I recently took a journey through my past. A 5000 mile round trip to Michigan and a couple of other places….

I had never been back to the home area….can’t really call it coming home because my parents sold the house and furnishings, bought a fifth-wheel trailer along with a truck to pull it in ’85….for longer than a few days at a time. This time I was going to spend as much as time there possible.

I left on my journey on June 2nd. Crossing 1800 miles of American highway. I have come to believe I-40 through New Mexico is my favorite. The buttes and mesas throughout the west and the middle of the state are just breathtaking. The sunflowers planted along the highway outside of Albuquerque heading east is just magical.

Once I got into Michigan, I had no idea where I was.

Houses gone. Houses gone derelict. Barns gone. Whole sections of what used to be the Downtown area, is now just a ragged reality of what I carried in my head.

I still wonder if being able to see the gradual decline is better. I found myself looking for landmarks other than those remembered. I had to count houses from the corner to find the house I grew up in.

Reminded me of the song by The Pretenders, “My City Was Gone.”

Way to go Southwest Michigan….