Tag Archives: statistics

Trip Statistics: Nine Month Update

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It was still foggy in Sonoma on July 12th when the big PODS truck picked up our storage container. We stood in our empty living room with our landlord and watched as the truck hoisted up our possessions and hauled them off to a distant warehouse. That was nine months ago today. Nine months! Long enough to have forgotten most of what we put into that POD. Barring any major change of events, we’ll be back to the Bay Area in late June to unpack the contents of our old life and settle down again.

Propane Kitchen, RV Road trip

General Trip Statistics

  • 16,000 – miles driven
  • 37 – states (CA, OR, ID, MT, WA, NV, AZ, UT, CO, NM, NE, KS, MO, KY, TN, IN, IL, AR, LA, MS, AL, FL, GA, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, PA, CT, NY, MA, NH, ME, VT, OH, MI)
  • 1 – state intentionally avoided (TX, for moral and political reasons)
  • 2 – countries besides the US (Canada, Costa Rica)
  • 9 – number of nights camped in Wal Mart parking lots (Not the prettiest spot, but free and legal.)
  • 2 – number of times we been caught (and soaked) in unexpected thunderstorms while hiking
  • 1/ea – pairs of hiking shoes we’ve worn out and had to replace
  • 3 – average number of times we drive around a campground before choosing a spot
  • 1 – time we got pulled over on suspicion of drug trafficking (I44 in Missouri is apparently a big drug route; an RV with CA plates looked curious in December!)
  • 1 – celebrity who spilled a drink on Patrick’s shoe (Woody Harrelson, at the Spotted Cat in New Orleans. He was hanging out with Tim Robbins and Jesse Eisenberg. We played it cool.)

People Always Ask Us If We’re Visiting…

  1. Mt. Rushmore (maybe?)
  2. Giant Ball of Twine (missed it)
  3. Niagara Falls (yes)

Top Picks to Date

  • Best State Overall for Sights/Hiking – Utah
  • Best Burger – Diablo Burger, Flagstaff, AZ
  • Best Game to Play in the Minnie – Mexican Train Dominos
  • Best Road Trip Book – Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck
  • Best State Park Amenities – Lake Fausse Pointe, Louisiana (electric, water, WiFi, canoe rentals, showers, laundry, camp store, PLUS nesting Red Shoulder Hawks, armadillos and alligators.)
  • Best Brewery – Schlafly(besides the Russian River, of course)
  • Best Sunrise – Montezuma, CR
  • Most Adorable Bacon – Polyface Farm

Mexican Train, RV games

Statistics & Lessons from Four Months on the Road

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We’ve now been on the road for four months, long enough that our former lives are just a hazy memory. We’re in our Winnebago Groove.

Random Statistics

  • Miles driven by Patrick: 10,000ish
  • Miles driven by Aimee:  Look! Was that a squirrel?
  • Miles hiked: 367
  • States/Provinces: 14
  • National Parks/Monuments Explored: 26
  • Scenic Byways Traveled: 22  (yes, we really have a list of all the Scenic Byways we’ve driven) Continue reading →

Gear: The Minnie

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This post is part of Patrick’s Beer & Gear series. We realize we’ve talked a lot about the Minnie without giving her a proper introduction!

The real estate agent said, “The house is only 160 square feet but the yard is upwards of two billion acres.”  We said, “Sold!”

Since early July this 2004 Winnebago Minnie has been our only home.  Most of our belongings are stored away in a POD. We have only what we can carry on our backs and in the various drawers and compartments of the Minnie.  So far, it’s been just enough space for us.  Here’s what the floor plan of our house looks like:

We get lots of questions from non-RV folks about her so here are some vital specs. Continue reading →

A Month by the Numbers

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The 12th marked our first full month out on the road, but we’ve been canoeing on a remote lake and couldn’t document the occasion here.  Some quick statistics from our trip so far:

3,826 – miles driven by Patrick

107 – miles driven by Aimee

113 – miles hiked

5 – states

2 – Canadian provinces

6 – National Parks/Monuments

1,709 – photos taken

5,000 (approx.) – times Aimee has exclaimed, “look at that!”

1 – bottle of wine shattered when the refrigerator popped open on a curve

1 – glass bottle of sticky limeade shattered when the fridge popped open

21 – curses uttered while cleaning up the above

83 – meals made in the Minnie

11 – meals eaten out

1 – parking ticket

22 – nights camped for free

1 – harmonica received from fellow travelers met on the road

4 – old college friends hugged

3 – former colleagues visited

0 – regrets

Cape Perpetua