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Road trips were frequent in my family. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the unique and diverse beauty that this land posses. Growing up in a certain place can make it easy to take for granted the the fascination with one’s homeland. However, my last road trip made me take a look and see this country in an all new light.
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We made our way out of California at 4:30am on a Monday morning with nervousness, excitement and adventure running speedily through our veins. It’s interesting to the world at that time. In fact, you realize that a lot of preparation is done for the day to function. Fresh bread is being delivered, stores are preparing to open and landscapers are making sure that the exterior of businesses look welcoming for the day that emerges.
Quite predictably, 80% of Texas’ population is Hispanic; a static that is clearly visible when you visit.
Our first destination was El Paso, Texas. I find it interesting how a couple of hours of driving —10 hours to be exact— can make such a huge impact on climate, culture and lifestyle.
El Paso is a pretty big city. It’s the 6th largest in Texas with an approximate population of 804,000 people; 80% of that being Hispanic. A lot of these are what we call Chicanos. In other words, U.S. citizens with Mexican descent.
I’m from San Diego, California, a place where the Hispanic culture is much ingrained. Us Latinos are pretty much everywhere these days and that’s something I’ve gotten used to. According to a recent survey, Latinos make up 27.3% of the population, which to me sounds like an astonishingly low number.
El Paso is a border city with Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico with a combined population of 2 million. Although the region is pretty hot in the summer —an average of 95.3 °F— residents of the area really like it; something i didn’t identify with at all.
Either way, I loved being in Texas. We had a great time and the people there were extremely nice and hospitable.
Due to the heat, after a week in El Paso, we were happy to be leaving. We took a beautiful —and significantly cooler— route that had us travel through New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Iowa and finally Minnesota. After 23 long hours, we arrived in St. Paul at 2:30 am.
Now, for some information on St. Paul. St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota and is relatively small. It’s sister city is Minneapolis and for that reason, they are called the “Twin Cities”. Together, they share a population of 3.5 million people. It ranks 13th in size compared to other U.S. metropolitan cities.
The record low in St. Paul is -32 °F, which for a San Diegan like me, left me with my jaw open. Furthermore, according to locals, this temperature is reached at least once a year.
When we arrived, the weather was horrible. Most days, it was no cooler than 80 °F and the humidity was extremely high as well. However, I quickly learned that Minnesotans love their summer because they don’t really get much of it. The city’s average high is 55 °F! In fact, St. Paul has the coldest annual average of any major metropolitan city in the continental U. S.; a statistic that worries me a bit.
Still, I look forward to the coming months. It’s sad to say but, I only know the four seasons in theory; not in real life. This will be the first time that I can see the seasons change and I’m sure it will be a breath taking experience. One thing is for sure, Minnesota is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to and I’m really beginning to like the lifestyle here. Time seems to run differently and I’m taking advantage of every second of it.
I decided to come to Minnesota on pure emotion. When I think about it, I’m baffled at how crazy I am to pick up and leave on a whim to another state. Yet, this is an experience I’ll never forget: The time I lived in The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes.
