Statistical Analysis of the Radniecki 2009 Road Trip

I thought it would be fitting to honor the amazing road trip that came to an end yesterday with a heartfelt and thankful post. First, here is a map of our route. The red route marks the trip we took when we drove from CA to MN in October, after Matt finished with the Marine Corps. We make the trip as quickly as possible with minimal stopping, so while it consisted of a lot of driving, it wasn't part of our ROAD TRIP. But, then there's the blue line. That blue line represents the route that we took starting October 21, ending Dec 2nd. What a wild and crazy 6 weeks it was.


Here's a recap:

Cross Country Road Trip 2009 Statistics

*Days gone – 40.
*States covered – 18.
*Miles driven – 8,000+.
*Miles Matt drove – 7000+
*Miles Laura drove – 1000 [minus].
*Motels – 20+
*Motels with boogers on the walls – 2.
*Fast food meals – 1,000,000 [maybe more, it felt like].
*Times pulled over by cops – 1.
*Life-flashes-before-your-eyes nearly accidents – 1.
*Laundry done – 3 times.
*National Parks/Monuments visited – 8.
*Animals seen [wild or captive] – Deer, antelope, bison, prairie dogs, cows, goats, sheep, manatees, alligators, racoons, vultures, egrets, herons, 100+ other kids of birds I don’t know the name of...
*Animals seen as road kill – Much too many. Sadly.
*Swamp tours – 1.
*Photos taken – 3,000+.
*Fights in the car followed by long, awkward stretches of silence – 5+.
*Christmas decorations put up in the car – 3.
*Marine Corps friends visited – 2.
*Minnesota family/friends visited – 2.
*Fresh Grapefruit [picked from the tree in the Gengler’s front yard] eaten in FL – 8+.
*Christmas shopping done along the way – Lots.
*Appreciation gained for the beauty of America – endless.
*Time we’d like to go on another cross country tour of America – ASAP.

We feel truly blessed to have been given the time and opportunity to take a trip of this magnitude. Thanks to everyone who followed us along the way; we hope you were able to experience some of America's beauty along with us. Maybe you got a few chuckles along the way too. :) There's so much more of America to explore, and my prayers are that we have the chance to see more, and that when the chance proves itself, that we take it.

Until the next adventure, God bless you all.

Laura & Matt.