Travel by Grayhound

[Dogwood]

"I love these Greyhound stories.
Do you notice how some people think it's fine, and a way to get to where you're going, not so expensive, interesting experience, etc.
While others say: Never again. It was horrible. Bad drivers, passengers, food choices, etc.
Isn't it how we look at life in general?"

No, it's how U.S. citizens who never had to ride on the top of a 1969 Partridge family looking bus holding on like a piece of cheap luggage in a torrential downpour on a backwoods Patagonia rutted muddy road while the goats got to ride inside the bus think! All too happy to do it too.

"Americans need to get out more and see how the poorer people of the world live."

Isn't that the truth!!!

"No one has it as bad as Tibetens who live out in the dry mountains, no water, no trees, extreme cold in the winter (with no heat).
And no one has the opportunities as vast as Americans with choices for transport, jobs, weather extremes, religions, etc."

YUP!

"I often say that any American college degree should require one year of that degree to be spent in a university in a foreign country.
So much more would be learned in that one year. Most importantly, that there are many cultures in the world and we really should think about what other's priorities are in life."

WOW! Here Here. ABSO - DAMN - LUTELY! That made me cry.

"OK, rant over."

Gets my vote for BEST rant of the year so far though! And sure as heck beats hearing about the BEST rain jacket, again! You get a dancin banana for that.

[jdc5294]

I used it to get from Bangor back to Philadelphia after I finished, 16 hours either on a bus or waiting for another bus wasn't what I would call fun but it was cheap and I had my headphones, just ignored everyone and got some sleep. I don't have anything resembling a horror story so I guess that's good.

[ki0eh]

These folks love the 'hound: http://www.aibra.org

[handlebar]

Miss Janet taught me: If you don't want anyone to sit next to you, fill your water bladder up with some awful colored liquid, set it in the seat next to you, stick the hose into your pants. If someone asks if they can sit there, say sure then fumble around for a second to get situated and hand them the bladder "Can you hold this for just a second?". If they sit down, pull the hose out and take a drink.

I imagine this works especially well if you are fresh off the trail, musty, bearded, wearing duct taped crocs, and are used to not holding in your farts.

ROFLMAO! That's the best one yet!

[handlebar]

These folks love the 'hound: http://www.aibra.org

This web site has a cool map showing all the bus and train lines in the USA, although it's a little out of date. It was very helpful to me in arranging some shuttles for my last sections of the CDT. I did find that, of the bus lines, Greyhound was by far the worst. Some of the others: Salt Lake Express that runs from SLC to Butte with connections to Helena, and Black Hills Stages where pretty nice and had a much higher class clientele. In the old days, you used to be able to get anywhere by bus. Not so any longer. I would have welcomed a bus to get me out of Durango, but had to take a high-priced air trip instead.