Reflection on My Census Journey
June 25th, 2010 | 
Author: At the end of April I started training for the US Census, and for the next two months I was one of those people that knocked on doors. Lots of doors.
As I drove hundreds of miles on country back roads, I learned a few things about life in West Virginia and life in general.
One of the first things I learned was that anything not 100% necessary in my life had to go. What that meant was if it didn’t help pay the bills or put food on the table, I had to think twice about it. Juggling the census and my work with Two Lane Livin’ became a very delicate balancing act. Throw in some book reviews and things got interesting. Blogging (as you well know) didn’t happen very often.
By weeding out the unnecessary things, I learned what was important to me and what I needed in my life to be happy. Those things have been added back in now that this phase of the census is over. The unimportant stuff is left in my past to collect dust.
While spending hours driving around and knocking on doors, I discovered that West Virginia has some of the nicest, most helpful people that you’ll find. So many offered information on how to get from Point A to Point B and avoid hazardous road conditions like rocky low water crossings, 4-wheel drive ruts, creek bed roads, and gigantic potholes (seriously, I’ve seen a few that could swallow my car). Others offered advice on neighbors – who worked and who didn’t and when the best time was to catch them at home. I learned family history as well as who lived in the hollow the longest, where the old homesteads were, who was related to who, and tons of other fascinating stories.
Another thing I discovered is that there are passable back roads. To the average person who doesn’t live in West Virginia that might not make sense, and to those of you who do live in WVa., I think I hear you snickering. West Virginia is ranked as one of the better states for interstate highway systems. The problems start when you exit off the interstate to a rural road. The state roads are maintained at an okay level. Patched areas are prevelant as the state attempts to control the potholes, but most state roads can be navigated safely at 45-55 mph. Turn off of a state road on to a county road and … well … things go from okay to risky. Top speed is 25 mph on a “paved” road and 15 mph on a gravel (aka dirt) road.
Driving for the census taught me that the shortest distance in miles, not necessarily time, between Point A and Point B is often the gravel road. Any time you take a gravel road in WVa. you are taking a risk. Many gravel roads used to be main thoroughfares years and years ago (think horseback riders about 20 years ago). Sometimes the road is still there and according to maps and the GPS it is a viable road. After venturing up more roads than I can count, I learned to ignore the map and rely on what the indicators told me. I got pretty good at guessing if a road continued through or if it was too rough for a car to pass or if it just plain ole’ stopped at a gate. I also perfected my 3-point turning skills and backing-up-down-a-hill skill. With my newfound knowledge, I feel safer knowing I can take backroads with confidence and make it home with my car still in one piece.
Another thing I learned is that so many old homesteads are just left to ruin. It’s really sad. West Virginia has some gorgeous old farmhouses that have been restored. But for every one that has been restored, I’d guess there’s at least 5 that are rotting away. I’m talking about homes with real hardwood floors, two-story porches, and beautiful lattice work, all with farmland and views to die for. My understanding is that most of these homes belong to families that just can’t get along. The patriarch of the family left the family homestead to the kids, but they can’t agree who gets to live in the house, so no one lives in it or maintains it. It really is quite sad to see so many pieces of architectural history just deteriorate because of some family squabble. I’d love to live in and restore some of these old homesteads. New job in my future? Probably not.
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