Mark Johnston Photography

10 Jan 2009: the road . . .

These days I spend most of my time in big cities - Tokyo, Hong Kong. Places where the streets are narrow, and traffic is heavy. And when you drive to your destination in the city, finding a parking space is almost impossible.

On the other hand, both cities have good, even excellent public transportation infrastructure. If you take a bus or a cab, your trip is still at the mercy of traffic conditions, but at least you can sit back and relax instead of having to focus your attention on figuring out the best route, or defending your position in traffic.

In Hong Kong, taxis are cheap, even if sometimes hard to find. Usually my carriage of choice. In Tokyo, taxis are not cheap, but I can take the train to within a short cab ride of my destination.

I don't even own a car.

So, maybe I am especially appreciative of being able to experience an "open road" when I am outside the big city. Especially when I get back to the States a couple times a year to work at the Reno Air Races, I usually have the chance to drive around a bit in the relatively wide-open spaces of the American West.

I have done some long drives in the States - across the country from Maryland to California, and from Maryland to Arizona. And several times from Tucson, Arizona to Reno, Nevada. From Las Vegas to Page, Arizona. From Escalante, Utah to Reno. Route 66. Route 50. Good, clear roads, with little traffic, and towns where you can get a good breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast in a small cafe. Not the multi-lane superhighways, but roads that lie a little closer on the landscape.

But I also enjoy walking the country roads in Japan, even if I have to share with the occasional motor vehicle.

Here, some photos of the road. A few from some of my cross-country drives, and a few from my out-in-the-countryside walks.