Driving West

Written on Tuesday, July 5th . . . 


So, I am here. I enjoyed the trip out, despite the long wait at the border at Sarnia/Port Huron on Friday, the somewhat hair-raising traffic in Chicago, and all the high water along the way.

I crossed the Mississippi, the Red River, the Missouri (twice) and the Yellowstone rivers, and they were all quite high. Twice on I-94, traffic was slowed into one lane where sloughs had risen above the highway level. We gingerly proceeded through a little water as temporary dikes kept the sloughs from swamping vehicles. The Yellowstone was the last big river I crossed, just three hours drive south of Coronach in Glendive MT. It was fast and furious . . . and extra famous because of the Exxon oil spill into it last weekend. Why, I wonder, is an oil pipeline built beneath such a wonderful and iconic river? Convenience? Gross stupidity? Both?

The drive north through Montana and just into Saskatchewan was particularly wet. I skirted a huge thunderstorm 30 minutes into the final drive, and I was duly impressed by its size, beauty, and danger. The manse committee has dried out the manse, but water continues to sit in a corner of virtually every field here.
North Dakota from the Missouri in  Bismark onward was rugged and scenic. The badlands seem to stretch forever.

I loved spending two nights and one-day in Chicago: if only Toronto would take more direction from the Second City. Otherwise, the drive was uneventful, which pleased me . . .