The 60 hour & 8 state trip

Whenever I mentioned that I was traveling to Utah by Greyhound people would look at me as though I was strange or insane, but as the bus headed thru NY state I thought this is going to be great... a nice bus, a seat to myself and beautiful scenery. However, we changed to a plain ol' bus in Albany (it seems the nice buses are for the cross border trips only) and the Albany station (the capital of NY) was a dump. However, the trip remained relatively good until Chicago. From Chicago to Denver the bus was crowded, the drivers were power trippin', I got little sleep and the scenery was a whole lotta corn. We pulled into a very nice Denver terminal at 6 a.m. (Cleveland was the only other nice terminal). With 2 hours to kill I went in search of a place that wasn't a bus terminal or a truckstop. Denver looks like a good place to go back to. For the homestretch, the scenery was amazing and I had more space. We arrived in Provo on time (something you can count on with Greyhound) and no luggage lost (it does happen).

Had some interesting conversations, read a copy of Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? between Fremont and Chicago - lent to me by a lively old woman passing out IMPEACH BUSH stickers - and heard how people are worried about their leader getting in for another term. Overall, a surprisingly uneventful trip.

Tip: I guess until there is an attack on a bus, security is not an issue. Just bypass Denver - the only place with some security for luggage.

Will I survive??

Time to leave Quebec and journey to Utah.... by Greyhound... for almost 3 days. But just think of the places I'll see...Albany, Cleveland, Toledo, Chicago, Ogallala, Denver. Visiting will have to be for another time as we just cruise on through.

Books, music, food... I'm more anxious about maintaining my sanity and surviving the journey to survival school, than survival school itself.

Trois-Pistoles Highlights and Memories

Salut!

• la brume/fog (romantique as élégante Mme. Santerre describes)
• ma petite chambre chez Mme. Santerre http://www.aux1000souvenirs.ca
• 3 meals/day chez Linda, Dave, their 3 children - Alex, Karolyn and bébé Megan - and 6-8 other femmes
• dessert for lunch and dinner (impossible to refuse)
• white bread, bologne and processed cheese sandwiches (impolite to refuse)
• yoga en français (inspiration... expiration... ah, bon!)
• hiking 20 km on the Sentier National
• Le Jardin de Metis http://www.refordgardens.com
• la parade de mode - modeling, on stage, the latest fashion for a Superhero Cowboy - chaps, vest, and whip made of green plastic garbage bags (can anybody beat that for fun?)
• conversing/group work (yes, more group work) with 17 year old girls
• school pictures - and just like in elementary, as the smallest person, I am still positioned on the front bench, at the end
• little earthquakes in my bed... when the train rumbled thru town
• viscious Québecois mosquitos!
• beaucoup de café et conversation au Café L'Essential
• live musique - traditionnelle sur la rue, jazz dans l'auditorium, classique à l'église
• driving the Gaspésie route and seeing Roche Percé
• traversing the Saint Lawrence (1.5 hrs/way by ferry) - unfortunately no baleines/whales were sighted, but I think I saw a couple phoques/seals
• seakayaking at sunset
• the fantastic satisfaction found in communicating in another language

All that and more, in just 5 weeks. C'est une bonne expérience.

À bientôt.