My wife and I just got back from a 3000 mile road trip through southern Cali, Arizona and bits of Nevada.
We stayed off the freeways and visited all the small (and some not-so-small) towns that we could find.
For the last 25 years all my visits to the US have been flying from Canada to tourist destinations and hanging around places like Vegas, Palm Beach, Daytona, Anaheim....the usual artificial destinations. This trip was different.
What a shocker!
What has happened to the backbone of America?
I remember these small towns as thriving pleasant places that represented what made the US one of the nicest places to live. When I was much younger I spent many vacations driving through the same areas and felt happy and safe. Not so anymore. Here are some of my observations:
Empty streets.
Even in the middle of the day on a weekday there are no cars parked at the curb, no people walking around, and so many, so very many businesses with closed signs in the windows. These towns seemed nearly deserted. Dusty, dirty and uncared-for.
Stuff for sale.
Everywhere we drove people were selling their "toys". Boats, RVs, cars and trucks, 4X4s and motorcycles of every kind were for sale at bargain prices. Sadly, there were also people selling stuff from their homes at the side of the road - refrigerators, TVs, furniture, kids play sets.....the list of "not toys" goes on.
Abandoned homes and businesses.
This was the most shocking. The huge number of closed, abandoned, vandalized and boarded-up businesses was unbelievable. Everywhere we saw closed stores, even in malls that are only a few years old in fairly large towns.
Closed plants and factories.
Serious numbers of factories with locked gates.
Some towns appeared to be functioning at 20% or less of what they were only a few decades ago!
It is so depressing.
Where have the people gone? What do the ones who stayed do?
