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| Road Trip to Trump’s Inauguration: In a Hurry to Get There | Road Trip to Trump’s Inauguration: In a Hurry to Get There |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Updated: 5:20 p.m. | |
| The New York Times is driving to Friday’s inauguration with supporters of President-elect Donald J. Trump. On Wednesday, we traveled with a woman from Massachusetts, the bluest state east of the Mississippi. On Thursday: a man from West Virginia, the reddest state in the East. | The New York Times is driving to Friday’s inauguration with supporters of President-elect Donald J. Trump. On Wednesday, we traveled with a woman from Massachusetts, the bluest state east of the Mississippi. On Thursday: a man from West Virginia, the reddest state in the East. |
| Mark R. Maynard owns a used-car lot in Genoa, W.Va. He used to work on the pit crew of a drag racing team. He is also a freshman state senator and was an early fan of Mr. Trump, serving as co-chairman of his West Virginia campaign team. | Mark R. Maynard owns a used-car lot in Genoa, W.Va. He used to work on the pit crew of a drag racing team. He is also a freshman state senator and was an early fan of Mr. Trump, serving as co-chairman of his West Virginia campaign team. |
| I am a national correspondent with The New York Times, originally from New Orleans, and Mark has been kind enough to let me drive with him to Washington, where he will be attending Mr. Trump’s inauguration. | I am a national correspondent with The New York Times, originally from New Orleans, and Mark has been kind enough to let me drive with him to Washington, where he will be attending Mr. Trump’s inauguration. |
| The Times is paying for gas. And I’ll be filing updates throughout our trip. Join us as we talk about coal, cars, immigration, “deplorables,” road food, the proper soundtrack for driving through West Virginia, and where Mr. Trump, and the country, will go from here. RICHARD FAUSSET | The Times is paying for gas. And I’ll be filing updates throughout our trip. Join us as we talk about coal, cars, immigration, “deplorables,” road food, the proper soundtrack for driving through West Virginia, and where Mr. Trump, and the country, will go from here. RICHARD FAUSSET |
| CATLETTSBURG, Ky., 8:30 a.m.: Mark is a West Virginian, but he is beginning his trip at his sister and brother-in-law’s house here in the Kentucky countryside, just over the state line. He is idling in a red 2002 Jaguar, wearing a gray suit and a pale gray tie. He is impatient, and he is ready to get to Washington. | CATLETTSBURG, Ky., 8:30 a.m.: Mark is a West Virginian, but he is beginning his trip at his sister and brother-in-law’s house here in the Kentucky countryside, just over the state line. He is idling in a red 2002 Jaguar, wearing a gray suit and a pale gray tie. He is impatient, and he is ready to get to Washington. |
| A lifelong Republican, Mark has always appreciated Mr. Trump’s blunt talk — a style he describes as “not being afraid to say what you feel and not worry so much about being politically correct.” | A lifelong Republican, Mark has always appreciated Mr. Trump’s blunt talk — a style he describes as “not being afraid to say what you feel and not worry so much about being politically correct.” |
| But Mark, who in 2014 became a politician himself when he was elected to the West Virginia State Senate, can also seem more measured than the president-elect. I ask: Do you agree that there should be a ban on Muslims entering the country? | But Mark, who in 2014 became a politician himself when he was elected to the West Virginia State Senate, can also seem more measured than the president-elect. I ask: Do you agree that there should be a ban on Muslims entering the country? |
| “Hmm,” he says. “I would agree that a serious vetting process should take place.” | “Hmm,” he says. “I would agree that a serious vetting process should take place.” |
| Do you agree with building a wall at the Mexican border? | Do you agree with building a wall at the Mexican border? |
| “Mmm,” he says. “You know, and I’m not trying to be all politically correct here, but let me think about that for a minute.” | “Mmm,” he says. “You know, and I’m not trying to be all politically correct here, but let me think about that for a minute.” |
| That’s fine. We have seven hours in the car to kill. | That’s fine. We have seven hours in the car to kill. |
| Miles driven: 0. Miles to go: 447. | Miles driven: 0. Miles to go: 447. |
| _____ | _____ |
