Friday, July 15, 2005

V'couver and San Antonio

It is 1750 miles or so to Vancouver. It is 300 or so miles to San Antonio. I can fly to Vancouver quicker than I can drive to Summit Bluff.

Speed is so very relative. Imagine an early Texas pioneer on horseback. He would probably take 3 days to make the trip to S.A. If you told him you had a machine that could go 75 mph and get you there in air-conditioned comfort, he'd probably scratch his head and say, "What's air-conditioning?".

Looking out the window of a 757 from 40,000 feet and watching the clouds whiz by as you go 535 mph is truly awesome. But what is going to come along in the future and make us look slow? Will it involve some sort of time-warp? Will our descendents be able to step into a machine and just dial up a destination? I hope not. Part of the thrill of travelling, whether by plane, car, or horseback is simply covering the distance. The grandchildren of Ethan, Maddie, and Zach may not get to experience that thrill.

2 comments:

Brooke said...

Deep, truly deep.

Jenny said...

Papa,
I must say I'm a little disappointed that this blog of yours isn't updated that frequently. Being as eloquent of a writer as you are and with as much time on the computer as you spend, I figured this thing would have thought provocking entries daily (as well as a few airplane pictures). I enjoy your insights and hope to see more of them (and the airplanes too).
Your loving daughter in law,
Jenny