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Rather than dwell on the latest shooting incident in Illinois, Pres. Bush or Iraq, I prefer to remember the better aspects of America, as did Katharine Lee Bates in 1893. Her poem became this American patriotic song of the thread title.
I last went there in 2000 on my 3rd trip. Having visited Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas – this is the country I love, it’s pine clad hills, rivers and valleys. I can do without tornado alley mind, but the scenery and weather can still be something to marvel at, and the people are mostly not too bad either, if you can avoid religion and politics – I don’t want their opinions particularly and they wouldn’t want mine.
They also, usually, enjoy hearing an English accent, all the more reason not to adopt theirs.
I did feel it necessary to be discreet when discussing American Indian history and culture – a touchy subject for some of the descendents of pioneering families out west, but on the whole I found them friendly and welcoming in a way I rarely find in this country. I hope it’s still that way despite what the last 8 years or so have given us.
My long holiday wish, would be to spend a couple of years there, so much left to see, some of the southern states especially with the Civil War history, New England, and further north the Canadian Rockies and French Quebec even.
So, do you love them or hate them? never given it a thought? or are you also in love with the country but perhaps more the land and not so many of it’s people, and have you enjoyed holidays there too that you’d like to tell us about… enjoyed a Cinnabon? anything away from the Orlando/Disney experience I would prefer.
I sat on a greyhound
next to a wiry white haired
black man who was
suffering from black lung.
I could smell the soot
in his breath and checked
for deposits on the black bible on his knee.
It was his last journey
and he’d worked his life in the
bowel mines of america.
That’s the other side
of what they call the worldMust say Gamble, that stark whimsy is remarkably good, even by your own lofty standards
Welcome back old chap
Drone it is a pleasure to be back
The stark whimsy was reality
and later on the same journey
a sixteen year old girl got on
and I had the pleasure
to pass through the middle
of america with her.
She munched on a plastic bag of carrots
and offered me one.
I accepted out of curiosity
and found out she was a runaway
and unlike the black miner
had her whole life in front
and I was tempted as I
passed through the bible belt
long before BushThey let me out for a week Ricky
Yes I am rude enough
in health
apart from the worm in my computer
and the vin remains in my head.
I believe if you look carefully enough
there is something wrong
with each and everyone of us
beyond the scars, moles, corned feet and pimplesTrue pieces above
although the greyhound’s
imagination went slightly off the road
at the last junction.Going back
to the land of the free
I am fond of the old countryAmerica can be beautiful and I would say most of the areas I have visited are beautiful –
The Utah canyons take your breath away –both literally and metaphorically.
Minnesota – the state of 10,000 lakes.
The South West Deserts
Manhattan
The Florida Keys
The Fall colours in New England
Of course there are some less beautiful parts – LA you can keep along with the British sector of Orlando.
However – go north, cross the border into Canada and America pales into insignificance.
The scenery defies description, enough superlatives have not been discovered to describe it. The people are invariably friendly and helpful, most places feel safe – even after dark.
Thank you Paul, I’d love to go to Canada and I’m sure it’s as good as you say along with some other great places on your list I’ve yet to see.
You’ve certainly been around a bit over there, but Manhattan looks a little odd amongst that lot…lol…obviously it was beautiful to you
I think UM it is because New York and Manhattan in particular is most peoples iconic idea of America.
In also think because my first visit to New York wasn’t that long after 9/11 and I was caught up in all the emotion.
I also like Las Vegas – in small doses – to me it is Disneyland for grown-ups.
Again it shows the diversity of America as well.
That must have been quite an experience for you in NY at that time, if somewhat distressing as well but so much to see.
I would love to go there for just a few days and then escape up to New England for a while.I know Los Angeles didn’t make it on your list, but I thoroughly enjoyed a long weekend there and wasn’t frightened by it at all, besides it does have 2 very good race tracks…something of a bonus…along with some scenic and I think actually quite beautiful areas like Venice Beach and Santa Monica among others. I wouldn’t put anyone off going. The smog ruins it a little.
I would love to see those Utah Canyons, if you have any photos you can put up some place I would enjoy seeing them, but if you don’t or it’s not possible, then no worries at all.
Yellowstone Park didn’t get a mention either but it’s near tops of mine. We stopped to see some huge Bison by a river, everyone stopped actually, some got out which they shouldn’t, they look huge and menacing..yet gorgeous in a way. Taste good too, surprisingly.
