Letter to the editor from Cal Tatum
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Editor:
A few months ago, I had to travel to Arizona. It had been years since I had been to the “yeah, but it’s a dry heat” state. I grew up there and still have a lot of family and friends who struggle through the summers and then tease me all winter.
Just outside of Page, Arizona, I was driving toward Flagstaff when suddenly my attention was drawn to my rearview mirror. At first, I just saw the flashing headlights, then as the pickup got closer, I could hear the horn honking. I checked my gauges to make certain something wasn’t wrong with my vehicle. I couldn’t hear a muffler dragging.
The pickup then moved into the left lane and passed me, as he did, the driver began waving excitedly. It was then I noticed that his truck had Wyoming license plates, as does my vehicle. He was just happy to see someone else from home.
A couple of weeks later I was driving back, just north of Phoenix. An SUV pulled up next to me. I looked over and saw a very attractive young lady smiling and waving at me. While it was a boost to my ego, I was a bit confused and wondered how the tough-looking guy sitting next to her felt about her friendliness, although he was honking the horn. They passed me and then switched lanes; it was then I noticed the Wyoming license plates.
When I was growing up in Arizona, it was considered a small state, and due to the lack of population, when one traveled out of state, it was rare to see a fellow Arizona resident, and it was cause for excitement. Driving through Texas and seeing an Arizona plate was quite a treat.
As the population of Arizona exploded to millions of people, it became less and less exciting to meet another resident of the state. Soon, you had to travel out of the country to get very excited about meeting someone from “home.”
I find it refreshing that Wyoming is still small enough that when traveling through other states, seeing someone from home is cause for celebration. Just seeing Wyoming plates can make one flash the lights, honk the horn, and wave like crazy. I hope we never lose that close-knit feeling.
Cal Tatum
Evanston