Week six includes reflections from
Matt Herzog and Bobby Decker about their trip across the country
Matt's Reflection
I had this idea that everyone in America was fighting a civil war. You were either a Democrat or a Republican, but that’s not really how it is. Meeting strangers from all over the country showed me that people aren’t just their political beliefs: they feel, they struggle, they work for a living, they try to find meaning in it all. I also came to the conclusion that there’s a new version of America every 100 miles or so, with new ideas, people, opinions, fauna, flora, buildings, looks and perspectives. There’s no one America, there’s thousands.
In terms of documenting life, I still like photography, but I’ve realized that video is a lot less deceitful. Freezing a moment emphasizes only that moment, and we accept it as the entire truth. A man on the street makes a sad face in a photo, and he is forever a sad man. But a video of that same man could show that he was only sad for a moment.
Meeting and getting to know so many strangers made me want to better depict and document them. Everyone is complicated and flawed, but still trying to do the right thing. I want to capture that.
There’s nothing that felt more right to me than what I’ve done for the past month. I want to continue traveling, learning and documenting as much as I can.
I’ll always be grateful for what I learned and got to see on this road trip.
Bobby’s Reflection
People said to 'do it while you're still young.'
Let me tell you, it was hell. You don’t sleep properly, and there's only so many days you can go without bathing until the flies start to eat at your eyes. Here I am now, back home, broke, no money, unsure of what my next step is, and not regretting a single thing.
You’d like to think you come out a little bit wiser, I definitely have a few more stories to replace the old ones, but, through it all, it was the little things that made it feel real.
The road, the hills, the late night drives, the caffeine, the fights over whose turn it is to pay for gas, the companions, and the many memories along the way.
I don’t think you need to be young to do what we did. I think it’s for anybody seeking a little adventure in their life. Just go, you may not like it, but it’s easier than you think.
