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Published: April 3rd 2010
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Friday, April 2 is our last day on the road, speaking of which, we’re on the last chapter of our audio book, On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Our last night’s camp was on Cheaha Mountain, Alabama’s highest peak at 2,407 ft. Yesterday, we left the white sands of the Gulf of Mexico along the Florida panhandle, Greyton Beach State Park. Lady Luck was with us, after several tries we found a campsite. It’s a busy time for those beaches around Easter time. We spent 2 days, and had a great bike ride along a piney forest trail. It had been intentionally burned sometime within the past year so all of the new growth was really new & green in contrast to the darkness of the forest floor. Beautiful fern glades were unfolding their fiddleheads.
I have mixed emotions about going home, knowing there will be a ton of work waiting for us when we get there. Oh well, the gypsy life has it’s drawbacks too! Steve did a little tallying this morning: of the 85 days we’ve been away, 12 were spent with friends, 30 in hotels or hostels, and 43 camping. The distance comes to about 9,670 miles!
Our van did great. Although we traveled our fair share of interstate highways, we liked the alternate routes better. That’s how we got to see the true Americana, plus the back roads have less traffic and fewer big trucks.
As our trip was coming to an end, we started reminiscing about our adventure:
Best Hikes -
Steve’s - High Peaks Trail in Pinnicles National Monument, CA, Smuggler’s Cove Hike on Santa Cruz Island Channel Islands Nat. Pk.
Katie’s - Echo Canyon in Chiricahua Nat. Monument, Lost Mine Tr in Big Bend
Best sign - LITTERING IS unlAWFULL
Runner up - Loose Cattle
Best electronic devices - our laptop, digital camera, & Magellan, which is our GPS unit (nicknamed Madge)
Best camp meals - Portobello burgers, veggie chili, veggie sausage & pasta, oriental soup
Most awesome adventure - boating with whales!
Best Brewery - Island Brewery in Carpenteria, CA
Best Bar- d.b.a. in New Orleans
Most valuable clothing -
Katie’s cashmere sweater (worn almost every day!), it wasn’t scratchy over short sleeves
Steve’s warm hat (bought at Diamond Brand right before we left)
Best Tools - Steve’s Swiss army knife, Emily’s
Coleman stove, Camp Kitchen organizer
Memorable Hostels - Blue Moon Saloon & Guest House in Lafayette LA, Roadrunner Hostel in Tucson AZ, Gila Wilderness Lodge in Gila NM (hybrid), Hotel 500 in San Diego CA
Memorable Hotels - Hotel Paisano in Marfa TX, Prisidio Hotel in Santa Barbara CA, Howard Johnsons in Yuma AZ, and the Hotel Provincial in New Orleans.
Best Scenic Drive - Mexico #1 in Baja MX
Best camping - Agua Caliente St. Pk. in CA, Davis Mtn St. Pk. in TX, Porrero County Pk. CA, Kartchner Caverns AZ, Pinnicles Nat. Mon. CA, Chiricahua Nat. Mon. AZ, Big Bend Nat. Pk. TX
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patti stark
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great trip
i enjoyed your blog - what a wonderful trip - the van looks like a good travel companion - thanks for sharing - there's no place like home!