Top 10s

I covered 8270 miles in the USA and visited 20 states (TX, LA, AR, MO, KY, IN, OH, WV, WI, MI, PA, NY, IL, KS, CO, UT, NV, CA, AZ, NM) which means, completely incidentally, that I ‘need’ to visit only Oregon, Washington, North Dakota, Iowa (how did I ‘miss’ Iowa again?), Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida (and that would make quite a good trip as it happens) and Vermont for the set of the lower 48 contiguous states.

Just for fun, here are;

The top ten landscapes/views of the trip:

1. Arches National Park, Utah – the three gossips etc
2. El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
3. the first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean after driving across the USA (near Monterey Bay)
4. the open road anywhere where it stretches ahead with no cars (preferably with distant mountains)
5. crossing the Mississippi River from Missouri into Kentucky on day 2 of this journey
6. Sunset in the Joshua Tree National Park, California
7. The Organpipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona
8. the road from Utah into Nevada
9. Old growth forest in Ohio as a very rare glimpse back in time
10. The view from the Passenger Pigeon Memorial in Wyalusing State Park, Wisconsin, looking over the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers.

The top ten wildlife sights:

1. Blue whale – Monterey Bay, California
2. Sea Otter – Monterey Bay, California
3. Roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park, California
4. Mexican free-tailed bats pouring out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge, Austin, Texas
5. Killer whales – Monterey Bay, California
6. Kirtland’s warbler, near Mio, Michigan
7. Bobolink in the rare uncut, unfertilised pastures near Ithaca, New York
8. Coyote – first in the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas (and many sightings after that)
9. Giant sequoia – Yosemite National Park, California
10. California sea lion – Monterey Bay, California

The top ten breakfasts;

1. Mom’s Cafe, Salina, Utah
2. Tony’s family restaurant, Sealy, Texas.  This was only on Monday so I haven’t written about it. Good hash browns and very friendly staff.  As I hoiked up my trousers as I paid the bill (check) the lady on the till told me I hadn’t eaten enough if my ‘pants’ were falling down, and another waitress told me that ‘we’ll miss you’ when I said I was heading back home.
3. Mark’s cafe, Brownstown, Illinois
4. Cup of coffee made by Jessie Barry with an avocet drawn, perfectly, in the froth.  Ithaca, New York
5. Jerry’s family restaurant, Coshocton, Ohio
6. Jake’s place, Hardinsburgh, Kentucky
7. Red’s restaurant, Fordyce, Arkansas
8. Andrea’s Cafe, 29 Palms, California
9. Todd’s restaurant, Ryan airfield, nr Tucson, Arizona
10. Fresh, cheap avocados eaten in the car in California

 

 

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