Friday, 18 July 2014

Our trip in numbers...

Detail from the Hayden Valley meadow, Yellowstone
We have been on the road here in the USA for 11 weeks.
The planning started.
I talked months, then it became weeks and now its down to days...

•   travelled 9722 miles, (15646 km)
•   northern most point of the road trip, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 47 degrees 41’ N
•   southern most point of the road trip, Salton Sea, California, 33 degrees 31’ N
•   been in 8 US states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
•   explored 10 National Parks - Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Gate Alcatraz, Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods, Lava Beds, Crater Lake, Yellowstone
•   visited 7 State Parks - Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Jacinto Mountain, Hearst Castle, Red Rock, Red Rock Canyon, Humboldt Redwoods
•   National Forests; 7 Sequoia, Sierra, Tahoe, Lassen, Fremont Winema. Mt Hood, Gallatin
•   slept in 21 beds; 6 hotels/inns, 6 motels and 8 timeshare units, 1 private home (make it 27 with Bahamas)
•   Shawni and Craig joined us for nights 10 nights
•   ate Ben & Jerry ice-cream, 13, Cherry Garcia; Chunky Monkey; Triple Caramel Chunk; New York Super Fudge Chunk; Americone Dream; Cheesecake Brownie; Everything but the….; Coffee. Coffee Buzz Buzz!; FroYo, Half Baked; Pistachio, Pistachio; That’s my Jam, Core; Red Velvet Cake; Scotchy Scotch Scotch
•   added 52 birds to my US bird list which is now 216 and my world list is 1499, top bird Roadrunner
•   popped into 5 museums, Palm Springs Art, Cable Car (SF), De Young (SF), Maritime Museum (Lake Tahoe), Latimer Quilt and Textile
•   farmers markets, 3; Oakhurst, Ferry Building (SF), Portland
•   decaprio 4 movie catch-up, Aviator, Gatsby, Departed, J Edgar
•   Oscar 6 movie catch-up, Dallas Buyers Club; Nebraska; August: Osage County; Zero Dark Thirty; Charlie Wilson’s War; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
•   relished organic extra virgin olive oil, 3 farms 
•   walked 200 miles; beaches, mountain trails, coastal meadow, high altitude lakes, golf courses, climbing red rocks, national park trails, canyon rim, valley trail, desert paths, Las Vegas Strip, mountain hikes, many city blocks
•   walking on schedule, 6 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)
•   canoed 9 miles along the Upper Klamath Canoe Trail
•   rode a horse on a high altitude trail for 4 miles in Montana
•   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, 12, helicopter over the Grand Canyon, ferry to Alcatraz, cable car, bus, metro, streetcar, bicycle, paddle boat on Tahoe, canoe, Big Pink Trolley in Portland, ski-lift at Timberline, Mt Hood, horse
•   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


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