The Road Less Traveled

The road less traveled is something, I think, we are all in need of experiencing during this pandemic. You see, a road less traveled is an adventure that has yet to be discovered. An adventure that is all about the journey vs. just getting there.

This subject, the road less traveled, will be one I visit again from time to time. This time, I wanted to talk about how I learned about the road less traveled. The first time I really heard about the road less traveled and the adventures those roads can bring, was reading columns and articles from my favorite automotive writer, Peter Egan.

Peter is an automotive journalist that is known for his road stories, columns and reports in both Cycle World and Road & Track magazines. He is partially retired now so, for the most part, I read his older articles about the trips he has taken across the country in various and sundry cars. I find I travel with Peter when I read his stories. Here is a link to several of his books also a link to Road & Track and Cycle World.

I first started reading “Peter Egan stories”, as I call them, back in the early 80s in Cycle World, which is where he started his writing career. A couple of years later, he started writing for Road & Track as well. He wrote test reports, product reviews and monthly columns. My favorite though were his occasional longer articles that were typically road trips to some distant or not so distant place.

These were stories that happened across the country and across the world. They involved motorcycles, Jeeps, sports cars, planes and more. Mostly though, they were about people and places and the journey. It was from Peter that I finally came to understand the journeys that await on those less traveled roads.

I cannot recommend Peter Egan highly enough! Find a library that has his books or buy one. Grab a cup of coffee and a comfortable place to sit, and ride along with Peter. You won’t be sorry!

Peter Egan has had a huge influence on my life, even though I’ve never met him. He showed me how the journey and the discovery that awaits on that journey, can be the best part of any trip. He taught me that the people and places, that I never planned on meeting or seeing, can end up being the greatest part of the journey down the road less traveled.