i drove some interstate highways on my route to iowa, but i tried to avoid them. i knew from the beginning that this old truck wouldn't take the ultrasonic speeds that seem the norm on interstates (70, 80, sometimes 90 miles per hour), and this fact remained obvious when i found myself chugging down a four-lane artery heading out of chicago. each semi that passed me on my left shook the chinook from side to side. i felt like airplanes were swooping around me. {26 november 2004}