Final Thoughts...

Kim's Perspective:
12,557 pictures and video clips equaling 62.1GB
Total miles driven: 17,500+
Total number of weeks on the road: 16
Total National Parks visited: 16
Total number of trailer mishaps: 2 (tire replacement and broken hitch)
Total number of people mishaps: 2
Total number of hours spent blogging: hundreds
Traveling this beautiful country and experiencing so many amazing things with your best friend/husband and your two beloved Belgian Sheepdog children by your side:  PRICELESS


Bill’s Perspective:
This trip was phenomenal. There are many aspects of it that are obvious but some that might not be. For instance, the driving itself was a unique experience. We have done quite a few longish journeys in our time together. We drove home from Acadia National Park in Maine in a day. We also drove home from Port Canaveral FL in a day. We have done multiple consecutive 500 plus mile days on the motorcycles and the occasional 600 plus mile day just for fun. However, this was the first time either of us had driven this type of distance over this amount of time. I was concerned that it would be taxing or get old. I wondered if I would simply tire of driving. I did not. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I continued to hunger for more. The new truck didn’t hurt but it was just the idea that I was going to see something new EVERY DAY that made the prospect of getting back in the truck each day a positive experience. You’d think that after 4 months of this, we would start to yearn for home. We did not…at all. In fact, we largely dreaded the thought of bringing this trip to an end and spoke often of how we could extend it. The funding and the weather made it a futile conversation but one we enjoyed nonetheless.
Another very unique aspect of this trip was the role it played in our relationship. What happens when you reduce your living quarters by 83% (90% if you count the basement), reduce your alone time to that spent in the bathroom, and completely sacrifice the concept of personal space? Throw in 2 medium sized dogs that can no longer just be let out into their fenced yard and must be taken for walks regardless of the weather. You might think this would be a recipe for relationship disaster. For many people, I suspect you’d be right. However, this was not the case for us. There were days when we didn’t see eye to eye but we were both able to maintain the proper perspective and I attribute this almost entirely to our Sunday School lessons, regular church attendance and daily devotions. We have constant reminders of how things are supposed to be and what each of us needs to do to make it happen. If we had done this trip ten years ago, the outcome would likely have been different. :)
I discovered many things on this journey. Here are a few:
- I love not knowing what the next day will hold.
- Fear of the unknown is pointless.
- Time is both precious and meaningless (deep, huh?).
- Old people are cool. Old people who travel are extremely cool.
- Traveling is a lifestyle I could easily embrace (if not afford).
- As much as I thought I was shallow and materialistic, I can get by quite nicely with far less than I have.

If you ever get a chance to do something like this, I strongly recommend it. The things we saw and did will be with us forever. If I were struck down today, I’d have little in the way of things I regretted not doing.