The Roads that Built America

I love good roads, predictable, smooth with good signs. The USA provides these kind of roads-and other countries do so too.

But in Paraguay, where I have driven most of my life the roads are not predictable, smooth or always marked. Many of the roads, have potholes, with poor signs. You have to negotiate between dogs, pedestrians and lomadas (sleeping police).

Your usual two hour trip in a good road, turns into three, maybe four. You arrive at your destination after fixing a flat tire, with your blood pressure up in the 200's and tired. I am exaggerating a bit, but there is a drop of truth in these statements.

So as we drove some 400 miles today, with only a few times having to slow down while picking up an interstate or get off an exit, I had a lot of time to think, pray and just hold talk to my wife who sat by my side pointing out snowy mountains, landscapes and some unique animals along the way. It was a fun day as we traveled.

One book came to my mind. The Roads that Build America written by bestselling author Dan McNichol. In this book Dan highlights the importance of the Roads before the Hotel, Restaurant where actually on site. His thesis is that when you have a good road, the services and business will automatically come to you.

Created by Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose WW II experiences taught him the necessity of a superhighway for military transport and evacuation in wartime, today's Interstate System is what connects our coasts and our borders, our cities and small towns.

Today I experienced one more time a traveling day on this highway system. Thanks to Eisenhower and everyone else who came along and made this massive engineering possible we are today able to travel in all directions of this incredible network.

Happy travels !!

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