McDonald's and Migrants (by Sunshine)

Reflections on this day – May 29th. We woke in Kings Canyon National Park and fell asleep in Yosemite National Park. I justify everything that happened in between as a means to an end. 

Enjoying the toys, popcorn, air conditioning, free wi-fi,
and cell phone charging station while the Burro tires are
installed. You get what you pay for at Les Schwab tire stores.

We left Kings Canyon headed for Fresno, CA knowing we needed an oil change and possibly tires for the CR-V. We debated where to go for services with our key deciding factor getting things done efficiently. We chose Walmart, even though it would be the first time the CR-V was not serviced at a dealership. We got both an oil change and tires despite our discomfort in not being able to shop around for the best prices and quality of tires. Since we were in Walmart over lunch, Jim and Walden ate at McDonald's. It was Walden’s first McDonald's experience which made which makes me uncomfortable for so many reasons. (From Jim: You have to have your first McDonald's Happy Meal at some point! And Walden was one happy kid!) While the boys ate I got groceries despite the limited selection of items. Again Walmart, you saved us time. Ugh. While we were at Walmart, Jim noticed the Burro tires were bald on the outer edges. We called around town and found a place that would put new tires on that afternoon. We might have been able to find a better deal with more research and Jim could have replaced the tires himself to save money BUT it was 97 degrees, we all had colds, and we had three hours more to drive before days end. So we got the tires and headed out of town. Unfortunately, we also discovered that the axle was slightly bent on the Burro, which caused the uneven wearing of the trailer tires. Being this far into the trip, however, we decided to just keep on going and reverse the tires when they start to get worn.

One noteworthy aspect of our limited time in Fresno was how friendly and helpful the people were. Not just one or two, but everyone we encountered (granted we were there less than a day). The young woman at McDonalds, for instance, was so excited that this was Walden's first time, she gave him all of the sides to try (yogurt in a tube was by far the favorite) and delivered more french fries when he ran out (mostly for Daddy). It was a refreshing bonus on a day when we had a lot to accomplish with limited time. As I’ve found in many areas of the west (especially CA) there was also tremendous diversity in people. In Stevens Point, and many parts of Wisconsin, we never see this much diversity. I realized that my perspective on where race-related issues occurred was limited to certain areas of cities like Milwaukee and Madison. Isolated pockets so to speak. Traveling through other parts of the country has made me realize that diversity issues are an everyday occurrence for many more people than I thought.

The drive to Yosemite out of Fresno was fascinating. We saw migrant workers for the first time. All around Fresno are groves of oranges, nuts, dates, and other crops. The area is in serious drought and the land is dry and brown except for the green irrigated fields. I’d only ever heard of migrant workers so it was interesting to see them all in the field with large straw hats pulled down to shade their faces from the nearly 100 degree sun. There was a truck on the side of the road with a bed full of water coolers. Behind it was a trailer hauling two portable toilets. I’m pretty aware of our food system and where my food comes from. Yet, seeing the workers and the drought stricken land with irrigation gives the ability to buy a package of strawberries in Wisconsin in the middle of winter new meaning. The drought in this part of California is so bad, 5 years and counting, that when we stopped at a gas station near Yosemite, the restrooms were closed to save water and portable toilets were available in the parking lot. The land is so dry and brown for so many miles I began to wonder what extreme measures people living out here do to keep their cattle and horses alive. It was an eye-opening day in many ways.