I came down from the Sangre de Christos mountains two years later, when all these events had taken place. A calm had settled on the land, a state of peace which brought with it restfulness and strength. a strength in the soul, in place of the active depression which had characterized the world beforehand.

 

Helicopter were being used by the masses as they were developed in the mini-budget plan that initiated their use when the nations highways were destroyed through constant earthquakes, and the funds were not available to rebuild on the original scale.

Flight corridors, like highways in the sky, and maximum distance safety regulations, allowed a large volume of traffic with few if any accidents. Piloting was no mugs game. you had to do very, very well on a stringent test.

Noise levels had been reduced through vastly improved engine emission and rotor control technology and hence if you weren't under the direct flight path which usually followed main highways where practical you were normally not aware of the constant overhead stream of traffic. On board was quieter with triple insulating perspex cockpits, mandatory ear muffs and strict door seal controls. the helicopters were produced within the price range of the average car and could hold one or two additional passengers with room for luggage. Utopis? well , you eventually came back down to earth. they were used only for long distance travel obviously and largely over unpopulated areas, although the farms were quick to snap them up, as well as outdoor enthusiasts and tourism promotion always featured flights in their brochures. For the moment at least, it seemed they couldn't be made quick enough.

 

back on the ground there was a plentiful supply of used vehicles. New car production had practically ceased as giant losses made the continuous operation of production lines more difficult. Car companies were instead turning to the two alternatives, bicycles for short distances and helicopters at the other end of the scale, both of which produced a profit because they were simpler than a car, yes even the helicopters based on the simple Hiller-copter design of the 50's., and because the industry was winding up and not down which was where the losses were incurred in the motor vehicle industry.

People no longer went in for new cars. Poverty of lifestyleie modesty of means as far as goods were concerned was the 'in'  thing.

consumerism as such, foisted on an unsuspecting public by advertising was dead.

The new world balance of trade ensured work for everyone without the need for useless production followed by worthless consumption.

A car could be made to outlast its owner. So could a bicycle and a herlicopter ensuring that these industries never again became the giants they once were or might have been.

There were no more beer companies. People either made their own or drank at pubs which made their own. this included wines, spirits and some liqueurs, ginger beer, soft drinks, fruit juices. Hot beverages continued to be produced as before a sdid the basic ingredients of the above, although the demographics of their production had changed a little to take acount of the changing balance of trade and mix of trade.

 

I rented a car and drove all around New Mexico with my wife and family. we had not done much travelling before this due to the instability of the world situation. We found the state to be as we had expected it to be, genuine, human.

 

We drank to good fortune, a toast on the verandah of a country town hotel, and I felt for the first time that the future looked bright especially for our kids.