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We ran the numbers on our 48 day Great Northern Road trip…all our flying, driving and floating around…

The final tabulation is in…and here is what we found!

We had to run these numbers twice because after the first time we were amazed

that we actually logged 11,300 miles in those 48 days.

We flew the first 3,100 miles from Tampa to Seattle 

drove our Kia Soul 6,800 miles more from Seattle all the way to Maine.

The last 1,400 miles was a flight from Bangor to St. Pete (Hey, we just realized we were never on a train!)

We stayed in 26 different hotel, motels and Air B & Bs.

Our path on this road trip was anything but straight

as we crossed 4 provinces in Canada and 10 of these United States.

And though we  didn’t see all of them …from an App on our phone we heard…

all along this road trip…125 different birds.

We saw 2 grizzly bears (one with two babies in tow) 

from our car where they were a safe distance away to see

and the same goes for a Momma black bear and her 3 cub family.

We took 3 ferry rides…rode in 1 ship without any sails

on the Puget Sound where we were blessed to see 3 gigantic whales.

We visited 2 basilica’s…their beauty was a feast for our eyes…

and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention we ate 7 Whoopie pies.

We saw 1 lift bridge, went on 1 carriage ride..and had 1 cracked windshield…which we kept driving with after getting over our initial fear…

We met one 80 year old worm digger whose been digging worms for 53 years

We saw every kind of tree imaginable, Aspen, oak, elm, Hemlock and spruce

and if you happen to be keeping count…no…we never saw a moose.

But as we think back and try to come up with all theses different amounts

there are so many things we’ve seen that we long ago lost count

Incalculable mountains, lakes, rivers, streams…endless roads both hilly and flat

countless deer, mountain goats, long horned sheep…and compliments on my hat

A myriad of lovely people we have met, and all the wonders we have seen

from Tampa back to St. Pete…and all those places in-between.

When we add them all together…all the wonders, all the people…It’s quite easy for us to see…

each time we count…as we remember more and forget a few…they will add up differently.

But we’re content and happy knowing…when adding everything we experienced in 11,300 miles

the sum will always be the same…2 enormous smiles.