See America before its gone

There is a "philosophy" behind our travels, which I would call "see America before its gone," or "while its still here." This applies to man-made and natural artifacts and environments.

Every day, buildings or businesses from an earlier era disappear. Many small towns, and many family farms, and many steel mills and other industrial sites, have essentially "dried up." The same is true, of course, of areas of natural beauty or ecological importance.

Meanwhile, the U.S. (and the world!) is becoming much more homogeneous. The same restaurants, the same stores, everywhere you go. Essential signs of "localism" and regionalism are disappearing.

Driving the "old roads" is a way to see some of what is left, and elements of what is now closed or gone. Often one travels just a couple miles away from the interstates, but still, it can be a whole different world.




That is what Connie and I like to do. It is a fascinating, charming, nostalgic, and also melancholy business. But it is our way to travel, and it is also our philosophy about where our money should best be spent.