It is summer vacation time in the southeast United States, and for many families that mean it is time to load the car and take a road trip. This is nothing new. For decades vacation in the family vehicle has been a quintessentially American thing to do. Have you ever wondered why Americans are such fans of the open road? I have traveled enough to learn part of the answer to this question: Road trips are better here.
Europe has many of the same technological advantages as the United States, but European cities are often more crowded, and gasoline is much more expensive. Some of their cities were laid out centuries ago, and many of the roads require careful navigation for two-way traffic. In contrast, American highways and even our city streets have a roomy feel, and gasoline is relatively inexpensive.
Even a little travel in Latin America or Asia will be enough to make you nostalgic for American rest areas or the luxurious accommodations of a highway a truck stop. The scariest day of my life so far was a road trip in northern India, into the Himalayas, toward Rohtang Pass, elevation 13,000 feet. It was a curvy mountain road without guard rails, but with two way traffic and very impatient drivers. The fact that they were driving on the left contributed to the disorientation of American passengers, but it might have also been because they were driving on dangerous roads as if they were fleeing from law-enforcement authorities.
Did I mention that these fast moving vehicles share the road with an incredible variety of livestock? When we did stop for a much needed break, the roadside stands featured bathrooms that were not temporary yet featured all of the comfort and atmosphere of a Porta-John that had not been serviced recently. We take it for granted that an American road trip will have few encounters with animals in the road or oncoming drivers speeding toward you in your lane.
Let us help prepare your vehicle for your next family road trip. At Cassels Garage in West Melbourne, we are ready to help keep your cars in good working condition. We are a family-owned shop well equipped to provide routine maintenance or do major repairs on your car. We have been serving Brevard County since 1966.
