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Published: August 6th 2008
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I've been back in Canada for over a month now.
A friend of mine from a trip in 1979 came to see me in Panama a few years ago.
Now I've decided to make a trip to the USA and drop in to Utah on the way.
My car is 20 years ago and causes me a little consternation whether it'll get
there and back. Nevertheless, if not now, when?
Wednesday July 23, 2008:
Toronto to Chicago I left Toronto after fiddling around awhile and drove as far as Strathroy, Ontario just before the border before I took a break. There was about a half hour line-up on the Canadian side of the border and then after inspecting the duty free shop there was another half hour for the USA border. The duty-free shop offered Canadian beer at half the price as in Canada and three 1 litre bottles of alcohol for $40. Careful though if you're bringing it back into Canada. You're allowed one litre then it's $2 per oz tax! This is a little extreme especially when you compare it to the US tax of $2.75 per litre! I could see the cars passing documents to the
Salt Lake City
Utah Capitol Building US immigration officers and trunks being opened but when I gave them my passport for ID he scanned it quickly and thanked me for the "good ID". It took less than half a minute.
I finally arrived in Chicago and searched out a hostel in the north part of the city that I heard had free parking. It was $26 for a dorm bed and I could wave to the people in the mass transit system from my bunk as they passed by.
There was a Kiwi who had gone
"first-class" and taken a small box-like room with no bathroom for $40.
Hostels are interesting because of the people you meet. One Canadian fellow was travelling in a van with his dog back to Vancouver; a British girl was travelling USA and Canada by Greyhound and an Aussie who shared the dorm with me had bought a $1000 van in California had put on 7,000 miles. That's not to mention the Kiwi who had just been to Cuba for a couple of weeks and was "living it up" here in Chicago.
Thursday, July 25, 2008:
Chicago to Avoca, Iowa I noticed lots of motorcyclists without helmets
Taipei, Taiwan in 1979
Jd and Bill with Chiang Kai-Shek poster as I passed through Iowa.
Gasoline here is about the cheapest I've found. Super Regular 89 octane gas was cheaper than the Regular 87 octane gasoline supposedly because of its' 10%!e(MISSING)thanol from Iowa corn. This was $3.65 per gallon (under $1 per litre) compared to over $4 in most other states.
Avoca is a small community on the highway. Good accommodation is available for the night.
Friday July 26th:
Avoca to Pine Bluffs, Wyoming I drove all day, then at 8pm a severe rain thunder storm caused the sky to get as black as night with rain as blinding as any winter snow storm. Large 18 wheelers pulled off to the side of the road and I followed. I was listening to the radio as this was happening and noticed there hadn't been a warning over the local broadcast. I think, judging from the signs that severe weather is quite common. Some signs stated, "When lights are flashing, turn around and go back to the last town" And the last town wasn't close!
That night about 40 miles before Cheyenne I stopped at the Gator Motel but it was full even with the inflated double price
February 2005
Jd and Bill on Tobago Island, Panama because of Cheyenne's Frontier Days. In fact all accommodation surrounding Cheyenne was gouging the occupants. In the town I saw a police cruiser in the town and explained my situation. He said it was ok to spend the night at the local rest area with other trucks and cars. Fortunately my seats go down to form a bed and I had a sleeping bag. The 100°F temperature of the day goes below 60°F in the desert night.
Saturday, July 27th:
Salt Lake City, Utah I arrived in the late afternoon and it was good to see my old friend Bill again.
The next day he showed me around Salt Lake City.
We visited the Utah Capitol Building and took a tour with some Brits. The governor walked by in the corridor and said hello to us.
After that we drove to the Great Salt Lake. The only creatures that can survive in this lake are brine shrimp. If you're old enough you'll remember being tempted by the advertisements in the back of
comic books for "Sea Monkeys". They would wear little uniforms and do tricks in your aquarium if you
would only place an order. Well
July 2008
Jd and Bill at Great Salt Lake,
Salt Lake City those sea monkeys were the brine shrimp you "hatched" from the
eggs when salt water was added.
Click on any photo to enlarge, necessary for brine shrimp photo.
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