Day 28 - America the Beautiful

Cowpasture River

Last week I was waxing poetic about Bella Italia.  Today I drove over 600 miles on Interstate 64 through Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky.  Bella America I say today.  Wow - our country is beautiful.  I love the east coast, I love I 64.  I drove along Cowpasture River---it wasn't L'Adige in Italy, but it was beautiful.

I and my friends live in one of the most economically rich areas in the country.  Arlington County has unemployment rate of 3.5%.  Driving across part of the country today I had to think about those who are not in the same situation.  Near Charleston, WV:  "The billboard high over I-64 outside the capital of this blue-collar state minces no words: “Obama’s NO JOBS ZONE: The President talks about creating jobs but his EPA is destroying jobs.”  Although I don't agree with the sign, I wonder how I would feel if I lived here rather than in northern Virginia.

I stopped for coffee at a McDonald's.  A young man was interviewing for a job and obviously wanted it badly.  He was not a young kid (high school) but a young MAN - 20s or so.  I heard him telling the  interviewer about what a hard worker he would be, but wondered what kind of an impression he made with the heavily tatooed arms.  Or am I a just northern Virginia snob?

In the second McDonalds (notice a pattern here?)  I picked up the local newspaper to see what made the front page.  The start of archery hunting was the main story above the fold.  I guess W.VA. is not a battleground state because there was no mention of the presidential race, no mention of syria, or Ambassador Stevens.  What would my thinking be like if this were my paper rather than the Post?

I marvelled at the names we give our cities.   Goochland County?  Don't get me wrong, I bet it is a great place to live, but who came up with this name?

I'm looking forward to the trip back home because the trees will definitely be turning golden yellow, red and orange all along I64.  West Virginia is beautiful, the mountains are great and I64 is a terrific road.