Trip Stats

Starting Mileage: 43,240
Ending Mileage:  61,054
Total Miles Driven:  17,814

Gallons of Gas:  744.7
Total $ Spent on Gas: $2,601.32
Highest Gas Price:  $4.79 Seattle 7/9/23
Lowest Gas Price:  $2.87 Woodbridge 12/11/23
Average Miles Per Gallon:  26.4

Number of States Visited: 37
Previous Travels: 6
Total States Ever Visited: 43
States I have not visited yet! Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia

Shortest Stay:  1 night
Longest Stay:  96 nights

Youngest age: less than 24 hours
Eldest: 94 years young!

Weather: Rain, hail, heat 102, snow, flood warnings, tornado warnings

Journal in hard copy: 223 pages!

Trip Reflections

5/2/24 It has been over a month since returning home and I still haven’t stopped long enough to write my “overall” trip reflections! It kind of seems like a daunting task so…I procrastinate…today I decided I just NEED TO START! So here goes with random thoughts of my 9 month cross country adventure!

- First, there is NOTHING I would change in the roads I drove or the time spent with friends and family! To me every stop, every connection, every sight was amazing!

- I was aware of the Lord’s protection from the start of the trip with a portion of Highway 2 washing out the day after I drove it, to 10 minutes before arriving at my doorstep 9 months later as I approached the rise of the West Seattle seeing brake lights and anticipating there was an accident ahead, only to experience the sun at the correct angle to be totally blinding…I absolutely could not see anything in front of my bumper! I decided if I stopped I would certainly be rear ended, so continued to crawl forward hoping I wouldn’t rear end someone else! So very aware of God’s protection!

-Grateful for extensive concentrated time of prayer while driving 5-7 hours to my next destination. Praying for those I had just left and the heartfelt concerns shared, then praying for my family, friends and church at home, and finally praying for the Lord’s blessing on intentional conversation and sharing at my next stop! It was an incredible experience to pray myself across the country.

-Thankful for the 22 home stays from 1 night up to 3 months…intentionally connecting sharing joys, hardships, blessings, grief…just honest conversations.  Through 41 states, Connecting with 77 adult family and friends, 46 child (as young as 1-2 days old!), Staying in 47 homes! That is amazing and overwhelming! Truly a blessing!

- Connecting with those that had been in my youth group that have young families, actively continuing to grow in their faith and taking leadership roles in their church. Connecting with childhood friends, new friends of the last couple of years and those that became friends meeting them for the first time, cousins as well as their children and their grands. College classmates and their families…each connection unique and oh so special!

- The blessing of new experiences of driving various 4 wheelers (5 very different styles), tractors and mowers; riding in a combine during harvest, supporting young mom’s with newborns. Learning to quilt from my 94 year old aunt and then the joy of quilting together! Watching a field of beans “roll like waves in the sea”. Checking cattle watering tanks. Driving by more farms than I could ever count, over multiple mountain passes, twisting and turning with rivers through canyons. Walking through botanical gardens, down a Florida pier, part of the Appalachian Trail (maybe 50 feet!), country roads, Zion National Park trails, beaches, or walking through the Kohler museum of toilets! 

- Just reading through some of my Blog memories! So glad I have it to help remember specifics! It’s a book! Still need to figure out how to download it with pictures! That’s a project for another day! Even just “reading” my Blog from beginning to end will take me a couple of days!

Thank you for joining me on my retirement adventure of a lifetime! But it doesn’t require driving around the country to experience adventure! Seriously I love that everyday is an adventure when I start it with my Lord and Savior…whether on the road or at home!

Next mini road trip adventure to the Midwest June 15-August 15!

Finally concluding this post May 10, 2024!

Over the last 5 days I have spent nearly 20 hours converting my KrossKountryWithKarol Blogspot journal to a separate digital format in MS Publisher for my easy reading and remembering in future years!

 

March 30 - Seattle

It took me 3-4 months to pack for my trip. It took me 10 minutes to unload everything out of my car but will take days to get it all put away! Only hoping it doesn’t take months to put it all away! First day back included grocery shopping, to the beach for a quick picture of the magnificent Olympic Mountains, a little yard work (pruned rose bushes and most the raspberry bushes), swept the driveway, sort thru mail, pay bills, put away Christmas decorations, and visit my very dear friend Carreen recovering from a broken hip. I ended the evening spending sometime on the beach at 8661 watching the sunset! 

And tomorrow look forward to celebrating the Lord’s resurrection!

March 29 - Seattle here we come!

Kristie and I ate breakfast and worked on mapping the route home. We found it was only 11 1/2 hours driving north on I15 to I84 to I90 all 4 lane highways. I decided let’s do this! More beautiful landscape that changed by the hour! We stopped every 2 1/2 to 3 hours for gas, potty break and one stop included a stop at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard! Upon recommendation from Lori we pulled off the highway to drive into Twin Falls Idaho to see the bridge and gorge. See notes below with pictures!

My last day of 9 months of driving cross country on mostly 2 lane roads, intentionally connecting with family and friends, praying for each and everyone. Priceless connections! Receiving countless blessings everyday! 

Lori Daacke Porter, Ogden Utah

Snake River

Twin Falls Idaho Bridge, Perrine Bridge. Base jumpers enjoy the bridge as their launching pad for parachuting to the canyon floor below. BASE jumping is a sport involving the use of a parachute to jump from fixed objects. BASE is an acronym that stands for the 4 categories of fixed objects from which one can jump: Building, Antenna, Span, Earth. The Perrine abridge spans the majestic Snake River Canyon 486 feet above the river and is truly the only man-made structure in the ISA where BASE jumping is allowed year round without a permit!

