ps. The Wrap-Up

During our trip I kept a small spiral-bound notebook handy to jot down notes, menu orders, address or anything else that popped into my mind that needed remembering. Just for fun, and to record things for the sake of my reading pleasure later, here are some bits of wisdom, tidbits, lists and random factoids...just because.

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While waiting our turn to get into the Sequoia Nat'l Park, I had a whole thought tangent on life. I know...strange.

Rarely are you first in line. There will always be someone earlier or better than you. There will always be more talented than you, as well. But, don't despair, you will always be better than someone else simultaneously.

Perhaps you can persist long enough to be first.

***

I love lighthouses. I'm not quite sure why, however. It's like 'really liking' very large trees and the tiniest of rocks. Go figure. I'm happy to say that we got to see many lighthouses on this trip that I hadn't seen or visited before...

• Coquille River Lighthouse - Brandon, Oregon
• Cape Blanco LH - Port Orford, Oregon
• Pelican Bay LH - Brookings, Oregon
• Battery Point LH - Crescent City, California
• Table Bluff LH - Humboldt Bay, California
• Point Cabrillo LH - Mendocino, California
• Point Arena LH - Pt. Arena, California
• Point Reyes LH - Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore, California
• Pigeon Point LH - Pescadero
• Alcatraz LH - San Fransisco, California

***

"Perfect is relative."

~me, upon reflection of the 'perfect' hotel room

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Can't remember now where I saw this little gem, but I really liked it...enough to scribble it down:

Too many people overvalue what they are not
and undervalue what they are.
~Malcolm S. Forbes

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A standard Starbuck's order...can you guess which drink belongs to which traveler?

2 grande soy lattes, one hot, one iced, with two pumps Classic
1 caramel frappe
1 strawberries & cream frappe
1 double chocolate frappe
1 mocha frappe

***

Stats:
Lowest temp: 33*
Highest temp: 107*
Distance traveled: 8,975 miles
States: 18
Oil change: 1
Times eating at Subway: !! At least 10, I'm sure!

***

Man is of soul and body formed
for deeds of high resolve.

~University of Wyoming Athletic Department

***

Just for fun, a list of all the sights we had the pleasure of experiencing: (not in any order)

• Yosemite Nat'l Park
• The Presidio
• Bus tour of San Francisco
• San Antonio River Walk
• Memphis' Mud Island
• Memphis Zoo
  
• City Museum, St. Louis
• Westward Expansion Museum @ the Arch
• Giant van Gogh in Goodland
• Railroad Depot Museum, Limon KS
• Golden Spike Historical Site
• Rocket Display, Utah
• Casa Grande Nat'l Monument
• San Xavier Mission
• Flaming Gorge Natural Area
• Big Thompson River in Colorado
• 13 lighthouses
  
• Main Street of Kansas (I-70)
• SteinMart in Mobile
• Looked for oil 'balls' in Gulfport
  
• Jefferson Davis House
• Worked out @ Curves in Lucedale
  
• Vicksburg Nat'l Military Park
• USS Cairo Ironclad
  
• Gulf Shores to the Florida Coast
• Fort Morgan
• Cottage Plantation
• RoseDown Plantation
• Atchafalaya Swamp
• The Alamo
• All the Cemeteries in San Antonio
• Buc-ee's
  
• Little America
• Florence Sand Dunes
  
• Fort Lancaster, Texas
  
• Fort Bridger, Wyoming
• Enjoyed yoga in Utah
  
• Glimpsed Mexico from across the border
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Sequoia National Park
• King's Canyon National Park
• Hearst Castle
• Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
• Ghirardelli Square
• Santa Cruz, California
• Actually drove Highway 1 (!!)
• Golden Gate Park (GGP)
• GGP Conservatory of Flowers
• GGP Academy of Sciences
• LucasFilm Digital Arts & the Yoda statue
• Hiked the Redwoods
• Snapped pics of the Rocky Mountains
  
• Shopped Cannon Beach
• Stacked rocks at Neptune Beach, Oregon
  
• Ate at Mo's
• stopped at too many waysides to count
• Maritime Museum in Astoria
• Tillamook Cheese Factory
• Chukkar Cherries in Prosser
• In-n-Out Burger in Victorville, CA
• Found 14 letterboxes
• Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center
• Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite
• Saw three types of desert: Sonora, Colorado & Mojave
  

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Movies watched:

• The (new) Incredible Hulk (which was mockingly funny)
  
• Avatar (which we actually enjoyed - beautiful!)
  
• The Blind Side (some of us liked, some not so much)

No, we didn't watch any Star Wars while on vacation -
I know...shocking!

***

It was a long trip, but not long enough.

Yeah, we ended up losing some pics...don't ask me how.

Yes, we all still like each other!

Would we do it again? Hell yeah!

Thanks for coming along for the ride...and what a ride it was!