Bleak, Crime Infested Towns In the (Missouri) Bootheel

There is a seemingly endless variety of genres on YouTube, and one that has been showing up in my feed more frequently of late is what I call the “driving tour of small town America” videos. During my many years, on the road in the Midwest, I had occasion to drive through lots and lots of small rural towns, so I’ve found this series interesting.

The video above offers a rather depressing look at four towns in southeast Missouri: Caruthersville, Hayti, Kennett, and Cardwell. Some of the demographic statistics were almost as bleak and shocking as the images.

Pleasant Hill School (Lineville, IA)

(Wikipedia) “The Pleasant Hill School, also known as the Little Red School House, is a historic building located north of Lineville in rural Wayne County, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1881 on land that had been purchased for educational purposes in 1873, and it housed a one-room school until 1958. The Grand River Independent School District donated the school building to the Wayne County Historical Society. They maintain it as it was when it served as a schoolhouse. The interior furnishings are authentic, if not original to the building. The school yard is maintained as a roadside park along U.S. 65. The building follows a rectangular plan that is three bays long and two bays wide. It is capped with a gable roof. A small entryway is located on the south side of the structure. The school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.”

Took these photos one a road trip in 2013.

Washing your hands isn’t enough

My brother’s work takes him to China and Southeast Asia seven or eight times a year. (The China travel has been halted for the foreseeable future) During our phone chat last night he mentioned he has not missed a day of work (for illness) in the last five years. A good trick considering how much time he spends in airplanes. The secret, he claims, is a combination of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and small travel bottles of Lysol spray.

He immediately wipes down the seat-back tray, the seat arms, and other surfaces he’s likely to touch during his fifteen hour flights. Surfaces in the restroom get a wipe-down. And he never touches one of those blankets they give you. Surfaces that don’t lend themselves to a disinfectant wipe (in the plan or hotel room) get spritz of Lysol.

As I write this I’m sitting in my favorite coffee shop where the tables get a wipe (usually) between customers but I don’t see any disinfecting going on.

Washing your hands is always a good idea but my chat with my brother has me thinking about all the surfaces we touch in a day that were touched by hundreds of others. All those coughing, nose-wiping, hand-sneezers are not washing their hands.

Staaaayyyy

On a beach somewhere in the Florida Panhandle. Barb’s record for avoiding the worst of Missouri’s winter weather remains intact. I’m taking some comfort from the record-breaking cold temperatures in the Sunshine State.

Set your map app for “avoid highways”

I’ve become acquainted with some really great people thanks to the Land Rover project. A few I’ve met, most I have not but feel like I know them. Charlie has been encouraging me to take some road trips in The Truck.

I took my Rover on a 4 day road trip up north to VT a few weeks ago. Had a blast – put about 400 miles on her and she ran like a top. I use a windshield mounted phone holder (suction cup) and set my iPhone’s Google maps APP to “avoid highways” and see a lot of towns/back country that way. Takes a lot more time but way more fun that trying to keep up with traffic on highways (and a lot more safe). forces you to slow down and actually see things you would otherwise blow past on a highway. This year was my 4th time doing the trip – you meet some great people and I stay at some nice Inns along the way.

That “slow down” thing is big zen mojo for me. Here are a few pics from Charlie’s trip.