I spent the last two weeks driving around the US looking at other cities. I mainly remained west of the Mississippi, except for Wisconsin. I’ll explain.

I’ve driven out of my driveway and one of a few directions an estimated 5,500 times since I bought my house, and I’m ready for a change. I had days where I wanted to go for a drive and I felt like I exhausted every direction of travel.

I thought before I move to some other location near Puget Sound, I should consider other parts of the country with a bias towards where I have family that I don’t get to see very often. No matter what, wherever I go, it has to be the right change and an improvement or there is no point.

First off, I love road trips. Not a little, I mean a lot, and unless you’ve done more than drive a few western states, you’ve not been on a real road trip. There is nothing like it, especially as you cross from the west to the Midwestern states and see how big and diverse the US really is.

To make things even more interesting, I spent big chunks of time off all major freeways driving from one small town to the next. In total, I drove over 5,000 miles in two weeks, just to see what was out there. I spent little time listening to music and preferred the silence of just me and my dog watching the world go by while observing my surroundings. On slow roads, it was a windows-down experience.

The most important part of any good road trip is to toss out preconceived biases about states and cultures. You can find just about anything to support a stereotype belief if you’re looking for it. Or, you can be surprised by what you discover. I prefer to be surprised. We tend to think of major cities as the only place technology is developed, but you find it everywhere if you’re paying attention.

Some towns were depressing, while others were charming and there was nothing to indicate what was ahead in that small town. Some looked identical to a town I just passed, while others were completely unique and you never knew what you’d find. I kept thinking about why some towns were depressed and dreary, while others seemed to have life and a real spirit. It had nothing to do with local employment, which surprised me. A website called city-data.com is now my new best friend. It seems to have something to do with the town’s culture and personality and the drive of those living there.

I drove into one small town to gas up, and immediately a young guy in a pickup pulled up behind me because he’d never seen an Alfa Romeo before. He asked all the immediate small town questions; was it European, where was I from, what did I do, what does it cost? While in some circles, this series of questions would be regarded as rude, in a small town it’s stuff to talk about and interesting. It was both harmless and fun chatter. He was a nice kid, as they usually are. I’m glad he’s inquisitive.

I’m guessing that most of the people in these small remote farm towns have never been much further away than a hundred miles or less. They know everyone in town and you hear the banter at the checkout lines at the stores. Everyone is friendly and helpful, and everything is cheap by Seattle standards. Life is simple in those towns and seeing a car like mine really stuck out in these places, yet people were always friendly and welcoming.

Most of the midwestern farms are well maintained and pristine, something I forgot all about as it’s been a long time since I’ve driven that far. They have shifted from farms that did a lot such as grow livestock, chickens, etc., to now just growing crops or managing a dairy and that’s it.

As I headed home, I watched the dramatic collision between a cold front and a warm front right in front of my eyes in Billings Montana. The temp dropped from 102 to 50 degrees and the high winds and evaporating rain created a high speed lateral fog unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It was these giant ghostly shapes racing across the freeway in front of me like a pack of racing horses. It was beyond my imagination, yet there it was.

My favorite was rest-stop-road-trip attire by those who don’t stay in hotels and drive around the clock to get to their destination. it’s a fashion show unlike anything else with a blend of bedtime and active wear in combinations that should never have been seen otherwise. I’d sit in my car giggle over the “don’t-give-a-shit-we’re-road-trippin” attitude. As usual, people were always nice.

These trips always change me. They seem to bring clarity and simplicity to my life. I look at how dark and negative Seattle has become, leading up to the protests and unrest and I think there is a better America out there somewhere and I intend to find it. Seattle can keep its self-absorbed personality. I’m going where people have better things to do than virtue signal all day, just to prove they care mare than anyone else while doing virtually nothing. I’d rather be in a place that places a higher value on all around good manners and decency to one another.