13 weeks and 2 days in the USA

What an unforgettable 13 weeks we’ve had visiting the USA. We spent the last couple of days thinking about the highlights and making lists of our favourite things. It’s wonderful to be returning to Canada, but also sad that our trip is getting closer and closer to the end.

There are some common stereotypes about Canadians being polite and Americans being rude and obnoxious. We have no evidence of this. We admit that our sample size isn’t that big, and that it may not be representative of the general population (not everyone hangs out in national and state parks, for example). So, here are some things we have noticed about Americans. First, they are more open in their friendliness than Canadians. People all across the country were happy to strike up a conversation, offer advice, or just share a smile. Maybe it’s part of campground culture? It wasn’t only in campgrounds, though. Everywhere we went, people were kind and helpful. The places we visited were clean and well cared for. People were eager to tell us about their lives and what it is like to live in their city or state. Certainly, one bad experience can taint one’s general opinion of a place (we only have to recall the time our camera was stolen in Poland) and perhaps we were lucky not to have had any negative experiences during this trip. Initially we were concerned that we wouldn’t feel at home here, but we have felt at home. As ‘at home’ as one can feel in a tent, at least.  

Our accommodations:

93 nights spend in 14 states

67 nights in a tent (the other nights spent in cabins, a yurt, a hobbit house, a treehouse, hotels, a home, and an earthship)

We have camped in 6 national parks and 18 state parks.

Weather:
Highest outside car temperature according to the car: 41C
Lowest outside car temperature according to the car: -5C
Days of rain: only 5!!!!! (Most lately...we are SO lucky.)

Car facts:

~19 000 km driven

1 oil change in California

1 back brake job in Florida

Animals seen on our own actual campsites (or in/beside our accommodation):

Deer, elk, squirrels, chipmunks, slugs, LOTS of birds, lizards, a cat, 2 dogs, bunnies, a wild turkey, and a wild burro.

Other animals seen in the wild:

Hummingbird (and so many other kinds of birds), blood worms, Cochina clams, black bear mom and cub, marmots, jellyfish, dolphins, bats, a big hairy spider, a scorpion, 2 rattlesnakes, butterflies and moths, a seal, toads, ravens, lots of types of fish, turtles, a fox, some garter snakes, pelicans, alligators, manatees, an otter munching on a fish.

Miscellaneous purchases:

1 hatchet, 1 tarp, 7 tent pegs, 2 small heaters, 2 travel pillows, 1 sleeping mat, 1 camping chair, 1 can of tent waterproofing spray, 1 crappy barbecue lighter, 17 loads of laundry (we did laundry 10 times...much less often than we would have done it at home)

Activities:

We (or at least some of us) swam twice in lakes, 3x in the ocean, 6x in a pool, once at the hot springs, and once with the manatees.

We have had 32+/-2 campfires.

We have visited 19 National Parks and Monuments.

We have visited 14 beaches.

Gifts from friends and strangers. There are probably more.:

From cousins Justin and Joyce: 1 tarp, a wonderful dinner out in Ellijay, warm beds that were much needed and a few miscellaneous gifts...has anyone else noticed that Justin likes to give things away?!? :)

From cousins Tara and Paula: beer and chocolate for the train, fast passes for rides, and lots of great insider information on making our stay at Universal amazing

From Michelle and Charlie (from NM): a cool sticker for our roof box

From an Oklahoman man at a rest stop: a rose rock

From our neighbours at Cloudland Canyon: fat wood (look it up)

From neighbours in Galveston Island State Park: firestarter

From a neighbour at Fruita whose dog barked at Rick: 4 chocolate chip cookies on a paper plate that had a portrait of the apologetic dog drawn on it

From neighbours at Montana de Oro: campfire hospitality

Some of our best camping meals:

Mexican salad, especially the first time in Georgia.

Steak and pasta feast the night before the Grand Canyon trip.

Tuna pasta surprise; not especially yummy but it felt like it saved our lives on a cold night in Cloudland Canyon

Hamburgers in the dark at Lake Pleasant after a hot afternoon of rock climbing, burros braying in the background.

Greek chicken foil packets AND spaghetti carbonara at Dead Horse Point...similar to Cloudland Canyon, we were cold and these meals warmed us up!

Some of our best non-camping meals:

Hamburgers and milkshakes in Jerome after the Grand Canyon adventure.

Fish tacos at Ocean Beach.

Savannah food tour...everything!

Mexican food in San Antonio.

Fresh eggs for breakfast, straight from the chickens at Forest Gully Farm, with foraged onion.
Pizza one night and fish tacos the next at our amazing B&B in Seattle.

In New Orleans, the coffee and beignets from Cafe du Monde, as well as dinner at Evangeline’s (crawfish and grits, jambalaya, and alligator/shrimp po boys). 

There isn’t too much else to say. We are happy to be going home, but so thankful for such a wonderful adventure in the USA. There are lots of places we have promised to return to so that we can explore things that we didn’t get a chance to see this time around.