| CATLETTSBURG, Ky., 8:35 a.m.: We take off down a narrow winding road, not really even two lanes, over and along rolling green hills and horse farms. It feels like a peaceful, unspoiled place, far from the shouting of cable news. | CATLETTSBURG, Ky., 8:35 a.m.: We take off down a narrow winding road, not really even two lanes, over and along rolling green hills and horse farms. It feels like a peaceful, unspoiled place, far from the shouting of cable news. |
| The Jaguar is tailing Mark’s brother-in-law’s white Cadillac Escalade, which is adorned with a Trump bumper sticker and one saying “1.20.17: Obama’s Last Day.” It has a Confederate battle flag on the plug of the hitch hole, a Confederate flag license plate holder and a Confederate flag-themed sticker of the South Carolina palmetto. (His brother-in-law does a lot of fishing on the Carolina coast.) | The Jaguar is tailing Mark’s brother-in-law’s white Cadillac Escalade, which is adorned with a Trump bumper sticker and one saying “1.20.17: Obama’s Last Day.” It has a Confederate battle flag on the plug of the hitch hole, a Confederate flag license plate holder and a Confederate flag-themed sticker of the South Carolina palmetto. (His brother-in-law does a lot of fishing on the Carolina coast.) |
| “Associate that flag with my sister, because I don’t have it on anything I have, except the General Lee,” Mark says. He is referring to his near-perfect replica of the 1969 Dodge Charger, adorned with a Confederate flag on the roof, that was driven by the main characters in the TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard.” | “Associate that flag with my sister, because I don’t have it on anything I have, except the General Lee,” Mark says. He is referring to his near-perfect replica of the 1969 Dodge Charger, adorned with a Confederate flag on the roof, that was driven by the main characters in the TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard.” |
| I imagine we will talk more about that, too. | I imagine we will talk more about that, too. |
| Miles driven: 7. Miles to go: 440. | Miles driven: 7. Miles to go: 440. |
| _____ | _____ |
| BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va., 9:10 a.m.: After a few minutes on Interstate 64, we stop at a Sheetz convenience store next to the Southern X-Posure Gentleman’s Club. We are gassing up and grabbing breakfast. There is a Walmart on the other side of the freeway, and a Chick-fil-A. We are a nation both sacred and profane, ever on the make, ever on the move. Fast cars, fast food. | BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va., 9:10 a.m.: After a few minutes on Interstate 64, we stop at a Sheetz convenience store next to the Southern X-Posure Gentleman’s Club. We are gassing up and grabbing breakfast. There is a Walmart on the other side of the freeway, and a Chick-fil-A. We are a nation both sacred and profane, ever on the make, ever on the move. Fast cars, fast food. |
| “Have you ever ordered food on a touch screen?” Mark asks. “It’s pretty cool.” But he also sees something troubling about the technology. He has heard that a certain fast-food chain might ditch employees in favor of touch screens if the minimum wage ever goes to $15 an hour. | “Have you ever ordered food on a touch screen?” Mark asks. “It’s pretty cool.” But he also sees something troubling about the technology. He has heard that a certain fast-food chain might ditch employees in favor of touch screens if the minimum wage ever goes to $15 an hour. |
| In West Virginia, the minimum wage is $8.75 an hour. Mark’s State Senate district, which covers Mercer County and parts of Wayne, Mingo and McDowell Counties, is racked with poverty, largely owing to the decline of the coal industry. Thousands of people are trying to get by on the minimum wage. | In West Virginia, the minimum wage is $8.75 an hour. Mark’s State Senate district, which covers Mercer County and parts of Wayne, Mingo and McDowell Counties, is racked with poverty, largely owing to the decline of the coal industry. Thousands of people are trying to get by on the minimum wage. |
| Mark knows it is not easy. But he also believes that’s the way it should be. | Mark knows it is not easy. But he also believes that’s the way it should be. |
| “Businesses will just increase their prices, and it really won’t get us anywhere in the long run,” he says. “I think capitalism should prevail.” | “Businesses will just increase their prices, and it really won’t get us anywhere in the long run,” he says. “I think capitalism should prevail.” |
| He builds his touch-screen breakfast: a cheeseburger and fries. His daughter, Morgan, 15, orders a slice of cheese pizza. | He builds his touch-screen breakfast: a cheeseburger and fries. His daughter, Morgan, 15, orders a slice of cheese pizza. |
