12,500 Miles... actually, 12,494 miles from start to finish on this trip. The mapping software calculated about 8,400 place to place mileage and I estimated that we would drive an additional 2,000 miles getting to some of the places we wanted to visit. My estimate was only off by 2,000 miles. There were a number of factors involved in the greater travel requirements including the commute to New Orleans from the other side of Lake Pontchartrain, the closure of the short route from Mariposa, CA to Yosemite National Park, as well as some trips that we made that we had not considered in advance. The fuel costs were half of our total expense for the trip. Our average cost per gallon was $3.00, with a range of prices from $2.49 to $3.59. This is still a lower cost than last year's trip to Alaska (Canadian fuel prices are higher than the US).

As we drove home on Monday, Susie and I were trying to identify the highs and lows of the trip. We are hard pressed to say what the high points were... there were many of them. Actually, we both seem to have a slightly different set of favorites. There were no real lows, rather there were places that didn't quite live up to expectations. Perhaps our expectations were unrealistic. One of the things we both agree on is that we can't complain about the weather, We only had a few rainy days and they did not interfere with our plans. We both liked the four National Parks we visited in Utah. Susie's favorite was Bryce Canyon and mine was Canyonlands. Susie has yet to forgive me for taking her down the twisting four wheel drive trail into Shafer Canyon. I think that if I ever suggest another drop into a canyon like that, she may drop me off the edge (she is not kidding). Even though the temperature reached 116 degrees, Susie liked Valley of Fire State Park, northeast of Las Vegas. The wedding of Chela Gray to Wes Grant was definitely a highlight. It was a nice ceremony in a beautiful setting. More importantly, we were made to feel like members of both families.

We spent one day short of eight weeks on the road and had some very long driving days, particularly on the way home. This trip covered some areas we had seen before, some that I had been to and Susie had not and some that were new to both of us. The only thing I can say is that this country sure is fascinating and that I'm glad we can take advantage of our retirement to see it. There is a still a lot more of this country to see and we hope to continue these summer journeys long into the future. Perhaps next year we will take a trip that requires less driving and will give us a bit more time to just relax.