The land looks like a fairy tale. -- Ronals Amundsen First man to reach the South Pole [1911] Links The State Department ... travel.state.gov Up-to-date information on entry requirements to any given country Greyhound Bus Lines... www.greyhound.com Amtrak www.amtrak.com Golden Nuggets Interstate - The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. Standard Railroad Gauge - The Unided States standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and the United States railroads were built by English expatriates. Why did the English people build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used. Whey did "they" use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which use that wheel spacing. Why did the wagons use that odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagons would break on some of the old, long distance roads, because that's the spacing of the old wheel ruts. So who built these old rutted roads? Te first long distance roads in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts? The initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagons, were first made by Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were made for or by Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Thus, we have the answer to the original questions. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original specification (Military Spec) for an Imperial Roman army war chariot. Military Specifications and bureacracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what "horse's rear end" came up with it, you may be exactly right. Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war-horses! Lost Without a Compass - To find north, poke a stick in the ground and put a rock at the end of the stick's shadow. Wait 15 minutes and place another rock at the shadow's new position. Stand with a toe pointing toward each rock. You are facing north. ... More What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do, especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road. -- William Least Heat Moon Blue Highways May you always find new roads to travel, new places to go, new memories to call your own. -- Michael Pishner Born October 17, Favorite Quote Anywhere is walking distance if you've got the time. -- Steven Wright How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost? -- Bumper Sticker Just because you are lost does not mean your compass is broken. -- -- The Edge, Movie The really happy man is the one who can enjoy the scenery when he has to take a detour. One of the best things in life is road trips with friends. Home | Group Tours | Disney Travel | Specials | Honeymoon Registry | Treasure Chest | Texas Traditions | America the Beautiful | Land of Enchantment © Copyright 2001 by Voyages of Discovey. All rights reserved. Web Site Designed by: