We went on a road trip across five states covering 1,100 miles last week. In the course of our travels, we hit six different interstates, two tunnels, four rest stops, and seven gas stations. We stayed in a bed-and-breakfast, shopped at three stores, and visited family.
From everything I saw, things in the Eastern half of the United States appear normal. Of course, we avoided Interstate 95, which goes through or around a slew of democrat-controlled cities with high crime rates, including Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. That’s not the kind of “normal” we want.
There was an average amount of traffic. We saw lots of 18-wheelers, including multiple wide loads, most carrying half a manufactured home. There were flat beds galore hauling industrial materials, tanker trucks, and standard trailers from national carriers to small companies we had never heard of. So far, despite tariffs, there does not seem to be an obvious shortage of truck traffic.
We lost count of how many Ford F250s pulling fifth wheel campers we passed. Camping and RVing are alive and well. Other big pickups pulled horse trailers and one a trailer of cows. In fact, I am shocked at how many large 250s, 2500s, 350s and 3500s we saw. Ford seemed to have a lead over Chevy/GM, with Ram a close third. Many were work trucks, but others were treated like the owner’s personal canvas and decked with accessories. I expect some of them cost as much as my first house.
The Economy Rocks On
Warehouses seemed busy. Farmers were working in their fields. In a couple of states, it felt like there was road work every ten miles. Sheetz, WaWa, and other gas station/convenience stores were so crowded it was sometimes difficult to park after we pumped gas. Speaking of gas, it was between $2.79 and $3.49, depending on which state we were in. I averaged just over 23 MPG in my pickup.
We saw only three Teslas. I may have missed some nondescript electric vehicles, but there were not many. We did not see a single EV being charged on any of our stops.
All the rooms in the bed-and-breakfast where we stayed were booked. Their event room hosted an event on Saturday and a graduation party on Sunday.
Compared to traveling during COVID, there was much less fear, more friendly smiles, and less tension. I think most people are more relaxed about the global problems than the media would have you believe. We talked to people on vacation, folks visiting their grand kids, people on their way to a race, and a couple going to a concert. No one complained about the economy. There was little talk of politics.
Yeah. Things are still normal. Not just what passes for it these days, but what has been normal for some time. There was no obvious panic or concern.
A Good Lesson
When you read the media or see alarming news on your screen, it’s important to remember that life goes on. Not everyone feels as badly as the people they select to interview because their comments fit the reporter’s agenda or story line. Regardless of who is president, there are always economic winners and losers, with some folks going up while others are getting dragged down. The trick is to learn to bounce, to survive the downturns and be part of the recovery. Last week I wrote about ways to do that.
We went through some industrial areas that had seen their share of economic depression over the past several decades as mining and manufacturing jobs petered out. No one seemed upset about the tariffs. Granted, we were in red states or the red parts of states that have blue cities, but we didn’t see any protests, banners, or billboards promoting Palestinians, Bashing Israel, complaining about Trump, or pushing back against deporting illegal aliens. I expect many of the people living in these areas would benefit from Trump’s plan to cancel income tax on overtime.
Road Ready
Compared to the masses of people who travel down an interstate in the course of an hour, I was probably the odd man out. I was monitoring the Internet for weather forecasts and to make sure we hadn’t bombed Iran or vice versa. (My plan was to turn around and head home if India or Pakistan used a nuke or a serious war broke out.) Everyone just went about their business, seemingly oblivious to what certain YouTubers tell you is a crisis, with World War III about to break out any minute.
Even though I checked the headlines, I consumed far less media than usual while on the road. That’s not a bad thing.
Between the road snacks we packed, our EDC bags, and our vehicle survival kit, we had enough food in the truck to last a week. I carried my Glock, there was an AR in the truck’s tool box, and I packed the breakdown 10/22. I had meant to bring my .38 revolver, but left the house without it. We never needed any of it, but felt better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
Out here in the boonies, I see guys carrying while out and about, but no one was doing so on the road, even in states with open carry or constitutional carry. I also saw very few cops and only a handful of speed traps. I didn’t see any obvious drug mules or any cars that looked like they were suspicious, probably because we were not on I-95, which has been known as a drug corridor. Neither did we spot any vans filled with what might have been human trafficking victims.
Despite the many miles traveled, it was a quiet trip, if exhausting. I was still glad when we got home.
