This Thing Called Radio

I just got back from a road trip last night that took me about a week by myself visiting friends.  My trip took me from Nashville to Little Rock to Dallas to Houston to Waco back to Dallas and through Little Rock again on my way back home.  When I left, I took with me a large stack of CDs with me to keep me company (since I don't have the ability to connect an iPod to the stereo in this vehicle).

When I first pulled out of the driveway, like on most other road trips, I had the radio tuned to a local station.  However, instead of inserting a disc when the signal became weak, I simply hit the seek button.  I proceeded to do this anytime the signal got weak or a song that I didn't particularly like started playing.  Before I knew it, I had gotten all the way to Dallas without having a disc in the CD player.  By that time, I thought, "How cool would it be to finish the road trip without listening to a CD?"

While there were a couple times there were no songs I liked (or even knew), I got to listen to a very wide variety of songs.  I heard brand new songs, hits from a few years ago, 90s one-hit wonders, super (and not-so-super) singles from the 80s, and a load of classics.  All ingredients to a very eclectic collection for a road trip soundtrack.

So, for any of you heading out on a road trip, I challenge you to do what I did - forget the iPod or the road trip mix discs.  Take your pointer finger and point it towards the seek button.  And here's an idea: keep a list of some of your favorite songs that come on during your trip.  When you get home, make a mix of some or all of those songs.  It might also give you a chance to get to know your road trip buddy a little better by sharing stories of what the songs being transmitted through the airwaves mean to you.

Happy and safe travels!