Saturday 5 July 2014

Our trip in numbers...

 We have been on the road for 9 weeks in the USA:

   travelled 7274 miles, (11706 km)
   been in 4 US states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon
   explored 9 National Parks - Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Gate Alcatraz, Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods. Lava Beds, Crater Lake
   visited 7 State Parks - Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Jacinto Mountain, Hearst Castle, Red Rock, Red Rock Canyon, Humboldt Redwoods
   National Forests; 5 Sequoia, Sierra, Tahoe, Lassen, Fremont Winema
   slept in 19 beds; 6 hotels/inns, 5 motels and 7 timeshare units, 1 private home (make it 25 with Bahamas)
   ate Ben & Jerry ice-cream, 8, Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, Triple Caramel Chunk, New York Super Fudge Chunk, Americone Dream, Cheesecake Brownie, Everything but the…., Coffee. Coffee Buzz Buzz!
   added 51 birds to my US bird list which is now 215 and my world list is 1498, 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 169 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, 24 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
   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, 9, helicopter over the Grand Canyon, ferry to Alcatraz, cable car, bus, metro, streetcar, bicycle, paddle boat on Tahoe, canoe

   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