Some stats and stuff

Well, I got caught up in post-road-tripping-life, and forgot to write this last post! I thought some of you would like to see some interesting trip stats and consequences of taking such a trip! So here goes, short and sweet:

Days on the road: 54
Miles driven: 10,051 (this includes the false start day)
Gallons of gas used: 572.388
Amount spent on gas: $2,229.01

Average camping price: $28.28/night
Average food budget: ~$8/day (~$3/day of which was ice cream... I really like ice cream)

Number of National Parks/Monuments visited: 18 (Florissant Fossil Beds, Dinosaur, Fossil Butte, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Craters of the Moon, John Day Fossil Beds, Crater Lake, Redwoods, San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde)
Number of states driven through: 18 (NC, SC, VA, WV, TN, KY, IN, IL, MO, KS, CO, WY, ID, OR, CA, NV, AZ, UT)

Car-related stats:
Number of oil changes: 2 (I ran long on the last one)
Number of car washes: 2
Number of times in the shop: 2 (both brakes-related - once in Yellowstone for a check-up and once in Boise for actual work)
Number of break-downs: 0 (after false start with failing fuel pump and electrical issues, of course)
Number of times overheated: 0
Number of parts purchased on the road: 2 (fuel pump on day 1, fan shroud for radiator in Boise)
Parts destroyed/removed on the road:
     - 1 fuel pump (destroyed) - $50
     - 1 rear sway bar (removed to avoid crushing fuel line)
     - 1 fuel line (crushed but not totally destroyed; still not fixed with no apparent consequences) - $25
     - 1 wheel center cap (lost somewhere on Route 66 between Williams, AZ and Flagstaff, AZ, which I am not even mad about) - $35
     - 1 rubber vent hose (destroyed when curb hopping) - $3
Number of pictures taken of Jane (by me): hundreds
Number of pictures taken of Jane (by everyone else): thousands

The car-related stats demonstrate very impressively that it is, in fact, totally possible to road trip a vintage car without constantly being held up by vehicle issues. My biggest consistent problem with this car during the trip was the crankcase pressure issue, which caused oil loss and not really much else. For the record, the parts on order to fix the problem are as follows: PCV valve ($3) and breather cap ($20).

Actually, my biggest consistent problem (not really a problem) with this car was my inability to get anywhere in any kind of a reasonable time! I wish I had recorded the number of people who stopped to talk cars with me. And I wish that I had had business cards made or something with my blog info on it to give to people who wanted to see more of our adventures! Next time, I suppose. Anyways, on to a non-stats section!

Favorites:
Favorite National Park: Toss-up between Yellowstone and Zion
Favorite hike: Angels Landing, Zion National Park, UT
Favorite drive: Avenue of the Giants, CA
Favorite restaurant meal: Bison Burgundy, Signal Lodge, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Favorite ice cream/location: Toss-up between Magnum Triple Chocolate ice cream bar at Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, CA and Dreyer's Chocolate ice cream at Grand Canyon South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Favorite campground: Mather Campground, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Favorite hotel: Excalibur, Las Vegas, NV
Favorite non-hiking activity: Monument Valley Tour through Navajo Spirit Tours
Favorite Mustang-related comment (aimed at me): "Look mom! It's the cool Mustang people!"
Favorite Mustang-related comment (aimed at Jane): something shouted in German by the tourists at the Grand Canyon (unknown what was actually being said but they were very excited)
Favorite Mustang-related absurd situation: Jumping an Australian biker gang's very large support truck
Favorite Mustang-related activity: NorCal VMFer cruise in the Bay Area, CA
Favorite picture of Jane: 

Yes, even with my shadow in it.

Favorite picture over Jane's hood;

I strongly considered doing a highlights section, but when I tried to compile a list I found that pretty much the whole trip was a highlight. Sure, some days were more boring than others, but every day was awesome. I got to spend quality time with my parents, even more quality time with myself (and Jane), and met a lot of really great people. I hiked dozens if not hundreds of miles and there was not a single hike I would not have done. And the driving, the landscapes, everything. Just spectacular! So consider this entire blog to be a highlights reel.

With that, I think I'll conclude this post and thus wrap up the "Great Road Trip of 2014"! Further entries to this blog will be other road trips and fun adventures we have.

Kelly signing out... for now!