| The family members riding in the Escalade come in, looking eager to tackle the open road: his brother-in-law, Daron Dean, 51, the owner of an asphalt company; Daron’s wife, Lisa, also 51, and their daughter Elizabeth, 16. | The family members riding in the Escalade come in, looking eager to tackle the open road: his brother-in-law, Daron Dean, 51, the owner of an asphalt company; Daron’s wife, Lisa, also 51, and their daughter Elizabeth, 16. |
| Back on the freeway, the lanes are roaring with cars and trucks. We are somewhere between Huntington and Charleston, the two largest cities in the state. We stream by clusters of small, modest midcentury houses, a trailer park, a car lot, and gnarled and naked trees. | Back on the freeway, the lanes are roaring with cars and trucks. We are somewhere between Huntington and Charleston, the two largest cities in the state. We stream by clusters of small, modest midcentury houses, a trailer park, a car lot, and gnarled and naked trees. |
| Miles driven: 33. Miles to go: 414. | Miles driven: 33. Miles to go: 414. |
| _____ | _____ |
| TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va., 10:20 a.m.: Mark is an amateur guitar player. His sister taught him some of the basic cowboy chords when he was 12. His tastes run to outlaw country: David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. — “He’s my man,” Mark says of the latter. “He’s my Elvis.” | TEAYS VALLEY, W.Va., 10:20 a.m.: Mark is an amateur guitar player. His sister taught him some of the basic cowboy chords when he was 12. His tastes run to outlaw country: David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. — “He’s my man,” Mark says of the latter. “He’s my Elvis.” |
| Unlike his brother-in-law, Mark is not much of a fishing guy, or a hunting guy, or even a football guy, though he was raised in the country. | Unlike his brother-in-law, Mark is not much of a fishing guy, or a hunting guy, or even a football guy, though he was raised in the country. |
| But he is a car guy. Big-time. He has a collection of cars, apart from the car lot — Maynard’s Auto World — including the replica General Lee; a metallic red ’94 Trans Am convertible; a gold ’71 Chevelle, which he restored at age 19; and an old Jeep CJ5 with huge tires and a racing engine. | But he is a car guy. Big-time. He has a collection of cars, apart from the car lot — Maynard’s Auto World — including the replica General Lee; a metallic red ’94 Trans Am convertible; a gold ’71 Chevelle, which he restored at age 19; and an old Jeep CJ5 with huge tires and a racing engine. |
| Those are just a few. “If you want me to keep going, I can,” he says. | Those are just a few. “If you want me to keep going, I can,” he says. |
| For years, Mark worked on the crew of a professional drag racing team. He quit after his election to the State Senate — an underdog story not unlike Mr. Trump’s. His opponent was Harry Truman Chafin, a Democrat who had represented the district since 1982. | For years, Mark worked on the crew of a professional drag racing team. He quit after his election to the State Senate — an underdog story not unlike Mr. Trump’s. His opponent was Harry Truman Chafin, a Democrat who had represented the district since 1982. |
| When Mark won, by just 389 votes, National Dragster, the news organ of the National Hot Rod Association, ran a story declaring his victory “the electoral equivalent of defeating an opponent on the dragstrip by thousandths of a second.” | When Mark won, by just 389 votes, National Dragster, the news organ of the National Hot Rod Association, ran a story declaring his victory “the electoral equivalent of defeating an opponent on the dragstrip by thousandths of a second.” |
| It was also another sign of how tenuous the Democrats’ position had grown in West Virginia. The year he won, Republicans gained the majority in both legislative houses for the first time since the Great Depression. | It was also another sign of how tenuous the Democrats’ position had grown in West Virginia. The year he won, Republicans gained the majority in both legislative houses for the first time since the Great Depression. |
| Miles driven: 52. Miles to go: 395. | Miles driven: 52. Miles to go: 395. |
| _____ | _____ |
| SUTTON, W.Va., 10:52 a.m.: I tell Mark about the Uber ride I took to my hotel in Huntington yesterday. A young woman picked me up from the tiny regional airport in her Honda Civic. She told me that she had worked as a nursing assistant for a while, but found it to be tiresome and dreary. She didn’t have many other prospects other than Uber, and she was thinking about getting out of West Virginia. | SUTTON, W.Va., 10:52 a.m.: I tell Mark about the Uber ride I took to my hotel in Huntington yesterday. A young woman picked me up from the tiny regional airport in her Honda Civic. She told me that she had worked as a nursing assistant for a while, but found it to be tiresome and dreary. She didn’t have many other prospects other than Uber, and she was thinking about getting out of West Virginia. |
