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What I saw in the United States this summer pt.2 [1]

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Date: 2024-02-17  

I left Houston then headed west and north. As you enter the desert it does appear to be desolate but then you notice the amount of train traffic. There are numerous train tracks running beside or close to the road. As a city boy I have never seen trains seemingly miles long being pushed and pulled by four or five engines and it is one train after the next. Also off the side of the road are what are called man camps, these are single wide trailers set up on gravel lots ,maybe 15 or 20 to a group where I’m told the oil field workers stay. These camps are in full direct desert sun,something I couldn’t tolerate. Even here in this challenging location people are busy with their heavy equipment and cranes,the place is humming. Further north I was pleasantly surprised at Roswell,a busy city. The locals I talked to say most visitors are surprised at how cool their town is. What they didn’t talk about was rampant crime and being overrun by illegal immigrates, they are just proud of their city. As for the aliens in Roswell,just my observation but I think they are over it. Next was Monument Valley and the Navajo Reservation. I maybe wrong but it appears that most of the businesses on the reservation are either owned by the Navajo or leased out by them,as it should be..I spent an enjoyable afternoon in a laundromat with several Navajo ladies, first they wanted to know all about Florida ,then we talked about them. These people are living on ancestral land that they’ve had for centuries,they live among relatives and friends as they have their whole lives. They want the same things everybody else does,a good education for their children ,freedom from want and a fair shot at economic parity. They directed me to a bank I was looking for 40mi. away in Tuba City. Again another little thriving city that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Everybody I talked to in Tuba City was super friendly and so proud of their town. Again no talk of crime or the U.S. turning communist or illegal immigration. I’m not much of a tourist but Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon are must sees. Heading west again across the Imperial Valley which is truly a garden of Eden. They grow everything you can imagine and they have the aquifer running through it like a river. This is I’m sure one of the most fertile places in the world. Next was San Francisco. I have volunteered to work among the homeless for the last three years,so not being a tourist I went straight to the area we all hear about and see on the news . Yes the homeless problem in San Francisco is bad but in my opinion it’s not like it’s made out to be. I made rounds with a social worker whose job it is to check inside the tents set up mainly on the sidewalk. He stands by the tent and announces himself,then inquires if the occupants need help,he says he’s never been attacked and practically all appreciate the offer for help. I talked to a couple of dozen people living there and it was my untrained observation that the level of mental illness is off the charts. When I asked what the draw was for them in San Francisco almost unanimously they said the freedom, the freedom to live on the sidewalk. These people need massive help much more than non profits can afford. Many are stuck there. Again from my hitchhiking days these people are my peeps,once they see that I’m not preaching or there to give them advice we laugh and talk and enjoy each others company. From there heading north up the Pacific Coast Highway to the redwoods forest. Again not much of a tourist but of course this is one of the prettiest drives in the country. I went to a town called Happy Camp,a very small place in the mountains. There’s a bank,a self serve gas station ,a small grocery and laundromat. Of course again everybody was friendly and seemed eager to talk. I met a fellow who said he was a tribal elder of the Kalmuth tribe we had a great conversation. He told me the tribe had like 50 jobs open right now. He actually said they could use some of the homeless if they can pull themselves together enough to work. The other subject was the fires,I haven’t mention it but there are huge burned areas all in the mountains,the scale is more than I can describe. We agreed my Florida hurricanes aren’t nearly as scary as a forest wildfire. I’m going to have to move to a part 3 coming soon

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