Learning 15: The Rest Areas

I believe I've shared this before, but maybe not.  Here's the deal.  I'm a huge fan of our nation's interstate rest areas.  When on a driving trip, I look forward to stopping at rest areas along the way---stretching my legs, reading any historical plaques that may be placed there, checking the helpful maps posted on the walls, taking some photos.  Rest areas help to curb travel fatigue, and come to find out, that's why they were built in the first place.  For safety, people.  For safety.  This morning I discovered this invaluable site right here and learned, not surprisingly, that multitudes of people feel the same way I do about our nation's rest areas:

.... with the passage of time these sites have become more than stewards of Interstate travelers.  They are important cultural landscapes, expressing the expansion of road building and the growth of leisure travel that emerged during the mid-century period.  As well they articulate the desire people felt to remain personally connected to their nation even as it was growing ever more disparate; and are quirky and engaging manifestations of the mid-century’s cultural aesthetic and ideology.

That last sentence sums it all up in a nutshell. So I was frustrated yesterday as I drove through four of our greatest states to learn that rest areas were few and far between.  Come to find out, I've learned today that states are closing rest areas because of budget concerns. This really cheeses me off, as you can imagine.  Some people think we don't need rest areas any more because we have gas stations and fast food restaurants along the interstates.  These people are wrong.  I saw a family of about 19 climb out of 2 cars yesterday and they needed the rest area.  Kids were running everywhere.  Seeing those littles reminded me of childhood travels. We were a family of 9, and we drove all over this vast land in our VW bus.  We loved the rest areas.  My mom would make us baloney sandwiches.  We'd explore the environs, pick up some vending items and some informative brochures, and head back on to the open road.  I hope rest areas don't go away completely.  Public spaces are an important part of living in a democracy.