The Epoch Times traveled from coast-to-coast asking people what the Fourth of July means to them and their families.
American road trips are a cultural phenomenon almost as old as the automobile, dating back more than a century. Millions of families nationwide are getting behind the wheel this week, with the Fourth of July marking the peak of the season.
Motoring club AAA estimates that a record number of people, more than 72 million, will be on the road between June 28 and July 6.
A 31-year old doctor from Vermont was the first to motor cross country. Horatio Nelson Jackson, along with his chauffeur and a bulldog named Bud, traveled from San Francisco to New York City in 1903 on a $50 bet.
A cross country road trip these days is a far cry from Jackson’s two month trek. But for many, the hum of tires on the road is still the sound of freedom, signaling the possibility for a grand adventure and the opportunity to explore and discover.
As the Independence Day holiday approached, The Epoch Times drove with the masses and talked with hundreds of individuals in diners and around towns, starting on the Pacific coast near the crashing surf in Fort Bragg, California, and ending in the nation’s capital.
With many routes to choose from, the journey mostly followed Interstate 80 from the western states, through the upper heartland and on to the east coast, traversing Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
A Patriotic Populace
American flags fluttered in the wind over thousands of miles of highways, city streets, back roads, and dirt paths that connect the nation’s approximately 340 million residents, with hints of the coming holiday visible across the country.
Driving across the United States gave a glimpse inside the nation, as individuals from all walks of life and political persuasions expressed optimism for the country’s future and said the idea of freedom is paramount to the American experience.
“We’re just celebrating as a group and trying to re-harmonize and remember that we are kind of a part of the same country, whether it’s something that we want right now or not—that we are actually part of the same team, and that we’re here together,” Jesse Godlewski, 36, of Denver, said.
“And I think honestly, like, no matter what your political beliefs are, most people want to have independence. Everyone wants freedom, and, so we’re celebrating that, but also, I’m grateful that I have that.”
