I wanted to sum up some of our thoughts and experiences with
this final blog and perhaps provide you with an interest perspective. So here
goes:
Our journey started on November 19th, 2012 and
ended yesterday April 9th, 2013 making it 142 days on the road. You
would think the time would seem long but it went quite fast for us. During
which we camped at 27 campgrounds some memorable and a couple we would rather
not remember but over all we had good luck with our selections. During this
period we traveled through 12 States, had two quick visits to Mexico and of
course Ontario. Eight of the States we traveled through twice in different regions
and saw a good cross section of their topography. We tried to keep ourselves
busy at each stop by visiting the local attractions including tourist traps
(you just have to do that).
The total trip put 7,220 miles (11,620 km.) on the coach along
with two catalytic converters sensors and a bull’s eye chip on the windshield.
Not to mention lots of dirt from across the country. The Wing accumulated 4,430 miles (7,130 km.) and we were glad
we took it rather than the Ural as it could keep up with the traffic on the
freeways.
Overall the weather was not disappointing; we had two
incidents where we had contact with snow. Once in Phoenix, where it hasn’t snowed
for over 10 years and again while driving the higher elevations in Nevada getting
over to Las Vegas. (We can always say we were in Phoenix the year it snowed).
There were a few days of rain while traveling but if we were stationary we made
good use of the time by doing coach cleaning, computer duties and of course
just relaxing.
The main highlights (not in order).
- the great people we met at Mercedes, Texas (American and
Canadian)
- Happy Hour and dances
- picking our own fruit for juice
- the fantastic scenery (too many to list)
- the great riding roads (especially Hill Country in Texas)
- the tram ride in California
- San Padre Island
- camping just a few feet from The Mighty Mississippi
- The Peabody Ducks
General comments
- California was expensive
- southern Texas was very cheap
- Louisiana was interesting
- Texans were very friendly
- we met a lot of nice people throughout our travels
- the Texan high desert had strong winds
- Cathy and I didn’t see a live Armadillo (wanted to - only
saw a dead one on side of road)
- the desert areas of Arizona and Texas were interesting at
first but after several days of exposure it
almost became
depressing
- I was on allergy pills for most of the trip
- San Antonio is a great City to visit (river walk)
- don’t want to drive through Dallas again
- Michigan had the worst roads
- found the journey was quite educational
- seeing all the different animals in Texas was surprising (like being on Safari )
In closing we want to put out a large “Thank-you” to our
fantastic neighbours Marlene/Vic and Julie/Dave for attending to our mail, snow
clearing, plant watering and general house sitting. We know it was a rough
winter for snow and a lot of work. Wayne’s assistance with keeping all our toy
batteries charged is also greatly appreciated. Without them, this trip could
not have been possible.
This, our final blog, is number 138 and up to now it has had
4025 viewings, some from Germany,
Russia, Georgia, United Kingdom, Ukraine, U.S. and of course
Canada. (Very surprising)
Thanks for watching our blog, hope it wasn’t too boring. It
was primarily done so our families could keep track of us. It was a great trip
- but it is always nice to get home!
Cathy and Larry
