Across Canada Again


Day 97 (Saturday, 24 July):  60's, Sunny.

Prince Rupert, Canada - Prince George, Canada (Yellowhead Highway - 446 miles)

        Just a driving day, fast run across Canada on our way home.  Most of the next few days will be the same.  Jerri has to get home to take care of some business pertaining her mother's estate.

        When I went to dump my gray water tank late in the day in Prince George, nothing happened!  I pulled the lever but it did nothing.  Well, I had a full tank and it was Saturday in Canada.  Have you ever tried to get a technician to do anything on Saturday in Canada?  Then you know my predicament.   

Day 98 (Sunday, 25 July):  60's, Sunny.

Prince George, Canada - Troy, MT (Yellowhead/Icefield Parkway) - 653 miles)

        By now, the gray water tank which was above the trap was getting ripe!  I ran like all get out for the US, 65 mph all the way across Canada.  Now, my friends who live in Alberta, I apologize for the following.  All across that province, I noticed that Albertan's drive in what I call "cluster driving'.  Whatever the speed limit, that's what the drive; not one kilometer over or one kilometer under.  Exactly at the speed limit.  That means they link up in little clusters of 4 to 6 cars, all doing exactly the same speed.  And its like a "Borg mindset" kicks in.  They waltz along together in perfect time, evenly spaced so that no other car can get in between any of the cluster, much less my 48' rig!

        Oh, occasionally the lead car in the cluster will slow down for whatever reason and each of the following cars will slowly pass it and then resume the exact speed limit.  If for some reason the cluster breaks up, the front cars hook up with the rear cars of a cluster down the road and form a new cluster while the rear cars link up with the front cars of the cluster behind and form up.  They won't move over to the shoulder to let a faster vehicle pass, instead forcing the following vehicles to join their cluster.

        Well, I had a full tank of gray water so "cluster driving" at 80kmp or 100kmp wasn't for me.  Whenever I could see enough open space, I passed the cluster; and as I came abreast of each car in it, the driver looked over at me and blew the horn as if to say, "Hey!  I'm driving the speed limit.  Stay behind me!"  Cars with British Columbia or Saskatchewan license plates didn't fall into the "Borg mindset" and passed the clusters one car at a time.  An amazing thing to watch! 

Links to the main portions of the journey so far:

USA:
CANADA:
ALASKA:
HOMEWARD BOUND:

Across Canada Again

the USA!