An engaging chronicle of a modern day pilgrim, hitting the highways and byways of America from 2018-2022
Seeing America Between the Lines is a pensive and insightful journey into the mind of Ronald K. Henderson, a man exploring a country he’s beginning to understand less and less in fraught times.
With more free time and maybe more restlessness now that he’s retired, Henderson departs Texas and heads west with a heart full of wanderlust. When the day’s drive begins to wear on him and he stops at a regional motor inn to rest, the impulse to write about his progress is undeniable. There are certain impediments to seamless travel, whether it be hitchhikers, deer, hogs, or what-have-you. While able to forestall a hitchhiking request from a random stranger, a chance encounter with a hog doesn’t end quite so well.
Nostalgia fuels the initial days of Ronald’s journey as his Jeep crosses from Texas to New Mexico and then northbound to Colorado. On his way to Parachute, Colorado, where he once lived, Henderson takes a side-trip into Glenwood Springs where he visits the cemetery that houses the grave of legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday. The stories about Holliday and fellow lawman Wyatt Earp often culminate with the “Battle at the O.K. Corral” in Tombstone, Arizona—another stop on the road trip checklist. A poignant moment in Henderson’s narrative is in discussing Earp & Holliday’s bond in a wistful manner while relating how a friendship he valued ended because of political differences. The journey west has come with an emotional catharsis.
Henderson also makes a journey eastbound to Kentucky to visit his daughter as she prepares for a pivotal moment in her life: defending her Master’s thesis. While initially feeling good about being there for his daughter, the mistakes he made in his early years as a father show him that their distance hasn’t only been about geography. However, he resolves to be there for her in important moments such as this and later when he travels to Illinois to give her away at her wedding. The narrative of Henderson’s journeys ebb and flow between moments of sadness and great joy.
The travels undertaken by Henderson are not strictly limited to remembrances and family events, some are concerned with showing humanity. The border between Texas and Mexico has been a lightning rod for controversy during debates about immigration (legal/illegal) and these controversies were compounded during Donald Trump’s first administration. Henderson’s trips down to Eagle Pass and Clint are as much about supporting protestors at the flashpoint border areas as they are about his concern for the asylum seekers risking their lives to come to America. The rift Henderson sees affecting the country during 2018-2022 sparks within him a desire far greater than a road trip, something ultimately life changing.
Seeing America Between the Lines is a deeply personal and transformative story. Ronald Henderson’s travels may have begun as a lark, but with each new journey, he is discovering more about himself and how he sees his relationships along with how he views his country. Henderson is frank in voice and style, and while one may not agree with every opinion he shares, there is no doubting the power of his convictions. This is a cogent and unapologetic travel memoir reminiscent of Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley.
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