Journey of Hope: Day 37

It’s amazing what you can see and learn, on a single day, as part of a 40-day journey up, down, and across the country.  My big learning today was how much land the U.S. government actually owns. It turns out the answer is A Lot!  The total is approximately 640 million acres or 28% of the land in the country, with the majority of that in Alaska and the western states. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the largest land manager, with over 10,000 employees.   

This question came to me as I was driving across the White Sands Missile Range, in New Mexico. As you traverse this vast land area, you can easily understand why it was chosen to test the first atomic bomb, space rockets, and other things that create big explosions. You know you’re entering a different type of area when a big sign on the side of the road may be blinking and lets you know the road will be closed for an hour while “stuff” happens. The range covers 600,000 acres making it the largest military installation in the world.

If you read my note the other day about how Casey, IL, did a good job in getting people to visit their town, you should see Roswell, NM. Roswell is known as the place where a UFO allegedly crashed in 1947.  They’ve got green aliens in all shapes and sizes around town, trying to get you to enter places of business; even at Dunkin’ Donuts!  What a hoot.

Guess what. It’s hot in the southwest in the summer! I know it’s hot all over the country currently, however, this is the real deal. Signs should just say “100+”, and call it a day!

Give A Little Whistle!