Yesterday was the completion of an epic 36-day adventure that had me embark on the longest drive of my life at a total of 11,040 miles (17,767 km) across Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Massachusetts, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Over the course of this vacation, I ended up sharing some 63,500 words and 849 photos, though I wouldn’t get caught up until October 21st when the last vacation post was written, and I started this recap.
The highlights and major points along the way were as follows: Caroline at the airport, endless fields of corn, Bocce Club pizza in Buffalo, surprise airshow, Caroline won a huipil, speedboat and boating on the St. Lawrence River, lighthouses, Fort Ticonderoga, Green Mountain Spinnery, lobster rolls, waterways, the seashore, cairns, ferries, friendly Canadians, sunsets, bridges, coffee, rain, roadside fruit and veggies, beachcombing, flying a kite, our pillows, Bay of Fundy, apples, Fritos, sunrise, moss, lichen, islands, fishing villages, trails, Balancing Rock, Kejimkujik National Park, old security guard, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Peggy’s Cove, Damson plums, beef jerky, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, beavers, fens (bogs), soft serve, maple walnut ice cream, waterfalls, rocks, thrombolites, yarn, Tablelands at Gros Morne National Park, caribou, partridgeberries, reflective ponds, the colors of fall, cod tongues and seal meat, causeways, Terra Nova National Park, forest walks, Muskoka chairs, ruffled grouse, butterflies, mushrooms, flowers, foxes, UNESCO Geosites, wild blueberries, fossils, Mistaken Point, oatcakes, Eastern Hyper-Oceanic Barrens, tiny cottages, covered bridges, narrow roads, signs for moose, and more lobster rolls.
After 58 days of traveling and writing, this block of my life dedicated to such an extraordinary experience moves into the past. I’m happy it does, as I’m a bit depleted trying to write anything else describing things encountered in America and Canada. I need a break from all things vacation, so much so that we are canceling a planned Thanksgiving tradition of traveling to Oregon. Now for something completely different.