Farm hands

We’re starting to get the hang of things…and the callouses to prove it. We sprayed the barn for flies on Thursday (a ‘green’ solution of herbs and plants done by our exterminator) so we had to move all the goats out into the side pens. Which meant we had to build fenced in areas by … Continue reading

Field work

We spent four hours out in the pasture today, moving sheep from one field to another to graze on fresh grass. About once a month, their nails need to be clipped, and it was also time for castration, so we did it all in one trip. We had a hard time getting them into the … Continue reading

Milking Day!

We milked our first goats! (When I said that to the owner, she said, “in life?” I thought that was funny of both of us.) There is much more process than you would think – grain in the little trays, select 6 hyper goats out of a pen of 20, secure them on the milking … Continue reading

The first 24…

We arrived on the farm yesterday at noon. Well – we arrived at the front gate at noon. We didn’t remember the code from our Dec visit, so we walked up to the farm. C said that after driving over 6500 miles to get here, it was nice to do the last mile on foot. … Continue reading

Seattle was so fun!

We had an awesome time in Seattle. Thank you to Alicia and Brian for the hospitality. And the washer/dryer. Josie has really grown since we saw her at Christmas. She’s so chatty! We went to Gas Works Park, Fremont Brewing Co, Chuck’s Hop Stop and Top Pot! We ‘helped’ Brian with his brewing – we’ll … Continue reading

Rainer in 30 Days! 6,640 miles – Brooklyn to Seattle.

The numbers are in after driving the last leg of our cross country journey arriving at Alicia, Brian and Josie’s home in Seattle. I love math. If you also love math, please read the following:

Driving for a total of 6,640 miles over 30 days using 268 gallons of premium fuel at an average of $3.969/gal and 24.8 MPG. Clipping along at that pace we spent 16ยข per mile averaging $35.42 per day in fuel. All the while driving with 400 lbs. of belongings loaded in our Subaru.

Further stats:
24 states
23 fill ups
289 miles per fill up (Avg)
221 miles per day (Avg)
9 gallons per day (Avg)
9 National Parks
6 National Forests
3 National Recreation Areas
2 Raceways
1 Indian Reservation
1 oil change and tire rotation

Of course there is a spreadsheet compiled with all the data: Notice the on-board computer in the car states 1.6 MPG more that actually incurred. I assume the Subaru engineers try to make us feel better about the vehicles efficiency.
Brooklyn-Seattle_TripLog

The following is a list of notable locations we visited and many of the sites are stamped in our Passport to the National Parks:

Shenandoah Natl Park (drove thru)
Great Smoky Mountains Natl Park
Arches Natl Park
Bryce Canyon Natl Park
Grand Canyon Natl Park
Death Valley Natl Park
Yosemite Natl Park
Golden Gate Natl Park
Redwood Natl Park (drove thru)
Red Canyon Natl Forest
Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Trail of Tears, NC
Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, AL
Purdue University
Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI
Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha, NE
Kenefick Park, Omaha, NE (2 of the biggest Locomotives ever built)
Original Pony Express Station, Gothenburg, NE
Green River State Rec Area
Fish Lake Natl Forest
Red Canyon, Dixie Natl Forest
Glen Canyon Natl Rec Area, Page, AZ
Antelope Canyon Navajo Res, Page, AZ
Inyo Natl Forest
Kaibab Natl Forest
Manti-La Sal Natl Forest
Humboldt-Redwoods State Park
Lake Mead Natl Rec Area
Route 66, Northern AZ

Here’s the updated map showing the last few days of mileage logged:

View Rainer in 30 days in a larger map

Welcome to Washington!

Almost there!

Tugboat Brewing Co.

The smallest brewery in Portland. They cheer when you walk in, and boo when you walk out. We might never leave…

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North coast of California

Yesterday’s drive from Ukiah to Crescent City was probably my favorite. Incredibly scenic, very wild and different. Coast line, deep woods, hills, beaches. All of it beautiful. But this is my favorite photo of the day. I see every happiness, wrong turn, cup of coffee, hot shower, tent set up, sunset and campfire of our … Continue reading

One to go…

Today we are driving through Oregon to Portland. We’ll move up to Seattle tomorrow, bringing our total trip to 24 states. What a ride!

So far:

New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Maryland
West Virginia
Virginia
Tennessee
North Carolina
Alabama
Georgia
Kentucky
Indiana
Ohio
Michigan
Illinois
Iowa
Nebraska
Colorado
Utah
Arizona
Nevada
California
Oregon