My songs of the open road

by Chad Larimer

As a child of the car-crazed culture of southern California, I’d rather be behind the wheel, speeding down two-lane country roads with the windows down and the music cranked.

Anticipating the next corner, hitting my mark on entry, using the brakes to plant the nose of the car and accelerating through the apex of the corner puts a smile on my face on even the worst of days.

Olmsted/Fillmore County Road 1 between Rochester and Spring Valley is one of my favorite routes to let off a little steam. The undulating hills mixed with the flat farmland make for a fun drive.

I enjoy that set of corners north of Spring Valley – the first, a blind corner to the left where the road falls away downhill. It quickly banks into an uphill right-hander. There’s light feeling in my stomach as the road falls away: pure driving love.

A little further up Fillmore County 1, I hit an area where the trees have grown over the road. It gives the effect of driving through a tunnel, and the faster I drive the narrower the road feels, but the town of Simpson signals the approach of my favorite set of corners on County Road 1.

Four corners, alternating left and right-hand turns. The first is a 90 degree left, followed by a 90 degree right, followed by another 90 degree left. The final right-hander isn’t sharp and can be taken “flat-footed” – if I have the courage and the right song playing. A relaxing and exhilarating drive--but it can’t be done without the right music.

While testing the limits of my car on County Road 1 this past weekend, I decided to create an appropriate playlist on my iPod. It’s too difficult to search for “the right” song while preparing to head into a corner at 80 mph. Shuffle is out as an option: nothing can break a driver’s concentration and rhythm more than the wrong song coming on.

For me, Berlin’s “Take my Breath Away” did it. That song came on in that final left-hand corner that sets up the flat-footed final corner on County Road 1. I missed my marks, slid the front tires and had to brake to avoid ending up taking a ride through the ditch and into a farmer’s field. Time to make that perfect playlist.

I had to find the right songs – a mix of good lyrics and fast guitar work. Nothing gets my adrenaline rushing more than lateral g-forces and a little Mötley Crüe.

My “County Road 1” mix was built on the foundation of some Crüe classics. “Kickstart my Heart,” “Girls, Girls, Girls” and “Wild Side” lead off the playlist. AC/DC came in with “Thunderstruck,” Nirvana’s contributed “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Metallica, “Enter Sandman” and Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” wrapping up a solid base of classic fast songs.

Any good mix needs a little variety. I threw in some country to keep it a good “country roads” feel. I had to go with a classic song by the late Chris LeDoux, “Hooked on an 8 Second Ride.” Rascal Flatts favorites “Life is a Highway,” “Fast Cars and Freedom” and “She’d be California” couldn’t be left out. Upstart country band Love and Theft made the mix with its song, “Runaway.” That song is as much about the lyrics as the beat. Keith Urban’s “Days Go By” was a must include – the lyrics are good for any driving mix and this song will anchor my Forrest Gump vacation mix, but that is for another day.

Now, how could I make a hard driving mix and not toss in some of the bands that I became familiar with during my teen years in southern California? With that in mind, R.E.M. and the Red Hot Chili Peppers made the playlist with “It’s the End of the World (As We Know It)” and “Dani California” respectively.

I added Buckcherry’s “Crazy Bitch,” Nickelback’s “Something in Your Mouth,” Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” and The Bangles version of “Hazy Shade of Winter” to pick the pace up a little.

No driving mix, regardless of speed, would be complete without the final song. It is a classic live rock masterpiece. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s live, nearly 15 minute rendition of “Free Bird.”

I tried out the “County Road 1” mix on Sunday, heading out on Highway 14 towards County Road 1. I figured I would take County 1 southbound towards Spring Valley, but I approached the intersection of Hwy 14 and County 1 I got a wild hare. I decided to head east on Hwy 14 to Winona, where I could pick up U.S. 61 and drive south to La Crescent.

