In 2016, Sarah Kendzior’s family began a series of vacations across the American continent. Sarah, her husband, and their two children embarked on a series of lengthy road trips over several years in an attempt to fully experience the beauty of America; its landscapes, and its people. Kendzior hoped that she could show her children the most beautiful and bizarre places that this nation has to offer before America is irrevocably changed by this current wave of fascism and oligarchy.

This year, Kendzior published, The Last Great American Road Trip, a memoir of these family journeys and her family’s exploration of America. While these were joyous family vacations they were often tinged with darkness and a sense of the terror yet to come. In the book Kendzior “contemplates a love for country in a broken heartland”.

During our discussion, Sarah and I dive into our fragile relationship with the beautiful place we call home. Sarah shares the feeling that she had when she discovered the American west with its open skies, snowy peaks, and craggy deserts. Upon discovering that I am a Michigander, Sarah espouses her affection for the Pictured Rocks lakeshore, and we ponder whether a National Park along the Lake Michigan lakeshore would have a net positive impact on the region.

Sarah and I work to dispel the myth of the “Two Americas” idea, by sharing our own experiences of crisscrossing the country and interacting with folks who hold myriad viewpoints and beliefs, all while being mostly decent people. We talk about the cultural heft of the American south and the ridiculous notion of “letting the south go”. We also remember the heady days when oligarchs at least built libraries and opera houses instead of rockets.

I extol the virtues of the $75 annual national park pass that I made the most of last year, while Sarah and I worry deeply about the future of the National Park system in the hands of the Trump administration. There is extensive talk of the verdant subcultures that populate every region of our enormous country. We discuss being in God’s train set at Glacier, feeling ourselves gasp at the Grand Canyon, and learning how to tell the truth about America, warts and all.

Come travel the country, and maybe find the real America with me and Sarah Kendzior.

Cheers,

Matty C

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