Popping2tops

Numbers and journals to come later. Trying to unpack is the worst!

Total miles driven: 6,510.00
Total states: 17
Total paid campsites: 9
Total free campsites: 7
Total number of gas fill-ups: 35
Average miles per gallon: 11.05
Total spent on gas: $ 1,552.00
Total spent on food: $ 1,031.00
Total spent on lodging: $ 238.00
Total spent on souvenirs: $ 225.00
Total spent on misc: $ 184.00
Total for trip: $ 3,232.00

I honestly do not know how we spent 1,000 on food when I feel like we barely ate. Granted, brew pubs can get pricey since you'll drop 50 bucks on just the alcohol. And it feels like it's a law to spend money on snacks when you stop for gas even though you have perfectly good snacks in the car!

Things I learned on this trip:
Redd should always bring pants even if he thinks he doesn't need them.

Paula packs too many clothes even when she thinks she's packing minimally.

We didn't use 1/2 of the kitchen things we brought to cook.

We didn't eat 1/2 the cooked food I brought.
We ended up throwing some pork loin and hot dogs.

Ribeyes are always good but are especially good for breakfast.

Our little cherub, our converted cargo trailer, is a liability when overlanding. I was terrified we would break axl or bust a tire on the rough roads. We are going to sell our sweet Cherub and put a camper shell on the truck. This way we can easily access whatever we want.

Chico is not a cold weather camping dog. Poor guy was miserable the whole time.

Baylor hates riding in the car for long periods but resigned himself to it after 3 days. Sad puppy face was seen 99% of the time.

21 days *might* be too long when your boss is freaking out because its busy and you're on vacation. 21 days is not long enough if you want to move slow and enjoy, like Paula wants to do.

Always remember to pack the compact jumpstart battery, the tire inflator and the jumper cables.

The journey is as important as the destination. Enjoy the scenery. Take it all in. The skies of the high desert and prairies are so gorgeous, that blue is breathtaking. The snow on the conifers are beautiful. Fog rolling in with the sunset behind it in the ocean is not something I'll get to see every day. Redwood trees are God's masterpiece. He put them there to remind us that we are children.

I am so thankful we took this trip. I feel we are closer as a couple than ever. Camping really draws you together because it takes everyone pulling together to make camp work. Looking forward to summer 2020!Read more