Evil OneSince 1996 I have had the good fortune to work a job that pays me to see this great country of ours.
I have been in 48 states… missing Hawaii and North Dakota… Mexico and Canada.
I hear a lot of people talking about taking vacations out of the country, however they really have not explored their own home nation.
I am moving to Pennsylvania the first of May, and have worked there off and on since I started working on the road.
Today I was driving from Philly to Coudersport, and took mainly secondary roads.
My drive took me to within about 10 miles of where I am moving to, and thru the hills into northwestern Pa.
Its still early spring, the trees have not begun to bud, the grass isnt growing yet, there are patches of snow still on the ground.
It was still beautiful.
When driving I generally prefer to “Take the road less traveled”.
The occasional car, truck, 18 wheeler… the road sweeps, climbs, dives… small modest homes… kids out riding bicycles without helmets and crash pads.
You pass by old hunting and fishing camps, small towns with a general store… a small garage… a taxidermy shop that sells fishing and hunting gear.
Sometimes as you drive you cant tell what year it is… Many of the buildings are over a hundred years old, there are vehicles from the 30-70s sitting in fields.
You pass thru pastures with horses and cattle, you catch glimpses of deer and wild turkey.
The locals wave and nod as you meander thru their lives.
I am not a guy who likes cities, I prefer the countryside.
I like these small areas that I get to pass thru from time to time.
I think I need a vacation… load up in the car and just drive.
Pick a small spot I have never heard of and stay there a little while.
Step out of the hustle and bustle for a while.
Go back in time… live simpler…
Nod and wave at strangers as they ride thru my small piece of true Americana…
Jim
GasAndLead 
Jim, this is why I love America, and love going there. Over here (The Netherlands, for those who read along and have no idea who this Thomas-guy is), space is at a premium. While there certainly are a few spots where there are no buildings, there is very few ‘unregulated’ land, land where man just let nature be nature.
Driving through the Netherlands, especially the Northern part where I’m from, is hopping from city to city, with in between them farmland. The land was laid out to follow the roads, not the other way around. Smaller towns tend to re-invent themselves every few decades or so, paving over previously cobble-stone roads, tearing down old buildings and replacing them with glass-and-concrete nameless faceless structures. There are very few meandering roads, most of them based on existing infrastructure and efficiency, not ages-old routes through the country-side.
…. If only I had the time and money to go back to the US of A.
Thomas
Thomas, when you can get back over here… we have a bed for you.
We, the US, have some problems going on… but I am constantly reminded why I am happy here.
I want to travel to other countries, but first I have YEARS of exploration here.
A lot of Americans see their neighborhood, maybe their county, as their part of the world.
When they travel, they fly… and truly miss what kind of place they live in and the vast size of it.
You have honestly seen more of our country than many people who live here.
I am all for making sure you get to see a lot more of it.
Jim