| But first, she was adopting a friend’s baby. Her pregnant friend was white, but the baby had a black father. And the pregnant woman’s current boyfriend was a white racist, she told me. “He doesn’t want it in the house,” the driver said, referring to the baby. | But first, she was adopting a friend’s baby. Her pregnant friend was white, but the baby had a black father. And the pregnant woman’s current boyfriend was a white racist, she told me. “He doesn’t want it in the house,” the driver said, referring to the baby. |
| I ask Mark how common that kind of overt racism is in his district. “As far as expressing it, I don’t feel it’s that prevalent,” he says. “Inner thoughts, maybe a little more.” | I ask Mark how common that kind of overt racism is in his district. “As far as expressing it, I don’t feel it’s that prevalent,” he says. “Inner thoughts, maybe a little more.” |
| He says that his district has a relatively small percentage of African-Americans. He tells me that President Obama is to blame for some of the country’s racial discord. | He says that his district has a relatively small percentage of African-Americans. He tells me that President Obama is to blame for some of the country’s racial discord. |
| “I do think America saw a bit of racism through the anti-racism efforts of the president,” he says. “You know, he was trying to let everyone know that we’re all the same. And by doing that, I think he divided the nation.” | “I do think America saw a bit of racism through the anti-racism efforts of the president,” he says. “You know, he was trying to let everyone know that we’re all the same. And by doing that, I think he divided the nation.” |
| Miles driven: 130. Miles to go: 317. | Miles driven: 130. Miles to go: 317. |
| _____ | _____ |
| FLATWOODS, W.Va., 11 a.m.: We pass by a nondescript state Department of Motor Vehicles office, and Mark’s neck snaps backward in its direction. “Do you know what the state pays in rent for that? $70,000 per year.” There is another D.M.V. office, he says, in Kanawha City, W.Va., where the rent is something like $800,000. | FLATWOODS, W.Va., 11 a.m.: We pass by a nondescript state Department of Motor Vehicles office, and Mark’s neck snaps backward in its direction. “Do you know what the state pays in rent for that? $70,000 per year.” There is another D.M.V. office, he says, in Kanawha City, W.Va., where the rent is something like $800,000. |
| He has studied this kind of spending since taking office. He believes that if the state’s Republicans bring such things to light, the voters will give them “the blessing to cut the fat.” | He has studied this kind of spending since taking office. He believes that if the state’s Republicans bring such things to light, the voters will give them “the blessing to cut the fat.” |
| He also echoes the sentiments of Mr. Trump: Government is making bad deals. | He also echoes the sentiments of Mr. Trump: Government is making bad deals. |
| Miles driven: 140. Miles to go: 307. | Miles driven: 140. Miles to go: 307. |
| _____ | _____ |
| WESTON, W.Va., 11:25 a.m.: In the fast lane, a black Chevy Silverado pickup passes us. On a tinted back window is a three-foot-long decal of a man crawling on his knees, a light on his helmet illuminating his path. | WESTON, W.Va., 11:25 a.m.: In the fast lane, a black Chevy Silverado pickup passes us. On a tinted back window is a three-foot-long decal of a man crawling on his knees, a light on his helmet illuminating his path. |
| It is a picture of a miner. Above the crawling man the decal says: “RETIRED.” | It is a picture of a miner. Above the crawling man the decal says: “RETIRED.” |
| Miles driven: 171. Miles to go: 276. | Miles driven: 171. Miles to go: 276. |
| _____ | _____ |
| WESTON, W.Va., 11:28 a.m.: Mark wants to leave the Jaguar here. He is going skiing with some buddies after the inauguration at a resort nearby. Better to leave the Jag. His sister will drive us to Washington and drive him back out this way. | WESTON, W.Va., 11:28 a.m.: Mark wants to leave the Jaguar here. He is going skiing with some buddies after the inauguration at a resort nearby. Better to leave the Jag. His sister will drive us to Washington and drive him back out this way. |
| We pull into a strip mall that wears its American multiculturalism casually. A place called Don Patron Mexican Grill. A place called Gino’s Pizza & Spaghetti. A place called Peking Buffet. A Subway sandwich shop. | We pull into a strip mall that wears its American multiculturalism casually. A place called Don Patron Mexican Grill. A place called Gino’s Pizza & Spaghetti. A place called Peking Buffet. A Subway sandwich shop. |
