- 8 months
- 4 oil changes
- 1 hit-and-run
- 19 national parks, seashores, and forests
- 30 state parks and forests
- 55 bodies of water where Ritchey’s ashes swim
- 21 households that took me in
- 74 books read
- 40-some mountain bike rides on 20-some trails
- 75-ish hikes
- 54 breweries and 1 distillery
- 22 states
- 0 speeding tickets
- 0 flat tires
- 1 (very minor) theft
- 2 stoves
- 1 time overrun by no-see-ums
- 6 civil rights museums, monuments, memorials
- 70 birds identified (not counting those in captivity)
- 21 other wildlife identified (not counting those in captivity)
- 14 turtles helped across the road
- 7 artists honored by visits to homes and other landmarks
- 15,000 miles (approximate, and with deep regret that I didn’t mark down the precise odometer reading when I headed out).
- favorite trails: Oak Mountain in central Alabama; Blankets Creek just north of Atlanta, Georgia; Dupont State Park in North Carolina; Lebanon Hill in southern Minnesota; Palo Duro in northwest Texas, Big Bend in southwest Texas, and my new home trail in Upshur County, West Virginia.
- favorite bookstores: Malaprops in Asheville, NC and Content in Northfield, MN.
- favorite friends: never. 🙂 I love you all.
lessons learned:
- this life is easier, and much more joyful, than I’d expected.
- I like being alone just fine. also, I like to catch up with those I love.
- Hops likes meeting new people.
- I need way less of everything than I thought I did.
- whew, it’s hot out here, y’all.
Before I get too misty-eyed, let me wrap up this wrap-up post. In nine months or so, the plan is start chapter 2. Thank you so much to all of you who have kept up along the way. If you got a postcard from me on the road, would you consider sending me one now that I have an address? PM me for that info. Lots of love.
