And just like that, May is gone. It treated me well, as in I probably got rained on a little at least 20 of the 31 days, but none of the rain was super heavy so I never had one of those cold and drenched miserable days, which is great! Also, I went swimming for the first time this year. Yay! Which is funny, as I have literally been waking up to temps around freezing most mornings recently. Here is a quick recap of the last month of travel, as well as the journey so far. All stats are up to and including May 31, 2024. *If you don't give a hoot about cycling, I have included some non-cycling stats at the bottom; feel free to go directly there!
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| Kananaskis Trail/Hwy 40 is closed to cars until June! |
Mileage Stats (overall):
Total Days on Road: 69 *PS last month I miscounted. Oops.
Total Days Ridden: 55
Total Miles: 2,690
Average Miles Per Day Ridden: 48.91 (vs 49.6 as of May 1; pretty steady!)
Total Hours (moving only): 329
Average (moving) Hours Per Day: 5:35 (vs. prior of 5:40)
*like last time, I would say there are about two additional hours of drinking, eating, bathroom stops, sheltering from the rain, looking at maps, warming up by stopping for coffee and/or looking at mountains.
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| I am so happy to be on a dirt road! |
Accommodation stats for May:
Established Camp: 7 (↑ 75% from last month)
Friend: 2 (↓ 85% from last month)
Motel: 11 (↓ 15% from last month)
Warm Showers: 0 (↓ 100% from last month)
Wild Camp: 9 (↑ 13% from last month)
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| I had to stay an extra day in Fernie to get my bike fixed. |
Budget stats for May:
Accommodation: $1,093 (↑ from last month)
Dining Out: $246 (↑ from last month)
Groceries: $271 (↑ from last month)
Health: $234 (same - insurance premium)
Transportation: $0 (↓ from last month)
Phone: $81 (same - cell phone)
Entertainment: $274 (↑ from last month - bike repairs/camping supplies/bear spray/satellite messenger)
Misc.: $78 (↑ from last month - VPN, credit card fees, gifts)
Shopping: $120 (unfortunately, a new category, 100% increase from last month)
Total Spent: $2,405 ( (↑ 35% from last month, which was $1,767)
Verdict: Uh oh. Although this is still not super high and is still less than half of what I was spending at home, as I mentioned last month, my thought was that I would shoot for about $2,000 per month. However, I did know that I might have to tweak it a little as I got more knowledge about what I was actually spending.
The main culprit is the cost of accommodation, which was about 35% higher than last month. I would say that I maybe stayed in more motels, but as we see from the accommodation stats, that was not true; they just cost more. I crossed the border into Canada at the end of April, so once again, I am going to blame Canada (so sorry)! Also dining out and groceries are both about 25% higher. I also had to buy a few things along the road: a new pillow, some new dry bags, camping fuel, memory cards and a new charger. This inflated my entertainment cost quite a bit and added a whole new category of Shopping. Some of these costs, although not necessarily recurring, will probably be replaced by something else, so maybe $2,500 is a more realistic goal. We will see.
Also, in the question form (P.S. You can still ask questions here), Nicole asked, "How long will you be biking for? How many kilometres do you bike a day on these adventures?" Well, as I mentioned above, my average is currently about 49 miles / 78 km, but my longest day so far for this trip was about 70 miles / 112 km. My shortest day was a day with my Dad, where we biked around Vancouver, and that was 20 miles / 32 km. I think for him it was his longest day ever, and he was very glad to get his butt off the bike, literally.
As for how long I will be biking for, I hope to get to the East Coast before the snow starts to fly. If I am tired by then, I will fly or take the train home; if not, who knows, maybe I will bike home. That is way too far in the future to decide at this point. So, to answer your question, somewhere between October and December most likely. After that, I think I will do some international (non-North American) travel, probably without the bike, but who knows. My friend Dr. G asked if I planned on doing any international cycling and I my answer to this question is yes, but I do not know if it will be right after this trip or if I will need a break from Bob for a while. Europe has a whole network of cycling routes called the EuroVelo and I would love to spend some time exploring that at some point, plus there are many, many other routes on all of the continents that have piqued my interest.
Speaking of international trips, one of my inspirations for this trip was from a woman named Lael Wilcox, who got the women's record for the Tour Divide race (Canada to Mexico) and won the TransAm (west coast to east coast of the US) race overall. She is currently (right now!) trying to set a world record for fastest round the world bike tour (18,000 miles). She is very inspiring and is so cheerful and she will even respond to your comments on Instagram. If you are interested, here is her Ted talk about the TransAm race and how she got her start, and here is her Instagram, where you can follow her RTW FKT attempt.
