Cruise of the Rolling Junk - Scott & Zelda's Roadtrip

[danbuck]

I recently took a road trip that followed the path of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald in the book The Cruise of the Rolling Junk. I learned about the book from AO’s amazing interactive map of literary road trips. (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-obsessively-detailed-map-of-american-literatures-most-epic-road-trips)

The Rolling Junk is a delightful collection of essays, short stories, and frequently snobby observations of the Fitzgeralds’ spontaneous trip from their home in Westport, CT to Zelda’s birthplace in Montgomery, AL, apparently all in search of good biscuits and some peaches.

I took the trip in reverse. I started at the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, followed the path they took in 1920, and ended at my birthplace, (near) Westport, CT. The trip was largely about the Fitzgeralds, but I also allowed my wanderlust to run a little wild and look for interesting tidbits along the way.

Here’s the path I took.

Anybody else followed a literary path? Or taken a trip inspired by a book or film?

[danbuck]

And here’s a list of AO spots along the way. (some a little off the path)
I didn’t get to go to all of these, but nearly!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/users/danbuck/lists/rolling-junk

[tyler]

@danbuck this is so cool!

During my college years, I went deep on F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and read everything I could, though remarkably, not The Cruise of the Rolling Junk. With your indulgence, I’m sharing a photo of that area of my bookshelf:

Anyway, it so happened that my father was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery while I was in college, so I got to visit the Fitzgerald Museum back in 1997. At the time, it was staffed by an older woman who had been friends with the couple’s daughter Scottie, and I was moved by the living connection.

Was just reviewing your list and realized I should pay a visit to their gravestone in Maryland.

So glad that the Literary Road trip map is still inspiring, and also very interested in your question about literary journeys. This book might be worth investigating:

The New York Times: Footsteps by New York Times: 9780804189842 |...

[danbuck]

Oooh! Awesome. Nice to find another fan. I’ll be submitting their Westport home as a place on AO soon.

Your collection is impressive. On my trip, I got to meet (out of dumb luck) one of the members of the board of “The Fitz” (the suitably classy nickname for the museum) and he brought me to his home to show me some of his own Fitzgerald collection. And he has a letter from Zelda that like NO ONE has seen and it’s so beautiful. I got him to read it for me for the podcast episode.

[tyler]

Very cool! Do you mind sharing which podcast? Don’t be shy about promoting it!

[danbuck]

With Tyler’s blessing…

My podcast is called “CURIO w/ Dan Buck”. The 3-part episode where I follow the Fitzgerald’s path is called The Cruise of the Rolling Junk.
Available where podcasts are found.