It is my Father's Fault

My father liked the great American road trip, growing up we went to Arizona twice and Florida seven times.  So, his geographic interest was limited, but he did like to pile the family into the car and drive - for long endless days.  I hated it.  By the time he squeezed in another 100 miles and pulled off for the night my body would hurt. And I loved it, because I got to see the differences in other parts of the country.  Now unlike a friend of my sisters, I didn't expect the landscape to change colors when we crossed state lines, like it did on the maps, but I knew that people lived differently and thought differently in different parts of the country.

Rolling across the landscape on my latest adventure a few things struck me.  There are a lot of dead deer on the roadsides.   Hunting has become politically incorrect and the deer population has exploded.  It seems that the only natural predator left is traffic.  People still let their dogs run loose, a couple of dogs splattered along the expressway makes me sad. The owners who let them loose should be forced to come face to face with the fate of their dog.  In North Carolina I saw several business with billboards saying, American Owned and Operated.  Do we really dislike immigrants that much?  It can be frustrating trying to do business with someone who does not speak the language or does not understand the culture.  But I always appreciate the immigrant who is working hard to earn a better life and doing a good job of it. NPR is nearly constant, I have to change stations every hundred miles or so, but I was able to follow NPR for over 400 miles.  I like NPR, yes they can be a little liberal, but because they are not beholden to advertisers, they will take the time to report stories that no one else will.  As a country we need that.

I have learned to pace my road trips.  If I make hotel reservations ahead of time it forces me to stop.  Hopefully in time to smell the roses at the end of a day crossing the landscape.