When you travel you learn a lot about other places and other people. Even if it’s only in your own country.
Having just returned from a road trip to Montana for a destination wedding involving family from Chicago, my wife and I learned a lot other places and the people in those places.
When you spend time in a big state like Montana with a total statewide population of less than a million, less than one third the number of people in San Diego County, you learn what it is like driving on roads with hardly any other drivers.
You learn that that there are people who never have to be stuck in traffic.
And you learn that a lot of people are not always connected to their cell phones because there are areas that don’t have great cell phone service. And you learn how unsettling that can be when you are so used to always being connected.
And during our road top to Montana, going through states like Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, you also learn that California isn’t the only state with beautiful views.
And you also see things happening you didn’t even know ever happened. Like the goat round up on the highway in Montana, with thousands of goats being led by goat hands and goat dogs and stopping traffic as the nearly half mile long string of goats made their way to wherever that many goats go.
And you also learn that there are still such things as sidewalk sales in the downtown areas of small towns in America.
And you also learn that there are lots of friendly people in these small towns who always say hi and ask you how you are doing when you stop into stores, restaurants and even gas stations.
And you learn that the pace of life doesn’t have to be so hurried and hassled. And that’s a good lesson to learn no matter where you a