And now, some non-cycling related stats!
This month, instead of ice cream by the numbers, I am just going to show you my new favorite ice cream: Two Scoop Steve's in Yahk, BC. Since it was in the name, I got two scoops! Mint chip and butter pecan. It was delicious, and was even worth sitting in the spitting rain to order it and eat it.
Favorite new town: Fernie, BC. Although it rained the entire time I was there, this little town is nestled in the mountains, has a cute little downtown and has any action sport you may like, like skiing, hiking, mountain biking etc. Plus they have everything you need, including three bike shops, within about a five block radius! *Runner up: Nelson, BC, which sits on a lake and really kind of reminded me of Tahoe a little bit.
Favorite new lake: There have been so many, but I would probably have to say Kootenay Lake. Not only is it next to my runner up, Nelson, but it is huge, very beautiful, surrounded by mountains, and not even that cold! Also nearby there are hot springs, skiing, hiking, and beautiful vistas! PLUS, there is a free ferry, the longest free ferry in the world apparently! *Runner up: Okanagan, which has great vistas but not as many nice green trees.
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| Kootenay Lake at Nelson |
Favorite hamburger: Little did you know this would end up being a category, but if it's not an ice cream, it's a hamburger (or surprisingly, a GF pizza!). I think it is a toss up: the birthday wiener burger at Clyde's in Grand Forks was good, but the GF bun was a little odd and the fries were not super crisp. The Royale with Cheese at the Royal in Nelson was great, the GF bun was better and their poutine was also GF, but they really skimped on the fixings (the burger looked so sad, just meat and bun).
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| The Royale, a sad little burger |
Favorite book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Facing The Mountain by Daniel James Brown. This one is near and dear to my heart, as it talks about the Nisei solders, the second generation Japanese Americans, who went to fight in WWII, even as their parents, the first generation, were imprisoned in internment camps in America. The reason it is so dear is that my good friend K's grandfather was one of them and I remember sitting with her grandma talking about being in the internment camps. Many of the Nisei died, as they were sent on suicide missions, but they were the unsung heroes (along with many others) of the war. However, we don't know much about them, and this book really can open people's eyes about some of the things they went through.
Okay it's your turn!! What unexpected thing did you have to spend money on last month? Who is your real life hero or inspiration? What was your favorite book last month and why?
I understand the hamburger hype. When I'm at home a burger is a boring meal, but when I'm on an active vacation a big fat burger is a very practical meal. And I've only been putting in 1/10th of your mileage!
ReplyDeleteI recently listened to another Daniel James Brown book, The Indifferent Stars Above, which was about the Doner party. It was a great book to listen to on a road trip from the comfort of my car. My favorite book from last month was of course The Women!
I am actually reading The Indifferent Stars right now. I started it awhile ago and have really been enjoying it, but since it is an ebook, not audio, I only read in the tent at night and I have been around people and staying in a real place so I have not finished it yet! I am liking it so far though!
DeleteThat is true about the hamburger; I don't really eat them when I am at home that much but on the road and/or being active, I really crave meat and salt!
I think you need a better name for your Entertainment category. Bear spray and bike repairs are NOT entertainment! Miscellaneous Necessities would be more like it. Now books, movie rentals, comedy clubs, amusement parks, things like that would be Entertainment. Or the occasional stripper. You know, stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteUnexpected expenses are terrible. We had to get a new basement wall, and that necessitated destroying the back patio. So now we have to get a new patio put on since half of it is dug out and just dirt.
I just finished a really interesting book (and a long one), and I'm finally done allowing it to percolate. It was The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. I'm without another new book to start at present, but I'm thinking of rereading something from my shelves. I have a ton of nonfiction about President and Mrs. Lincoln--a huge interest of mine--so I may start there. Or something light and fun like David Sedaris's collections.
Hah, that is funny. I always had my entertainment as things that were camping and running related, as I wanted to keep them separate from shopping. Also, the entry fee for a race is not unlike the entry fee to a museum for people who like running! So I kept that the same. I am not a movie goer, nor do I frequent the strip clubs, but if I was or I did, those would also go under entertainment. Also! For this trip I do want to keep track of how much I spend specifically on bike stuff, so I am going to keep it out of the Misc. category so I can track it. For lack of a better word, I think I will keep it as entertainment. :)
DeleteUnexpected expenses are terrible, and home related ones are even worse! I hate how there is basically no job less than $1000, and of course many of them are easily 10x that. It just makes my wallet hurt every time something goes wrong in the house. Re books, you can never go wrong with Sedaris. I always get a kick out of him and even more so, now that he narrates his own audiobooks. He has a very strange sense of humor, but I am on board with it.
