Greyhound... Are they worth Giving Money to again? - Page 3

vid · #41 Posted **Aug 31, 2010, 10:46 PM**

Really? I guess trees are more interesting than grass.

bulliver · #42 Posted **Aug 31, 2010, 10:50 PM**

^ Totally. Also lakes, rock outcrops, and If that's not enough you can kill time counting all the inukshuks or however you spell it. If nothing else, a road with you know, corners bends and other non-straight bits will always be more enjoyable to drive.

I found the drive from Kenora to Fort Francis quite beautiful. Can't speak for the Fort Francis -> TB bit as it was after dark by then.

vid · #43 Posted **Aug 31, 2010, 11:03 PM**

I find the whole region's geography pretty boring once you're far away from the lake or the hills southwest of town but I guess it is because I live here. I never really got that whole "we live in the most beautiful part of the world!" hype. I think much is this region is pretty boring and ugly.

Another thing about the highway between here and Nipigon: Millions of deadfalls. If a fire starts in there, they're going to have a hell of a time fighting it. In the US they clean shit up, out here we just leave it alone.

freeweed · #44 Posted **Aug 31, 2010, 11:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid

I find the whole region's geography pretty boring once you're far away from the lake or the hills southwest of town but I guess it is because I live here. I never really got that whole "we live in the most beautiful part of the world!" hype. I think much is this region is pretty boring and ugly.

I lived there for years (well, west of you but same general area) and I personally find it's one of the most beautiful parts of North America. Untamed, untouched wilderness for the most part. Really the only nicer areas are the Rockies in my book.

That being said, there are good and bad parts. MB border to Vermillion Bay or so is drop-dead gorgeous, and as someone else mentioned, so is Kenora to the Fort (virtually unknown but equally nice is Dryden to the Fort). East of Dryden is hit and miss, so yeah - a lot of it you could describe as "meh".

However, no matter what - trees and lakes > prairie. Plus, hills. And curves. And rock cuts!! Live in the prairies for a few years and you get desperate to see ANY of that.

vid · #45 Posted **Sep 1, 2010, 12:33 AM**

I guess it is a little better. The most exciting thing I think is the jack pines.

My photo, click for Streetview

freeweed · #46 Posted **Sep 1, 2010, 2:43 AM**

Great example pic vid. Trees, curve in the road, some clear elevation gain (tiny hill from the looks of it), water right next to you, and even a bit of rock on the side! That pic is everything the prairies is not.

Plus, if it wasn't in the park I bet there'd be moose on that road frequently. Or do you get moose in the park?

oiler-dude · #47 Posted **Sep 1, 2010, 2:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulliver

Like I said, purchase in advance as far as possible. Also, if you are flexible with your days you can find $100-$200 difference in prices just by choosing the next or previous day.

When I fly between Edmonton and Kelowna I pay an average of $150-200 or so.

Must have been the advanced booking then. I booked about 3 weeks in advance. Thanks, Bulliver.

vid · #48 Posted **Sep 1, 2010, 3:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Great example pic vid. Trees, curve in the road, some clear elevation gain (tiny hill from the looks of it), water right next to you, and even a bit of rock on the side! That pic is everything the prairies is not.

Plus, if it wasn't in the park I bet there'd be moose on that road frequently. Or do you get moose in the park?

We saw one deer and a rabbit. Last year at this time we say just one deer. A few years ago we saw 14 deer. Never seen a moose or a bear in there, I don't know if they live there or not. Apparently it has a problem with coyotes now, but at least they'll take care of the deer over population. Lyme disease has been found in the city for the first time, so it's a concern.

eemy · #49 Posted **Sep 1, 2010, 10:35 AM**

Perhaps the prairie landscape is enough of a novelty to me that it doesn't bore me. Personally, I find the drive from London to Windsor to be agonizing. There is absolutely nothing to see, and it seems to continue on forever.

MolsonExport · #50 Posted **Sep 1, 2010, 1:19 PM**

^yes indeed. Which is why that boring section of the 401 is called Carnage Alley.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario...rnage_Alley.22

"Carnage Alley"
Around the same time, between Windsor and London the Carnage Alley name was applied to Highway 401, a reference to the numerous accidents that occurred throughout the 1990s.[42] The narrow and open grass median was not much of an obstacle in preventing cross-median collisions. The nature of that section of highway, described as largely a straight road with a featureless agricultural landscape, was said to make drivers feel less involved and lose focus on the road. Several accidents resulted from motorists deviating from their lane and losing control of their vehicles.[100][101]

