Route 66 Reflections and Statistics

With my journey on the Mother Road reaching its inevitable end, I would like to provide a few statistics and reflections about the trip. I believe it is a good and interesting way to end the story. But before I get to that, I would like to thank that nearly 3000 people who had visited my blog in the past few months. Your unceasing interest is what made me keep working on my journal. I sincerely hope that most of you found my work entertaining, as well as informative, and that a lot of you will be coming back in the future. Thanks!

Distance covered: 4986 miles (7977 kilometers) from door to door. However, only about one fourth of this distance was covered on Route 66 or on its modern-day replacements—1328 according to Google maps to be more precise. So, as you can see, much of my journey took place around the Mother Road, touring the adjacent area.

Time spent on the road: 12 days from July 12th to July 24th of 2010. Of this 12 days, I spent nine sightseeing and three driving back home.

States I went through: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California, in this order.

Overall budget: About 1100 dollars, which included basically everything from gas to the last bite of my beef jerky. Keep in my, however, that I was traveling lightly; so, if you are planning a trip that includes hotels, expect a significantly higher cost!

Most memorable places/sights:

1. Bears in the Sequoia National Park (Day Nine). Seeing these wild animals from so close was truly a memory for a lifetime. 
2. Grand Canyon (Day Six). It is one of the most magnificent sights in the world, and laying eyes on it for the first time is something a person remembers until the day he dies. 
3. Milky Way over Oklahoma (Day One). Coming from a heavily populated and urbanized area, I had never seen our celestial home before. And when I finally did, it took my breath away.

Biggest surprise: Las Vegas. I arrived to America’s Playground with rather low expectations, but it quickly proved me wrong and provided me with a night full of fun and entertainment (Day Seven).

Least favorite place: Los Angeles.

Well, that is it folks. But please remember: there is plenty of Route 66 stuff coming in the near future (videos, guides, and possibly even more); so, stay tuned! The easiest way to keep up with updates—aside from coming here from time-to-time—is if you ‘Like’ Rince-Art on Facebook or if you subscribe to my RSS feed or directly to the website—both options can be found on the sidebar!

Thanks again, and I will see you soon!
- Rince