And this is where the cowboy rides away

At the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, a short video plays as introduction to the prolific American artist, in one snippet she says, “One cannot be an American by going about saying that one is an American. It is necessary to feel America, like America, love America and then work.” There is not talk of the erotic subtext of O’Keefe’s work, but here is a full-throated treatise on patriotism— always surprises afoot in Sante Fe. I wonder if that’s what made Georgia so damn good, was it that she just really loved America that much. That she wanted to tell a genuinely American story on her canvases. In all honesty, that is sort of what this trip was about in the back of my mind. When I first started planning in January of 2017, I had fallen out of love with America. I thought, maybe naively, that if I could touch it with my own hands; if I could just put my finger on the pulse of the nation’s rapidly beating heart—I could fall in love again. I don’t yet know if it worked. I am back home in Austin, and this country certainly gives my heart palpitations, but often not ones of affection. For 61 days, covering 10,055 miles, I tried to get it. I was never naïve enough to believe that merely talking to people could ease the tensions engulfing our politics, but if I’m honest, I thought I could help. I thought maybe there was a silver bullet in a conversation. I thought that if I just listened hard enough, I could find it, I could share it with you. Instead, each day brought new scandals, policy crises, and outrage—increased polarization has followed. And yet, I have found things about this mess to love. We have to. I love the way that the vastness of the Grand Canyon made me feel small, the way it grounded me with its aged contours and crevasses. I love friends with couches to sleep on. I love the way the road connects all of us, from town to town we have an asphalt pathway to our neighbors, whoever they may be. I love a meal shared with total strangers that leave friends. I love small town mayors in pick-up trucks just trying their best. I love drinking gas station wine on the floor of an Airbnb at the end of a long day. I love a cup of coffee with retired couples in small towns. I love jeeps! Maybe this seems like some self-help, gratitude journal bullshit, to list it all out like this, but they’re true. I have found things about America to love. Reminding ourselves what we love about America, is essential, because as President Obama often said, “People who love their country can change it.” There is too much worth fighting for to give into the anxiety and fear. As was often noted along the way, America is a nation uniquely built on ideas. Not landmass, ethnicity, religion or custom—but ideas. Ideas dreamt up by people who put them into action by working with other people, by coming together, by sharing and loving and working. To understand America, to love America, we have to talk to its people. These people are not easy; God bless us. We are complicated and contradictory. We are silly. We are ignorant. We hate. We laugh. We fry foods that would better be left alone. We are selfish and stubborn. But damn it, we are all we’ve got. As I reflect on my time, it is this notion I come back to—we are worth fighting for. There is no asterisk to that statement, no categorical subdivision, no tribes—There is Out of many, one. We the people. Yes, we can. A Republic, if we can keep it. We are all we’ve got. So, let’s get to the work of loving America enough to fix her. Together. Thanks for being along for the ride.

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this trip possible. My biggest takeaway from this will always be the overwhelming generosity of strangers and friends alike, with their time, their spare bedrooms, their meals, their phone calls on long drives, and their words of encouragement. I am a better person because of this trip, and I could not have accomplished any of it without all of you. I am going to spend the next month reflecting and writing this thing up. If you have any stories that stood out to you, any notions that resonated for some reason, or general reflections that you would like to share with me, they would be incredibly helpful. If you have any ideas as to what I should do with all this information I have, I would love to brainstorm with you as well. If you would like to rant about me and how encouraging discourse is terrible, you can save that for the twitter.