The best and worst, funniest of the USA

The best, worst, -est

Statistics, opinions and facts of the trip.  In LA we’d gone 3500 miles.  The whole trip 9,000 miles.

Highest elevation the car climbed 9900’ in Escalante State Park on Route 12 after the Grand Canyon.  On the north rim of the Grand Canyon it was 8600’ where we stayed.

Favorite states:  Wyoming and Montana.  Blow your mind vistas, rolling hills, distant mountains, cliffs, green, green meadows.

Funniest moments:  Bad jokes cowboy singers at Grand Canyon, listening to the stereotype accents of Valley Girls and Minnesota people, sorry but it was funny.

Best place we stayed – Hard to say, but 

Lied Center in Nebraska City, NE, 

McDonald Lake Lodge, Glacier National Park, MT, 

Cedar Pass Cabins in the Badlands, Interior SD,

Hotel Bonaparte, Montreal. 

Chain motel we used the most was La Quinta.

Worst Place we Stayed:  Red Carpet Inn in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

Biggest adventure – hmmm, fortunately none.  Best time on a hike was Escalante Park cool pools swim at the top of a waterfall.

Best National Park:  Glacier, not for the going, going, gone few glaciers, but the mountains, vistas, lakes, hikes, waterfalls, all accessible, beautiful log built lodges.

Great finds:  cabins for $60/night in State Parks, some with AC, microwave, frig and porch.  Search state parks near your destination.

Best Hikes all from the road: streamside Lunch Creek, Glacier National Park, and Hoh National Rain Forest

Best Lunch Place:  very crowded, Heath Farm Market Deli and Antiques in Wautoma, Wisconsin run by Holly and Janice Route 21.

Animals seen: 2 full rack elks, roadside deer, mule deer, cute tame squirrel at door of motel, domestic sheep, cattle, horses, special Bryce Canyon squirrel, prairie dogs greeting/squeaking at MacDonald Lake Lodge, horses, family of 4 wide eyed raccoons at night huddled on roadside, whales, porpoises, elephant seals, jackalopes, roadrunners, quail, various birds, rattlesnake, bison, antelope, mountain goats 

Route followed:  Albany, NY, Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada, Iowa City, IA, Nebraska City, NE, Scottsbluff, NE, Laramie, WY, Moab, UT, Green River, UT, Overton, NV, Lake Havasu, AZ, Brentwood, LA, CA, Mill Valley, CA, OR, WA, Seattle, WA, MT, WY, Interior, SD, Wisc, Michigan, Ontario, Quebec, New Hampshire.

# States we drove through: 22.  States I have not ever visited:  North Dakota, Alabama, Alaska

Car driven:   2013 Subaru Crosstrek, the car with the highest ground clearance that’s not an SUV.  Nothing went wrong until I got home and ran over 2 screws to puncture the tires twice in one week,