Minnesota seems a little prosperous in this part of the country. Houses are bigger and heater and roads are better. Towns are a bit cleaner. First is Jackson, pop.3000. It's a lot cleaner than towns in Northern Iowa, less dirty streets and cars. And I just saw a Mercedes. It is definitely prosperous. Life is a little better here. A Kid driving it. Back on the interstate again, 90 from Detroit to Seattle, saw my first sign for Wall Drug, one of a million I'm sure. Billboards now. Second sign for Wall Drug, a mile or so past. In 1972 With my wife and the Mustang eastward heading home from probably the best summer of my life at the Banff art school. Wonder if the highway remembers me? Different car but the same me. Another time.
Award about license places. Why are they getting ugly. I remember when license places had shapes, slogans, designs, colors. You can tell when where a car was.by glancing at his plate feet away. Now they are are all like army truck license plates.- white - functional. Today I gave the old girl a present, an oil change and lube. She drives good, likes the new oil. So far so good. A BMW passes me, reminds me, reminds me of the city, But it's dirty, something you don't see in LA or any large city. Again, a reminder of the earth and how it's the most important thing out here - you - can't escape even a BMW. Dirt along the wheelwells - a working Beamer.
South March 22, for those who don't know, is the automobile advertising capital of the world of the world and nothing but billbords , nothing but prairie so they manage to put billboards all along for you to read.I used to like billbords because they gave me something to read on those long prairie trips. There's not much to read to see from the highway out here - and you can see, they can see forever, so they're, so they're a diversion - I oppose billbords in the mountains or by the ocean but here - they seem to fit. And they're mostly for independent places not chains Some people say it's bad and not tasteful , but it's welcome not welcome after traveling through Iowa and Minnesota where there's nothing to look at the interchange sign.