| Miles driven: 174. Miles to go: 273. | Miles driven: 174. Miles to go: 273. |
| _____ | _____ |
| WHITEHALL, W.Va., 1 p.m.: Lunch is at Dickey’s Barbecue. The family from the Escalade piles in. Pulled pork all around. | WHITEHALL, W.Va., 1 p.m.: Lunch is at Dickey’s Barbecue. The family from the Escalade piles in. Pulled pork all around. |
| The restaurant is in a tired shopping mall: big, echoey, clean and half-ghostly on the inside. There is an armed forces recruiting station. A Social Security office. | The restaurant is in a tired shopping mall: big, echoey, clean and half-ghostly on the inside. There is an armed forces recruiting station. A Social Security office. |
| Outside is a bank of local newspapers: “Tax hikes on sugary drinks proposed in state,” says a headline in The Marion Times. | Outside is a bank of local newspapers: “Tax hikes on sugary drinks proposed in state,” says a headline in The Marion Times. |
| “E.P.A. pick vows to end overregulation,” announces The Exponent Telegram. | “E.P.A. pick vows to end overregulation,” announces The Exponent Telegram. |
| “State budget forecast worst since Great Depression,” says The Times West Virginian. | |
| Soft-serve ice cream is free and all-you-can-eat. The senator is on his cellphone, licking a cone down to a soft nub. | Soft-serve ice cream is free and all-you-can-eat. The senator is on his cellphone, licking a cone down to a soft nub. |
| Miles driven: 207. Miles to go: 240. | Miles driven: 207. Miles to go: 240. |
| _____ | _____ |
| PLEASANT VALLEY, W.Va., 1:30 p.m.: Everyone packs into the Escalade and we’re on our way again. | PLEASANT VALLEY, W.Va., 1:30 p.m.: Everyone packs into the Escalade and we’re on our way again. |
| This year, Mark’s daughter, Morgan, switched from a public school to a Christian private school, where creationism is taught alongside the theory of evolution; the science textbooks are provided by Bob Jones University. She has a lot more work at the private school, she says; specifically, the math is harder. Morgan is concerned about the kids she left at her old school, and she wonders whether they are being adequately prepared for the future. | This year, Mark’s daughter, Morgan, switched from a public school to a Christian private school, where creationism is taught alongside the theory of evolution; the science textbooks are provided by Bob Jones University. She has a lot more work at the private school, she says; specifically, the math is harder. Morgan is concerned about the kids she left at her old school, and she wonders whether they are being adequately prepared for the future. |
| Elizabeth, Morgan’s cousin, attends a Catholic school but is also enrolled at Ashland Community Technical College. She will earn a two-year associate degree in May. She plans to earn a four-year degree while she works at her father’s asphalt business. | |
| Daron, her father, has taught Elizabeth how to operate a road grader, a paver and a roller. He taught her how to hunt with guns and with a bow. He taught her how to fly fish. In their house is a room with pine siding, hickory floors and oak trusses supporting a ceiling 28 feet high. It feels almost like a cathedral. On the walls are a stuffed menagerie of Elizabeth’s hunting trophies: elk, wild turkey, deer, antelope and a mountain goat. | Daron, her father, has taught Elizabeth how to operate a road grader, a paver and a roller. He taught her how to hunt with guns and with a bow. He taught her how to fly fish. In their house is a room with pine siding, hickory floors and oak trusses supporting a ceiling 28 feet high. It feels almost like a cathedral. On the walls are a stuffed menagerie of Elizabeth’s hunting trophies: elk, wild turkey, deer, antelope and a mountain goat. |
| Lisa, her mother, grew up in Echo, W.Va.: “Very rural,” she said. She helps run the asphalt company, as well as their two side businesses: a fly fishing resort and a hunting guide service. She collects antiques, particularly those that hark to a lost West Virginia past. “She has a passion for old gas pumps,” her husband says. | |
| Miles driven: 210. Miles to go: 237. | Miles driven: 210. Miles to go: 237. |
| _____ | _____ |
| GRANTSVILLE, Md., 2:30 p.m.: We’re on the National Freeway now, as I-68 is known in Maryland. The Escalade whooshes by a sign that announces we are passing a place called Negro Mountain. | GRANTSVILLE, Md., 2:30 p.m.: We’re on the National Freeway now, as I-68 is known in Maryland. The Escalade whooshes by a sign that announces we are passing a place called Negro Mountain. |
| “I’m surprised they hadn’t changed the name of that,” Lisa says. | “I’m surprised they hadn’t changed the name of that,” Lisa says. |
| “All that means is black,” Mark says. | “All that means is black,” Mark says. |
