I'm outta here

After listening to us Coloradoans in small 'tourist-type' towns (previously known as: farm, ranching or mining towns) b**h about Texans my whole life I figured out the problem: Back in the days when most of the old towns here were on the back-tax list the Texans (and a fair amount of OKies) bought all they could and established summer places to get out of the heat. So when they show up a lot of residents naturally figure the Texans are tourists when they actually are tax-paying property owners. Most of the people who squeal the loudest just moved here from a big city somewhere and don't realize that those Texans have been coming here for 30, 40 even 50 years! Another thing is that they drive some pretty shiny outfits since they have to come all the way from home to get here whereas a local who never gets out of the county is still driving his 15 year old pickup with the license plates hung on with baling wire. I believe that's where the stereotype of the 'rich Texan tourist' came from. Personally, I'd rather have Texans move in than urbanites that want to change everything to the way it was in the place they just left. Last but not least: nearly every tourist I've dealt with is pretty friendly and will probably, if given a chance, tell me something about life here in America that I did not know. How else would I know about Big Bend N'tl. Park, Yankee Magazine, the Natchez Trace, Boonesboro, Blackhawk State Park or air-
brake actuated deer whistles on school buses? So, don't put down your local tourist(s) 'cause you might be one yourself someday! Footnote: I got called one in Missouri once after I made a creative turn from an exit ramp but the guy didn't beat me up; he made me smile!

I just don't have all that equipment in my RV, so when I get away from home things just don't work the same.