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From the Vault: 1979 Transportation Topics

World Road News - There are no locks on the doors of most trucks in the U.S.S.R. - The reason? Nobody would steal a truck in the Soviet Union, because there's no one to sell it to. All trucks are owned by the government, and there are more of them than private automobiles.

1913 -- the first year that more automobiles were purchased than sleighs and carriages. (It was also the first year that a Highway Commission -- though ineffective -- was formed in Idaho.)

1776 - In the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, it took eight weeks for a letter to get from Virginia to Philadelphia. It was cheaper to send a ton of goods across the Atlantic than it was to move the same ton of goods 10 miles with a wagon and yoke of oxen.

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According to a study made by a national insurance trade association, it would cost $23,400 to replace all the parts on a totally wrecked 1978 standard automobile priced at $5,097. Repair of the "totaled" car would be more than four times the purchase price.

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Famous Last Words on the road:
"One of these days, I've gotta have these brakes checked."
"Here's where I make up some time."
"I've got the right of way."
"It's just wet, not slippery."
"I'm bushed, but I hate to stop when we're so close to home."
"Whaddaya mean, 'slow down'?"
"I've got to pass these slowpokes or we'll never get there."
"You drive your way and I'll drive mine."
"Defensive driving sounds okay on paper, but when you get out there on the road, it's a whole new ballgame."
"Why bother to signal? There's nobody behind me."
"This time of night, you don't have to worry about traffic."
"Serves him right!"
"If I'm quick, I can make a left turn before oncoming traffic starts up."
"I'm staying right on his tail until he either speeds up or pulls over and lets me pass."
"You're not gonna get around me!"
"Sometimes you have to bluff your way in traffic,"
"I've been driving this way for a long time. I guess if I was going to have an accident, I would have had it by now."
"Trains never run on these tracks at night."
"What a boring stretch of road. I've been over it so many times I could drive it in my sleep."
"The signal must be stuck. I'm going to go ahead,"
"That kind of driving really burns me up."
"If he won't dim his lights, I'm gonna give it right back to him."
"If I can get through this intersection before the light changes, I'll make it on time."
"I'm okay. I can drive."
"I'll be okay as soon as l get some fresh air."
"Get me some black coffee and I'll be okay."
"Women drivers!"
"Men drivers!"

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While a number of people believe that Portland Cement was named for some connection with either Portland, Maine, or Portland, Oregon, the fact is that it was patented in 1824 by a man named Joseph Aspdin in Wakefield, England and was so named because it resembled in color a type of stone that was quarried on the Isle of Portland off the British coast.

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Bits of Wisdom
It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.

When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable

Sympathy: that which one woman offers to another in exchange for all the details.

A miser isn't much fun to live with, but he makes a wonderful ancestor.

The greatest unexplored and underdeveloped piece of territory is still between your ears.

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College Campuses Offer Low Rates...REALLY low

Now, anyone can vacation on college campuses anywhere in the U.S.A. and Canada for as little as $2 per day.

Travelers and vacationers can enjoy private rooms, suites and apartments in beautiful surroundings for a day, a weekend or longer at a rate so incredibly low they're hard to believe.

Colleges and universities all over the U.S. and Canada are opening their rooms to adults, families, students and groups for low cost vacations and lodgings. The campus visitor may get to use the sports, recreational and cultural facilities. Tennis, swimming, music, art, libraries, lectures, dances ... everything that happens on a college campus is available for use.

Imagine visiting Disneyland or San Francisco and staying in accommodations for $4 per night. You can have New York City for $5 a night.

If your vacation or travel budget needs some help this summer, you might select a college or university near your destination or along the way, write to the Director of Housing and ask if they are taking in renters this summer.

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Q: ”Have your eyes ever been checked?”
A: "No, they've always been solid blue.”