Some random thoughts on recent trip

We've been home for a bit now and gotten used to the idea. Some outside chores (grass, garden--more plants, shed--ant infestation!) have been taken care of as well as grocery shopping and laundry. So I guess it's time to reflect on the experiences of our trip to the west coast and back.

We covered over 6700 miles in our journey going out on I-80 (most of the way) and returning on I-90 (most of the way). We traveled major highways and local ones through areas we had not been through before. Besides attending the wedding of Rick and Sandy in Eugene, we got to spend time with Terry's sister and her family who came up from the San Francisco area and out from Chicago. We reconnected with an old college friend now working as a director in the BLM out of the Oregon offices. We briefly got to visit Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. We spent a morning birding at the Migratory Bird Refuge outside of Logan, Utah. And we took a short drive along Route 101 along the Oregon coast.
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Many places we saw need to be visited again...and again. Our necessarily brief visits did not suffice. The Bird Refuge, the national parks and the Oregon coast will require additional time. Even though we've been to the Tetons and Yellowstone before, they are always beautiful places to visit. The coast, actually any coast, requires getting down to the water's edge and searching the tidal pools and debris carried in by the waves to really enjoy the experience.
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The Interstate Highway system is a blessing and a curse. It's nice to be able to get on it and go. But because of its very nature of promoting speed through rural expanses, you really do not get the flavor of the country you're traveling through. Sure, it's better than flying over the middle of the country but there are all those small towns that are by-passed.

The system is also getting old. Much of it is in need of (and getting) repair/expansion. I've joked of how in most states the construction crews should start at mile 0 and work to the end of the road. When finished they go back to 0 and start over again. Gives meaning to the never ending road that goes on and on.
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Speaking of repair/reconstruction. I do wish I had just one nickel for every reflector barrel (the Daleks of road construction), stick (something new: like a barber pole only in orange and silver), or paddle board (they resemble Gumby right down to the two "eyes" that are hand holds at the top, though some have only one) that are set out on the roads to direct/alter traffic patterns around construction sites.
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I like traveling westbound for several reasons. 1) I like being able to drive early in the morning and not have the sun shining in my eyes. 2) The mile markers along the roads count down the miles as you cross a state. (Miles are counted from west to east and from north to south for some reason.) You can actually see progress being made as the numbers decrease to 0. Heading east, unless you know for certain what the last mile is, you have only the increasing miles to judge progress while the final goal is unknown.
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Trying to bird at 70-75 mph is damn near impossible, but there are some birds that really stand out.

Coming east, we found clear evidence for South Dakota's love of the Ring-necked Pheasant. We saw dozens of them along the edge of I-90...alive and dead. Apparently mating pheasants are as dumb as deer, possums and skunks when it comes to tractor trailers. A short walk along the roadway could have produced all the feathers needed for a decade of fly tying.

Sandhill Cranes, while more difficult to spot in the marshes and fields along the way because of their coloration are really easy to identify when they are seen. And there were lots to be seen in eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

White Pelicans are easy to spot and identify when you see them on a small pond.
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Wyoming is windy! But it is also one major oil producing state along our route. There were a few wind farms to be seen but more oil fields. (Perhaps Wyoming is too windy for the turbines. I could easily see them getting torn apart in the 50 mph--gusts to 75 mph--winds we ran into.) Minnesota actually had more windmills than any other state we passed through. We saw some in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin as well. Even when the wind was barely more than a whisper, the blades on the turbines were spinning at one revolution per 4-5 seconds. As majestic as they look, they will not, however, produce nearly enough energy to even supply a quarter of our electrical needs as a nation.
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The Tundra was a very comfortable ride. We had no mechanical problems to speak of and only suffered at the hands of the Wyoming wind when the molding at the top of the windshield was blown away. The 5.7 liter 8-cylinder engine produced approximately 17.5 mpg despite the steep climbs, strong headwinds and some city driving. It seemed to prefer the 60-65 mph range best and yielded over 21 mpg through the Tetons and Yellowstone. Gas prices rose during our trip from $2.15 or so $2.45 (same station to start and end the trip) and averaged $2.34. The highest price we paid was in Yellowstone NP where it cost $2.70 at Old Faithful.
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Fuel cost us about $850 and motel rooms averages $85-90 per night. (The one in Eugene being the priciest of course, since it was the one we stayed in the longest.) As a result, it's not an economical substitute to a cross-country flight. However, we would not have done half the things we did if we had flown out. There would have been no birding in Utah, or trip through the Teton and Yellowstone parks. No, instead of those activities, we would have been crammed into a tin can filled with strangers and their children for four hours, and then have had to switch to another, smaller tin can in either San Francisco or Denver (with out the opertunity to visit either place) to complete out trip. Yeah, that would have been fun.
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Every once in a while I have this road-trip thingy inside that demands to be let out. The short jaunts to the Bolt Hole (225 miles one way) may keep it at bay as will a circuit of the Adirondack Park (125 miles) via Routes 8, 30 and 12. A trip down to Hamburg or Harrisburg to visit Cabela's or Bass Pro (140-150 miles round trip) may work for a week or two. But they are mere day trips and there's still that thousand-plus miler inside waitng, lurking and ready to take control and nothing will help but that I get out on the road and go. That desire has been put to rest--for now. The small kernel(s) of the next road adventure(s) is(are) already there inside growing a little larger each day.