Tag: Oregon to Texas

December 1, 2021 – A Tour of the Free States

December 1, 2021 /

The trip we took last week took us from Oregon to California, Arizona, New Mexico and then Texas. On our return trip it was everything in reverse.  I had an opinion on what I thought I would see and I will say it wasn’t quite what I expected.

First of all, it was standard fair for workers in all states to be masked. As we headed south, I expected California to be similar to Oregon in customers wearing one.  That was not always the case.  What I observed was in rural California people were not wearing masks and suburban California they were.  

As we moved into Arizona, I really didn’t see any mask wearing.  We only made one stop in New Mexico both ways and it seemed as though masks were an afterthought.  Finally, I would say ‘Dont Mess With Texas’.

Prior to 1836, Mexico occupied the Alamo compound as a fort.  They abandoned it and some locals took it over, still technically Mexicans.  The winter of 1836 the Mexican Army came back to retrieve a couple cannons that were left at the site a battle ensued.  That was the spark of the Texas Revolution.  The idea that Texans would submit to policy if it suits them is derived all the way back to this time period.  Among the chief disputes that lead to the revolution were individual rights and taxes, sound familiar?

What I think I observed was a general consensus of will not comply rather than what I see here.  If I could try to describe it I would say here there are two distinct camps, hard left and hard right.  What I saw in Texas is an acceptance that we are just not going to comply.  For instance, in all of my travels I did not see a single pick-up flying a ‘Fuck Joe Biden’ or  ‘Trump 2024’ flag which I see on any given day here.  What I did see were signs that ‘such and such city government requires masks to be worn in this location’ and no one complying.

To me this means that in the hard left states like Oregon pushes the opposition into extreme positions.  It is like trying to block the daily tides, you might get lucky but that is really unlikely so all you can do is hope for a miracle.  In contrast, in Texas there is a general ease that this is the way things are and doesn’t require people to go to extremes to promote one side or the other.

My overall impression was pretty favorable with Texas.  I have lived in the south before and I would say that Texas attitude is more refined that of say South Carolina.  Of course not everything is roses, there is high heat and humidity.  Fire ants and cockroaches and other bugs and no real public land.  But, you cant have everything. 

End Your Programming Routine:  Where I will come down here is that the real difference is the urban-rural divide.  It is not necessarily state lines that define attitude and behavior but common values.  If you are ever driving on I5, there is a barn between Yreka, CA and the Oregon border that has a roof painted the statement ‘The State of Jefferson‘.  That has been there  before I was in college (mid-1990s).  Despite being in California that farmer shares more in values with Ozona, TX then the next closest neighbor in Ashland, OR twenty miles away.

November 22, 2021 – On the Road Again

November 22, 2021 /

This is new. It has been a long time since we have lived significantly apart from close relatives. We are on a big family road-trip from Oregon to Texas so that we can spend Thanksgiving with my wife’s mother. Our family has done some long trips, but we rented a van and we are also going with my sister-in-law’s family.

When you start to look at the economics of the situation, nine tickets costs roughly $3600. We plan on spending half by hot switching drivers and bee lining to Texas. Granted, we will lose time but this is an adventure. We may never do this again but it is something to try.

There are definitely risks. Weather and crossing the Rockies leave uncertainty in the trip. Looking at the weather mid-last week, it was looking clear for the shortest direction, due southeast. The actual decision for the travel route was decided right before we left.  We travelled the Southwest route which was nice because I had never been on that particular freeway.

Being new at my job, I barely have any time off. So, I plan to working a couple of days as well. It kind of sucks, but the real point of the trip is to provide the family with an adventure. I have stubbed out a couple articles for the week, so we will see if I can keep it up this week.

This is the culmination of a difficult fall. My in-laws originally went to Texas in the early summer to seek treatment for my mother-in-law. Between my father-in-law dying and my wife trying to maintain a job and manage treatment at the same time, hopefully this is a celebration of a new season. Because her prognosis is not positive, this may be our last Thanksgiving and so we are pulling out the stops to make it happen.

I am going to write more about this evolving situation, but not now. It is real, it is raw and it is personal. While everyone has the right to manage their own affairs and control information as they see fit, it doesn’t mean that those decisions don’t have a billiard ball effect. One person may be at peace with the situation while others may have different feelings. It may ultimately be your decision and your outcome but those decisions have consequences. We all have a responsibility to handle them in an appropriate fashion even if we perceive them as ‘not what we would do’ particularly when we are observers. That is so difficult.

Most of the post was written before the trip.  I am in Houston now and I will summarize some lessons learned next week.  I already have all of the posts for this week planned out since it was a holiday week and we were on the road I wanted to get a jumpstart on everything.

End Your Programming Routine: The kids are out of school all week, it is a holiday week so why not? Even though we have done similar things, my sister-in-laws family has not.  

After arriving last night at 1 AM, there are definitely things I learned about our choices that I will share.    For now, going to enjoy a little warmer weather and hopefully get a chance to see some new sights and enjoy some family time this week.