Why do we sometimes go quiet during roadtrips?

Found this in my notes from a road trip taken almost 10 years back in Dec 2005.

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In the last few months I have discovered a passion to travel, but what I havent learnt so far is why I love it? What gets me excited to just get out of “here” and be out “there”?

The more I think about it, the more it adds to my confusion.

I have been noticing my thoughts during these road-trips and its just amazing how the human mind is capable of such a diverse set of emotions and reactions, in seemingly similar situations.

I am yet to figure out any dominant patterns. Each trip, each journey seems to be a unique experience. How they add up? I  am not too sure. Not sure if they even add up.

What captivates me is the journey, more than the destination. The road trips are like the time spent in a planetarium, the whole universe seems to change every now and then. And the only thing you can do is shut up and watch.

Or maybe not !

I think while I am quiet outside, theres a lot that goes inside the head. But to be honest, I can’t remember what all came to my mind during my last road trip.

And looks like its not just me.

So why do we become all quiet when on a road trip?

Is it that we run out of things to talk?

Or is it that the steady pace of changing scenery somehow soothes the mind and forces all our senses to relax?

Or is it that most of the things that we intend to talk about somehow seem irrelevant and non-consequential once we are away from the hustle-bustle of our daily lives?

I feel that a change in the immediate landscape around us, forces our minds and hearts to shift gears. the vast expanse of nature all around us in its amazing beauty, forces us to think about more fundamental things.