It was a long haul back to Philly from Missouri. I stopped in Columbus, Ohio for the night, at a Best Western that was just OK. But the coffee? Oh, hell no. It was meant to clean the rust off a bumper of a Ford truck.
Back on I-70, I had a flashback to a particular roadtrip with Tim. The man loved his coffee. And he loved a good coffee shop. On trips, he would drive, I’d Google up ‘Coffee Shops Near Me’ and we’d get off the main drag to find it.
I needed something more than battery acid from a convenience store, so Google took me to a coffee roaster next to Buckeye Lake, outside of Columbus. A charming little place, the air was magnificent with freshly ground beans. I ordered a regular roast and a breakfast sandwich. Not many people in the place, just Tim and me. It was a comforting moment, a welcome break from rainy day interstate driving, savoring a coffee and my memories.
Tim would say, “Let’s see where this road goes. We’re going east, so what does it matter?” Once, on our way back to Philly, we got off the interstate and ended up on Greasy Ridge Road somewhere in West Virginia. You can’t make this stuff up! 😂 Knowing how much I love old cemeteries, we found several and explored headstones. This one really struck me… just a one year old.
During these excursions, Tim would introduce me to new music. And it was always outstanding. Singer-songwriters who paint pictures you can vividly feel and see. So, on my last leg of the trip, I listened to the perennially grumpy looking James McMurtry… and this guy.
Jason Isbell was with Drive By Truckers and has won 6 Grammys. What a poet! I saw him and McMurtry in concert and it was incredible.
Tim also loved Ray Wylie Hubbard… here’s Ray with some of his famous friends. Ray is just plain fun! Great road trip music.
I think when you recreate the things you used to do with someone, their memory stays alive. Good coffee, good music, and roads less traveled. Thanks, Tim, for the gifts you left me. ❤️
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Loved reading this and had to go down some perfectly poetic road trips in my mind.
I am happy you are back safe, especially with all the extreme wx in the Midwest.
I have probably drank more bad coffee than most, having stood the midnight-to-4 AM watch at sea on U.S. merchant vessels, lol. But I do appreciate a great cup of coffee. And sorry Columbus - my birth city - was not the best for you. And sounds like you drove through the small mining and RR towns of my mother’s childhood in the ‘20s. They were small “cities” that now literally are near ghost towns. As a child visiting my GP’s farm, my dad and uncle would drive to Corning and at a one-of-kind cafe and usually get a coffee at the counter. Thanks for listening and the memories.