- In an attempt to cut down on travel time, Steinbeck tried to cut through Canada, but Canadian customs officials told him that the U.S. would give him grief about traveling back through with the dog (because of rabies). So, he turned around... only to get grief from the U.S. customs people anyway (even though he had never left the country). He eventually squared everything with those folks, though, and headed out on another U.S.-only route.