Home! A great place to be after seeing so many beautiful places in Canada and the USA!
Once home late last evening, I could barely keep my eyes open until 9 pm. As I dozed off, sleeping in my bed, I began counting, like sheep, how many places I’ve rested my head in the last 35 days. That grand poobah total is 21 different locations! I didn’t know where I was when I woke up this morning. Ever get that feeling? It takes a few moments to dust off the cobwebs in the head to remember where we are in the world. Luckily, that place was home last night!
As this weekend unfolded, I thought about reflection and observations of a marvelous trip, even though I/we didn’t get to our targeted destination, Alaska. Before I post a quick hit list of a few things, I pondered the intense concentration needed to travel 8,000 miles, most of it while traveling 70-85 MPH when I was in the driver’s seat.
Driving through Wyoming, for example, the speed limit is 80 MPH, and not much traffic. Most others were probably cruising at 90 MPH (we did get passed), which felt like we were going only 40 MPH. Since there was a whole lot of nothing, plus wide open expanses, any rate of travel soaked up any rate of speed, or so it seemed.
A few more observations:
Gasoline expense for me - roughly $475
Most extensive leg/miles without stopping to pee/gas - 6.5 hours (Hubby Bill called to check in and asked. I did stop at the next rest stop).
Even with all those miles under my belt, I/we saw less than a dozen police/state highway patrol cars (that’s through Canada and the U.S.)
Packing efficiency - I wore most of everything I packed (packed for Alaska) - except (1) turtleneck, (1) wool sweater, (1) extra heavy fleece jacket, and a few pairs of underwear because we did laundry halfway through the trip.
Ryobi tire gauge and compressor - used faithfully to check the tires’ PSIs due to severe changes in altitudes.
One last thing for today, I don’t know how Over-The-Road truck drivers do their jobs! I slept in and took two 30-minute naps, and I feel like I’ve been run over by a MAC truck. I believe I ran on adrenaline for so long that once I let my “guard” down, the trip from the road hit me like a ton of bricks.
I’m looking for a deep and restful sleep tonight to start August with vim and vigor!
bSoleille!
Terri
