Passing Thru'

The road east traversed many landscapes. Some timeless, like the Black Hills and the Badlands, others bearing the imprint of mankind, like the vast agricultural plains and grasslands. It was hard not to think about the impact of “civilization” on the environment.


In the Badlands




Petrified Wood

South Dakota Flies the Flag!

Global warming activism was evident in Canada more than the U.S. At the Columbia Icefields we saw the glacier receding and the government marked the loss. In Vancouver, we saw TV spots advocating the curtailment of greenhouse gases. Driving across the Midwest, we filled our tank with a mixture of gas and ethanol, cheaper than the gas available on the east coast.



Glacier receding since 1992

And we also kept an eye on the forces of nature. Both I-80 and I-90 were closed at different times. We listened to news, weather stations, and the trucker channel on XM radio in our effort to avoid flood areas, and watched the dramatic skyscape as we drove in and out of thunderstorms.

On another note, we want to thank all of you who participated in the mystery photo contest! We need to come clean about it. The mystery photo was not the one we intended! We posted it while we were learning how to upload and place photos in the blog. The photo was nothing more exotic than cracking blue paint on the ground. Please forgive us! We repent, and we have a mystery prize for all of those who sent in replies. We also now have a safer approach -- a mystery quote. Any takers? Which U.S. President said ; “ Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day” ?