobe buildings line the streets with Native American culture and spiritualism that is not only intriguing but one that entices self-discovery in ways you didn’t know existed. I visited the Museum Hill Trail and checked out the history of the Santa Fe Trail. This was the trail that took travelers, traders, and military from Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe. Before the interstates, Route 66 and the railroads, there were the trails that played a major role in pioneering the Wild West. I started to think about how life must have been for these brave travelers. I mean think about it, we have cars with AC and heaters, GPS in case we get lost, Triple-A, in case we break down. Back then they literally put their lives in danger when they traveled. Indian attacks were their equivalent to road rage. Instead of seeing those destination mile markers that tell you how far you have to go, signs that say, “Santa Fe 240 miles”, they said “Santa Fe 2 months”. They didn’t have a DVD player, Wii game systems or even a radio; families actually had to talk to each other on their trips and hope they didn’t get raped and eaten by a bear. Your choices of what you wanted to eat were limited too. They didn’t have McDonald’s, Iron Skillet, Chili’s or In-N-Out Burger, you had beef jerky, horse or maybe the guy in the next wagon that just died of the Pox.
Sure we have it easy nowadays, with modern technology and the luxury of the automobile, unless you still drive a 1988 Camry. But I think we’ve lost some things along the way, the spirit of venturing out west into the unknown, people really knew each other; you weren’t just a friend on Facebook you have never met in person.
Join me again next week and until then…
Take care and be safe-
Danny Keaton