Sunday, 29 June 2014

Our trip in numbers...

Finding reminders of home in odd places!
We have been traveling for 8 weeks in the USA:

•   travelled 6589 miles, (10604 km)
•   been in 4 US states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon
•   explored 7 National Parks - Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Gate Alcatraz, Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods
•   visited 7 State Parks - Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Jacinto Mountain, Hearst Castle, Red Rock, Red Rock Canyon, Humboldt Redwoods
•   National Forests; 4 Sequoia, Sierra, Tahoe, Lassen
•   slept in 18 beds; 6 hotels/inns, 5 motels and 6 timeshare units, 1 private home (make it 24 with Bahamas)
•   ate Ben & Jerry ice-cream, 7, Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, Triple Caramel Chunk, New York Super Fudge Chunk, Americone Dream, Cheesecake Brownie, Everything but the…
•   added 37 birds to my US bird list which is now 201 and my world list is 1484, top bird Roadrunner
•   popped into 4 museums, Palm Springs Art, Cable Car (SF), De Young (SF), Maritime Museum (Lake Tahoe)
•   farmers markets, 2; Oakhurst, Ferry Building (SF)
•   decaprio 3 movie catch-up, Aviator, Gatsby and Departed
•   Oscar 5 movie catch-up, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, August: Osage County, Zero Dark Thirty, Charlie Wilson’s War
•   relished organic extra virgin olive oil, 3 farms 
•   walked 159 miles; beaches, mountain trails, coastal meadow, high altitude lake, golf courses, climbing red rocks, canyon rim, valley trail, desert paths, Las Vegas Strip, mountain hikes, many city blocks
•   walking well ahead of schedule, 27 miles credit, (for each 50 miles driven we want to walk 1 mile)
•   longest hike 10 miles on Four Mile Trail with 3200’ climb on steep switchbacks
•   took a bike, cycled along the Truckee River for 16 miles, (26 km)
•   watched 7 episodes of Game of Thrones, season 4
•   lowest driving elevation, 214’ below sea-level at Furnace Creek Golf Course, Death Valley
•   highest driving elevation, 9945’ Tioga Pass, Tioga Road, Yosemite
•   got cold at the lowest temperature below 40 degrees F in Tehachapi (3 degrees C)
•   was hot at the highest temperature of 115 degrees F while walking in Death Valley (46 degrees C). Car registered 125 degrees F at one point – over 50 degrees C
•   wine tasting, 2 at Tablas Winery, Paso Robles and Souza Family Vineyard
•   modes of transport, 8, helicopter over the Grand Canyon, ferry to Alcatraz, cable car, bus, metro, streetcar, bicycle, paddle boat on Tahoe

•   shows/events, 5, in Las Vegas, O Cirque du Soleil; in San Francisco, Beach Blanket Babylon, SF Giants baseball in San Francisco; in Reno, Extreme Bull Riding; in Reno, Rodeo



Delicate beauty among the huge redwoods

Fred almost a tree-hugger, he loved the redwoods and the experience of their majesty.

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