We cut across the middle of Iowa, hit the corner of Missouri, angled across Kansas, the Oklahoma Panhandle, the corner of Texas, corner to corner of New Mexico, and half way across Arizona to Tucson. LOTS of interesting things to see. My wife, the Canadian, got real wide-eyed a few times, exclaiming, “So, that movie ‘Cars’ about abandoned towns isn’t just a cartoon?”
There are times in Texas and New Mexico where literally the only evidence of mankind is the road you’re on- no windmill, no line fence, no other road, no driveway, no buildings or grain bins, towers… nothing. For miles. In dozens of places, you see the mailbox and ranch sign, but the lane goes miles back over the hill (and it’s pretty flat) where you never see the buildings. I can be a pretty solitary guy, but that looks lonely!
There are abandoned houses, stores, and lodging places, but the number of abandoned gas stations is awesome to behold. Is that because of the 70’s gas crunch? Or before that? We averaged a not-very-good 25 mpg in my wife’s Traverse, but we were still able to pass up many, many abandoned gas stations. Is efficient vehicles to blame?
There are times in Texas and New Mexico where literally the only evidence of mankind is the road you’re on- no windmill, no line fence, no other road, no driveway, no buildings or grain bins, towers… nothing. For miles. In dozens of places, you see the mailbox and ranch sign, but the lane goes miles back over the hill (and it’s pretty flat) where you never see the buildings. I can be a pretty solitary guy, but that looks lonely!
There are abandoned houses, stores, and lodging places, but the number of abandoned gas stations is awesome to behold. Is that because of the 70’s gas crunch? Or before that? We averaged a not-very-good 25 mpg in my wife’s Traverse, but we were still able to pass up many, many abandoned gas stations. Is efficient vehicles to blame?
![[-]](https://www.alpharomeo15.org/images/roundo/collapse_collapsed.png)
