I'm currently staying in a very rural part of Northeastern Oregon (70 miles off of the interstate, yo). You're viewed as unfriendly and not a local if you don't do the two-finger wave *in the town neighborhoods and on the side roads.* The highway and other major roads? Not so crucial to wave.
I've been here long enough that I've adopted that local attitude, especially when riding my horse on the roads. That said, I've also noticed that the biggest waves and smiles come from a.) kids looking longingly at the horse (girls AND boys) and b.) old ranchers.
Most unfriendly? Very clean pickup trucks with recreational equipment, heck, just about any mostly-clean vehicle with recreational equipment that isn't secured and not just thrown in the pickup bed for a run up to the lake on a hot day. Dead giveaway that they're urbanites out here to recreate, whether it's hiking, lake stuff, or hunting. Oh, and the locals usually slow down and give the horse a wide berth. Tourists? Well, I can tell which ones have rural experience.
That's so interesting to hear, Joyce! I've actually never been to Oregon, but I've definitely found it's the same here in terms of in town vs. highways. I wonder if part of this is tied to familiarity and community, and if some of these urbanites know they'll be perceived as outsiders— or, if they're just tourists, they know their place is temporal and fleeting and see no point in trying to engage with the community... Speaks a lot to the larger problems of rural recreation (and maybe something I will try to delve into in a newsletter soon!)
Thanks for sharing this, and for reading. I love hearing everyone's thoughts!
I'm currently staying in a very rural part of Northeastern Oregon (70 miles off of the interstate, yo). You're viewed as unfriendly and not a local if you don't do the two-finger wave *in the town neighborhoods and on the side roads.* The highway and other major roads? Not so crucial to wave.
I've been here long enough that I've adopted that local attitude, especially when riding my horse on the roads. That said, I've also noticed that the biggest waves and smiles come from a.) kids looking longingly at the horse (girls AND boys) and b.) old ranchers.
Most unfriendly? Very clean pickup trucks with recreational equipment, heck, just about any mostly-clean vehicle with recreational equipment that isn't secured and not just thrown in the pickup bed for a run up to the lake on a hot day. Dead giveaway that they're urbanites out here to recreate, whether it's hiking, lake stuff, or hunting. Oh, and the locals usually slow down and give the horse a wide berth. Tourists? Well, I can tell which ones have rural experience.
That's so interesting to hear, Joyce! I've actually never been to Oregon, but I've definitely found it's the same here in terms of in town vs. highways. I wonder if part of this is tied to familiarity and community, and if some of these urbanites know they'll be perceived as outsiders— or, if they're just tourists, they know their place is temporal and fleeting and see no point in trying to engage with the community... Speaks a lot to the larger problems of rural recreation (and maybe something I will try to delve into in a newsletter soon!)
Thanks for sharing this, and for reading. I love hearing everyone's thoughts!
I am excited to listen to this album!