Travels with Charley

John Steinbeck described the itch to travel as an incurable disease that nothing, not even the old age could diminish.
 
And the spontaneity of a trip. The nearer the date of the departure, the more unlikely you feel the trip would happen. And no matter how prepared you are, there’s always this uncertainty about the many potential incidents that could happen. In another word, you can never be prepared enough. He concluded “a journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” And I dare say this experience strikes a chord with nearly everyone who has ever taken a trip.
 
During his journey through America, Steinbeck detected the whole nation’s eagerness to be on the road. “I saw in their eyes something I was to see over and over in every part of the nation---a burning desire to go, to move, to get under way, anyplace, away from any Here. They spoke quietly of how they wanted to go someday, to move about, free and unanchored, not toward something but away from something. I saw this look and heard this yearning everywhere in every state I visited. Nearly every American hungers to move.” And it ringed as true today as it has ever been.
 
The trip took place in late 1950s when Steinbeck was fifty-eight. He chose Charley, a poodle with French breed to travel with. The seemingly warning yet mild natured dog proved to be a most pleasant companion. He is not only adequate in fending off wicked-intentioned strangers, but also offers comfort and empathy whenever his master feels lonely or unsure. Steinbeck holds the same compassion for the dog and here is what he wittily and lovingly wrote about how he communicates with Charley, “Charley is a tall dog. As he sat in the seat beside me, his head was almost as high as mine. He put his nose closely to my ear and said ‘Ftt.’ He is the only dog I ever knew who could pronounce the consonant F. This is because his front teeth are crooked, a tragedy which keeps him out of dog shows; because his upper front teeth slightly engage his lower lip Charley can pronounce F. The word ‘Ftt’ usually means he would like to salute a bush or a tree. I opened the cab door and let him out, and he went about his ceremony.” What a charming dog.
 
John Steinbeck travelled America in his camper top truck, which he aptly named Rocinante, the name of Don Quixote’s horse. And also like Don Quixote, Steinbeck’s journey produced an ever-lasting book.