This is Lisa. The sad burger makes me think of the sad sandwiches I packed when I worked at a front desk in Steamboat Springs. This is going to sound horrible but the general manager of the resort called it my ‘welfare sandwich’. But I was trying to save a shit ton of money so I got by with a very basic bagel + cheese + meat sandwich. Similarly when I spent 6 weeks there before studying abroad in Australia I would eat a lot of salads and cans of Campbell’s soup and I would crush up saltines for croutons on my salad to save money on groceries (this was before I knew about my gluten intolerance).
ReplyDeleteMy late grandma was quite an inspiration to me. She found a way to carry on after losing my grandfather. They had their epic marriage but she overcame the loss and had a very full life. And she embraced technology. She emailed and used Facebook and loved playing wordle. She decided she was never too old to learn something new and didn’t use her age as an excuse to opt out of things.
I can’t think of any unexpected expenses from last month. It was a very typical month for spending!
I think I have been lucky enough to always have a microwave in my lunch room, so I cannot really remember ever bringing sad sandwiches to work for lunch. I also worked in food service when I was first starting out, and so we got a free meal, so I ate a lot of bagels then. Once I transitioned to non food service, I honestly cannot remember what I brought, but I definitely have always cooked, so it was probably some sort of casserole.
DeleteYour grandma was (and is) an inspiration to me too! Since I have known you, I have always been impressed with her and the fact that she was in a Wi bowling league always made me smile. She was a very cool lady!
My husband and I went for a bike ride last weekend and we went about ten miles and my butt hurt for three days. I definitely need to build up my stamina! I don't know how you're doing 50 miles a day! You're a Super Woman.
ReplyDeleteI am loving how much everyone is loving The Indifferent Stars. I thought it was a unique perspective on that historical event that I honestly didn't know a ton about. Riveting!
If you have not been on a bike for a while, it is amazing, in a bad way, how fast your butt can start to hurt. That is for sure! I have some days that are worse than others still, and many seasoned riders still get saddle sores, but I think a lot of people buy a new/fancy saddle, which helps them a lot. I have not gone that route yet, but maybe someday I will graduate to a real leather saddle like the cool kids.
DeleteI know a lot about the Donners and we always stop at the place where they made it to on our way to Tahoe but I love being familiar with the names and having a new perspective than I have had before. It has been great.
I can come up with a few things I don't love about Canada and HOW MUCH THINGS COST is one of them. I have some friends from the US who now live in Canada and they still get sticker shock. Taxes are high (both on income AND at the stores; 15% where I live) and things in general tend to be pricey. Things are cheaper where I live in the East Coast, but it's still...expensive. I think some of that is a trade-off for having things like universal health care. But, as our population ages, we have fewer people to pay into the tax coffers and we come off huge spending events like COVID...things are looking quite grim for some of those social systems moving forward. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteOkay. That was depressing! Maybe we should move to Scandinavia. Similar high taxes and prices, but a more robust social welfare system?
What unexpected thing did you have to spend money on last month? We had to fix our roof...again. And it was such a small job, but the guy that did it has a $200 minimum for coming out - fair enough - but that was a tough pill to swallow. Our roof needs regular patching, but it's mostly in good shape and to replace it would be very expensive. But each little repair feels like a financial paper cut.
I am so glad you put in your two cents about Canada, as I was just wondering about that with a friend. I know that the sales tax is high, and noticed that it is sometime in three chunks, like 5% + 5% + 3% and was not sure exactly why. Coming from the Bay Area, that did not hurt too bad, as we have around 9%, even though most of the statewide rate is 7.25%. However, some states have none, or very low, like ~ 3%.
DeleteBut we were also wondering about the social systems, and my friend told us that you have it at the national and province level, but that some people still go to the states for surgeries, as it will be done a lot faster, which was blowing my mind.
Ug re the roof! As I mentioned to Nance, I hate home expenses, as they are never really cheap. I mean, if you can get by with less than $1000 it is like a dancing day, but usually it is more than that and you just have to swallow your angst and write a check, which is very painful.
Hi Kyria!! Thanks so much for this update. So interesting and with beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhat unexpected thing did you have to spend money on last month? Nothing unexpected, really. But we did buy a patio set and I've been buying stuff for camping with the kids.
Real life hero... My colleague Anna, a teacher from my prior district. Selfless and not a bad bone in that body.
