Vacation Statistics

Here are this year's vacation statistics!

2013 Alvidrez Family "Wet and Wild" Vacation

Vacation Length:  53 days

Miles Driven: 7,700 +

Average gas mileage:  10 MPG (without using the generator)/8.5 (using the generator)

States Traveled:  27 plus the District of Columbia

We printed this out in Arizona, hung it in the RV,  and had the kids take turns coloring the states as we traveled.  It gave them a good idea of where we were and gave us all a good geography lesson.

Worst Roads:  Louisiana!  I suspect the government has some kind of side deal with tow trucks and tire shops in the state because those roads are ridiculous

Junior Ranger Programs Completed:  4 (Hunting Island, Yorktown, Wright Brothers, Acadia)

Wild Animals seen:  alligator, shark, hermit crab, horseshoe crab, blue crab, raccoon, Chincoteague ponies, deer, minke whale, harbor porpoise, fin whale, harbor seal, gray seal, sea snails, black bear, turtle, wild turkey, daddy long-legs, about a zillion mosquitoes, biting horseflies,  and more bugs than I would care to think about

Cumulative insect bites:  I stopped counting this year - it got depressing after 100

Number of children still immune to insect bites:  1 (Luke), though to be fair Isa was only bitten once or twice while the rest of us were a mess

Favorite Places we Ate: Boondocks in South Carolina, Stewmann's Lobster Pound in Bar Harbor, Maine, Fezzo's in Crowley, Louisiana

Scariest Moment:  The Kansas thunderstorm that shook the RV back and forth next to a rock cliff.

Scariest Moment Runner Up: Nearly being trampled by wild horses

Most unexpected fun:  Seeing the mommy and baby alligator

Worst medical issue: My bike crash in Greenbelt Park where I flew over my handlebars and whacked my head and face into the dirt, pulled a muscle in my leg, and shredded the bottom of my palm.  (And then got back on the bike and rode to the train station and went to the National Zoo, so obviously it wasn't THAT bad)

Parts replaced on the RV:  Six tires, speed sensor, starter, starter solenoid, coil

Places we hiked:  New Orleans, South Carolina, North Carolina, Washington DC, Maine, Kentucky, Kansas

Places we biked:  Maryland, Washington DC, New Jersey

Number of hours spent on a boat: 4 1/2

Funniest Kids Quotes:

Luke:  (After I tried to sneak him a piece of a chocolate bar while riding in the Metro in DC where it was posted that no eating or drinking was allowed)  "It was hard trying to decide if I should follow the law or follow the commandment to honor my mother....."

Isa:  (After looking at the belly of a horse)  Oh, yeah, its a boy.

Gabi:  (After bobbing up and down in Grandma Chris's pool) I'm getting my bottom and my penis wet.   (so much discussion about equine gender and yet...)   :)

Michael's favorites:  Whale watching, playing in the ocean in South Carolina, The National Air and Space Museums

Debbie's favorites:  Whale watching, the horses on Assateague Island, seeing pandas, the beach/ocean, the Statue of Liberty/Staten Island Ferry

Luke's favorites:  Ocean fishing, hearing the canon fire in Yorktown, the National Air and Space Museums, wild horses, whale watching, Washington DC, beignets at Cafe Du Monde

Isa's favorites:  Wild horses on Assateague, Kentucky Horse Park, whale watching, learning to swim, Washington DC

Gabi's favorites:  The fire station, seeing wild horses on Assateague, the Kentucky Horse Park, seeing the alligator, playing in the ocean

In truth, narrowing it down to just a few favorites is simply impossible.  We loved seeing so many of our friends and family, though sometimes briefly, and exploring the variety this great country has to offer.  Michael and I have now traveled in 47 of our country's fifty states (and I think the kids are up to 37), and we are looking forward to conquering North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii in the next few years.

Happy travels everyone!