Milestone

Well, then. Twenty years later, it is safe to say we have come a long way, unless you don't consider a million miles all that far, I mean everything is relative, right? When we started out we had no idea where publishing the Next EXIT would lead, only that it would take us all over the country, and it has done that, over and over.

The idea was father to the fact and after six years of collecting highway information we offered it to the public in 1991, and every year since, updated. It was accepted.

We have seen new services open and proliferate and old businesses close their doors. Roads have widened and extra exits have been added to accomodate what might be 'America's best idea', the interstate highways. I agree with Ike when he said, and I paraphrase, "the growth of a nation ought not to be hampered by poor transportation," or something similar.

So where to from here? I still cannot say exactly, but this much I know: In January of 2011, we will be headed east on Interstate 40, updating as we go. We hope you will go with us.

Peanut State

I thought Georgia was the Peach State but maybe not. My father, a farmer, once told me that just one county in South Carolina produced more peaches than the entire state to its southwest and yet Georgia had laid claim to the delicious fruit for itself. Neither state produces as many as California and the term "Georgia Peach" nowadays might be confused with "Georgia Belle."

Peanuts is another matter. Hands down Georgia wins this one, growing nearly one-half of the nation's crop. There is a peanut lobby and an anti-peanut lobby. An anti-peanut lobby? Who ever thought peanuts would get into politics?

Nuts is not what they are, though. Nuts come from trees and peanuts grow under the ground, a legume, if you will. Parch them, roast them, grind them into peanut butter, some folks say they will erase hunger around the world.

Boiled peanuts are a staple, nay, a delicacy, all over the South. What beach trip is complete without boiled peanuts? Everybody doesn't feel this way, though. When I reverently mention boiled peanuts to my friends in Idaho all I get is blank stares. Boiled potatoes, now that is a different story.

There were giants

Blue Earth, Minnesota is fairly typical of many of the towns laced together by Interstate 90. Lots of them are county seats, commerce centers and nearly all, at least in Minnesota, are surrounded by fertile farmland.

Blue Earth stands out because, like the golden spike of the transcontinental railroad, the two construction crews working from east and west met near here in 1978 to complete the route that stretches from Boston to Seattle, longest 4-lane highway in America.

Unlike the Golden Spike Monument, however, this spot is guarded by a huge green giant.

Sideshow

Every now and then, we get stuck at an exit. It may be time for a sandwich, time to walk through the warehouse club, time for gas or Debby just needs to wander through a fabric store. Fabric is really just an upgraded term for "cloth," but I digress, which I do a lot. Nevertheless, do not ever call fabric "cloth" in the presence of a true seamstress upon penalty of drawing back a bloody nub.

Now as I was saying, any number of things can bog you down at an exit, but sometimes they are worth the bog. Consider this incident late last summer in Virginia. We stumbled into one of those developments where people, usually young city dwellers, live, work, shop and play without ever having to go more than a couple of blocks. It was late afternoon and a really good band complete with dancers was saturating the airwaves with vibes of joy. A block party had developed, right in the heart of it all.

We heard the thump thump a couple of blocks away and drove in to get a better look. Before we knew it, there we stood on the courtyard with all the other revelers, swaying and nodding to the beat. Some folks danced while others twirled with young children. Some participated and some just watched. Summertime was everywhere and for that moment at least, it was good to be stuck.

The Real West

In the USA, where does the East become the West, the West become the East and how broad is the middle? That depends on which route you travel.

My personal view is where the tree line begins/ends and that does not happen in only a mile or two. The Big River crossing might mark the spot, but Vicksburg, Memphis, St Louis or Minneapolis look similar on both banks.

Furthermore, a straight line from north to south won't work, because well, nature just didn't cooperate. Maybe a better way is to say "where farming becomes ranching" or the reverse, somewhere right in there is where it happens.

Of course, there are landmarks which tell us what the local folks think. On Interstate 94 in North Dakota, if you catch a glimpse of Salem Sue, you are in the West!

Low country

Heat, humidity, low elevation and oh yes, plenty of rain...staples of the low country. Places with these conditions are home to spanish moss. Did you know that when it grows on a pine tree it may eventually kill the tree? Not so for its preferred host, the Southern Live Oak, for it is difficult to outdistance a tree which lives 500 years.

In a moment of nostalgia, one year we brought spanish moss home to our kitchen in the Rocky Mountains. Proudly we hung it from our kitchen curtain rod, providing alternating sun and shade, optimum light, we thought.

It said no and proceded to shrivel from gray and dangling to brown and powdery. Finally the crumbles were swept down the disposal. It was kind of sad, but the lesson was learned. Now when we long for the low country we head south and turn left on Interstate 10. Somewhere east of Houston we can count on striking it rich.

Visibility

What most businesses need, besides lower taxes and more customers, is visibility. People have to know who you are and what you do.

You can tell them by the radio, the TV, the computer or you can put up a big sign.

Or, you can stand a big truck on its head, and hope they get the picture.