2003 Flashback: Fred Takes America, by the Numbers

While we pack up to try and hit the road, here's another look back at the 2003 trip, this one by the numbers.

GENERAL STATS
Number of…

• Countries: 3 (United States, Canada, Mexico)
• U.S. states: 48 (all except Alaska, Hawaii)
• U.S. territories: 1 (District of Columbia)
• Canadian provinces: 4 (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta)
• Mexican states: 1 (Sonora)
• State capitals: 29
• Top 50 metropolitan areas we passed through: 39 (Ones we missed: El Paso, Tex.; Fresno, Calif.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Indianapolis, Ind.;  Jacksonville, Fla.; Miami, Fla.; Omaha, Neb.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Tulsa, Okla.; Virginia Beach, Va.; Wichita, Kan.)
• Roadfood restaurants: 29 (out of 484 in book)
• National Geographic scenic drives: 66 (out of 213 in book)
• Presidential libraries: 5 (Reagan, Nixon, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson)
• Ferry rides: 7 (Orient Point, N.Y. to New London, Ct.; Burlington, Vt. To Port Kent, N.Y.; Mackinac City, Mich. To Mackinac Island, Mich. (round-trip); Mukilteo, Wash. To Clinton, Wash.; Vancouver, B.C. to Sidney, B.C.; Victoria, B.C. to Port Angeles, Calif.)
• Flat tires: 2 (Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Truth or Consequences, N.M.)

• Big balls of twine: 2 (Darwin, Minn.; Cawker City, Kan.)
• Paul Bunyan statues: 2 (Bemidji, Minn.; Klamath, Calif.)
• Geographical centers: 3 (of North America: Rugby, N.D.; of the 50 states: Castle Rock, S.D.; of the 48 states: Lebanon, Kan.)
• Speeding tickets: 2 (Jim in Oregon, Jim in Virginia)
• Speeding warnings: 1 (Joan in Utah)
• Border crossings: 10 (Day 6: Moose River, Maine to St. Theophile, Quebec; Day 9: Philipsburg, Quebec to Highgate Springs, Vermont; Day 11: Alexandria Bay, N.Y. to Lansdowne, Ontario; Day 13: Niagara Falls, Ontario to Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Day 40: Eastport, Idaho to Kingsgate, British Columbia; Day 43: Carway, Alberta to Babb, Montana; Day 50: Blaine, Wash. To White Rock, British Columbia; Day 51: Victoria, British Columbia to Port Angeles, Wash.; Day 81: Nogales, Ariz. To Nogales, Sonora; Day 81: Nogales, Sonora to Nogales, Ariz.)
• Car servicing stops: 6 (Day 15: Fort Wayne, Indiana; Day 35: West Yellowstone, Mont.; Day 37: Boise, Idaho; Day 73: Las Vegas; Day 94: Chantilly, Va.; Day 104: Albuquerque, N.M.)
• Fred vet visits: 4 (Estes Park, Colo.: torn paw pad; Boise, Idaho: spider bite; Great Falls, Va.: general checkup; Great Falls, Va.: swollen eye gland)

NATIONAL PARK SITES (57)

• U.S. Parks: 23 (Grand Canyon, Saguaro, Petrified Forest, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Redwood, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Acadia, Glacier, Carlsbad Caverns, Great Smoky Mountains, Theodore Roosevelt, Badlands, Wind Cave, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Grand Teton)
• Canadian Parks: 4 (Kootenay, Banff, Jasper, Yoho)

• National Historic Sites: 2 (Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, Harry S Truman)
• National Recreation Areas: 3 (Glen Canyon, Lake Mead, Golden Gate)
• National Scenic Byways: 2 (Natchez Trace Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway)
• National Monuments: 9 (Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, Montezuma Castle, Craters of the Moon, Jefferson National Expansion, Agate Fossil Beds, White Sands, Cedar Breaks, Devils Tower)
• National Historical Parks: 2 (Tumacacori, Lyndon B. Johnson)
• National Historical Trails: 5 (Selma-to-Montgomery, Lewis & Clark, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Appalachian Trail)
• National Seashores: 1 (Point Reyes)
• National Memorials: 3 (Oklahoma City, Flight 93, Mount Rushmore)
• Memorial Parkways: 1 (John D. Rockefeller Jr.)
• Others: 2 (Alcatraz Island, Great Falls Park)

NIGHTS SPENT IN STATES

• 19: California
• 9: Arizona
• 6: Texas, Virginia, Colorado
• 5: Utah, Idaho
• 4: Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico
• 3: New York, New Hampshire, Quebec, Michigan, Alberta, South Dakota, Washington, Oregon
• 2: Ontario, Ohio, Minnesota, Nevada, Tennessee
• 1: Maine, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Dakota, British Columbia, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
• 0: Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, West Virginia
• NOTE: Number adds to 115 because we did not sleep anywhere the last night

HIGHS AND LOWS

• Highest point reached: 14,110 feet above sea level at Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colo.

• Lowest point reached: 282 feet below sea level at Death Valley National Park, California

• Highest temperature: 110 at Death Valley National Park, California
• Lowest temperature: 17 at Vail, Colo.

• Farthest point north reached: Jasper, British Columbia
• Farthest point west reached: Loleta, Calif.
• Farthest point south reached: Raceland, La.
• Farthest point east reached: Acadia National Park, Maine

 

• Most miles, between sleep (insanity category): 1,403 (Day 116: Montgomery, Ala. To Destin, Fla. To Great Falls, Va.)
• Most miles, one day: 771 (Day 31, Casper, Wyo. To Devils Tower, Wyo. To Billings, Mont.)

LEFT TO DO

• Top 50 cities neither of us have ever been to: El Paso, Tex. (No. 23); Fresno, Calif. (37); Tulsa, Okla. (43); Wichita, Kan. (50).
• States we have never been to: 1 (Alaska)