To start, check out a map of the trip. It all came and went very quickly, but this helps to remind me of how many places I went and saw:
Now, let's sum the trip up in numbers.
1: number of road trips
1: number of jobs lost
1: number of jobs gained
1: number of giant, bloody elk carcasses in my lane while going 80 mph
2: number of times I was nearly killed by a truck
3: number of giant truck tires in the middle of my lane while going 80 mph
3: number of times I was rained on while camping
4: number of nights in a hotel
6: total number of near deaths on the road
16: number of dojo visited
17: number of nights spent camping
18: number of homes that were generously opened up to me
20: number of pounds lost
20: number of pounds gained back
32: approximate gas mileage for the duration of the trip
57: number of destinations along the way
1,800: approximate number of dollars spent on gas
20,000: approximate number of miles driven
Craziness. Finally, let's sum this thing up with a few words.
First of all, I was struck by the incredible generosity and hospitality I encountered along the way. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with open arms, an open door, and a wide-open refrigerator. This was from family and old friends, and also from people whom I had never met before. My everlasting thanks go out to all of them; I now expect a steady stream of house crashers as payback.
Next, I can say a whole lot about how I discovered myself on the road, and how this changed my life, and gave me a new perspective, and blah blah blah. All of that did happen to some degree, but none of you guys really want to hear me blab on about it. Instead, I'll just say that experience is the best teacher, and I'll close this blog the way I started it. Happy travels!
1: number of road trips
1: number of jobs lost
1: number of jobs gained
1: number of giant, bloody elk carcasses in my lane while going 80 mph
2: number of times I was nearly killed by a truck
3: number of giant truck tires in the middle of my lane while going 80 mph
3: number of times I was rained on while camping
4: number of nights in a hotel
6: total number of near deaths on the road
16: number of dojo visited
17: number of nights spent camping
18: number of homes that were generously opened up to me
20: number of pounds lost
20: number of pounds gained back
32: approximate gas mileage for the duration of the trip
57: number of destinations along the way
1,800: approximate number of dollars spent on gas
20,000: approximate number of miles driven
Craziness. Finally, let's sum this thing up with a few words.
First of all, I was struck by the incredible generosity and hospitality I encountered along the way. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with open arms, an open door, and a wide-open refrigerator. This was from family and old friends, and also from people whom I had never met before. My everlasting thanks go out to all of them; I now expect a steady stream of house crashers as payback.
Next, I can say a whole lot about how I discovered myself on the road, and how this changed my life, and gave me a new perspective, and blah blah blah. All of that did happen to some degree, but none of you guys really want to hear me blab on about it. Instead, I'll just say that experience is the best teacher, and I'll close this blog the way I started it. Happy travels!
