Trip summary

As we were trying to get to sleep last night, we reflected on the trip, and came up with the following:


Length of trip: 12 days
Total distance traveled: 2276 miles
Longest day of travel: 660 miles (Alamogordo to Dallas)
Average gas mileage in our Prius for the whole trip: 45.6 mpg
Best gas mileage for a day of travel: 56.5 mpg (in 242 miles, Marcy driving....)
Different interstates: I-10, I-20, I-30, I-40, I-25, I-27, I-35
Different state highways: Too many to count

Number of speeding tickets: 0
Number of car accidents: 0
Number of injuries: 1 (Rich's fall on the stairs)

Total hotels/motels/cabins: 7
Best overnight stay: Tres Piedras, NM
Worst overnight stay: Gallup, NM (terrible hotel)

Parks/national forests/national grasslands visited:
Palo Duro Canyon State Park (TX), Capulin Volcano State Park (NM), Rita Blanca National Grassland (TX), Kiowa Grasslands (TX/NM), Carson National Forest (NM), Aztec National Monument (NM), Four Corners National Monument (NM, AZ, CO, UT, Navajo nation), Red Rock State Park (NM), Cibola National Forest (NM), Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area (AZ), Gila National Forest (NM), White Sands National Monument (NM), Lincoln National Forest (NM), City of Rocks State Park (NM), Monahans Sandhills State Park (TX)

Mammals seen:
Pronghorn antelope, coyote, jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, skunk, javelina, porcupine, lots of cows and one African gemsbok (seen in the White Sands area--it was weird, but both of us saw it grazing just off the highway)

Mammals we wished we'd seen but didn't: elk, bear, kit fox, buffalo

Birds seen: 85 species (see 12/26 post for list)

Places we'd like to visit for the next trip to New Mexico: Cloudcroft NM, Trinity Site (location of first nuclear test), Very Large Array, Gila National Monument (didn't get there due to snow)