| Miles driven: 277. Miles to go: 170. | Miles driven: 277. Miles to go: 170. |
| _____ | _____ |
| CUMBERLAND, Md., 3:01 p.m.: Daron is behind the wheel of the Escalade, the needle of the speedometer hovering between 75 and 80. | CUMBERLAND, Md., 3:01 p.m.: Daron is behind the wheel of the Escalade, the needle of the speedometer hovering between 75 and 80. |
| His three favorite songs: Benny Mardones’s “Into the Night,” Def Leppard’s “Hysteria,” and George Strait’s “The Chair.” His go-to news sources? “Fox News, times two, and then Facebook.” | His three favorite songs: Benny Mardones’s “Into the Night,” Def Leppard’s “Hysteria,” and George Strait’s “The Chair.” His go-to news sources? “Fox News, times two, and then Facebook.” |
| Daron has never been to Washington. He is mostly on this trip, he says, to defend his wife and daughter. He hopes that nothing gets ugly, but you never know. These are tense times. | Daron has never been to Washington. He is mostly on this trip, he says, to defend his wife and daughter. He hopes that nothing gets ugly, but you never know. These are tense times. |
| His father was in the asphalt business. Daron started his own company in 1987 and worked hard at it. The first 13 years, he never took a vacation outside of West Virginia. | His father was in the asphalt business. Daron started his own company in 1987 and worked hard at it. The first 13 years, he never took a vacation outside of West Virginia. |
| Things changed for him two years ago: He and Lisa own 3,000 acres of land, and a rich vein of oil shale was discovered beneath it. They sold the mineral rights and decided to slow down and enjoy life more. | Things changed for him two years ago: He and Lisa own 3,000 acres of land, and a rich vein of oil shale was discovered beneath it. They sold the mineral rights and decided to slow down and enjoy life more. |
| He had the 28-foot-high room added onto the front of his house. He makes more time for hunting and fishing. He bought a muscle car, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat with a 707-horsepower engine. | He had the 28-foot-high room added onto the front of his house. He makes more time for hunting and fishing. He bought a muscle car, a Dodge Challenger Hellcat with a 707-horsepower engine. |
| But he says he got lucky: He’d be making less today than when President Obama took office if the shale deposit hadn’t been found. | But he says he got lucky: He’d be making less today than when President Obama took office if the shale deposit hadn’t been found. |
| “When I found out that Donald Trump was going to run, it was immediate — I was like, ‘Hell yes,’” Daron says. “I don’t know that I would have been on the Trump train if I hadn’t have watched ‘Fox & Friends’ so much. He came on there a lot, and everything he said makes sense.” | “When I found out that Donald Trump was going to run, it was immediate — I was like, ‘Hell yes,’” Daron says. “I don’t know that I would have been on the Trump train if I hadn’t have watched ‘Fox & Friends’ so much. He came on there a lot, and everything he said makes sense.” |
| He says businesses like his are overregulated and overtaxed. An unsecured southern border scares him. He says the United States needs to “wrap our arms around Israel.” | He says businesses like his are overregulated and overtaxed. An unsecured southern border scares him. He says the United States needs to “wrap our arms around Israel.” |
| I ask: Do you support the Israeli government allowing Jewish settlements to be built in the West Bank? | I ask: Do you support the Israeli government allowing Jewish settlements to be built in the West Bank? |
| “I’m not on that enough to say,” he says. “But good friends are hard to come by.” | “I’m not on that enough to say,” he says. “But good friends are hard to come by.” |
| He believes it is time for the country to rally around its new president, even his critics. “If they live in this country, by God, they need to wrap their head around it,” he says. “And they better embrace it, ’cause here he comes.” | He believes it is time for the country to rally around its new president, even his critics. “If they live in this country, by God, they need to wrap their head around it,” he says. “And they better embrace it, ’cause here he comes.” |
| Miles driven: 300. Miles to go: 147. | Miles driven: 300. Miles to go: 147. |
| _____ | _____ |
| MYERSVILLE, Md., 4:40 p.m.: Lisa, in a fluffy faux-ostrich vest and suede black boots, is riding shotgun. A ring on her right middle finger is made from turquoise and a polished tooth from an elk Daron killed with his compound bow. | MYERSVILLE, Md., 4:40 p.m.: Lisa, in a fluffy faux-ostrich vest and suede black boots, is riding shotgun. A ring on her right middle finger is made from turquoise and a polished tooth from an elk Daron killed with his compound bow. |
