Through Canada. I think it took about 30 hours (one person sleeping while the other drove, in theory).
In my youth I did Saskatoon to Ann Arbor, MI or Leamington, ON solo in 2 days several times, but I went via Chicago or through the UP, so it was “only” ~25 hours of driving. Non-stop north of Superior I can’t even imagine.
I drove back to Saskatchewan with another buddy once. He came from Ontario. We went under the lakes.
As we were driving up through North Dakota he asked what were some unusual structures surrounded by fences and with obvious surveillance cameras.
“Nuclear silos”, I said.
“No, really, what are they?” he asked.
“Nuclear silos,” I replied. “Don’t slow down”.
Then he saw a sign posted with military logos, advising that vehicles should not slow down or stop while driving through the area.
He was quiet for quite a time.
I understand the route. From Waterloo on 401 east to 400 north in Toronto; at Sudbury, head west on 17/TCH to Regina, split off on SK 11 to Saskatoon.
I’ve driven Calgary/Lethbridge to Toronto and back about a half-dozen times. The all-Canadian route is spectacular, but not one to be attempted without preparing to stop for the night in various places. Especially around Superior, where you must be constantly alert—the road bends, twists, goes up and down like a roller-coaster. (*) My brother-in-law thought he could do Calgary-Toronto in one hop, or maybe getting four hours of sleep in the car in a Walmart parking lot. Somewhere west of Sudbury, he fell asleep at the wheel. Thankfully, nothing happened, he just kind of drove on instinct, I guess; but when he woke up, he was in North Bay; well past Sudbury, where he planned to head south to Toronto. He had to backtrack a lot of distance.
To bring the thread back, I will say that it will be nice to sit back with a cold beer, enjoy the scenery and conversation, and not be behind the wheel. The train engineer is driving. Why yes, I’d love another beer. Can’t do that while driving!
(*) I’ve commented that there should be a guy in a booth on Ontario 17 heading east asking for five midway tickets for the eight or nine hours of roller-coaster you have before you, before you get to Sault Ste. Marie.
My nephew (a serious train fan) and I (a moderate train fan) did The Canadian from Vancouver to Edmonton just last month. It was a really fun trip. We spent most of the time in one of the dome cars, even late into the evening (as in well past sunset). Needless to say, the scenery is spectacular. There was a coach car, but get sleeping accommodations. I’d recommend one of the room options, not the Pullman-style berths. The food was good and conversation with other travelers over meals was fun. Just over one full day was just the right amount of time on the train for us. So, yes, highly recommended.
We did a family return trip in 1962 (when you could go from Montreal to Vancouver on the same train). I still have the ticket receipt for the 5 of us - about $800. I think my father was making about $8k a year at the time. We had berths (no doors - just curtains) - I shared a bed with my brother.
For the 50th anniversary in 2012, I took a one-way trip from Vancouver. Roomette and all meals. Lots of people to talk to - especially at meals, since I was alone. Ticket covered by VIA Preference points (numerous trips Montreal-Toronto and Montreal-Ottawa).
I always liked the back of the 1954 Canada $1 bill. It’s exactly as you describe: thunder clouds in the distance, and telephone poles and the iconic grain elevator that shows there really is someone there.
Regina must have phenomenally bad traffic.
Now if you are talking the reflection of the city lights off clouds et al, that is a whole different kettle of fish.
Many years ago I read an interview (print media; online didn’t exist yet) with the fellow who took the picture that is featured on that note.
He said that people always asked him where it was taken, and he would say it didn’t matter, it was truly representative of the Saskatchewan prairies, focus on the imagery, etc.
Finally he came clean. He admitted he didn’t remember where he took the picture.
How could that be? You took one of the most iconic pictures in Canadian history, and you don’t remember where you took it?!?
Well, he said, I was coming back from a Ukrainian wedding that lasted three days, and well, you know, my memory was a bit foggy…
Saskatchewanians understood.
If enough years elapsed from when he shot it until the Canadian currency design people licensed the image, it’s be easy for him to have forgotten it, wedding or no, by the time it became famous enough that people were asking him about it.
Nowadays images contain their shoot date, lat/long, tpye of camera, etc. So forgetting is a lot harder.
Yes, it’s hyperbole.
But the eye height of the observer is only half the story.
The other half is how tall are the tall buildings in Regina? Ref List of tallest buildings in Regina, Saskatchewan - Wikipedia, the answer is 277 feet = 84m for the tallest, and there are 6 over 250 feet /78m.
So what is the range at which a 6-foot / 2m observer can see a 250 foot / 78m cluster of buildings? Lots more than 3 miles.
Or very tall buildings.
ETA I should read the whole thread before posting.
Yeah, I didn’t mean to imply that from that far away, you could pick out individual buildings, or a skyline. Really, it’s just a blip on the horizon that stands out because the land is so flat.
ETA: Aside to @JohnGalt , thanks for that website on Canadian currency. Kind of fun to finally know what the pictures on the back of the bill were!
If we really want to get technical, there’s also atmospheric refraction. To some degree, light follows the curvature of the Earth. So the actual visible horizon is below / farther away than the simple geometric horizon.
The calculation for an unobstructed view of 277 feet elevation:
20.3 miles … which is lots more than 3 miles … and still pretty bad traffic … or hyperbole
I’ve posted this one before.
I can see my office tower. And the provincial Legislature.
The rationale behind the nitpick (if such a concept exists) is that I come from a rather flat part of the globe too. Indeed, at some points along the Steam Plains road about 50 miles from home, if you stood on the bonnet of your ute (pickup) and are therefore about 10-12 feet above the country you can see the horizon about 4 miles away for 360 degrees unobstructed by any tree, and the highest point is the vehicle you are standing on.
I’ve noticed that from my office. There are some buildings off in the distance that I can see on the horizon sometimes, but not other times, depending on the atmospheric conditions.
I believe this.
I didn’t appreciate the Nebraska panhandle when I first moved there, but then I got used to it and then I loved it.
There’s a decent description of this phenomenon with diagram here: Sunrise - Wikipedia.