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[FTG-05]

Ok, here's our vacation "By the Numbers":

Albin and Al's 2006 Vacation
“By the Numbers”

Number of states visited or driven through: 12 (TN, MS, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA, NV, OR, UT, CO)

Number of states visited at one time: 4 (NM, AZ, UT & CO at Four Corners)

Number of (trouble-free) miles driven in 6.0L Ford: 6001.3 miles (highway and secondary)

Number of miles driven in the 4Runner: 1395 miles (secondary and off-road)

Number of miles via air tour: 253 miles (air)

Total combined miles traveled: 7649.3 (highway, secondary, off-road and air)

Number of eggs fried on pavement or rocks: 1 (out of 6 attempts at Death Valley NP)

Western-most longitude reached: Alvord Desert, OR (Queen of Sheeba mine and ghost town, Death Valley NP, was a close second)

Northern-most latitude reached: Alvord Desert, OR

Number of hot springs visited: 4 (Double Hot, NV; Trego, NV; Soldier Meadows, NV; Alvord Desert, OR

Number of volcano’s hiked: 2 (Bandero, NM; Ubehebe, Death Valley NP)

Number of National Parks visited: 4 (Death Valley NP; Arches NP, UT; El Morro NP, NM (air); Chaco Canyon, NM (air))

Highest altitude reached (ground): 12,840 feet (Black Bear Pass, near Telluride, CO)

Highest altitude reached (air) 9800 feet (Shiprock area, NM)

Lowest altitude reached -282 feet (Badwater, Death Valley NP, lowest point in Western Hemisphere)

Flattest place visited: Black Rock Desert, NV (largest playa in the world and location of the 1997 World Land Speed Record)

Second flattest place visited: Alvord Desert, OR (large playa and location of Female Land World Speed Record)

Steepest place visited: Black Bear Pass, Telluride, CO (+3,000 foot drop-off in one mile to Telluride)

Highest pucker factor experienced: Black Bear Pass, Telluride, CO (+1,000 drop-off 2 feet from vehicle tires plus hairpin turns)

Second highest pucker factor: Pilot executing 80 degree roll so we could take pics of Anasazi ruins, Shiprock area, NM (good thing I didn’t eat breakfast!)

Hottest natural temperature experienced: 127 degrees F (NWS-measured high temp for Thursday, July 20 at Furnace Creek, Death Valley NP; Badwater is a little lower in elevation and therefore probably was a few degrees hotter)

Hottest temperature endured: 170 degrees F (measured temp of vehicle heat air during climb out of Death Valley NP on July 20 (heat was turned on to cool overheated engine)

Coldest temp experienced: Around 40 degrees F (Silverton, CO; enough of that crap, we went back to the desert!)

Number of vehicle accidents: 0

Number of tickets: 0

Number of warnings: 0

Number of times pulled over by cops: 0

Wildlife seen: White- and black tailed deer, jack rabbits galore, antelope, rattlesnake (dead; no, not us), 1 dead Golden Eagle (again, not us), 1 mountain lion or bobcat; several wild horses and burros

Number of digital pictures & movies taken: +3400 (2.6 GB)