1976 US Bicentennial travel with our Hobomobil*
PART 1 – From Alberta south to USA mid-west
Traveling with my little son in our old what I call Hobomobil* (a vehicle serving as a home, for decent temporary traveling folks; vs. hobomobile=Google app) square back Volkswagen. For the purpose of obtaining a Landed Immigrant visa for Canada. [See also my previous posts on 1975 travel during summer vacation from Syracuse University, taking a Greyhound Bus across USA.]
1976 is an important year for the United States, (their Bicentennial), having a history since 1776 and celebrating the most important events, which led to the US forming and their constitution, and – 4th of July 1776 – the Declaration of Independence. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bicentennial ]. I had come from Europe to the United States in fall of 1974 for my graduate program at Syracuse University. At that time I did not know much about US history. It was only coincidental that we (myself and my little son) would be there during this important period in time and history.
Likewise, not knowing at that time that my son after leaving Alberta, Canada, would also return to the USA, Alabama and later Washington, DC, for his own graduate studies. And then in 1990 return to his homeland Holland.
Back to my story – 1976, the year we arrived in Canada in Spring, on my expired US student visa. Having traveled in my VW for weeks to arrive in Edmonton, Alberta, staying with a friend. Someone who saw my vehicle (NY State license plate), turned me in to Immigration. Normally one has to return to ones home country to apply from there for a Canadian Landed Immigrant visa.
Impossible ! Somehow, with the help of another friend there, and some sort of job offer, I could return to the United States, to apply for the Canadian Visa and wait it out there. We took the opportunity, being it was summer, to just travel around. From state to state, during the US Bicentennial. Lots of celebrations, you might think ? Not so much. The nearest Canadian Consulate I chose was Minneapolis, Minnesota.
My old VW Hobomobil, our temporary home, in which we traveled, lived, slept, cooked, and accumulated a lot of stuff as souvenirs. Alone, on campgrounds, or just driving till late into the night, meeting others in similar or same positions. This old car did not even have an air conditioning system – summers sometimes high up into the 30C. All “road” people nice to us, even a group of Hells Angels motor cycle guys, met on the road during a heavy rain storm, waiting it out under a bridge.
[The pictures are from scanned images, previously slides]
SURVIVING HEAT WAVE
Recent heat wave here in Western Canada, British Columbia, was over 40C in most areas. Resulting among others in over 400 deaths in the Vancouver area alone, mostly among seniors. [ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sudden-deaths-heat-wave-b-c-1.6086770 ], deaths related to this heat.
For the past 50 years in Canada I have been subjected to many heat waves, some during travel for work (Ottawa) and also Quebec, Montreal, during summer. I learned then that in addition to drinking lots of water, which really is only for your inside, that also the outside of your body, the skin, is heating up tremendously.
One fact is: Heat always rises, while water always runs down. Meaning, that during a heat wave, the body temperature rises, and the upper part of the body needs to be cooled down as long as the heat wave lasts, that means 24/seven.
How to take at least simple precautions: Use a cotton kerchief for the neck (I have many from my Cowboy days in Alberta), soak it thoroughly in cold water and tie it around your neck. This prevents heat rising to you head, and knock you out. Secondly, soak your T-shirt in cold water and wear it. As the body heats up, this needs to be repeated hourly. In addition, if I have to go out somewhere, always take a bottle of cold water, to re-soak and drink. I have done this regularly for every bicycle trip as well.
I survived this last heat wave, alone, without anybody helping me, and I am over 80 years old.