Routes

One of the best things about travel for me is finding my way around places, the to and from.

As a child I lived in a community composed of many islands bunched closely together and perched on the edge of Lake Erie. By land you could only enter the town by three roads; North, Middle, & South Gibraltar.

During the Detroit Riots in 1967 (I was 15 at the time) the police blocked these three roads. I over heard an adult describing the road blocks and had an instant mental map of our little town. The North, Middle, and South suddenly made geographical sense to me and I had, after 15 years of living there could see my little world from a bird's eye view! Before then I had always traveled from landmark to landmark.

That was the beginning of my love for and obsession with maps. While traveling I always have a map near by, even if I know the route by heart. Part of it is the patterns the routes create, the other part is really knowing were I am, where I've been, and where I see myself going. It could be argued that all those things are really an illusion but even if they are they are a comfort and joy to me. It gives me a sense of value to be the "Navigator"