Observations on the Trip so Far

Observations on Chicago: Cold, cold, cold. It was -19 degrees centigrade yesterday evening. Fortunately the only time I had to step ‘outside’ was on the jetway. Today, the police are recommending that people in the area don’t leave their houses. It’s nice and sunny in California.

Observations on Hertz #1 Club Gold: So cool. Just turn up (2 hours late but it didn’t seem to matter), get in the car, show your license, and drive off. This is the way things should be.

Observations on American Driving: Automatic transmission: simple, just don’t forget it moves when you take your foot off the brake. Driving on the right-hand-side of the road: easier than expected. Following the instructions Neverlost gives me: harder than expected. Getting your key out of the ignition without calling the Hertz helpline: apparently impossible.

But driving here is incredibly lazy. After experimenting this afternoon with the cruise control, I know this is the way it ought to be: big roads, no lack of power, no worrying about gearchanges, no worrying about navigation, a soft and comfortable ride. I took a trip down to Santa Cruz - a lovely little town - and thoroughly enjoyed the drive in the sun.

plv has convinced me to try and use Flickr again - for highlighting my best photos. I’ve uploaded some today from the trip to Santa Cruz (and one from yesterday showing the ice across the Midwest). I expect I’ll continue to use my gallery, but probably won’t upload to it whilst I’m in the US.