6 month trip update

Laughing Gull pair courting
EOS 50D; 500/4 IS & 1.4x TC
ISO 200; 1/500 @ f/8

As of today, I've been on the road for 6 months. What a blast the trip has been with many extraordinary experiences, interesting people, and some of the best photos I’ve ever shot. I thought you might like to hear some stats and stories from along the way.

Before I get into it, let me say a huge thanks to all of you for checking out the blog…. and especially those who've taken time to post or send a comment. THANKS!

Stats since I started the trip on October 20, 2008:

• 40,190 km driven
• 45,500 photos taken
• 558 km walked carrying my camera gear
• 2-3 days – average time between showers
• 6 days - longest time wearing the same t-shirt
• 358 species of birds seen
• 8,174 different blog visitors
• climbing a landslide: most dangerous thing I've done (aside from driving)
• $141/gallon – cheapest gas I found (Tucson in December)
• favorite towns: Portal, Arizona and Mendocino, California
• favorite spots: giant redwood forests of northern California & Death Valley, California
• top trip songs: The Unforgettable Fire (U2), Big Casino (Jimmy Eat World)
• trip album: Viva la Vida (Coldplay)
• worst sleep: Radisson Hotel, Phoenix (domestic dispute outside my room; they set off the fire alarm at 2:30am)
• best park staff: South Llano River State Park, Texas
• cheapest bottle of wine consumed: Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon ($2)
• celebrity encounters: Hulk Hogan passed me while driving
• 1 camera destroyed to get Canvasback duck photo (Canon G9)
• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - best beer

I'll be back in Ontario in just over a week and look forward to touching bases with friends and family, as well as shooting on my home turf, as the journey continues.