Tuesday, July 14th – Trinidad, CO to Salida, CO

We are now exactly two weeks into our cross-country adventure, having ridden more than 2,700 miles from Concord, NC to Salida, CO.

We’ve tried to share with you all, as much as possible, the beauty and splendor we’ve encountered along the way, and we truly hope you’ve enjoyed it.

But not everything that’s seen is beautiful.

There’s sadness, and hardship, and ugliness, too. Instead of photos today, allow us share some of these observations.

Many of the areas we’ve traveled through, especially in the Southern States, suffer with terrible poverty. There are folks living there with so very little, and obviously with few prospects of improvement. It makes one extraordinarily thankful for the very basics of life: food, shelter, and clothing. Many people want for these things every day.

Town after town we’ve passed through has been populated by failed businesses: gas stations, convenience stores, retail establishments of all types. Abandoned buildings are everywhere. Truly blighted areas are all too common. The majority of these are obviously not recent (Covid) related closures, but part of a much longer-term trend.

In all of the rural areas we’ve visited, from North Carolina to Colorado, there have been failed and abandoned farms. Once prosperous family homesteads have simply been forgotten, and left to decay. It’s also not a new phenomenon – it’s been going on for many, many decades.

In Oklahoma, there are still remnants of farm structures from the Dust Bowl era of the 1930’s that can be seen (we’ve shared photos of some). These, along with more recent examples, stand as a chronological record of the plight of farmers and farming in this country.

Finally, a bit on the “ugliness”.

On Monday, July 13, we passed a feed lot while riding through the Oklahoma Panhandle. A feed lot is where cattle are kept in typically cramped, penned conditions, standing in mud and their own waste, while they are fattened on grain for market. The one that we encountered could be smelled long before it could be seen – perhaps a half-mile or more away.

Even worse than the horrible odor was the physical condition of the animals. In contrast to the robust, energetic, free range cattle we’ve encountered daily along the trail, these animals were totally listless, and appeared unhealthy. The conditions they were being kept in were unsanitary, and inhumane.

My sweetheart, LeeAnn (this is Rob is writing) has long insisted that we buy only pasture-raised/organic/free range beef. I now understand why, and will never again complain about the price. She’s much smarter than me, and knows best.

So what’s the take-away? Be grateful. Help others in need when you can. Support small, local businesses, and buy humanely raised organic meats from family farms whenever possible.

But don’t forget the beauty and splendor along the way – they’re what make the trip worthwhile.