"What's the difference," indeed . . .

[Dark-Star]

I'm terrified at the thought of that lady having a car. For Dog's sake, if she can't distinguish between STATES, how often does she forget which pedal is which?

"There once was a fellow named Jake,
Who made the most stupid mistake,
He drove through a wall and into a hall,
When he mixed up the gas and the brake!"

[Mr Yuck]

Wisconsinite transplanted to Kansas 20 years ago.

I love it when left and right coasters bag on the Midwest.....means they won't be moving here. That way we can keep our cost of living, and crime low. Also we can keep the schools the same high quality as always. Kansas is a very good place to raise a family.

For the record, I've been all over.....17 countries and over half of our 50 states.
We travel 4-5 times per year, so we have visited many of the cool places there are to visit.

[Pedersen]

My own little travel story:

Driving through Nebraska, around dinnertime, moving across the country. Saw an exit, and said "Let's get dinner there. There's always something to eat within a mile of a highway exit." Turned off I80, and into Haddonfield, NE. This was on a Thursday night, around 6PM.

Or should I say turned into the cornfields.

Drove for about a mile on a road between two cornfiels, and came on Main St, Haddonfield. No stores were open. No cars were parked on the street. No people. No dogs. No lights. No nothing.

And then, at the far end of town, we come to the church. The church with the full parking lot.

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Stephen King, he wrote a short story called "Children of the Corn", which described a small town in Nebraska that was completely devoid of adults, and the children all worshiped someone they called "He who walks behind the rows," which looks to be some sort of devil analogue.

I am a fan of his. And I just drove through a town that made me think very seriously about that story.

I refused to stop for dinner for 20 miles on the grounds that they could still walk there if we were any closer. And made sure I was at least 100 miles before I stopped for the night.

[seigus]

I feel the pain

I moved to Idaho from Texas seven years ago and I STILL have people ask me how far I am from Des Moines.
Only about 1500 miles....

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

SHHHH!!!! The power!!! It will hear you and suck you into the vortex that is the armpit of America - the midwest - where you will be stuck until you can break free of its evil grasp!

1. I'm already in the Midwest.
2. At least in Omaha I'd get to hang with you and the other Omaha CSers.

[depechemodefan]

A lot of towns along the interstate advertised ruts from pioneer wagon wheels as tourist attractions.

Well, if it was the ruts from the wagons from the Donner party...I still woulnd't stop. Heck, if I want to see a rut in the ground from a wheel, I can make my own during a rainy season.

I know at the library we have the Mobil travel guides, and they include several states in one book. Though I doubt Iowa and Ohio would be in the same book.

[wolfie]

Only once now have I gotten an SC that expected our tow truck to part water to reach them.

But the big question is how many HIs, AKs, and FLs assumed that it was normal to cross water to get from one part of the state to another.

Well, one difference between Iowa and Ohio that springs readily to mind is that Iowa currently is pretty much underwater.

That's definitely the Navy way - for them, Ohio is pretty much underwater, but Iowa better not be. The Iowa class were the last battleships bought by the U.S. Navy (USS Missouri, where the Japanese surrender was signed, and USS New Jersey, which provided fire support during the Vietnam War, were both of the Iowa class). The Ohio class are "boomers" (ballistic missile subs), so being underwater is normal.

[Kogarashi]

Haddonfield, NE.

Hey, I think we pulled off there looking for food when we were moving back East! Drove through a whole bunch of nothing before getting back on the highway and driving another two exits or so down.

And people keep forgetting to mention how much nothing there is in Wyoming along I-80.

[DeltaSierra]

In reference to the original post and the "what's the difference" mentality. I live in British Columbia, but lived in the US for 8 years. On numerous occasions upon hearing that I'm from Canada, somebody would say "Oh I know Joe Blow from Toronto - do you know him?" Telling them that I'm from BC would of course result in the "What's the difference? comment. It amazed me how many people seemed to think that Canada was a little village "up north" that had maybe 100 people, and everybody knew everybody else in the country!

[ravenrose]

People aren't bright. Many would forget what state they lived in if they didn't have a reminder on all the letters they get in the mail.

LOL! I'm stealing this (with credit) for my sig. That's just too good to pass up, lol.

It sums up a lot.

[TWOLF]

I lived in IA for 25 years and can tell you the biggest differnce. All the f---ing corn. At least here in ks you don't see as much and it makes me thankfull.

[dithers66]

The US is doomed, a nation of idiots. Luckily at least some of us can find the lightswitch.

[HYHYBT]

Come to think of it - when IS a right time to go to IOWA for vacation? I mean if they didn't have casinos I don't think anyone would purposely go to IOWA for vacation. That's like taking your vacation in Nebraska. What? Wait....

http://www.kevinandkell.com/2004/kk0223.html