Home Sweet Home! 

Left Seattle July 9, 2023 at noon.

Returned to Seattle March 29, 2024 7:15pm

Last day driving: Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington 

Next post will be some of my reflections of this grand adventure!

March 28 Flashing Lights! Bryce Canyon

We left our hotel in Kanab at 7:45 to begin a two hour drive to Bryce Canyon…all was going well until the car in front of me started braking, I looked in my rear view mirror and their were red and blue flashing lights! Dang! I’d driven cross country and back (18,000 miles) over nine months and I’m being pulled over! Before Officer Friendly got to my car door I already had my driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance ready for him. Grrr! He was very pleasant, said I was going 12 miles over the speed limit. Dang! I have consistently set my cruise control but for a few minutes I hadn’t, seeing a passing lane approaching I’d sped up to pass a car. Gotcha! Well I think Officer Friendly decided to take his lunch break and let me stew in my car! Which I did! 20 minutes later when he came back to my car, he only gave me a verbal warning!!! If I’d gotten a ticket I probably would NOT have told the story!

It was on to Bryce Canyon, but first a stop for a few pictures at the entrance to Dixie National Forest, elevation 7,777. The colors and formations were incredible. Then a quick stop at the Visitor Center at Bryce Canyon to learn how to make the best use of the time. Instructions were to drive the scenic drive stopping at each of the overlooks Natural Bridge, Aqua Canyon, Ponderosa Canyon and finally Rainbow Point at 9,115 feet. Each stop got colder, and windier! By the time we reached Rainbow Point it was so cold and windy we “almost “ didn’t get out of the car! We braved it for a couple of Bert quick pictures but were definitely missing having gloves and warm hats! Others were more prepared that we were! Of course more and more snow as we climbed in elevation, and the wind increased to become bitter cold! What a contrast in the weather and landscape from Zion one day and Bryce the next! Both magnificent! 

 Because it was SO COLD we covered Bryce Canyon much quicker than anticipated! That changed our overnight destination for the day to Ogden Utah. And after determining that would be our stay for the night I was able to get in touch with Lori Daacke Porter, she was in my very early years of youth ministry. Though Thursday is her busiest day, she is a Licensed Master Esthetician. She was able to stop by our hotel about 6:30 and we headed across the street to Slackwater a favorite restaurant of Lori’s and definitely a popular place. We each enjoyed tasty pizza, and Kristie and I had enough leftover for the next day! The best part of the day, if you have been following my blog you know, it was watching the Lord orchestrate the details of be able to connect with Lori and then to share precious and sweet fellowship as we caught up on each others lives. Five minutes after saying goodbye to Lori I was kicking myself! I had forgotten to get a picture of us! She was so sweet and the next morning she stopped at the hotel for a quick pic! Thankfully our hotel was only a few blocks from where she worked!

Our drive into Salt Lake and Ogden was a bit challenging with it being rush hour but the bigger challenge was the super sloppy snow stormy conditions! So thankful and aware of the Lord’s protection.

Natural Bridge, the “bridge” is technically an arch. The arc spans 85 feet and appears solid and enduring but weather is constantly chipping away at the opening. It may last hundreds or thousands of years, or it could collapse tomorrow.

March 27 More Zion Pics

March 27 Tempe to Zion National Park

One word to summarize the sights today! WOW! Our God is an awesome God! Kristie and I headed out from the hotel at 7:30 with a 7 1/2 hour drive ahead crossing numerous mountain passes,  seeing the red rock and terrain I’ve only seen in books. Hard to paint a picture with words! Will include a few pictures! More mountain passes, snow on the forest floor of one mountain passes, maybe even snow in two passes it all becomes a blur at the end of the day! 

Didn’t arrive to Zion Canyon until 4pm! The drive in from the East side to the West entrance was truly amazing but hard to drive and LOOK at the same time! Emma Foulk who is working at the restaurant in Zion National Park was so sweet to rearrange her schedule AND spend several hours with us on a short hike/walk on the Pa’rus Trail along the river. (3.5 miles, I got my 10,000 plus steps easily today even when driving for 8 plus hours!!!! That’s a first!). Then we went into Springdale just outside the park to find a place to eat! It was a hopping place and finally ate at our third stop MeMe’s Restaurant. We had great burgers, fries and shared crepes for dessert! One cinnamon and the other a mixed berry! Emma got to take some fries and crepes home for a treat tomorrow!

We said our goodbyes, see you in a few weeks, at 7:15, just as planned so we could drive back through the park before it got dark…the road was narrow, windy with hairpin turns, an amazingly narrow Zion Mt Carmel tunnel built in 1927, completed in 1930, it is the longest vehicular tunnel in the national park system just shy of one.  It was dusk as we left the park and dark when we reached our hotel 45 minutes later in Kanab Utah. During our drive at dusk we came across 15-20 Bambi’s next to the road, very thankful they all kept eating and the ones that chose to bolt, bolted into the woods and NOT onto the road!

I was reminded once again today that my favorite part of this grand travel adventure continues to be the individual connections with friends, family, former youth, young adults, young children. Hearing their stories, their dreams, their struggles, their joys and then the blessing of being able to pray for each as I drive. 

A couple other tidbits just for my own notes and to add later include filling up with gas next to a self service car wash (the only kind I can use because of my car top carrier). Even though I was in a hurry to get to Zion and meet up with Emma we paused for me to give the car a quick 12 minute car wash.  Also saw Glen Canyon Dam.