obeservations

[Nat]

I just got back from a 3500 mile trip and thought I'd give you some observations I made on the trip.
Its always better to share a trip with freinds. We stopped together and saw things that are better seen than told about later, A blown tire is fixed easier with another set of hands.
LA has the roughest interstate hwys.
The 2 lane TX roads are the best roads we've been on.
What was local hand crafted bargins 2 years ago is now Chinese imports.
Two fuel stations 10 miles apart is the same state can vari 25 cents a gallon.
Wal-marts are everwhere, and my wife, and my charge card bill can prove it.
Most people drive freindly.Not everyone, but most.
I saw 1000s of different cars and trucks and onl;y saw 2 that I thought were badly overloaded. I saw two guys with TX tags pulling a goose neck trailer with a jet on it that had the wings removed, it was fastened on the trailer fine and I'm sure the truck had F350 SRW had enough power, but it was hooked to an upside down ball mount on the reciever hitch and had the truck squated down 10 inches. Another was in the mountains of TN, where we passed two men in an old ford 1/2 ton pickup pulling a trailer. Both the truck and trailer were loaded down with Grapeyine Wreaths. I know that does't sound like much, but the were packed 10 ft high. They were doing 20 mph on a busy Interstate and were weaving all over their lane, and traffic was changing lanes to avoid them.
I never meet anyone unfreindly in any CG the whole trip.
Vickie and I were about the only people we saw that didn't take a dog on the trip. I like dogs, but I don't want to be in a rv for two weeks with 2 big black Labs.
Icecream, hot coffee,a fire rosted hot dog, and a cold beer, not it that order, taste good anywhere.
A longhorn steer snorting behind you on an early morning walk in the Whitchta Mountains Wildlife Preserve makes the back of your neck feel funny. Also watching a Praire dog chew chewing gum isn't something anyone from NC sees too often.
When someone in TX tells you something is right hot, believe them. If someone in OK tells you something is real hot, it's still ok to eat.
It can't be the same night sky in the whole country, there is just too much difference, must be sort of like the time change from eastern to central.
Another thing is don't vacation during a switch from daylight savings time to real time when you cross a time zone change, or you will spend the whole trip trying to figure out what time it is at home. the world will be better for knowing this I'm sure, Later, Nat

[Nat]

I just got back from a 3500 mile trip and thought I'd give you some observations I made on the trip.
Its always better to share a trip with freinds. We stopped together and saw things that are better seen than told about later, A blown tire is fixed easier with another set of hands.
LA has the roughest interstate hwys.
The 2 lane TX roads are the best roads we've been on.
What was local hand crafted bargins 2 years ago is now Chinese imports.
Two fuel stations 10 miles apart is the same state can vari 25 cents a gallon.
Wal-marts are everwhere, and my wife, and my charge card bill can prove it.
Most people drive freindly.Not everyone, but most.
I saw 1000s of different cars and trucks and onl;y saw 2 that I thought were badly overloaded. I saw two guys with TX tags pulling a goose neck trailer with a jet on it that had the wings removed, it was fastened on the trailer fine and I'm sure the truck had F350 SRW had enough power, but it was hooked to an upside down ball mount on the reciever hitch and had the truck squated down 10 inches. Another was in the mountains of TN, where we passed two men in an old ford 1/2 ton pickup pulling a trailer. Both the truck and trailer were loaded down with Grapeyine Wreaths. I know that does't sound like much, but the were packed 10 ft high. They were doing 20 mph on a busy Interstate and were weaving all over their lane, and traffic was changing lanes to avoid them.
I never meet anyone unfreindly in any CG the whole trip.
Vickie and I were about the only people we saw that didn't take a dog on the trip. I like dogs, but I don't want to be in a rv for two weeks with 2 big black Labs.
Icecream, hot coffee,a fire rosted hot dog, and a cold beer, not it that order, taste good anywhere.
A longhorn steer snorting behind you on an early morning walk in the Whitchta Mountains Wildlife Preserve makes the back of your neck feel funny. Also watching a Praire dog chew chewing gum isn't something anyone from NC sees too often.
When someone in TX tells you something is right hot, believe them. If someone in OK tells you something is real hot, it's still ok to eat.
It can't be the same night sky in the whole country, there is just too much difference, must be sort of like the time change from eastern to central.
Another thing is don't vacation during a switch from daylight savings time to real time when you cross a time zone change, or you will spend the whole trip trying to figure out what time it is at home. the world will be better for knowing this I'm sure, Later, Nat

[CyberVet65]

Now that is what this site is all about!
Great story of real life experiences!
I hope to see more of them.
Chet

[John Harrelson]

Gotta agree with Chet,, this is the way a story should be..

Informative, interesting and colorful without a thousand extra words to congest, congeal and confuse..

The only suggestion I would have, is to break the article into more paragraphs. It makes for easier reading..

I like your story and hope to make it back home to Kinston, NC one day.. Then I can write about all the wondrous things I too have seen in this fantastic country we call America....

Thanks Nat and Vickie,

John

[Hoverbug]

A great story Nat and a joy to read. I'll agree with the challenge of traveling across the time zones in daylight savings; just when you have it figured out you enter Arisona! Of all the good things ole Ben Franklin came up with he should of kept the daylight savings idea to himself

[Kablewizard]

Hey.. we love it here in Arizona...... it's all you other guys that keep changing your times that make it tough. We left Arizona and went through 2 time zones getting into TX.

Great story Nat. I could see the same things as we road with you.

[Ken Roberts]

Nat, thanks for taking the time to share. If you really want to get confused go from/to AZ and IN on the same trip-neither use DST, Ken, '04 DSDP

[Ken Lenger]

Here's the rule for AZ time zones.

AZ is always on Mtn Standard Time (MST), except the Navajo Indian Reservation, they change to daylight savings time in the summer.

[Kent & Peggy]

And to add to what Ken Lenger said - within the Navajo Reservation is the Hopi Reservation, and they stay on MST instead of daylight Savings time.

[kayo]

If you have ever had, and enjoyed New Mexican food ( as compared with mexican food found anywhere else in the country) and someone is Texas says their food is hot, it really isn't!

[wave]

Nat,

I live on the edge of that Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge that you mentioned. Out there in a kayak fly fishing as the sun comes up - nothing like that.

Sure enjoyed your travel stories. The best spots in America are not the places that everyone else knows about and you cannot generally see them from the interstate .

Best to you,

Wave - Near Lake Lawtonka , Ok.

[bobnkathleen hartman]

Great Story! Several years ago, I had the -ah-privlige to be at a Bison roundup, in the pens where they sort the Bison for branding, shots, etc. I have a shot of two bison locking horns less than 10 feet away, and I was standing on the running boards of a WWII vintage water tank!
Ah, the foolhardiness of youth!

[Bob Boucher]

Aww Heck, who cares what time it is!!
I'm retired so one hour one way or thoter makes no diff!