Epilogue
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
We’ve been home for 4 days now and we have had an opportunity to reflect on the trip we just completed. We left on Monday, June 23, 2013 and we returned very late on the night of 15 August 2013 for a total of 54 days. We had set a goal of 8 weeks and we stuck with it. We visited 26 states and one other country. We met so many people across the country that we really enjoyed. We reconnected with friends and family we haven’t seen in a long time. We covered around 9,600 miles using 751.5 gallons of diesel fuel at an average price of $3.91 / gallon.
Revelation Number 1 – If you drive a motorhome pulling a car behind you, you shouldn’t obsess over fuel economy. Through our trip the best fuel economy we achieved was 13.8 mpg and the worst was 10.6 mpg and overall we averaged just a little less than 13 mpg. After reviewing the data, I was surprised that the worst mileage we achieved was driving through Wisconsin, Minnesota and eastern South Dakota. All of these areas are relatively flat and the only explanation I can come up with for the poor mileage is that I was driving between 70 and 75 over this stretch of our trip and the rest of our time I was averaging around 63MPH. So speed kills – your mpg that is. Our total fuel cost was around $2900, which was less than we expected and far less than the air fare would have cost us to take on such a trip.
Revelation Number 2 – we covered a heck of a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time and at times we felt a bit rushed. Part of the problem was that since we were travelling during the peak summer season, so we made all of our reservations for campgrounds in advance. Any change in the schedule would have a huge ripple effect; requiring us to change lots of reservations. In hindsight, very few of the places where we stayed were full. It would have been nice to have greater flexibility to stop and stay longer at a number of the spots we visited. Next time, I think we’ll make our reservations as we go along.
Revelation Number 3 – We did something that a lot of people only talk about. We got to see a lot of this great country and I feel so blessed to live here. The couple we met from France while visiting Canyonlands National Park summed it up well – “the US is so grand; you can travel for days and be in a completely different type of terrain – and still be in the same country.” The people may speak with a little different accent from one place to the next but at the end of the day – we are all Americans and we love this great country. Everyone we met everywhere was very friendly – “yes” even in NYC. There was the young lady I met in Wisconsin, when we were checking into the campground she asked to see my driver’s license. I showed her my license from Hawaii. She asked me how it is I got our RV over here from Hawaii. So I told her that they have a ferry that you can put your car and RV on. She fell for it, but had a great sense of humor when I told her I was just pulling her leg. To her Hawaii was just another state.
Revelation Number 4 – There is no shortage of fresh and clean drinking water in this huge country of ours. On the other hand we have a serious problem with distribution. The point is driven home as we drove across so many of the great number of rivers that flow from west to east. By comparison to rivers like the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, etc. the Colorado is a mere creek. In addition to all the great rivers in the east, there are those lakes in the north – you know the Great Lakes. The great lakes contain 1/3 of the fresh water in the world. So, all we need to do is figure out how to get some of that out this way. The west really needs to insist that the Continental Divide be relocated to allow more water to flow to the west. Perhaps in another million years or so that might just happen.
Revelation Number 5 – National Parks! After seeing what we’ve seen on this trip I am really grateful that we have set aside and preserved some of the most beautiful locations in this country for all to enjoy. Every National Park we visited was fantastic. Each Park had a certain amount of controversy surrounding it but I was sure glad that they were there for us to see. For example – Mount Rushmore is built on lands held sacred by the native americans and Yellowstone sits atop an active hot spot and may blow any day, but set it all aside and you can’t help but be awestruck by these Parks. On the flip side, we saw parts of the country where unbridled greed have left the land devastated and permanently scarred. The land around Butte and Anaconda, MT emphasized that point. It was disappointing to see billboards advertising the 1800 foot deep pit mine as a tourist attraction when the water that is collecting there is so toxic with pollutants that they have to keep a huge net over it to prevent birds from landing on it. If the problems there aren’t resolved soon, it will threaten the ground water for the entire community.
