There are a number of great transits systems in Canada,
either because of the technology that those systems use, or because the people
who work in those systems care about providing a good service. Unfortunately
Calgary's transit system seems to fall short in both areas. Winnipeg has those
wonderful electronic signs that say when the next bus is coming, Vancouver has,
at least in its Skytrain stations, a telephone that connects one to a live person
who will tell you exactly which buses to take. In Calgary there is no such
help. I spent far too much time walking around the down town core looking for
the right bus stop, asking people who were as clueless as I was. When I finally
found the bus stop, I had to wait almost 45 minutes for the bus to come. To be
fair, there probably are not a lot of people who need to be at the west end of
town at 5:30 in the morning. But it would have been nice if I could have talked
to someone official who could have helped or at the very least a bus driver who
acted as if they cared.
At the west end of Calgary, I am still having a bit of
trouble getting off at the right spot and consequently I end up doing a lot
more walking than I think I should have to. Calgary has grown so much in the
past ten years and I suspect there is a better bus route - I just have not
found it.
On the way out of town there is a section of highway that
gently but continually rises. It feels as if it goes on forever. On a hot
summer day, the road with its black pavement reflecting the heat and hundreds
of cars passing every few minutes, it can be tortuous. The shoulders are wide
with lots of room for a car to pull over but I never bother to hitch in that
area as the traffic is just too chaotic. However at 6:30 or so in the morning,
there was less traffic and so every once in a while I would stop, turn around
and flash my sign. Generally speaking, this method of intermittent of
hitchhiking is not the most efficient use of my time. This time however it was.
A new looking, bright red Dodge Challenger switched lanes and pulled up. In all
of my years of hitchhiking I had only once before gotten a ride in a sporty
looking car. I was excited and then even more excited to find out that my new
driver was going to Kelowna. That meant that I would be on the other side of
the Rockies by the time I got out of the car. With any luck at all, I could be
on the west coast 36 hours after leaving Winnipeg. That would be a new land
speed record for me.
It was a great ride. It was delightful car. Very quiet,
almost no sense of speed as the suspension was so smooth and my driver was an
intelligent driver who had no need to show off how fast it could go. He was
young, enthusiastic about life and was both a great conversationalist and a good
listener. He worked in the landscaping business. He had just quit working for
one boss and had another job lined up next week. He seemed to have great work and
business ethics. He had left his previous boss because the guy did not appear
to care about customer satisfaction or even doing a good job. It was great to
spend time with someone who positive and in control of his life. He was off to
spend time with a friend ( I never figured out if she was a girl friend or just
a friend who was a girl) - they, along with some other friends, were planning
on going camping for a few days. It seemed to me to be a long drive but I was
not complaining.
When rides appear as fast as they did on this particular run
across Canada, I have less time to think about the drivers and who and what
they were. When I have an hour or two (or three) hours between rides, I get to
think about the conversations and file those remembrances in my longer term
memory. I had had such good luck this time that the rides were starting to run
together. The conversations were starting to feel all the same. And that is
truly too bad as all of my drivers this year had been interesting and generous
men.
At some point in our conversations we were talking about
different towns along our route. I had mentioned that I liked Revelstoke, When
we started to get close to that town my driver said he needed to stop for
something to eat. I do not like stopping. I just want to, especially when I am
not driving, to go and go and go. I am always reluctant to get out of the car
in perhaps some barely hidden fear that the car will somehow disappear if I
leave it. But we did stop, found an absolutely wonderful little cafe that felt
like a place the locals went to for a chat. In spite of the fact that it was
well before noon, we both had a bowl of soup. It may have been the best
homemade soup I have ever had. We ate fairly quickly all-the-while making
observations on the town and the other customers. Revelstoke has long been my
favourite town in the Rockies. In spite of being in the middle of a winter
playground, it has maintained its small town atmosphere. There is no sense that
this atmosphere is forced or manufactured. It just is.
The car had not disappeared from the parking lot and in
short order we were once again on our way. It was raining a little bit in Revelstoke
and then rain continued in dribs and drabs for the rest of our trip. Kelowna is
not my favourite town as an end destination. Two highways merge in Kelowna and
the only way to get through that town is to go through it. There is no by-pass.
traffic is slow and frustrating. As a
hitchhiker I feel powerless. I know at some point that I am going to get stuck.
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