On a road trip? Rest stops are important - not only for their toilets, but as a way to stretch your legs, get refreshed, see the local scenery, pick up some local history, and often get ideas for interesting stops you could make in the state.

We have these rest stops because the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 stipulated that rest areas should be created for the safety and convenience of highway drivers. The federal policy rule of thumb for rest areas is that there should be a place for drivers to stop at least every half-hour of driving. In the 1960's and 70's, the states found rest stops a great way to show off their state and to lead people to tourist spots within the state.

However, in the age of "no new taxes", some states are finding it financially difficult to keep operating all of their rest stops, even though the cost of the rest stops is low. But, citizen outcry is causing some rest stops that were closed to open up again - often via private/public cooperation.

Let's hope that the rest stops keep going so all of us can experience even a small bit of time in each of the states that we are traveling through.