BARBARA HITS THE ROAD

Joys (and snags) of

I've just read with
delight about the offer
made by Greyhound
Bus lines for a huge
reduction in bus fares
for Canadians, in
gratitude for ‘The
Embassy Caper”. Many
young people, senior
citizens and others on
small incomes may get

a chance to _ travel
otherwise unafford-
able.

Bus travel, however,

requires stamina! It also
requires a different set of
guidelines from other types
of transportation, as anyone
who has tried it will tell you.
Here are a few — and I'm
sure that readers will quickly
fillin any gaps.

BAGGAGE:

This is one time you
should travel LIGHT. You'll
likely arrive at certain
destinations at horrendous
hours and may end up
walking blocks to the nearest
hotel. With new passengers
getting on at every stop and
others getting off, it’s a wise
traveller who sits on the side
of the bus where the baggage
is “off-loaded”, and checks
the bags through the win-
dow. Mistakes are known to
occur.

On some occasions, bags
have to be taken out of the
compartment so that the
driver can get to ones
packed behind. Be ready to
open the window and shriek,
“Hey, that orange job with
the purple stickers stays on!”

Buses are no place for
your best leather bags. Buses
bump, bags rub together and
the inevitable occurs.
Certain routes are dust bowls
and grit seeps in. The drivers
are in a rush to unload and
I've seen more than one case
gouged against the doors.

CLOTHES:

Even though modern
buses are a lot better than
the ones I travelled as a kid,
they still get dusty. A couple
of years ago, I travelled by
bus through “Alligator
Alley” in central Florida.
After many hours, I arrived
at the prestigious Don
Caesar hotel in Saint
Petersburg looking like a
refugee. This dolt had
chosen to wear white slacks,
a white sweater and a pale
blue blouse. Some yuckky
kid had left a wad of gum on
my seat. How I wished I'd
worn something the color of
lrconce bubblegum.

«

A dark, uncrunchable
raincoat makes a _ good
pillow or blanket. Dark

slacks let you pull your feet
up for a change of position.
Stretch fabrics are a whole
lot better than jeans, but I
doubt if I'll ever get that
message across to kids.

Buses aren't the place for
high heeled shoes, girdles,
straight skirts, pastel colors
or anything that creases.
Dress in layers so that you
can add or subtract
sweaters, jackets and vests
to suit the temperature.

SEATS:

First come, first served.
Al stops, it’s a good idea to
leave a newspaper or
magazine on your seat so
that new passengers will
know that the space is taken.
Most people will respect this
and sit elsewhere.

The front of the bus rides
more smoothly than the
rear, and these seats are
grabbed first. However, if
there jis a no-smoking
section, it will be at the
front. State laws differ so be
prepared.

TIMING:

Unless you are flat broke
or have masochistic ten-
dencies, six hours a day ona
bus is PLENTY. Bus travel is
ideal for early birds who can
be ready and waiting at 7:00
a.m. Usually, there are
plenty of good seats, a clean
bus and daylight to see the
scenery. You'll arrive at
your next destination in time
to book intvu a_ decent,
inexpensive hotel. Believe
me, this is a lot easier before
five p.m., especially if you
are travelling by yourself.

DOWNTOWN HOTELS

Good road maps are
available from the _ local
Motor Association as are
hotel guides. Using these,
you can plot your itinerary
to allow reasonable hops
from on€ place to the next.
Schedules are available from
bus lines but they make
terrible reading unless you
have terminal insomnia.

Your best bet is to get a
general idea of your route
before you leave, taking tnto
consideration any special
sights you want to. see.

You'll quickly get the hang
passport

hotos

while you wait
North-Shore Darkroom
1527, Lonsdale 988-9813)

by Barbara
McCreadie

of the routine: so many
inches on a map mean the
right number of hours by
bus, leaving you in a decent

place to find lodging.
LODGING:
Remember, bus stations

are always located in the
main part of town, which
eliminates highway motels as
choices. Many small
American towns have nice,
elderly hotels that are
reasonably priced and very
respectable, often run by
two elderly ladies! I stayed in
one of these once (I think it
was Sandpoint, Idaho)
where my room cost $5
including a private bath —
probably the only one in the
hotel. In addition, the httle
lady at the desk assured me
that the hotel was locked
and bolted after 11:00 p.m.
She woke me in_ the
morning with a hot cup of
coffee and lots of local
gossip. I got excellent advice
about the best spot for
breakfast — including little

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gems like, “Don’t eat at the
Blank Cafe. Sister and I are
sure that the cook has a
social disease. Mrs. Wiggins
serves a nice, wholesome
meal. Her place is clean!’ I
had to listen to the lady,
because she really knew
what “clean” was all about!
That old hotel sparkled and
the sheets on my bed smelled
of meadow grass and
crackled when I  tucked-
down. I hope places like that
stil exist!
‘Small towns still exist!
give you a
delightful look at the
“American Way of Life” at a
cost far below the going rate.

U.S. HOSPITALITY

I believe that Americans
are more hospitable than
Canadians — and I can
prove it! Late one afternoon,
Brian and I arrived in a small
American town. The kids
were tired,

the car was
overheating and we were all
to the stage of saying,

“Holiday? Forget it! Let’s
patch-up the car and head
home.”

Brian enquired at the
motel desk for a mechanic to
look at our clunker.

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ouring by bus

“I'm sorry, Sir, but it’s
Sunday and all the repair
shops are closed.”

“Is there anyone who
might look at the car and
find out what's wrong?”

“Well, a friend of mine is
pretty damn good with cars.
Yl call him and see if he'll
come down and have a
look.”

About fifteen minutes
later, the friend arrived. He
and Brian disappeared for a
couple of hours, flushed the
radiator, put a couple of tins
of gunk in the thing, and
arrived back at the motel.

“Hey, Brian. Have your
wife and kids had anything
to eat?”

Without even calling his
wife, he insisted on bundling
the whole family into the car
and going to his home for
some food!

At ten p.m., his wife made
us feel like we were
treasured guests and heated-
up a magnificent meal from
her freezer. She gave me the
recipe for her hot rolls —
which I still use when I stop
banging this typewriter and
make bread.

As we were leaving, with
grateful thanks all around,

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Brian happened to mention
that our host was a great
mechanic. “Is your parage
nearby?” he inquired.

“Well, working on cars is
just a hobby with me. I'm the
mayor!”

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