Answer: Maybe. But you will probably have to be very young to ever to see it.

There was a time not so many years ago when you would be in Clearwater, Fla., and decide to return home north on Hwy. 19, along the west coast.

It was an interesting drive, because you would pass through little towns like Dunedin and Palm harbor. You could stop in Tarpon Springs for a Greek salad, and then journey on to Port Richey.

Today you don't know where one of these towns starts and the other ends, because they have connected in a continuous maze of traffic lights, gas stations, fast food places, malls, and bumper-to-bumper traffic. The east coast of Florida is much the same way.

You never know, but it seems unlikely that Kennett will connect with Holcomb anytime soon, or that Cardwell will latch on to Senath. Cooter connected to Steele -- not a chance.

Maybe the best bet for a St. Paul/Minneapolis, Dallas/Ft. Worth type connection would be a Caruthersville/Hayti get-together.

Caruthersville used to stop on the west end where you turned right going over to Powell's Ferry. Nothing there but the river anymore. Today here are some businesses going west, including one of the ubiquitous Wal-marts.

Hayti once terminated on the east side on Hwy. 61. There was a restaurant there named Guin's. it was a great place to have ham and eggs after a late night's dissipation at the old Club Zanza.

Now there are a number of establishments extending east of Hayti, including a couple of motels, some fast foods, and gas stations. The distance has been cut down between Caruthersville and Hayti. Just might be another twin cities in progress.

There is plenty of space between Southeast Missouri towns. Young folks today still have the opportunity to air out the family car on roads that seldom curve. You can still see people willing to risk a ticket by roaring down the road, looking like a frozen rope.

Back in the old days there was no speed limit on Missouri highways. You could be arrested for recklessness, or drunken driving. But speed was a way of life. Grandmothers cruised at about 75 mph. Mothers would do 90 with one hand on the wheel, while chatting with her rook club.

For young people it was Gasoline Alley!! Cars then had speedometers that said this vehicle will do 120 mph. They could do it, and did it.

For some reason the girls in another town were considered more desirable than the ones at home. Could have been the familiarity breeds contempt syndrome, who knows? What ever the cause, many tire treads were ripped apart at blistering speeds to find romance in neighboring towns. Hayti had some pretty girls, especially a tall, willowy one ... but that's another story.

What would cause a population boom in the Bootheel for towns to connect? A gold rush? Maybe someone will strike oil between Caruth and Braggadocio.

The best idea is for Sheryl Crow to open an entertainment complex out on Highway 412. (Governor Dalton Memorial Highway.) Dolly Parton created a bonanza in Gatlinburg, Tenn., with "Dollywood." Sheryl has as much clout as Dolly. She could name it "Sheryl's Shangri-La."

The thing about it is we might not want this to happen. If you want a roller coaster ride, go to Atlanta and join the throng on Beltway 285 circling the city. Or maybe you could jump on the nightmare alley thriller of the Palmetto Expressway outside Miami. If you miss an exit there you will need a shave before you get back on track.

There is something to be said about the wide open spaces separating Bootheel towns. We don't have to waste half our lives waiting at traffic lights, and we can hold on to small town living by uniquely being one town or the other.

Connecting towns in the Bootheel? Not anytime soon. And maybe it's best that way.

The Answer Man will appear on occasion in the Daily Dunklin Democrat, and will provide answers to various and sundry questions about local people, etc. Readers are invited to submit their queries to The Answer Man by e-mailing them to bhunt@dddnews.com.