Small Town America

If you’ve been keeping up you’ll know that my wife Kathy and I rode the Harley back to Charlotte, NC. We had a good trip. In fact it was remarkable and memorable in a number of ways. Riding a motorcycle across the heartland of this great country (and back again) was a real treat.


Our time was limited, unfortunately, so we didn’t get to stop and take a lot of photos or investigate the little road side attractions that are scattered along the highways and byways. One of the advantages (and there are many) of avoiding the interstates is that you get to see Small Town America. Even though these little bergs have a lot in common, they all have their individual personality, which becomes even more obvious as you ride from region to region and state to state. You can tell by the roadside signs, the landscape, the farms, houses and storefronts.

I really enjoyed seeing the old store fronts in these small towns and the signage that adorns them, probably because I have a shop on Main Street and do some signage. There is a lot of character in both. Many are closed up, merely reminders of days gone by.

We saw the devastation of the flooding both going and coming. It was really sad to see partially submerged farm houses and buildings out in the middle of a large body of water. In Metropolis, IL we were stopped several times by yellow caution tape stretched across the streets blocking our way. At one point I sat there astride the idling Harley with water lapping on the pavement just a few feet in front of us and looked around at the neighborhood houses of this small town. Water up to the windows on many, backyard swing sets rising out of the water. Sometimes just the rooftops of vehicles were little islands in what used to be the driveway. Very sad and disheartening.

We took meals in a number of restaurants in which either the waitresses or patrons chatted with us about our trip. We enjoyed some cobbler and coffee in The Old Fort Restaurant while we waited out a rain storm just out of Chattanooga, TN. The waitress was particularly curious about our adventure. There was breakfast in The Round-Up Café in Baxter, KS where some Bikers for Christ invited us to their Sunday service. We had to decline as we needed to move on but I asked them to pray for our safety as we motored off into their quiet morning.

It’s good to be back but I look forward to the next time I get to visit Small Town America. It’s worth the effort.