What does the term "shotgun" even mean?

For many Americans, it's a game, something we call piling out of the house with an eye toward the coveted front passenger seat.

Unlike the modern "shotgun" usage, "riding shotgun" was once a life and death important role for stagecoaches crossing the often unpredictable expansions of the 19th century American West. Following a ragged patchwork of trails and roads, stagecoaches would venture into the expansive, lawless terrain burdened by the weight of chests full of gold and silver bullion. The landscape camouflaged bandits, robbers, and thieves always willing to help shoulder the burden of heavy sacks of gold worth thousands.

Wells Fargo helped usher the practice of employing men to ride as a guard and issuing the sawed-off namesake, or short double-barrel shotgun. I can imagine the guard seat would likely draw the likes of east coast grifters, adrenaline junkies looking for a rush, and cowboys good with a gun.

The most famous was a part-time gambler, sometimes lawman, and full-time old west handlebar mustache model named Wyatt Earp. Years before the O.K. Corral, Earp earned wages "riding shotgun" in and out of the wild boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona. With the western railroad expansion, the practice was phased out along with the stagecoach but made famous again in American culture by the growth in popularity of the 1950s Western movie genre.

Today's "shotgun" callers must only pay heed to rationed Redvines supply and to make sure Apple Maps connects, of which it will not. Maybe for some, it's boring that there are very few bandits roaming the dusty western skyline today. However, there's still enough unpredictability around the bend to make the expansive 21st century American West exciting.

The time is always ripe for a road trip.