This tourist traffic provides employment by way of restaurants, hotels, RV parks and gas stations.
While eating pizza at a little restaurant in Marathon, Texas I was talking to three locals about life in their town of 300 where the railroad, the school and the hotel provide the main jobs. They asked me where I’m from and I explained that I too live in a small town and when I described it they all three burst out laughing and said “you don’t live in a small town!” The residents then talked about how they could prevent their town from becoming like one of the towns a couple of hours away that has 1500 residents where the influx of tourists has inflated home prices and changed the culture of the community.
I like to ride around the neighborhoods of the towns we stay in if I arrive before the sun starts to set. I was curious about this remote and beautiful place. it takes a certain amount of grit to live over an hour from services. as I was returning to the campground I saw a police officer attempting to stop a driver on Route 90 Old man driver kept driving. Police officer turned on siren. Man kept driving. More flashing lights and siren. Man turned off main road and kept driving into his neighborhood. Two other tourists stood with me as we gaped at this show of independence by the driver.
I have a lot of admiration for the residents we meet who are working hard to create community in their little towns. I think of Hannah in Sanderson (pop.600) who moved there from San Antonio with her husband and three young children and runs a coffee shop and art space. She wanted to hear about the efforts of starting First Friday events in her small town. A former ballerina, Hannah offers pilates classes for residents who have very limited access to health care There’s a certain interdependence among residents in these towns that I find quite appealing.
Well, that highway sure looks lonely for sure.
ReplyDelete