Once I reached La Crescent, I figured I would pick up Minnesota 16 and follow the Root River through Houston and Fillmore counties. Once I reached Spring Valley on Hwy 16, I would then turn north on County Road 1 and complete the journey. I had no idea when I left home that I was embarking on a “short” 200-mile road trip through some of southeastern Minnesota’s most scenic areas to test drive my new music mix.

Eastbound on Minnesota 14, I was almost through Stockton when the opening guitar licks of “Kickstart My Heart” poured through my speakers. As I neared the top of the hill I glanced down and realized I was powering through those corners at more than 85 mph. I tapped the brakes and relaxed my grip on the wheel. I knew the speed limit would drop down to 45 mph on the way down the hill by St. Mary’s University in Winona.The last thing I needed was a ticket for driving 40 mph over the limit.

I turned south onto U.S. 61 and breezed through Winona. I spent a few years in Winona while attending Winona State University, so there was no reason to slow down and enjoy the sights. I wanted to see the Mississippi River instead. A few miles south of Winona I was enjoying the cool air along the river as it whipped through the open windows of my Saturn.

How long it had been since I had driven this route? Every once in a while my attention would drift to the fallen rocks alongside the road – a sure sign of erosion along the bluffs. I would look to my right and see the sunlight sparkling on the water. Countless fishermen and pleasure boaters were out on the river. I started to regret not bringing a camera with me – the landscape and lighting was perfect for photography. The water was a deep blue, the trees along the Mississippi River were so many shades of green and the wild flowers had turned the ditches into a multi-colored wave of purple and white.

About this time, the familiar notes of “Free Bird” flowed from my speakers. I started to wonder how many boomers in their Chevy, Gen Xers in pick-ups and now millennials in their Civics had traveled along U.S. 61 listening to “Free Bird.”

I pictured a 1970’s Dodge van lined with shag carpet, full of twenty-somethings passing a bong while wearing those ungodly 70s fashions and listening to the guitar solo as they wound along the highway. I could see, in my mind’s eye, a Burt Reynolds wannabe speeding along in his T-top Firebird listening to the lyrics, imagining he will “leave here tomorrow.” I imagined a young couple cruising along the river in a Chevy Pickup listening to “Free Bird,” a “Support Our Troops” ribbon adorning their tailgate.

How many others had looked at the river while the song played and thought about following the Mississippi all the way to the Gulf of Mexico?

If only I hadn’t grown old – perhaps I might still believe in Mark Twain’s stories. I could just float down the river. Those thoughts faded when I found myself in La Crescent and left U.S. 61 behind me. I turned onto another one of southeastern Minnesota’s driving gems – Minnesota Highway 16.

Highway 16 threads its way along the Root River through Houston and Fillmore counties. The Root River Valley is flanked by hills, with fertile farmland and more critters than I could even pretend to name – both domestic and wild—on the valley floor.

The road runs through many small towns: Hokah, Houston, Rushford, Peterson, Whalen, Lanesboro, Preston, Wykoff and finally, Spring Valley. Many of those towns were affected by flooding in 2007. Sure, the residents can still show a visitor things that need to be fixed, but my untrained eye saw no sign of the devastation of two Augusts ago. The towns bustled about their Sunday morning business.

Farmers cut and raked hay in their fields. The smell of fresh cut alfalfa filled my car. In one fresh cut hay field, the deer moved in along the wood line to enjoy a feast of fresh cut alfalfa. I again wished I had my camera.

Keith Urban’s “Days Go By” started playing while I was making tracks between Whalen and Lanesboro. I thought the lyrics really fit this drive.

Headlights, taillights, running through a river of neon signs.

But somewhere in the rush I felt,

we're losing ourselves

Driving the scenic and twisty highways of southeastern Minnesota is the best way to escape a river of neon signs. The spectacular views along the drive don’t cause me to lose myself - they help me find myself.

“What an amazing drive,” I reflected.

Made all the better with some amazing driving music.

Chad Larimer moved to Minnesota in 1989 and graduated from Winona State University in 2008. He is a single parent of a five-year-old girl. In his free time he enjoys motor sports, live music and driving around Minnesota's scenic byways.