Revelation Number 6 – San Diego really does have the best weather in the Country. I certainly learned that the phrase “we’re having unseasonably cool weather” is really a relative term. Especially if you happen to be in Charleston, SC on a day that is in the low 90s with only 70% humidity. I suppose it is “cooler” than the typical 100+ degree weather they are accustomed to, but it was still miserable to us. Although 90% of the places we visited were far less expensive to live in than San Diego – its clear that great weather has a price. We found Fayetteville, TN and the Huntsville, AL area to be among of the least expensive places to live. However, I really liked the northwestern part of Montana. I love the mountains, the trees, access to nature and the relative solitude. Yes, it does get cold in the winter, but that is why we would need to keep a home in San Diego.
Revelation Number 7 – God Bless the Farmers. We were both amazed by the sheer amount of bountiful farmland we saw. Corn is grown everywhere and I was amazed to learn that a relatively small portion of it is intended for human consumption (about 2%). So much of the corn (about 25%) that is grown is destined for the manufacture of ethanol and other products. A huge amount is intended for animal feed (about 60%). The balance is intended for seed and silage. Overall about 40% of all the corn grown is exported to other countries. At so many of the small towns that are in the middle of all this farm land, when we spoke to the locals (typically a person in their 70s or 80s) they would lament that the young people leave and there is no one to take over the farms.
Revelation Number 8 – Similar to the situation with the fresh water, there is not a problem with over population in the United States. There is just a distribution problem. We were stunned at how desolate parts of this country are. There were stretches of Utah where we could go over 100 miles between towns. Even in the East where much of the population of the US resides, there remain beautiful and relatively sparsely inhabited parts. The states of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, South Dakota and North Dakota are rich in resources and are some of the most sparsely populated places. Having been to countries such as India and South America, we are really blessed to live here.
Revelation Number 9 – I’m ready to do it again. After all we only got to see 26 states. Even though we did a lot I feel like there is so much more to see. We missed much of the Southwest and New England. Then there is Texas and Alaska. Each of those states are so large and have so much to offer. There is so much more to see in so many of the states that we did get to visit. Michigan is a great example. Originally, we were going to pass through but we really enjoyed it up there. The landscape is beautiful in the summertime. Because of our schedule, we didn’t get to spend much time really exploring Wisc and Minn. Being a big history buff, I would also have liked to explore more of the Civil War battlegrounds. We’ll add all this to the list for future trips.
Revelation Number 10 – I really love my wife and she must love me. How else could the two of us have managed spending 54 days living on the road in a small box about one-third the size of a small apartment? Would it have been nice to have had a larger motorhome – sure, but in the big scheme of things, so much of our time was spent seeing the sights and I believe the convenience afforded by our compact motorhome on the road made it all worthwhile. Yes, perhaps we did step on each others toes from time to time – but like I always say, “that’s why the good Lord gives us 10 of them.” We managed just fine.
In conclusion, I hope that this blog has inspired some of you to get up and do “it” – and not just talk about “it” – whatever your “it” happens to be.. I know it’s not easy to be away from home for 2 months – yes we missed our friends and yes we missed out dogs. We were lucky to have found great house sitters (who have now become dear friends) who could help sort through all of our mail and forward it to us on the road so we could manage our bills, finances and all of our rentals. In the end, I won’t let those challenges keep me from doing it all again. I don’t think we are ready to become full timers any time soon, but I suspect you may run into us out there on the road some day in the not to distant future.
Rex & Elisa
Photo 1- We stop overnight near Marina Dunes State Beach just outside of Monterey
Photo 2 & 3 – Monterey Bay near the Wharf. Can you “spot” the seal sunning himself on the rocks?
Photo 4 & 5 – Monterey Cannery Row
Photo 6 & 7 – Solvang
Photo 8 & 9 – Thank you to our wonderful house sitters and friends Joe and Marti for doing such a great job taking care of our place while we were gone. They not only kept the house functioning but they provided love and affection for our 2 dogs.
Photo 10 – Oreo and Bella say “thanks” too. It was sure good to see them again.
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