Summary

-- Jonah Lehrer

Papa has always been a numbers guy, and it has rubbed off on me over the years. So here are a few random bits of trivia from the trip and a quick overview.

First, fun facts:

• Did you know Antelope Canyon was named incorrectly? The people who named it thought the animals they saw were antelope. Instead, they are pronghorns, a distinctly different species. This difference was pointed out by our guides at both Grand Teton and Antelope Canyon.

• Per our guide at Grand Teton, there is as challenge in the local bars that goes like this: At the close of the bar, a person takes a shot, gets on their bike and rides from Jackson to the Grand Teton park specifically to Jenny Lake (nice path, about 24-26 miles). Then they swim across Jenny Lake and hike up the Grand Teton (tallest point), back down, swim the lake, and ride back into Jackson to the same bar to get a free shot at the close of business the following night. Apparently this is called, "The Picnic?" I'm not sure if that's the name. I'm not sure if this is an actual thing. We did see a lot of bicyclists on the tour as we went back into Jackson late in the evening. The path runs parallel to Highway 89, the main road between Jackson and Grand Teton. If it is true, doesn't sound like a "picnic" to me.

• The flood in early July in Yellowstone:  Per the park ranger we spoke with, the previous high flood point was around 30,000 feet. This flood was 50,000 feet. BIG difference. BIG problem.

• I learned when you hear interesting facts, you should write them down. After a few days, sometimes a few hours or even minutes, you forget them.

Summary of the trip. 

The quirky details help us remember how awesome it was.

• We drove 8,493 miles in 39 days, or an average of 218 miles per day. Betsy Buick is a soldier. And she got 31 mpg.

• We drove through a total of 17 states and we slept in all 17 states at least one night.

• We visited 8 national parks or recreation areas.

• We finished the section of Route 66 from Missouri through Illinois.

• We dipped our toes in three of the five Great Lakes:  Heron, Michigan and Superior.

• We stopped to see 35+ people along the way, a combination of friends and family. Some we stayed with. Some we hadn't seen for years and others it's only been a few months. We visited in homes and meet in restaurants but all visits were priceless. AND we missed several people, which was sad but understandable.

• We played 15 different golf courses:  Four courses we played 18 holes; 10, we played 9-holes and one was an 18-hole miniature golf course. Those courses were in eight different states. Of the 15 courses, we are confident Papa's father played at least nine of them.

• Rain only canceled one event, the sunset cruise around Mackinac Island. We were ok with that because we had taken the ferry to/from the Island during the day and were tired. The rain let us rest for the night.

• Rain/lightning delayed our golf round at Michigan State University for 30 minutes or so. That worked out well. We had driven from Indiana and didn't have time for lunch before our 11AM tee time. We had a nice lunch break during the sprinkles and then resumed the round.

• Heat/humidity was stifling in Branson, Missouri over the Fourth of July. Again, it worked out well. We ended up being able to watch and hear a spectacular 40-minute fireworks display from our second floor hotel room, in air conditioned comfort. The next morning we arrived at the golf course over an hour early and they let us on the course so we finished 18-holes before the weather became too uncomfortable.

• We had hiccups: 
• a misplaced wallet (thanks AirTags for helping us locate),
• a gas cap not replaced after fueling the car (thanks to the young couple who flagged us down on I-10), 
• keys locked in the car (thanks AAA for breaking into the car...safely), 
• a hearing aide left behind in a cabin (thanks to the housekeeper for calling us and letting us pick up the next day, which gave us a chance to play a great golf course, Aspen Hills), 
• credit card left at the restaurant of said above golf course (thanks to the fantastic server who alerted us. Although we were too far down the road to justify returning, it was good to be able to cancel the card quickly.)
• Betsy's fix in Salt Lake City, which would have happened anywhere, and resulted in a 3-day layover. It was a good break from traveling. We really did enjoy playing an extra golf course, and having a day just to relax and chill.

Thank you to all the people who were helpful and friendly along the way including strangers who were so kind. Precious memories indeed.