“And the brakes are solid. No vibrations. Shall I do a test? A panic stop?”

“Not now,” she said. “There’s a car right behind us.”

The man looked in the rearview mirror.

“You’re right,” he acknowledged.

“I’d say the old Volks is in tip-top shape,” she said.

He took a chocolate cookie from the bag that he kept beside the seat.

“And what about you? How are you?” he asked with his mouth full.

“Very well.”

“But I mean, are you happy?”

“I’ve everything I need,” she said.

He gave her time to explain herself and at length she said, “When we’re on the road I’m very happy.”

XVIII. The Oregon Trail

XVIII

The Oregon Trail

They didn’t stay long on route 70. Once they arrived at Topeka, Kansas, they headed northwest toward the Big Blue River, one of the first waterways the 1840 emigrants had had to cross, and from there they drove back onto Interstate 80.

Through Nebraska, route 80 closely followed the Oregon Trail, in some places joining it.

All the information they needed could be found in The Oregon Trail Revisited. Not only did the book tell them the location of the old trail and how to get there, but it also provided data on each of the historic sites, even quoting passages from diaries the emigrants had kept during their journey.

But Jack and the girl liked the book for another reason: the author’s fatherly attitude. For instance, when he said, “Follow such-and-such a route as far as an old barn, take the dirt road, cross a railway track, turn left and drive to the stream, then leave your vehicle and walk a hundred and fifty paces through the grass in a southerly direction, and at that point take a good look at the ruts in the field there: that’s the Oregon Trail . . .” When he gave these very detailed instructions, the author would also add that you must be careful at the level crossing because the signals were faulty, or he might advise you to wear boots in the fields because of the rattlesnakes.

The Volkswagen was travelling along route 80. Jack was driving and the girl was reading the book they were in love with. Needless to say they weren’t following all the author’s instructions; they preferred to stay on the Interstate in order to arrive sooner at the places where there was some chance of finding Théo’s trail.

“It wasn’t easy to cross the Big Blue,” said the girl, holding the book on her lap.

“Oh, no?” he said.

“After the spring rains, the river was broad and deep and the current was very swift, so it was necessary to build rafts.”

“But . . . wouldn’t the wagons float? I mean, weren’t the bottoms of the wagons tarred so they’d float?”