The Pioneers Were Awesome

Jamie and I, in the midst of our road trip planning session, went to Borders to buy a map. We got this one, and I proceeded to write out our location and the date on Post-It notes. Tacked them on there. Good thing they were on Post-Its, too, because we are currently thinking we have to change all of our dates around. Because Jamie's mom decided to take her to California on a trip her mom goes on annually. Jamie isn't sure her mom was actually aware of the dates we were going to be "in Chicago," but is offended she didn't bother to ask. But, whatever. The main point is that I have a map of the United States hanging on my wall. In addition to being a nice sort of decoration (it looks...adventurous, I suppose? Just having a map with all these snaking blue lines that run all across the country and knowing that I could get on 80 and end up in San Francisco. And so could you! Quick, someone do it!), I've spent some time looking at it.

Places on the East Coast are named things like Charlotte and Columbus, Johnston and Burlington and Youngston. To be fair, I'm sure there are interesting place names out here (I know there are, actually. Mianus.). The country as a whole looks like someone was drawing something really detailed (the East Coast) and then got bored as they got out West until there are long stretches of nothing in Nevada and whatnot. But, at times, in the midst of all that nothing, you have to stop and admire the people who settled in parts of it. Because they were awesome.

Independence, Iowa and Winner, South Dakota. There are Valentine and Alliance, Nebraska. Devil's Lake, North Dakota and Last Chance, Colorado. Sometimes you get the feeling they were running out of ways to name places after themselves (Craig, Colorado!) and just started picking out random objects in the area - Blackduck and Big Falls in Minnesota, Mountain Air, New Mexico, Sulphur and Great Falls and Grand Rapids and Big Sandy. There is the ironic Liberal, Kansas. And sometimes it's just...Bald Knob, Arkansas. Hooker, Oklahoma. Google Maps even has a street view of Hooker. There's a Hooker Industries and a Hooker Hardware.

In other news, I am easily amused.