Growing up, Iowa State Highway 14 was the road that probably defined my childhood. We lived just a mile out of town at the first house over the bridge and past the golf course. Our family traveled that mile a lot. Running to town for some groceries, going to a church function, or participating in a school extracurricular activity. When we were young, our parent drove us, or we rode our bikes, or occasionally we even walked. At the time that mile seemed a long way.
On one end, it was our hometown, Parkersburg. It was the place of all our activities— where we went to do something. On the other end of the mile long stretch, of course, was our house. It was the place where we lived, were loved, and belonged. It was our home.
Most of my life after graduating from college, I have lived in places near Interstate 35.
For the first five years or so after graduating from college, I lived in the Twin Cities. I went to grad school and held various part time jobs and internships as I tried to figure out what I would do when I grew up. I would travel up and down Interstate 35 to visit my parents. I always told people I was “going home” when I went to visit my parents in Parkersburg. Not unlike my youth, on one end was my home where I was loved and belonged, on the other was the Twin Cities where I went to “do things” like try to make a living, attend church, and do other activities.
For my first full time job, I moved further north on I35 to Superior, WI. Interstate 35 ended within 10-15 miles in Duluth. My parents and I joked that it was not the end of the earth, but you could see it from there. I bought my first house there, but still told people that I was going home when I traveled to visit my parents. But, I also told my parents that when I left, I was going home to my house in Superior. I
My parents lived about an hour to the east of the interstate, but I35 was the main road connecting Superior to my parents home. Between my time in the Twin Cities and Superior was about 10 years, so I traveled that road a lot back and forth between Parkersburg and Superior.
I was always going home. When I made plans to visit my parents, I said I was going home. When I left my parents to return, I said I was going home. It was during this time, that I joked that “home is where you are not”. The illogic of this bugged my brother but one Christmas, one of my sisters cross stitched it for me as a gag gift.
I eventually left Superior, and moved to central Wisconsin – a long way from Interstate 35. I no longer traveled that road when I went home to visit my parents. While living there, I bought a house, married my wife, and we started our family. After 12 years, I moved back to the Duluth/Superior area. The northern end of Interstate 35 was again within 10 miles or so from our house.
I travel on Interstate 35 frequently to the Twin Cities for work or for fun, and travel Interstate 35 to visit family in Iowa. Shortly before I moved to the Duluth area, my parents moved from Parkersburg to a small town just east of Des Moines. They were now considerably closer to I35.
My parents have passed away, but it still feels like home when I go to Iowa. It isn’t Parkersburg anymore, and it isn’t my parent’s house. Now when I travel, I go to visit my sister, and now my daughter is attending college in Des Moines which gives me another reason to travel I35. I have told my sister that it still feels like I am coming home. On some level, Iowa along Interstate 35 will also have a sense of home for me
So for lots of reasons, I35 has become the road of my life. The logic of “Home is where you are not.” is pretty bad. But, there is a certain amount of truth to the sentiment that “home is where your heart is.” For me, there is a length of I35 — from its northern terminus in Duluth to Des Moines — that connects the places where my heart feels at home, and has become the road of my life.
Tell me – Do you have a road that has played an important part of your life? Do you have a road that connects places where your heart is?
A Long Intentional Walk 