Day 40. Recap. — Redmond, WA
So nice to be home. I don't think the typical "post epic vacation" blues will set in for another day or two, just because we're re-discovering how nice it is to live in a house.
I had to constantly think about gasoline, propane, battery life, and water / sewer - home is a welcome change from that.
It's FREEZING here though, good grief! 38 degrees and frost this morning. I was telling Carol how lucky we were to have such great weather. Shorts and tee shirts in Utah a couple days ago...
We're going to ease back into life, the kids are only doing school at home this week, they will go back to Emerson next week. I'll probably go to work Thursday and Friday, even though they aren't expecting me till Monday. That will make the transition easier (assuming I'm still allowed in the building, that is).
I just surveyed the family for their "top 5" list, here it is:
Carol:
*Visiting Andrea and Matt in Boone
*Monument Valley / Bryce Canyon
*Washington D.C. (though it was exhausting)
*Vermont
*Maine (though probably just because it reminds her of Friday Harbor and Whidbey Island)
Ryan:
*South Dakota
*Maine
*New York (limited as it was)
*Philadelphia
*Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
Jake:
*Zion
*Bryce
*Four Corners
*Maine
*Philadelphia / D.C. (seeing the Declaration of Independence)
Emma:
*Philadelphia
*D.C.
*Texas
*Grand Canyon
*Bryce Canyon
Jessie:
*Mount Rushmore
*Seeing the Ocean in Maine
*White House
*Boone with Leif and Maren
*Zion
As for me, I guess I can't play by different rules, and categorize by beauty, or historic value, or that kind of thing. As much as I loved the historic places, I'm not patient in museums or tours. I definitely felt the weight of history being "on the same ground" as the great founders of the country. My list though, is based on where I'd like to visit again, with more time...
Toby:
*Utah, definitely. Bryce, Zion, and Monument Valley were totally awesome. I'd add Colorado, though we didn't really "see" much. Colorado is on my list to go back to for sure.
*Wyoming. Yellowstone was not my favorite, but the drive through the Bighorn Mountains was amazing. I'd love to explore more.
*Vermont in the fall and early winter. Would love to rent a cabin in the hills.
*Blue Ridge Mountains / North Carolina. Not just 'cause the Ellingsons are there, though that was super fun (but they move around so much, you never know!). If you read my posts on Boone, it's a very beautiful spot.
*South Dakota. The Black Hills are awesome. Mount Rushmore was great. Would love to explore more.
All that said, there are states we visited that I would be happy to live in, but Washington State has it all. Oceans, beaches, mountains, canyons, cold, hot, dry, wet, you name it. This is a great state to live in, to be sure.
FINAL STATS:
8,750 miles
39 days
37 states
1,031 gallons of gas
81 generator hours
100 gigs of photos to process... 100 gigs of video for Ryan to process... Speaking of that, he has some very funny commentary on the trip, located here: http://www.youtube.com/user/XxRYANxX123 41?feature=guide
15 Wal-Mart parking lots
19 RV parks
4 nights with friends & family
FINAL $$$ TALLY:
Camping $1,088.75 (average of $50 per night when in RV camp sites)
Gasoline $4,539.86 (8 miles per gallon)
Propane $163.82
Wal-Mart $2,328.00 (groceries, and basically everything else too)
Restaurants $535.00 (8 restaurants)
Mechanical $1,669.63 (6 new tires, 2 new batteries). Not sure it's fair to count in the grand total, but we will anyway.
Attractions & Trinkets $1,925.60 (cost to get into parks, parking fees, trinkets)
GRAND TOTAL $12,250.66
I had tons of fun with my daily blog updates, I'm sure glad you folks enjoyed living the trip along with us. I'll be uploading all the pictures to this spot (http://s782.photobucket.com/albums/yy1 08/tobyandcarol/ROAD%20TRIP%202012/) and if anyone wants a high-resolution copy of anything, please let me know.
Until next time!
Toby and the Smith Family
