On The Road Again - Our Journey Through The West Coast of the USA

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Hi Everybody -
We’re on the road again - travelling from Calgary, Alberta to San Diego, California and back again. I’m planning to share thoughts and observations as we go along, if y’all are interested in hearing about our trip. :slight_smile:

We’re on Day Three - Day One and Day Two were very long driving days (about 12 hours each), and I didn’t really feel like starting this then. I’ll try to remember and recap.

Day One - Busier at the border than usual. Our Customs Officer seemed more curt than usual. We answered the questions as usual, and then we were on our way. Long, long, long drive through Montana, finally stopping in Pocatello, Idaho. We hate Idaho. We’ve heard rumours that the State Troopers target cars with Canadian plates for speeding, and we’ve gotten our own ticket there in the past - Idaho is a set the cruise control bang on the speed limit state for us.

We also learned that Canadians can’t pay at the pump for gas at Chevron or Texaco - this isn’t an Idaho thing, but since we hate Idaho anyway, we’ll just use it as another excuse to hate Idaho since we discovered it there. :slight_smile:

Day Two - Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California in one day. One long, long day. Ran into some serious rain in southern Utah - I thought that was the desert! What the heck is going on with it raining there?!?

Once again, reminded that Utah drivers are very fast and very stupid. So many people talking on cell phones and texting and weaving in and out of lanes at 85 miles an hour in traffic.

Finished up in Barstow, California. We’re off to Los Angeles and some touristy stuff today. :slight_smile:

(I’m afraid the LA drivers are going to make the Utah drivers look sane and sedate.)

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What route are you taking for your return trip?

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Glad you set aside enough time to see all the stuff worth seeing in all those states. :stuck_out_tongue:

After Idaho, which is your next most hated state?

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I’m tempted to say:

Let me know if you’re coming through San Francisco on your way back, maybe we can do something.

but these things never seem to work out very well. However, if you’re willing to take a chance…

I know there are several Dopers in the SF area, maybe we could use that as a chance for a Local Dopefest Plus Cat Whisperer event.
Roddy

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Guessing that the drive was on I-15, the AZ portion was only about 25 miles. But at least that stretch goes through the very scenic (IMO) Virgin River Gorge.

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And to think I walked around downtown LA during lunch this afternoon without having any idea that CANADIANS were on the loose!

Someone please tell me when the coast is clear!

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That’s too bad about Idaho because I’ve heard much of the state, like along the Snake River, is just beautiful. That’s the burn path of the continent sliding over the hotspot that created Yellowstone. Anyway, great trip you got going and I’ll watch your progress with interest… and envy!!!

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so, you missed Oregon? you should come back through Oregon! :smiley:

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I second that. It’s a lot prettier here in Oregon (and I lived in Idaho, I should know).

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It will add 4 hours to the drive but for a trip like that I would say screw it and drive up the coast through California and take the route that puts you through Bend OR and Spokane WA back to Calgary.

Besides that, Have Fun

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Well, I took pictures out of the car window as we whizzed by at 75 miles an hour - that counts, doesn’t it? :smiley:

Well, we’re finding Californians to be a bunch of hypocrites.

We ARE coming back through San Francisco - we just don’t know which day yet. Can I get back to you? We’d love to meet some Dopers along the way!

It is incredibly scenic.

We were! Loose all over the place!

We will. :slight_smile:

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Day Three - Universal Studio Tour. Holy crap, are there ever a bunch of tourists here who don’t seem to have ever walked around in public before. The tour was great, though - dinosaurs, earthquakes, and big sharks! Oh My!

We were surprised by the complete lack of recycle bins at both Universal City and Dodgers Stadium. That’s why I think Californians are a bunch of hypocrites - they talk about being green and saving the planet but no recycling bins, and they all drive a lot all the time. :slight_smile:

Los Angeles drivers - holy shit. Could you GO any faster? The “California Lane Change” got its name for a reason we see, too.

Hey, we went to a baseball game with Gwyneth Paltrow and David Arquette today! My new camera is awesome; I was able to zoom in on Gwyneth and take a picture of her. I felt very paparazzi-like doing that. The game was okay; the Dodgers lost, though. Nice stadium; terrible access by car.

Off to San Diego tomorrow - Sea World, here we come!

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Canadians–they walk among us.

Be afraid. Be very afraid, eh? :smiley:

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Learned that when I was in LA in 1980. It’s come in handy many times since; most notably, when trying to get anywhere on the 401 through Toronto, but also on the Deerfoot in Calgary. Thanks, LA drivers, for teaching me how to make my trips in Canadian cities more efficient! :slight_smile:

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Bend and Spokane? BORing. Drive the coast, which is gorgeous, then if you have to head eastward, take I-84 up the Columbia River Gorge, which is also beautiful.

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Hey, when you’re in my hometown (San Diego), look up my old pal Bob Filner and give him a hug! :smiley:

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Pocatello, Idaho?! No wonder you hate Idaho! Are you coming up I-5 to go home? Seattle has worse traffic than LA, but we’re much nicer. :smiley:

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Okey dokey. :slight_smile:

I forgot my rant from yesterday - holy invasive security procedures, Batman! We were fingerprinted and had all of our personal information recorded at Universal Studios yesterday - this was a surprise manoeuvre after we had paid an exorbitant sum to get into the park. Then we went to a ball game later and watched as security guards used wands to wave all over people and required people to empty pockets and searched all bags and purses (my purse was searched at Universal Studios), too. Land of the Free - as long as you don’t want to fly anywhere or go to any attractions.

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Absolutely, I’m pretty free (except during normal working hours, and even then I can do a lot with a little advance notice), I don’t know what sort of advance notice it will take to get other local dopers. I’ll start a thread on that to get them excited.
Roddy

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And here it is. Cross-threads complete.