Why go anywhere else?

Seeing the seven wonders of the world is a great idea. Vacationing in the islands, rafting down the Amazon, climbing the highest mountains. How often do people imagine their grand vacations outside of the United States? How often do they overlook what our country has to offer? How many citizens of this nation of ours have taken the time to travel the mother road and see all that makes this country great?

For hundreds of years we have fought to make this country all the it is. A place where we can travel state to state without travel visas. A place where men and women of all ages, races and nationalities can be free to enjoy the splendor that is our cities, towns and remote vistas. Sure it’s still a work in progress, but think of all that we’ve accomplished in just the last hundred years.

My husbands grandmother is a great example of the history of this country. She was born in 1915. Think about that for a moment. Her childhood didn’t involve radios, televisions or even paved roads. Imagine what our country was like before highways and fast cars. Before commercial airliners. Before mega stores and shopping malls. Imagine knowing your neighbors and their kids. Imagine having a personal relationship with your doctor, your  preacher and most of the members of your family.

Imagine a harder life. A life where indoor plumbing was not the norm. A life where you didn’t need sleeping pills or a few beers to help you fall asleep at night because you worked your freakin butt off all day long.  Imagine eating because you were hungry, not because it was time to eat or because you wanted to “go out”. Imagine a trip to the movies as a major life event. Imagine all the electric powered devices in your house right now and then imagine a life without them, because most of them didn’t exist in the average house yet.

Wow, look at how far we’ve come. 

In this high speed, get it done faster world of ours, how many of us are missing the wonder that is all around us? How many of us don’t have the kind of relationships that make life worth living because we’ve filled our days up with a bunch of meaningless crap? How many of us are all pissed off at politicians all the time, but really don’t have a true understanding of how our political system is set up? How many of us citizens claim to be patriots, but have never taken the time to see our own country?

Amazing and depressing when you think about is long enough. Want to change the way you see the world?   Buy a tent, pack a cooler, gas up the car, load up the family and don’t forget the fishing polls.

And then, just drive. You don’t need hotels or resorts. You really don’t even need a map.  The American road trip is a family memory that lasts several lifetimes. If you don’t know where to start, go online and look up “the biggest” in your state. Biggest rocking chair, biggest frying pan, biggest ball of twine in Minnesota.

Remember it’s great to be “Proud to be an American”, but you really should know what that means.