Tim O'Connor bragged:

90 miles? Another world? C'mon Tom! I drive 90 miles to fill up my
gas tank!

I have a neighbor like that - he'll drive all over the area trying to
save 5 cents a gallon.

You should see my commute to work! I admit that one might
think a vast empty desert may seem like Mars, but that's just the
effect that extreme boredom plays on the imagination!

Boredom?? Au contraire, mon frère! The historic highways followed rail
corridors, and it's your imagination that makes the experience so
rich. Drive Route 66 east from Amboy after dark. No one else on the
road, the interstate out of sight 15 miles to the north on the other
side of the hills, open up the sunroof and lay the speedometer on 70.
The old Santa Fe main is hard by your right side for awhile, then it
swings south toward Cadiz, but never out of sight, before converging
with 66 near Essex. In the dark, the double stacks transform into
strings of SFRD ice reefers, and the wide cabs become F-units. I tell
you, my friend, it's a remarkable - and mesmerizing - experience!

Tim "from the wide open spaces of Massachusetts"

Tim, Tim, Tim..... Where do you think the layout design folks got
the idea of selective compression? There's an old saying that people
who don't drink don't really live longer, it just seems longer. Lower
speed limits and curvy roads must have a similar effect on the
perception of distance by you small state residents. :-)

Tom Madden, getting the itch to head for Amboy.

Back at the beginning of WWII my father escorted a Japanese diplomat from
the East coast to the West coast, by train of course. The diplomat had
arrived at Washington, D.C. on a ship. At the start of the Westward journey
the diplomat was pretty cocky. But after day after day of travel, the
realization of how big America really was started to dawn. At the end of the
trip, the diplomat was very subdued.

Jim Hayes
Portland Oregon

I've driven on the that same stretch of highway lots of times, you can go hours with out seeing anyone other then train crews. I am not much of a fan of the desert, but it's something special to experience. Tom, lets go...it's even worth putting up with BeanStiff!

Take Care!

Brian R. Termunde
West Jordan, UT
"Ship and Travel the Grand Canyon Line!" - Who uses Steam Era Freight Cars...

Grand Canyon Railway
Utah District