Thither & Yon

• Days on the road: 40
• States properly visited: 7 (Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana)
• Miles driven: 5,997
• National Parks visited: 8 (Grand Teton, Lassen, Redwood, Crater Lake, Olympic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Glacier)
• Other National Park sites visited: 7 (Agate Fossil Beds NM, Scott’s Bluff NM, Oregon Trail NHT, Fossil Buttes NM, Craters of the Moon NM, Lava Beds NM, Mt. St. Helens NVM)
• Miles hiked: 232.31
• Cumulative feet of elevation gained: 43,469 (To put this in perspective against my favorite mountain obsession: the climb from Everest basecamp to the summit is only 13,700 feet. It’s like we climbed Everest more than three times! Our air remained a lot more breathable than it would have in the Himalayas, though. Fewer crevasses to fall into as well.)
• Peaks summited: 5ish (“peak” is a bit of a loose term here: The Watchman, Lassen Peak, Cinder Cone, Garfield Peak, Mt. St. Helens)
• Lava Caves explored: 15
• Named Volcanos climbed up or peered into: 9ish (Echo, Sentinel, Watchman, Mammoth, Lassen Peak, Cinder Cone, Klamath [Crater Lake], Mt. St. Helens, Mount Rainier)
• Glaciers collected: 4 (Schoolroom, Inter, Grinnell, Sperry)
• Blisters suffered: None!
• Nights camped: 15
• Meals consumed out of pouches: 14 (26 if you count all the ziplock baggies of slimy instant oatmeal I self-assembled)
• Jars of peanut butter gone through: 3.5
• Quarts of ice cream consumed: 2
• Quarters put into laundry machines: 36
• Rocks collected: 9 (Please note that it is ILLEGAL and VERY BAD FORM to collect rocks on National Park Service properties. DON’T DO IT. My rocks were collected from Forest Service and BLM lands and highway cutbanks.)
• Huckleberries picked and eaten: 43 dozen? (1 sandwich baggy full)
• Books read: 11 (see below)
• Postcards mailed: 52
• Family members visited: 0
• Friends visited: 6 (Hello and thanks again, Debbie, Steve, Wade, Jenna, Ryan, and Rachel!!)
• Coronaviruses contracted: NONE, haha!

BOOKS READ (audiobooks “read” while we drove between sites – ratings are only Laura’s)

The Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells (4/5 stars)

Dracula, by Bram Stoker (4/5 stars)

Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell (4/5 stars)

Breath, by James Nestor (5/5 stars)

The Code of the Woosters, by P.G. Wodehouse (4/5 stars)

Call of the Wild, by Jack London (3/5 stars)

Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne (4/5 stars)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey (4/5 stars)

Practical Demonkeeping, by Christopher Moore (3/5 stars)

Tales of Horror, by H.P. Lovecraft (3/5 stars)

The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu (4/5 stars)