29,726 miles. We’ve told many people how ordinary the trip seemed in the midst of it. Daily life was still daily life. Parenting was still hard. Marriage was still hard. Exercise and eating healthy were still hard. We had grand visions that the trip would somehow transform our lives. Turns out “the grass isn’t always greener” is a cliche for a reason!
The whole experience of our past year seems surreal now that we’re settled back into stationary life. Like many memories, the challenging times seem to fade as other memories sweeten with age. We experienced so many sacred moments connecting with friend and family, watching our kids explore the world, and simply being in awe of creation. A grand adventure indeed.
Anyway, enough sentimental drivel. It’s time for the raw data. Here’s one final infographic to capture the details of our travels.
We’ve been able to travel almost 30,000 miles in 9 months to some incredible places. It literally would not have been possible without the roads and highways. Thanks to all of the construction workers, civil engineers, and city planners than work hard to make sure we can all get around.
Human beings don’t have a great history of thinking long-term about the environment. The National Park System is not one of those instances. The foresight of people like John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Marjory Stoneman Douglass, and so many others is something we can still learn from today. We have so many awe-inspiring places in this country with countless people working hard to “preserve and protect” the natural wonders of this world. Visiting the National Parks with children has given us an even greater appreciation for these parks – the Junior Ranger programs, visitor centers, and ranger classes have taught our entire family so much about the natural world and the importance of preserving it for generations to come.
Did you know you can receive an email every day with scanned images of the pieces of mail that will be coming that day? We didn’t! Kimberlee’s mother has been kind enough to check our mail for us while on the road, and this feature has been great for helping us keep an eye out for important pieces of mail. Not to mention that there’s a post office practically everywhere that makes it easy and affordable to send and receive mail.
