APPRECIATION
First, I’d like to thank the relatives and many friends and acquaintances whom I visited. It was nice getting reacquainted with friends from high school, college, and work. I’d like to thank them for the time and the accommodations. I also have to realize that all of this would not have been this easy were it not for modern technology, (still) cheap energy, and an economic system that allows this kind of indulgence. I was indeed lucky on this trip considering I had it rain on my parade on only two days out of 55, had no tornadoes, no flooding, no flat tires, no car problems, no traffic tickets, and no sickness other than some allergic reaction to all of that pollen in the various springs I experienced. Also thanks to Susan for tolerating my time away from Columbia.

TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
My decision to stay on secondary roads and to stay within the speed limits was a wise one. I found the secondary road surfaces equal to and often better than my interstate experiences. Secondary roads had much less traffic and it was easier to stop quickly for pictures, etc. It’s also a much better way to experience the local economy and culture. Locals are also much more likely to obey the speed limits in small communities. One has to wonder if there are any law-abiding Christians living in the cities as they certainly aren’t out on the freeways keeping me company among the speeders.

Motels for me were not necessarily a good experience. They almost universally had bad smells from Fabreeze to worse and some don’t even have windows that open. They almost all have small refrigerators that cycle continuously (can you imagine the energy waste? I turned them off). Many motels are located near noisy freeways and may have trucks with AC compressors cycling all night. The good thing is that they almost universally now have free wireless internet access which is the way this blog got updated. Campgrounds, on the other hand, are usually a great experience for fresh air, prettier surroundings, meeting people, and quietude, though some are within range of midnite (or later) trains. State campgrounds are not cheap (~$20/night) and National Parks with Golden Passports or similar cards are a steal at $6/night. Unfortunately, the National Parks are beginning to look neglected and are understaffed because of poor funding from Uncle Sam. Conditions are being created, I believe, for more privatization of this prime real estate.

Eating out can be expensive nowadays with a reasonable meal and a Stella and tip costing around $20. Meals are a little cheaper in the country, though not by much. McDonalds and Subway are almost always there as backup choices. Many grocery stores offer beside fresh fruit, etc. take-out food for solitary dining. Though finding good grocery stores in some parts of the country is not a choice.

LAND OF PLENTY?
When white man first landed on these shores, he found a land of plenty, a land sustainably used for millenia by the native Americans he subsequently conquered to realize his manifest destiny.

White man’s fascination with growth has now pushed the Natives to marginal lands and has led to the agricultural usage of all easily farmed as well as marginal lands requiring extensive irrigation. As man’s numbers increased, good agricultural lands near population centers were “developed” into housing, industrial, and commercial uses. The ultimate examples of this seen on this trip are Los Angeles and the Florida coasts. Many other examples exist on a smaller scale from retirement community sprawl to house trailer spawl in the high desert. In today’s “dynamic” employment environment, many agricultural workers, for example, just live out of campers in camper cities.

This Land of Plenty has seen its plenty eroded over the last century as the needs of its population, has increased 4 fold. Water demand in the Southwest is straining the dwindling resources. The waters behind the Hoover Dam are approaching their lowest level since they started to fill the lake in 1935 and may be too low for the turbine intakes soon. Yet growth goes on.

This country’s fascination with growth will be its downfall. Growth to our current numbers was only possible because of cheap fossil fuels. These numbers cannot be maintained as we deplete the remaining fossil fuels because the alternatives, wood and grazing for beasts of burden are insufficient for our current numbers. This reminds me of the old seventies saying, “Nature Bats Last”.

DID I FIND A NEW HOME?
So did I find a place I’d like to call a new home? Well, yes and no.

The Southeast has warmer weather punctuated by occasional hurricanes. Florida still has great wildlife in birds and fish and some opportunity for growing fruit trees and vegetables. The hot humid weather I could get used to again. There seems to be a lack of individual and unique communities; it all seems like a sprawl with cars a necessity. In the other southern states one can get the same humid heat in summer and some of the colder northern winters. There are a lot of retirement communities with golf courses. Not exactly what I’m looking for.

The Southwest is too dusty and arid for me. Though a pristine desert environment with a little oasis is of interest, good luck finding it. The cities often look junky except for the few high cost, higher altitude retirement cities. Wildfires are an ever present danger. The California coast must have been Nirvana around 1900 with its ideal weather for growing fruits and vegetables. It is now too densely packed with humans and too expensive for what you get.

The Central Plains states are largely agricultural and can be boring. They also have extreme weather from heat to cold as well as tornadoes. They do often have distinct communities though many smaller ones have very limited variety, great for solitary and inactive lifestyles.

The Coastal Northwest certainly is scenically very appealing. It has mild and cool weather great for gardening and has lots of outdoor opportunities for active lives. It, of course, is also growing fast because of its desirability, a problem with most Nirvanas which soon become less so as they are loved to death by the ever increasing masses.

Western Canada certainly is beautiful. The Vancouver area is mild (they even have palm trees), crowded, and expensive. The Kootenays are beautiful and though they have a colder climate, they are a still a good area for fruit trees and gardening.

The upper Northeast, exemplified by Vermont is beautiful but cold. It has plenty of water and is also good for gardening. It also has nice small towns and a movement statewide to become self-sustaining. Its desire to secede from the US also says something about its welcoming of old out-of-staters like me. If it ever gets warmer with global warming, it also will be overrun with the masses looking to escape the sprawl.

The common thread is that this country only has so much nice-to-live-on land, pretty much all of it populated by today’s 303 million people. What will it look like with the expected 445 million by 2050? Can we really afford the huge legal and illegal immigration policy of today?

So, it’s a toss between Vermont and Oregon at present. So to avoid a decision at this time I will first go to Europe for a few months of reflection and if McCain wins the election just stay there.

Thanks for listening/reading and please remember that all comments made are personal and based upon limited sampling.

Auf Wiedersehen,
Au Revoir
Good Bye
Sayonara
Ciao