Posted on 06/09/2016 5:01:54 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
A friend once told a story involving German visitors who were staying at his house. One morning, he said, the Germans asked if they could take a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Bear in mind, they were in Michigan. “I don’t think you realize just how big America is,” the friend told his guests.
The opposite is also true. Americans don’t realize how little the rest of the world is — at least economically — compared to the U.S.
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I said, that I was reminded of a sign at the Texas/Louisiana border (going west) that says El paso 854 miles and when you arrived there that you were still in Texas.(That was the last I heard from him)
I have several friends in online games from Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Italy, etc. I tell them I’m from Florida, and they ask how close I am to Orlando. When I tell them it’s a 3 hour drive, they ask if Disney is actually in Florida. Then I tell them it takes 8 hours to drive from Tampa to Key West, and they’re boggled. It’s like they think we’re this little island.
Every time someone brings up Norway’s system I just tell them it doesn’t apply. Norway’s population is about the same as greater Houston. They generally stop at that point.
Lol
The map was enlightening
Reminds me of a scene from the movie “Quigley Down Under”. The Tom Selleck character, riding in an oxcart in Australia to meet his employer Marston (played by the inimitable Alan Rickman), asks a minion “How much longer to Marston’s ranch?” That fellow replies “We’ve been on it for the last two days”.
Just think how amazed they’d be if they questioned someone from Texas.
It’s approximately the same distance from Berlin to Moscow as it is from DC to Kansas City, MO, 1000 miles.
Even some Americans don’t realize how big the US is. When we lived in Houston, a guy from the northeast was in town on business and he casually mentioned he was going to make a quick drive up to Dallas after work, spend a few hours, drive back that night, and be ready for work in the morning. He was shocked when he was told how long it would take to drive to Dallas.
Yup, I saw that. Good movie too.
that’s about the same time it takes to drive from baltimore to dc... but not the same distance.
Yes, well, I was listening to some New Yorkers while they stood looking into the Grand Canyon as they said, “Is this all there is?”. In response to the lengthy car trip to get to the Grand Canyon, another one said, “I thought we’d never get through Kansas.” A third one answered,”We should have flown. What a waste of time this trip has been.”
I think every American should take a coast to coast car trip. Yes, we are a huge country and we can only appreciate it largeness by walking, biking or car tripping.
I am not sure how everyone can appreciate its greatness if they cannot see.
The first trans continental US Mail contract followed a series of existing routes that combined were “The ButterField Trail” It was the route of the “Overland Mail” from Memphis to San Francisco. It went south to avoid impassable roads in the winter. The mail on average took 21 days.
The route included a section that was 900 miles across Texas.
The Butterfield is being studied for inclusion as a National Historic Trail and there are guides for the whole length.
Two corporations were involved and survive today as American Express and it’s California subcontractor Wells Fargo
“Day trip to the Grand Canyon.”
Ran into the same thing from a British family.
At Disney World in Orlando.
They had no clue how far away the Grand Canyon was. The dad was a truck driver - could probably deliver anywhere in Britain and be home for supper - or the next morning at that latest!
Three weeks ago today, I drove the 500 miles from Memphis, TN to Bristol, TN and never left the state. Tennessee is our 36th largest state.
This nation is huge.
Copper Canyon in Mexico is even bigger that the Grand Canyon.
(Most people don't know that)
Ha, ha, yes, that part of the country is crazy. Houston and Dallas have horrible traffic, but the roads are better than in the east.
We love to drive and observe.
The seeming sameness and for some bleakness can be overcome by eating. One experiment is to sample the chicken fried steak at various western locations along the way........it is the same but always a little different.
Another and in my view mandatory device is a National Park Service Pass Port. The pass port allows you to gather stamps at all National Parks and Monuments, and Battlefields. The stamps provide an irrefutable dated record when memory becomes hazy about when you went where
If you are a senior, you can buy a pass that lets you go to all free
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