Dates: May 1- July 25
Distance Traveled: 14,240 miles
*12,328 miles on the Superfeet Van
*1,912 miles on our own car
***Our friend Alexis put together this REALLY AWESOME video of the Superfeet van. Check it out on our YouTube channel. Gracias Alexis!***
Longest Drive: 922 miles on 7/23/17 from Moorehead, MN to Denver, CO
Number of Days: 116 days
*roughly 100 days in the van
States Driven Through: 31
Presentations: 31
*Favorite Presentation: Hopkinton Town Library in New Hampshire, mostly because we knew more than half the audience and hadn’t seen some of these people in several years! In fact, there were only 9 events where we didn’t know at least 1 person in the audience. And of the gear companies that sponsored the tour, all but 2 companies had representatives come out to watch.
Friends Visited: Approximately 140+
I certainly DID NOT get a picture of everyone we stayed with and everyone we visited/stayed with. But I sure did try. And even if we didn't see YOU on this trip, I'm sure we'll get you on another trip. Or another trip. Or another trip.
Miles Hiked: 150.2 miles (each)
*Favorite Day Hike: Chaos Crags in Lassen Volcanic National Park
*Favorite Backpacking Trip: Channel Islands National Park from one end of the island to the other (Prisoners Cove to Scorpion Cove)
High Points Attempted: 4
High Points Achieved: 3.5
National Parks: 11 (9 were ones we hadn't been to before)
*Favorite NP from this trip: Channel Islands NP
National Monuments: 2
Most expensive diesel gas price paid: $3.09/gallon
Number of times the gas warning light went on: 4 nerve-wracking times
Number of breakdowns/flat tires/speeding tickets/accidents: ZERO
Nights sleeping inside/outside friends’ or families’ houses (we sometimes slept in the van in someone's driveway): 36
Simply put, this tour would not have been what it was without our friends and families opening their homes. Thank you for all of your modern conveniences, comfy beds, flushing/non-public toilets, full-pressure hot showers, fresh towels, non-coin operated washing machines, full-size sink, dishwasher, unlimited electricity, unlimited Internet ... I feel like I am forgetting something ... oh, companionship!!!
Nights sleeping in the van at rest areas: 12
*Best kept secret: The wayside on Route 6 along the Wilson River between Portland and Tillamook in Oregon
Nights sleeping in a Walmart parking lot: 10
*Best Walmart on this trip: Houghton, MI. We found quite a few Walmarts this trip that were tucked back and off the main road, including this one. We also found a bunch of Walmarts that apparently DO NOT allow overnight parking and can make for an unpleasant 2AM wakeup call (SLC, I'm looking at you).
Nights sleeping in an RV Park/Campground: 5
*Best Campground: Wheeler Peak Campground in Great Basin National Park
Nights sleeping at a trailhead in van: 3
*Best trailhead campsite: Ross Dam Trail in North Cascades NP (this was actually our very first night in the van!)
Nights in our tent: 6
*Best backcountry campsite: Del Norte Backcountry Campground in Channel Islands
Nights in a hotel/rental condo/cabin/B&B: 16
*Best paid accommodation: Government Camp condo we rented with Bobby & Tammy for Mt. Hood climbing in Oregon
Wildlife Spottings:
Bear, Whales, Moose, Bald Eagles, Owls
Radio, iTunes Library, Podcasts or Books on Tape?
For this trip, we actually listened to the radio a lot. We only remembered to bring one of our iPods with us until we had the other 2 sent to us. Plus, often we were relying on my phone for navigation, especially on the shorter trips, so radio made the most sense.
Card Game of Choice: Sushi Go
Concerts: 3 (U2, Dead & Company, Redwings Roots Festival)
Theater shows: Beatles Love in Vegas
Favorite Road Snack: Hummus (particularly carmelized onion flavor) and tortilla chips/cucumbers
Favorite Fast Food: Chick-fil-A
*Unfortunately, we ate more Chick-fil-A this summer than I'd like to admit. It was highly convenient that it’s open until 10pm because we almost always finished cleaning up from presentations and packing the car by 9:01pm when most other fast food establishments were closed for the night!
Labels: Indoor Recreation, Outdoor Recreation, Road Trips, Speaking Events, Van Life
