road trip is synonymous with American life, but it is not always the case. At the beginning of the 21th century, some famous friends gave a leap-forward start, a tradition that disappeared on a lonely expressway.

when Henry Ford first introduced the model t in 1918, not everyone appreciated its promise. John Burroughs, a famous nature writer, denounced it as a "demon on wheels" and it would "look for the most secluded corner or corner in the forest and cover it with noise and smoke." Ford is a Barros fan and a keen birdwatcher. He believes that the family car he can afford will make it easier for him to enter the American wilderness. He sent the disgruntled writer a new Model T as a peace gift.

it works. Ford wrote in his memoirs: "Friendship came from that car. Ford introduced Burroughs to two other giants of American industry: the inventor Thomas Edison and the tire manufacturer Harvey firestone. From 1914 to 1924, these influential people put camping equipment on cars and started a series of historic road trip.

This self-proclaimed tramp visited the Everglades, Adirondack, Catskills and smoky mountains. They swam along the sparkling coast of California and through the maple forests of Vermont, intoxicated by the interruption of state power brokers' duties. The annual field adventure lasted for two weeks or more.

At an average speed of 18 miles per hour, Tin Lizzies' caravan sped past the ever-changing United States. At that time, paved roads were scarce and interstate highways did not exist. Hand-painted road signs warn: "Drive as slowly as the devil". Edison usually chose this road. He sat in the car in front, played the role of captain, and sailed on the bumpy dirt road with a pass and some atlases. The brave inventor likes to take small roads and avoid major towns. He made an exception and built a brand-new Lincoln Highway. It is still under construction and is touted as the first cross-country expressway that will eventually connect new york and San Francisco. Henry Ford took a photo with Thomas Edison in dearborn, Michigan. (Bettmann/Corbis) Thomas Edison, John Barros, Henry Ford and Harvey firestone inspect an antique grinding wheel. （Baldwin H.Ward& Kathryn C.Ward/Corbis Thomas Edison, John Barros and Henry Ford were at Edison's home in Fort Myers, Florida in 1914. (Wikipedia) President Warren G Harding has lunch with Thomas Edison (first from left) and Henry Ford (first from right) in a tent. (Corbis) Innovator (from left to right) Henry? Ford, Thomas? Edison and Harvey? Firestone is sitting outdoors. (Corbis) On a camping trip, Henry? Ford, Thomas? Edison, President Harding, Harvey? Firestone and Bishop Aberdeen are sitting on lawn chairs reading and relaxing. George? Christian is standing behind the chair. （？ Underwood& Underwood/Corbis) Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey firestone, claiming to be part of the "tramp", shaved and washed their faces during the camping trip in 1921. President Harding and Bishop William Anderson also joined them. (Excerpted from Henry Ford's collection)

Roadside cafes, service stations and the infrastructure to support car travel don't exist yet, but it's not troublesome for these pioneers. Ford is an energetic mechanic. He welded the broken radiators together again, and organized tree climbing, firewood cutting and fierce shooting competitions at the maintenance station. Firestone provides meals and impromptu poetry reading. Old Burroughs has a Whitman-style white beard and returns to natural philosophy. No matter where the camp is, he leads plants hiking. He taught others to recognize local plants and birds.

Burroughs recorded the adventures of these people in an article "Hard Holidays" published after his death. "We happily endure humidity, cold, smoke, mosquitoes, black flies and sleepless nights, just to get in touch with the naked reality again," he wrote:

*** Naked reality is good for those elegant outings. Edison did encourage his friends to be "rough" and forbade shaving during the trip. But men often break this rule, especially when their wives are with them. And the kitchen staff of gourmets still wear bows.

that's right: the kitchen staff of the gourmet. These tramps sometimes include as many as 51 Ford cars, piles of supplies, personal attendants, an official film crew and a truck with a custom refrigerator and gas stove. Burroughs called this mobile kitchen "Waldorf Astoria on Wheels". At each stop, the supporters erected an ordinary dining table-a huge wooden circle with a spinning lazy Susan inside. Everyone has his own canvas tent with his own name printed on it, with a small bed and a mattress. After sunset, Edison lit up the camp with his own invented lamp and generator. What's a trip without music? On at least one expedition, seasoned travelers will take a piano with them.

"It seems to me," Barros observed, "that we are a luxuriously equipped expedition, and we set out to find the wilderness."

during their many expeditions, road travelers picked apples for an orchard boss, helped a farmer plant wheat in his cradle, and then hitchhiked a short ride with a passing robber. They stopped to check the mills and waterways. Ford lamented that seeing so many rural streams unprotected, their flowing energy would be wasted. Edison collected plants filled with sap on the roadside, hoping to provide natural rubber substitute Firestone for his tire business.

At night, with the stars slowly rotating overhead, people's conversations range from politics and poetry to economic and European wars. In 1921, the vagrants joined an old friend of firestone: President Warren Harding. The surrounding Woods are patrolled by the Secret Service.

The annual outing provided these famous friends with a chance to relax, and proved the effective advertising of Ford and Firestone tires. Newspapers all over the country made headlines such as "Millions of dollars' Vacation Brain" and "Sleeping Genius under Stars", and people flocked to cinemas to watch silent films shot by Ford's film crew on the road. Americans have discovered the miracle of exploring their country from behind the car.

Everywhere the tramp goes, it attracts people's attention. When the caravan passed by, the fans lined up on both sides of the street in the country town. The parade of new car owners followed the entourage to the border of the city. By 1924, celebrity campers were unknown. The privacy of their carefree adventures was guaranteed and their travel stopped. But by that time, America's collective imagination was full of fascinating road trips.