Roadtrip!

Day 1 June 15/2008

Drove to Chicago today. Actually went well. My car is fine thus far and I made pretty excellent time from Exeter to downtown Chicago. Interestingly enough, the hostel that I decided to go to is literally on the same block as the Congress Hotel, where I stayed in third year university on a field trip! Hostel was cheap $34! Parking was not $27! The border guard dude asked
“what do you do? What’s your job in Canada?”
“Ummm… ice carving… like an ice sculptor…” then I laughed because it’s weird telling people that you carve ice for a living.
“Don’t laugh!” he says with a straight face. “That’s how I put myself through college”. Funny guy.

I’d forgotten how oddly depressing big cities can be. Maybe this is a crazy thought, but sometimes it seems like big city living makes everyone… ugly. All the panhandlers, food service workers; I’m not sure what it is. I was walking out of a dingy fast food restaurant and an African American dwarf says hello to me. I say hello back and as I’m walking off he says “I need a white woman!” Keep looking buddy.

Day 2 June 16/08

Okay, not getting such a great impression of the states thus far. Why is everyone so dang unfriendly? Not that I want to sound like an uber-nice-polite Canadian, but it’s just so depressing so far in the states. Maybe because I’ve just been on the highway and in big cities. Right now I’m in Minneapolis Wisconsin. Pretty uneventful drive except for one instance. I’m on the I 94 in the left hand of a two lane section of the highway. There’s yet another souped up SUV in front of me pulling a tent tailer. All of the sudden the top of the trailer including tarp and poles flies up and onto the highway in front of me. I have to swerve into the righthand lane to miss it, then go back into the left so that the truck behind me doesn’t get into an accident slamming on his breaks! Yeesh! My heart was beating a little faster but all was well. Right now I’m in the dumpiest motel ever in Minneapolis. I was checked in by a dude that’s half senile and a guy that looked like Marilyn Manson but with more tattoos. But it only cost me $40 AND I have my own room. The hostel in Chicago smelled really funky and all the people I shared the room with came in late (and not at the same time!) and all kept their stuff in annoyingly loud plastic bags. Brutal.

Okay, a little rant about SUV’s and the people who drive them. A bunch of a**holes. If I’m driving 120km/hr in the right hand lane, don’t tailgate me you gas guzzling piece of sh**! All these middle class suburban pricks in their big cars (driving by themselves-- not carpooling) acting as though they own the road and weaving through traffic as though they have a death wish. Hmmmm… maybe they do? If I lived in the suburbs with my 2.5 children, boring job, boring spouse, and one car garage I’d want to die as well. F**kers! (Censored for Sandra Arley Coulter)

Day 3 June 17/08

I’m in Medora North Dakota right now. Deep in the really cool badlands!!! Most of North Dakota (this is all from the I94 mind you) seems pretty boring. Rolling hills, very few trees or buildings. Then all the sudden the landscape looks like it’s all caved in on itself and desert like. Very fantastic. The hills and cliffs are straight out of a Dali painting. I can almost see the melting clocks in the foreground. Staying at “The Bunkhouse” for $80 a night; a little costly but worth it for my own bathroom and air conditioning goodness! After I checked in and found something to eat, I just drove around to check out the area. Absolutely gorgeous, and I've regained my faith in humanity; everyone's really friendly.

Day 4 June 18/08

Now I’m in Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. So I drove all through Montana and part of Wyoming. Absolutely gorgeous, but so very desolate. I’d love to be some rich rancher mans wife. Eeekkkk… that’s not very feminist of me, but I still can’t deny it. I’d like to be able to go for long walks in the mountains, but not have to do the work associated with having a ranch (that's where the big manly husband comes in)!

Yellowstone is ridiculously big. Once I was finally in the park I paid $25 to get in. Then I was told to go to Bridgeway campgrounds because they had a few campsites left. It took me an hour to get there! So all of the campsites were gone and I had to drive another 45 mins to get to Canyon campground where I’m staying now. Yeesh. As I was driving from one site to the next I notice that all the cars in front of me have stopped, then I see this bison walking along the centre of the road. This bison is HUGE and he’s taking his sweet ass time walking along the middle of the street. By now I’ve stopped and as he walks up to me I close my window and actively avoid looking him in the eye. He literally comes within five feet of me. As soon as he’s passed, I drive on and burst out laughing. Did I really think rolling up my window would help? The animal isn’t a panhandler! And if I DID look the big beast in the eye, would it attack me??... probably not. When I first got into the park I also saw a few antelope(s?)! Very cool!

My campsite: there is actually SNOW on the ground. All of the mountains around here are snow-capped, and my campsite is about a 1000 foot elevation I think, so it’s like spring has just sprung. And as I was driving here I thought there might be a nice lake for me to swim in! Ha!

For the most part I’m really enjoying travelling alone, except for when people ask me “Alone?” (whatever I may be doing). I guess this means that there’s something horribly wrong with me, but I don’t care. Whoever I might’ve brought would inevitably be complaining all the time, and I would have someone to complain to.

Note: I have a tan on my left arm, left shoulder and the left side of my face. Veeerrryyy becoming.

Day 5 June 20

I'm still in Montana in a little town called Missoula. This morning before leaving Yellowstone, I of course had to check out old faithful. Mmmmm... sulphurous volcanic goodness! Also saw a few herds of bison, more mountains and got lost a few times before I had to head out and make my way west yet again.

Hopefully I'll make it to Vancouver tomorrow!

Note: I have a nasty burn on my left arm, left shoulder and the left side of my face. Veeerrryyy becoming.