The family and I returned from a week in the Dallas Fort Worth area Sunday. It had been several years since I had visited the DFW Metroplex and was impressed at how fast and large it has grown. Growing up my family traveled to Dallas for Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle who lived in the suburb of Rockwall. At that time Rockwall was a new community on the eastern fringe of the metropolitan area.
While entering Dallas last week I noticed that mass urbanization has spawned a new bedroom community (Royse City) roughly 5 miles east of Rockwall. It would appear that the Metroplex adds a new suburb every 20 years. I am anxious to see what effect $4.00 per gallon has on our sprawling American cities. Will people continue to make the long commutes? Will large urban areas expand their mass transit systems to the suburbs? My gut tells me that Josie and Jenna will be taking a bus or train to Cool Springs when they are in high school.
A couple other observations from Texas…..
1.) Having an enormous facility to play high school football is apparently a significant priority in most Texas communities.
2.) Texans like Texas. I got my hair cut at a barber shop in Lancaster , Texas. One whole wall of the barber shop was decorated from floor to ceiling in Texas themed art. There was the Texas flag, barbed wire in the shape of Texas, and of course the “God Bless Texas” slogan was inscribed on several crafty knick-knacks.
3.) I went running three times during the trip. Twice I wore Sooner gear. During those two runs all oncoming traffic with Texas tags had to pull off to the side of the road until I had passed. They were worried that this or this might happen. During years which the Sooners defeat the Longhorns, OU fans are also permited to speed, litter, and cut in line while in the state of Texas.
It was a good trip for "Team Family" as well. We made the 696 mile trek in 12:03 going out and 11:46 coming home.
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