Scratching surfaces

Cathy, I'm lost, I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
And they've all gone to look for America

--"America," Paul Simon, 1968

Searching for America can be a confusing enterprise.

For starters, the word “searching” implies going out and looking for something. So it seems perfectly logical to conclude that finding America requires travel and observation.

But the story I believe I’m after isn’t a “where” story at all. It may involve all of the other Ws – what, where, when and why – but it’s not really about places.

Lingering for a few days, as I have, in towns and cities along my route seems to be leading toward a couple of somewhat troubling conclusions.

First, five days isn’t long enough to determine what are the most significant questions about a community, let alone to find answers and reach supportable conclusions.

And second, the more I try to “get beneath the surface,” the more obvious it becomes that scratching the surface isn’t enough. If I wanted to really get to know a place, I’d have to do some excavation; and there’s just not enough time for that.

I’m traveling thousands of miles, visiting hundreds of points of interest, meeting hundreds of interesting people and doing my best to take it all in. I’m having a great time, an enriching and rewarding time, a worthwhile experience that I’m sure I’ll never regret.

But, in the back of my mind, I can’t help wonder whether that which I seek – the “America” for which I am searching – can really be found in time and space.

Two days into my stay in Yakima, I discovered that what had initially appeared to be little more than a way station is a place thousands of people love. It’s a town with a rich history involving several cultures and one that still struggles to resolve issues relating to prejudice, exploitation and discrimination. It’s a place that was literally buried alive during the eruption of Mount St. Helens some 25 years ago, but dug itself out of the ashes and recovered.

I’m getting to know the Yakima Valley well enough to recognize that I’d like to get to know it better. But, in less than 60 hours, I must be on my way. Another surface scratched, but the itch not eliminated.