Next month it will have been two years since we drove the van out our driveway knowing only we were headed for Australia- we managed that just fine and had an absolutely amazing 14 months there. A total bonus was getting to ship our van up through North East Asia on the way home and to explore both Korea and Japan in our own vehicle. All three places blew us away and were super easy to travel in – we are so glad we went.

With the ship carrying our vehicle home to North America now dropping it off in Baltimore, I got to do one last trip in the van before we put it away for the coming winter, after which we’ll make plans for our next adventure. I had to fly to Baltimore, get it through the port process and drive it almost 5,000kms ( 3,000 miles ) home to Kelowna in British Columbia. I do say “I” and not “we” because both of us have done this trip on a couple of occasions before and since not much of it represented “new” territory, Lois was less enthused about yet another cross-continent foray. There was really no need for us both to go – it was, after all, more of a delivery run than any kind of adventure, so I stepped up, took one for the team ( 😉 ) and flew off alone to get our rig. It would be a lot of driving, alone, across the US, but I thought it just might also be a great time to get some perspective on what’s happening there with the big election now just weeks away. Anxious to get our rig back home and do some work on it before the outside temperature fell below freezing, I picked just a few places to visit, arranged a slight detour to collect our new retractable shower door direct from the manufacturer in Ohio, and then planned to cross back into Canada near Lethbridge, Alberta. There I could pick up the replacement inside window trims from the good folks at Wilderness Vans. A very busy and probably quite tiring week or so beckoned.

As mentioned in last week’s blog, getting it out of the port in the US was fast, easy, and compared to ports in other countries, very inexpensive. I was actually shocked at how cheap it was. Just as well, I suppose, as there is a big fuel bill to come to deliver it to the other side of the continent. With the detours mentioned above, the 4400km journey morphed closer to 4,700km which took 7 1/2 days of pretty solid driving. Bear in mind that in a van you are not travelling as fast as you might in a car, and in the western states it was very windy making it difficult to handle the van at times. It’s tall and acts like a sail catching all the cross winds so for several days I had to slow it down quite a bit. I must admit that made some of the days seem very long indeed.

So, what’s going on the US right now ? I usually stay well away from politics in this blog ( the comments below are just some observations, rather than opinions ) but you simply can’t avoid noticing it in the US right now. Of course one sees many political signs ( Trump/Vance and Harris/Walz ) the preponderance of each aligning pretty closely with what are known as the “blue” states and “red” states. Lots more blue in the east and almost solid red in the west. It’s going to be an interesting election.

Of the people I spoke to ( in the port, at the airport, in the stores, at restaurants and rest areas I stopped at), when the election came up in discussion ( and it did ) people talked mostly about the economy and the cost of living. Where I travelled, immigration did not seem to be a big thing ( guess that’s a bigger issue further south – despite driving through Ohio, I did miss Springfield 😉 ). What surprised me is how many people seemed concerned about “the economy”, especially when, to all appearances the economy in the US is absolutely BOOMING. I can’t recall a time where I have seen it better yet lots of Americans seem unhappy or worried about it when you talk to them. It’s truly bizarre when you have inflation now back to normal, unemployment a non-issue, fuel prices very low ( a huge concern for Americans as a rule ), a strong/stable currency and stock markets at all time highs. I mean, ( on the surface anyway ) what’s not to like ? Restaurants and malls were full everywhere I went, the roads were always busy – things just seemed, well, pretty darn good. Perhaps one of our US readers can help us understand why so many American folks say they are so worried about the economy ? It’s a mystery to most of us on the outside looking in. Even one of the world’s most respected news magazines acknowledges things in the US now are red hot ( see recent front page story below ):

Beyond my exposure to the unavoidable political goings on with the election imminent, there were of course some sights to see. In addition to two big attractions along the way, there were lots of lesser “sights” ( I use the word loosely ) passed that also caught my eye – the birthplace of Hoover, of John Wayne, and a few other lesser names that were prominently highlighted as one approached their respective hometowns. I was struck by how humble were the origins of people who rose to such great fame. I also passed the World’s Largest Truck Stop in Iowa ( never, ever have I seen so many trucks in one place ! ), and crossed the great Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Those and many other notable places and features popped up along the way, but one thing I was reminded of as I crossed the continent was just how beautiful it is in places and how incredibly large it is. You can look on a map but one really has to drive it to get a feel for just how big it really is. Americans would of course be well aware of how big their country is in comparison with others (4th largest in the world ) but to experience it on the road adds a whole new perspective. Somehow it seemed almost bigger this time ( or perhaps that was just because it’s the first time I’ve driven it alone ).

So, very tired (but very happily) I had now made it back home. Relieved to be here safe and sound ( certainly ) but at the same time still quite annoyed that the need to wait this long for our vehicle and the need to drive so far was all due to a careless error made in Japan. Alas, one can’t look back and cry over spilt milk. There is much to do at home for a few more months including cleaning, maintenance and replacement of some parts in the van. We will also use the time to start planning our travels for 2025 ( we are considering two options ), and will decide where we’ll go soon.

As this will likely be our last blog for 2024, let me say a huge thank you to all our readers for following along, for your comments (always appreciated), your tips, and at times from some, for your advice! Lois and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas (in advance) and a very Happy New Year, we will restart the blog as soon as we hit the road again.

I’ll close now with a short video clip of the trip across the USA – enjoy.

Till next year…..