A truly beautiful country.
Boston and Colarado Springs – 2 of the nicest smaller sized cities anywhere.
Western Florida in Jan and Feb – just about as laid back as it gets, amazing sunsets
Arkansas – The Ozark mountains and millions and millions of different coloured trees.
Yellowstone – A place you will never forget.
Dakota – North and South, The Black Hills brim with history, the Badlands leave you breathless.
The Rockies – Picture perfect, if you like fly fishing or the outdoors you have found paradise.
New Mexico – So barren and empty its almost eerie, you feel something passing though there.
Southern Arizona – Geronimo country, you can still almost picture him in his country, mighty mountains and the past is everywhere.
Great people, incredibly warm and friendly to a strange accent.
Bush and cohorts have truly done them a monumental disservice.
For those that haven’t been
the biggest thing you notice is the spaceI had the luxury of a greyhound
and fifty quackers – whatever that was in dollars
to last me two months.
I liked colorodododo
but had the most challenging time in
a place called Myrtle Beach in South Caolina.
Down to my last few dollars
and felt it was high time to gambleObvious omissions are High nOOn
and Yogi BearHi UM rather than take up space here, I will put some photos on the web and put a link here when complete – I will try and get it set up tonight.
Paul, thank you so much – I’m really looking forward to seeing them.
CR,
A man after my own heart here, I love the Black Hills and Badlands. We spent some time in Rapid City which makes those places easily accessible. It’s high time they finished the Crazy Horse monument though…lol…how long’s that been going…Not been to Arkansas or Arizona but Tucson and Tombstone have always been on my hitlist. It’s the Western history that’s as much an attraction.
Geronimo country indeed. Did you see the film of the same name with Matt Damon, Jason Patric, Wes Studi – I enjoyed that. Directed by Walter Hill, I’ve got it on dvd somewhere.My favourite areas are in Montana and Wyoming, along the back country roads where few people go and on top of the Big Horn mountains, it’s a wonderful drive up there in the summer.
Talking of the people out west, late one Saturday afternoon just before closing time, I left a wallet [one of those bum bag things], with all our travellers cheques, credit cards, cash, the lot really, in a shop about 30 miles from a small town on the South Platte river, called Ogallala.
Only realised when we got back to hotel in town that I’d forgotten it. Couldn’t remember name of shop, so phoned a local person living a few miles from it who I hoped would know, I got his number from phone book.
He kindly offered to drive to the shop [he was on his way out to dinner], to see if my wallet was still there. He said "lady, ring back in 20 minutes and don’t you worry none"….This I did, and he told me it was still there, untouched and they would stay open if we go back right away and pick it up.
This would have been an hour after we left the place. We drove back and there was my wallet with everything still in it.I was so grateful to everyone and sent the gentleman a ‘thank you’ card.
Whatever else their faults, their generosity and kindness couldn’t be faulted on that occasion.
Don’t like to always pick on us but not sure how long that would have survived here before disappearing, but there you go.South Carolina, gamble, wouldn’t be on my list but Charleston and Savannah might be of interest, along with the Civil War history surrounding Fort Sumter, as the state was first to secede from the Union, so that would be worth exploring to see where the first shots were fired.
Myrtle Beach probably sounds nicer than it actually is?
I was lying
on Laguna Beach
three thousand miles away
trying to get the stone out of a peach
when I decided to visit Myrtle, MareThis was a little while ago
and I left the streets of San Francisco
to head for Laguna
due to the unwholesome presence
of someone called the
banana man who was terrorising them.There were unprovoked daylight attacks
and it was bman’s custom to first target,
then creep up behind
an unsuspecting pedestrian –
pull out a claw hammer –
and mercillessly crunch them over the head with it.
He exited the scene leaving a banana skin.
Killed three and they never caught him.
Police mistakenly thought the first victim
had slipped up.Whislt I was there
I pink panthered the sidewalks
like most others
with my neck constantly on alert.It was a relief to leave and reach
Laguna which was snooze time,
just artists and peaches
who gave up their stones
rather pleasantly to a foreign tongue.Oh I see…..I think…lol…forgive me but sometimes I have trouble following you gamble, being a mere mortal
I’ve never been to San Francisco and your tale has made me even less inclined to want to do so. Laguna Beach sounds nice enough, I’ve just read up on it, along with Myrtle Beach which I see is a number 1 tourist attraction in the States.
I reckon you went there to play golf!
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