There was no post yesterday because we were in the backcountry of Missouri. No high speed internet in that place. There wasn't even a signal for the cell phone. We went from Indianapolis to some covered bridges near the Indiana/Illinois border, and then clear through Illinois and into the Meramec Caverns in Missouri.
The caverns were quite cool. Both literally and figuratively. There are a large number of caverns and caves and stuff in Missouri. If you ever get the chance to see them, do yourself a favor and do so. Well worth it. (Really. The pics will show you. Honest.)
After the caverns, we headed out through the rest of Missouri and are about halfway through Oklahoma in a town called Stroud. Some interesting things about Oklahoma. They have some cryptic road signs. Like: "Do not drive into smoke." I don't know if they have a high incidence of magician drivers, or maybe since people speed so much they go really fast and just go *poof*. Another sign: "Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Convicts". There's something that'll make you lock your doors, huh? If their prisoners escape often enough that they have to put signs up about it, maybe the money would be better spent on hiring more guards? Perhaps stronger manacles?
I have noticed some things that have helped me on a more spiritual level. After all these years, I had really started to believe that much of the country had been paved. Flattened, paved, sanitized, and packaged with humans stacked up on top of one another like cord wood. I thought there were only small pockets of scenery left, and that made me very sad indeed. I'm quite happy to report that I was wrong. There's a whole lot of wide open, untrammelled space out there. And we're seeing it in the spring, when it's at its most lush and verdant state. It's very refreshing.
I've also noticed that people are pleasant. Really. People who work with the public can actually be civil if not downright friendly, and sincerely so. They smile and say "please" and "thank you" and "have a nice day". If they're on the phone, they'll put the phone down and actually do their job with a smile rather than a grimace, scowl, sneer... you get the idea. If you're reading this and you want to save anything of your humanity, get the hell out of New York. I don't know why so many people in NY think the world owes them something just for breathing, but it just isn't right. So negative... it really changes you. Or it steals a lot out of you, and you may not even realize it.
OK, I'll stop rambling. Hopefully pics tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment