Things Gleaned From Traveling Coast To Coast

I flew to Tampa, Florida from Portland, Oregon and got there just before the American Airlines cancellations began. I drove back. As it was my flights were delayed a total of four hours. Airports are hideous, stressfull and demeaning chokepoints, not a revelation to frequent fliers but news to this rube who hasn't flown in decades. "Security" is meant to get you used to the heavy hand of fascism. One of the planes - US Airways - was a beater - dirty, ripped up and who knows how dangerously unfit to fly. Airports vary widely. Portland is clean and quiet. Philadelphia is a chaotic hellhole.

The economy is failing everywhere and prices are out of control across the nation. I'd guess that soon most people won't be able to travel except very locally and only in groups, sharing expenses.

WalMartization is nearly complete, wiping out regional differences and quaint charm.

Our infrastructure is disintegrating, roads and bridges are near collapse.

Interstate 10 across the gulf states is the most boring stretch of highway I've ever driven. At least in the west you have open spaces to see vast distance and towering mountain ranges.
Across Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, for well over 1000 miles you literally snore down a never changing Tunnel Of Monotony like this in FL:



and in AL:



until there are radical changes in MS: