Its time we faced facts. America may be losing its edge.

I'm talking about tubes.

I am on my last few squeezes of the clothes washing soap in a tube that I got in France, and I feel empty inside. But its not just about laundry...

In France (and Switzerland), I made my way, happily, around the countryside knee deep in useful things in tubes. Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, jam, and, most impressively, sweetened-condensed milk for my morning coffee. All these useful items for a touring cyclist in easy to use, easy to reseal and thrown in your bags, tube. Then, when you finish one, just buy another at the next store.

Trader Joes comes close with their sweetened condensed milk in a plastic bottle, but how many Trader Joes are there on your average bike route? Besides, its not a screw on cap like toothpaste, its a cap that could come loose in a pannier. And between you and me, sweetened condensed milk and down sleeping bags don't exactly mix.

And when it comes right down to it, its not just tubes. Having been in France in the '80s, I never thought I would say this, but America needs to be more like France, and add some showers.....to its campgrounds that is!

The National Parks seem to be the worst in this regard. Why so few showers in campgrounds? The answer I got from the National Park ranger at the National Bridges campground was, "Then we would have to charge more for the campsites."

Really? You charged me $10 for my campsite. I will pay $15 if i can have a nice shower and feel human at the end of the day.

Besides, you have water, Mr. Ranger. How much would it cost to thrown in a few shower enclosures?

I'm not an accountant, but I am guessing that we could outfit the entire national park system with showers for the cost of one Abrams tank, which the army doesn't want anyway, but we keep paying for and making because if we shut down the tank plants the constituents of certain congressmen would lose their jobs. I say, lets put those people to work making shower stalls for all of the publicly owned campgrounds in America!

Americans need to travel more. To see other how other countries innovate, with showers, and useful items in tubes. Then maybe they would feel more irate, like I do.

We cant just take the word of Fox News for granted, that we are Number 1. If we are not careful we may start to slip. Number 1? I'm not as sure about it as I used to be.

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