The Song & The Trip

Where did you go on your last memorable road trip? Who was with you? What song(s) mark the trip in your memory?  

Since my first cross country drive in 1972, I've been hooked on long road trips. When my wife recently decided she wanted to visit all the National Parks, my wanderlust got a free pass. And over the years it's become easier to make a critical element of any road trip, i.e. the music, exceedingly enjoyable. Whoever thought of installing USB ports in automobiles has truly enriched my life.

For me, the year of the song doesn't necessarily match the year of the trip. In 1972, my VW van had only an AM radio. When out of range of a station, I played cassette tapes of WNEW-FM made prior to leaving. So the song that marked that trip is "Something In The Air" by Thunderclap Newman with DJ Pete Fornatale introducing it. My cross country hitch hiking trip of 1978 is marked by a Kinks song called  "Apeman". I can't separate "On The Wind" by Bryndle from my most recent cross country trek in 2000. Any road trip of significance from my life has at least one song like this. 

With my I-pod accompanying me the past five years, my geek cup over floweth. On my current road trip, the song is already a lock: "One Hundred Years" by Five For Fighting.