More of What this country needs!

Back in April of 2009 I wrote a piece about the need for us to slow down so we can actually see what is around us and get an appreciation for what America really looks like.   It started with the following thought.  Fellow Hoosier and Vice President, Thomas R. Marshall once said "What this country needs is a really good five cent cigar!" Today I'll add to the list of what this country needs. One of the things this country needs today is for everyone to just slow down.

Thomas Marshall from North Manchester, Indiana was a Democrat and the popular 27th Governor of Indiana.  While in office he proposed the passage of a new Progressive State Constitution and worked for other progressive era reforms.  At that time Indiana was an important "swing state" in national politics, much like Florida is today.  Because he had been a popular figure in Indiana politics he was chosen as Woodrow Wilson's Vice Presidential candidate and served from 1913-1921 as the 28th U. S. Vice President.  Sadly Marshall is most remembered because he failed to press the issue of succession after Wilson became incapacitated by two strokes in 1919.   Though he was urged to take over as "Acting President" during Wilson's illness he opted not to because at that time the process of determining when a president was "incapacitated" was not well defined and he feared a constitutional crisis if he acted incorrectly. So historians give him low marks....at least he didn't embarrass fellow Hoosiers like the most recent Hoosier Vice President, Dan Quayle.   But I digress.

We Americans value speed, getting things done fast, fast food, fast lanes on the highway, fast cars.  We lead fast paced lives.   What we need to do is decelerate, get out of the fast lane, and turn off the interstate at the first exit.  Life would seem so much less hectic and you'd be amazed at what you might see.

According to Google Maps it is 1,711 miles from my house to my son's house just outside of Tucson, Arizona.  With the exception of the first 25 miles and the last 8 miles of the trip it can all be made via Interstate Highway travel.  Interstates 74, 72, 55, 44, 40, 25, and 10.  Twenty five hours drive time.  I can vouch for that...you can make the trip in a couple of 14 or 15 hour marathon drive days.  I've even done that a couple of times, but that isn't the way I like to travel.  It isn't pleasant, and it probably isn't safe.  Probably more importantly there are a lot of interesting things to see over that 1,711 mile journey if you just slow down and get out of the fast lane.  Below are some of the things you might find if you get off the interstate and explore some back roads.

Waiting for Harvest
Beauty is where you find it, but you can't savor it from the fast lane.
Rural road, Tippecanoe County, Indiana

Ears to the Stars.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array
Off the beaten path west of Socoro, NM along Hwy 60

The Great Plains
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Off the beaten path south of Council Grove, KA on Hwy 177

Wigwam Motel
Off the beaten path on Old Route 66, Holbrook AZ

On the bottom of Canyon de Chelly
Way off the beaten path outside of Chinle AZ
nearest highway US 191

Near Hanksville UT
Off the beaten path along Utah hwy 24

Dark Sky
If you get far enough off the beaten path the night sky puts on quite a show.
Off Utah Hwy 12 north west of Bryce Canyon.

Hard Times
Colfax County New Mexico.  Though Interstate 25 cuts through the county
north to south, just about every other road in the county could be considered
off the beaten path.

Somewhere north of Alamosa Colorado
along a local rural road way off the beaten path. 

Prairie Sentinel
Off the beaten trail in western Indiana