The husband planned a road trip for me today that included an A through S amount of stopping points on Google Maps. We left the house at 7:30 am and headed out for the middle of the state for a great big loop that involved 12 hours of driving, eating and stopping. There were miles of orange groves that gave way to endless sugar cane fields. Golf courses and planned communities named after the trees and wildlife they killed off disappeared. Abject poverty emerged dotting the flat landscape of the sugar cane fields around Lake Okeechobee. Towns like Belle Glade - where the per capita income is $14,000 - reminded me of driving through Mexico. It made me think two things: how lucky I am (and to never complain that I don't have enough), as well as that extreme poverty does exist in this country, even if we choose to brush it under the rug.
We explored the ghost town of Bryant. The overgrown roads and buried playground are few remnants of what used to be a town set up by US Sugar. Not even the homes exist, and the only residents left are curlytail lizards and the constant buzzing of insects.
After twelve (quick!) hours, we were home. Seriously, the time flew by. Times flies when you're having fun, though...