Various other names, including The Killer Highway circulated for a time,[102] but Carnage Alley became predominant following an 87-vehicle pile-up on September 3, 1999, the worst in Canadian history, that claimed eight lives and injured forty-five.[103]

The 87-vehicle pile up on September 3, 1999.Only a few days prior, then-Transportation Minister David Turnbull had deemed the highway "pleasant" to drive.[104] On the morning of September 3, the local weather station reported clear conditions due to a malfunction,[103] while a thick layer of fog rolled onto the highway. Dozens of vehicles including several semi-trailers quickly crashed into each other shortly after 8 a.m., one following another in the dense fog, and the accumulating wreckage caught traffic traveling in the opposite direction.[105][106] Immediately following the accident, the MTO installed paved shoulders with rumble strips[107] and funded additional police to patrol the highway, a move criticized as being insufficient.[108]

The pileup is horrible, but so is the banality of the background landscape.

freeweed · #51 Posted **Sep 3, 2010, 8:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

Perhaps the prairie landscape is enough of a novelty to me that it doesn't bore me. Personally, I find the drive from London to Windsor to be agonizing. There is absolutely nothing to see, and it seems to continue on forever.

OK. Just drove YYC-YWG for the first time in several years. I'm re-appreciating the prairies, it's not as bad as I remember. Hell, most of it has trees except that one horrid section from Brooks to Medicine Hat - someone earlier described as "soul sucking" - perfect description. The base nearby is likely the cause. Friggin deserts are 10x nicer to drive through. Beyond that though, it's rather beautiful and you get a lot of the "big sky" effect.

Doesn't hold a candle to the Rockies, but what does?

freeweed · #52 Posted **Sep 3, 2010, 9:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The nature of that section of highway, described as largely a straight road with a featureless agricultural landscape, was said to make drivers feel less involved and lose focus on the road. Several accidents resulted from motorists deviating from their lane and losing control of their vehicles.

Out here, the road could literally be flat and straight for 100km or more. Highway engineers have known for decades that that's a recipie for disaster, so they engineer gratuitous curves into the road. We call them "drunk farmer curves". Not to be mistaken for "drunk farmer bumps", otherwise known as rumble strips.

JayM · #53 Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 2:55 AM**

Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation - Intercity Bus Consultations
http://www.gov.mb.ca/mit/intercitybus/

Greyhound-supplied data shows that the company lost about $4.78 million in Manitoba between April 2008 and March 2009. The company says the cost to operate in Manitoba was higher than the income Greyhound earned from its fares and freight service. Some of the Greyhound routes in Manitoba are profitable while others are not. The table on the following page shows a breakdown of each of Greyhound’s 18 routes.

Source

As anyone who can clearly see the major loss of all is the Flin Flon trip. No worries now that HudBay Minerals had no choice but to shut down the mine because it was to costly to upgrade. No workers equals less travel.

vid · #54 Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 4:30 AM**

What's in Reston?

JayM · #55 Posted **Sep 16, 2010, 4:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid

What's in Reston?

Good question I looked it up found nothing that would help indicate.

Only The Lonely.. · #56 Posted **Sep 18, 2010, 6:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by craneSpotter

YQR to YYC is the most depressing piece of landscape in the world!

Amen. Such an existential landscape.

Only The Lonely.. · #57 Posted **Sep 18, 2010, 6:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Everyone I have met has said driving on a road through northern forest is more entertaining than bald prairie.

Yaa, those dumb deer in the night..and heaven forbid Moose will really keep you on your toes.

Night driving from Eastern MB through Northern Ontario or Minnesota is always fraught with calamity.

I took the Via once from Winnipeg to Ottawa, and around Thunder Bay the train damn well near derailed after hitting a Moose.

There's nothing like knowing that your midnight drive could conclude with you becoming a paraplegic to keep things exciting.

Ask Manitoba MP Steven Fletcher what happens when you hit a Moose.

JayM · #58 Posted **Sep 19, 2010, 3:19 AM**

Stupid question but what qualifies as a sad drive, as some people look at it in different ways.

canucklehead2 · #59 Posted **Jul 13, 2018, 8:20 PM**

So... Thoughts on this weeks implosion of Greyhound Canada? Solutions?

240glt · #60 Posted **Jul 13, 2018, 8:24 PM**

^ As I noted in the Vancouver section, In BC I think one of the best options would be to simply expand the already fairly expansive regional transit network. Regional transit in a number of areas already links smaller communities together, so it should be a matter of ensuring that each of those networks has a connection to a larger centre.

In Alberta ? who knows... Subsidize Red Arrow ?