Life's a little different in Troy

With three weeks left on the ranch, I'm starting to take stock of all the things that shocked me when I first got out here, and that I've grown so accustomed to in the last two months. Here's a few:

• The closest weekend brunch place (a 90 minute drive away), famous for its cornbread pancakes, closes at noon on Sundays, because by then, everyone in the County has eaten breakfast and lunch
• A standard add-on to any health insurance policy here is a $50/year fee to be "Lifeflighted" out, since the nearest hospital is 1-4 hours away, depending on where you live
• After Cory's tuxedo-clad date for the senior prom picked her up at her house, he drove a mile and then pulled his pickup over. Thinking that he was hoping to have a little pre-dance makeout session, Cory closed her eyes, then opened them, and watched in horror as he rolled down his window, pulled a rifle out of the backseat and shot a skunk dead on the side of the road. Then they went to the dance.
• There are no stoplights in the entire county
• A sign like the one in the photo above can be translated as "may see another car in the next 50 miles"

--rahul