| She hunts and fishes, too. Her favorite songs: “When a Man Loves a Woman,” the Percy Sledge version. “Rollin’ With the Flow,” by Charlie Rich. Craig Morgan’s “A Whole Lot More to Me.” | |
| She was also an early Trump supporter. It had much to do with the way he spoke, she says — the way he didn’t seem to care whom he offended when he opened his mouth. | She was also an early Trump supporter. It had much to do with the way he spoke, she says — the way he didn’t seem to care whom he offended when he opened his mouth. |
| “It’s just been irritating to me,” she says, the way people tiptoe around with their language, afraid to offend anyone. Last night at dinner, her daughter Elizabeth said people seemed to be saying “Merry Christmas” more at the mall this year instead of “Happy Holidays.” The theory was that Mr. Trump’s victory had something to do with it. | “It’s just been irritating to me,” she says, the way people tiptoe around with their language, afraid to offend anyone. Last night at dinner, her daughter Elizabeth said people seemed to be saying “Merry Christmas” more at the mall this year instead of “Happy Holidays.” The theory was that Mr. Trump’s victory had something to do with it. |
| Asked about the Confederate flags on the Escalade, Lisa explains them partly as a nod to Civil War history, but even more as something signifying good old country boys, riding in trucks and raising a little Cain: “Doing what you want, but just an enjoying-life kind of thing,” she says. “Me and Mark grew up watching ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ every Friday night.” | Asked about the Confederate flags on the Escalade, Lisa explains them partly as a nod to Civil War history, but even more as something signifying good old country boys, riding in trucks and raising a little Cain: “Doing what you want, but just an enjoying-life kind of thing,” she says. “Me and Mark grew up watching ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ every Friday night.” |
| When the TV Land network pulled reruns of the show after the massacre of black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C., it felt like an affront. “On the show they prayed before they had supper,” she says. “They respected their elders.” | When the TV Land network pulled reruns of the show after the massacre of black churchgoers in Charleston, S.C., it felt like an affront. “On the show they prayed before they had supper,” she says. “They respected their elders.” |
| “Yes ma’am, no ma’am,” Mark says. | “Yes ma’am, no ma’am,” Mark says. |
| “Right!” she says. “They gave to charity.” | “Right!” she says. “They gave to charity.” |
| “Yes,” Mark says. “And just because they had the rebel flag on their car, they just ignored all of that.” | “Yes,” Mark says. “And just because they had the rebel flag on their car, they just ignored all of that.” |
| Miles driven: 377. Miles to go: 70. | Miles driven: 377. Miles to go: 70. |
| _____ | |
| FREDERICK, Md., 5:20 p.m.: Maryland is rolling past — the part of Maryland that looks a lot like Kentucky. The highway signs start to mention Washington. An electronic sign warns of congestion and politely urges drivers to consider public transportation. The heartland will be at our backs soon. | |
| Mark is in the Escalade’s second row, knees bunched up against the back of his brother-in-law’s seat. We revisit the subjects of coal and climate. He remembers when people complained about the traffic caused by coal trucks. Now, he says, people shoot cellphone photos of them, as if glimpsing an endangered species. | |
| Mark was co-chair of the Trump campaign in his state. But it was not a heavy lift: Mr. Trump promised to bring back coal. Hillary Clinton warned that some coal companies would go out of business. | |
| There is some doubt that Mr. Trump will be able to bring about a coal renaissance with cheaper, cleaner-burning natural gas so abundant. But Mark thinks that coal can grow again if unshackled from onerous federal environmental regulations. | |
| Earlier, I asked him if he believed that human activity was linked to the warming planet. He said he didn’t believe it. | |
| Now, he finishes the thought: When he drives a convertible in the country at night, it can feel cool, he says, but in the city it can feel warmer – “I figure, due to the increased amount of asphalt and brick buildings,” which retain heat. | |
| I don’t quite follow this. | |
| “Al Gore will love me, won’t he?” he says. | |
| I show Mark a newspaper article published Tuesday: “Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year.” | |
| Mark says that the climate is subject to natural fluctuations. | |
| Miles driven: 395. Miles to go: 52 |