Cross Country in a Toyota Corolla.

In September 1989, I drove my eight-year old Toyota Corolla across the United States to California, following railways most of the distance. Having spent the previous day on the Rio Grande in western Colorado, I had been pushing west toward Green River, Utah, when the car’s alternator failed just after sunset.

I took a cheap motel, then continued west on battery power. Despite the ailing Toyota, I chanced my arm, and used the morning to make photos on Soldier Summit. By afternoon, I arrived in Salt Lake City, where I located a mechanic to patch up the Toyota.

92 Cents A Gallon?

While waiting for repairs to be completed, I exposed this image of gasoline prices. I’ve forgotten what impressed me. Were the prices exceptionally low (as they might seem today) or were they extortionate?