My reading was pitiful in May, but I did finish Holly by Steven King, and progressing through "The Body Keeps the Score" a non-fiction about childhood trauma.
I love your patio set, and am fully on board with spending money on camping equipment! If you buy good stuff, it can get expensive, but I have had some equipment for years if not decades, that I still use and love! Also, if you are bringing kids, to me it is important for it to be fun, aka, not freezing cold in a sleeping bag lying on the ground, and they will want to keep doing it, so having good equipment is key! Although I froze my tuchus off a lot when I was a kid, and I am still going out camping, so maybe it is not that important after all.
DeleteI love this update! Also, I'm not sure bike repairs should go on entertainment budget? And how entertaining is bear spray? Although my husband likes to work on his bikes and so sometimes his bike pieces go under his hobbies budget, and I guess you get entertainment from riding...? Anyways, I of course love the budget breakdown. I bet it doesn't feel like you're spending much until you start adding it all up?
ReplyDeleteI would love to watch you cycle touring around Europe or the UK! You are totally welcome to come visit us - we are on a few Sustrans networks. But I would not recommend a UK cycletour in the winter.
I love that photo - why was highway 40 closed?
I think by entertainment I mean hobby, but also I do want to see after this year is over how much I actually ended up spending on bike stuff, so I have to put it somewhere! So yes, I guess I get entertainment from riding. And you are right, it does not feel like you are spending much sometimes, but then you get to a touristy town and the lodging is a couple hundred and that feels like a lot compared to the free or cheap camping. So it goes both ways!
DeleteIf I still have the drive to ride my bike after this trip, I would love to come to Europe/UK. There is some really good riding in Scotland too and I would love to tour that part of the world in this manner. It's on the wishlist and if I get over there, you are definitely on my to be visited list!.
Highway 40 goes over Highwood Pass, which is about 7,000 ft, and it is closed to cars for the winter until June 14th, so they let bikes go on whenever they want but generally they plow it right beforehand, and a lot of people go then. I tried to do it a little early and it was still too snowy, but I got up to about 6,800 ft and it was so cool to be on the road without cars.
so many miles!!!! my biggest question is when are you coming to Asia?? hahahah. will you bring your bike here? what about some hiking?
ReplyDeleteUnexpected money spent? new flight from manila to Jakarta as our original one got cancelled and I didn't want to wait and risk again the next day so booked new flights and hotel.
real life hero: my mentor and former boss. he inspires me at work and in life.
reading: not good last month but I am enjoying an audiobook about economic history of empires.
If all goes according to plan, I will probably be in SE Asia in Jan-May of next year, but that is all still TBD for the moment. I don't know if I will travel with the bike at first but that will also be decided in a few months! Definitely will do some hiking though.
DeleteI am not sure how it is for you, but flights from the US have gotten expensive! I was just looking into flights to Bangkok for December and they are around $2,000 RT, which is crazy. Obviously you can get a deal by being flexible, but even the "cheap" ones are around $1,000-$1,400 now.
Zero warm showers in May?! My heart hurts, lol. A warm shower is one of my greatest joys!
ReplyDeleteUnexpected thing I spent money on was numbing cream to help with my psoriasis flare. I was willing to try ANYTHING to find relief.
Real-life hero is my mom! She left a terrible marriage with two pre-teens in tow, which had to be so scary! But she made it out and found love again. <3
My favorite book last month was All My Rage - have you read it? It was excellent on audio!
Haha! Warm Showers is a platform like Couch Surfing, where you can stay with hosts along your route for free. I definitely took at least 12 hot showers in May; don't worry! I do not get a chance to shower every day, but when I do have a chance, I make the best of it.
DeleteI am putting All My Rage on hold now! It sounds like a really good read!
You are right, the Royal does not look very royal. I much prefer a hamburger with a decent amount of salady things. My unexpected purchase was the mnoonboot for my foot, I would have preferred not to spend that money. My favourite fiction book last month was The Paris Apartment because it was a mystery with a good twist.
ReplyDeleteI also prefer a decent amount of salady things, or at least a thicker burger if you are going to skimp on veggies. However, the taste was good! A moonboot is not very exciting, that is for sure, but probably it is necessary and you will be happier for it. The Paris Apartment was a good quick read for me too and I enjoy her thrillers. That genre is my go-to when I just want something fun and easy and entertaining.
DeleteI’m drooling over the hamburger meal and ice cream photos! I can’t even imagine riding a bike for that long, so I think you are amazing! It’s fun to see your stats. I wouldn’t have known that biking could be so expensive. Well, it’s less expensive than other things for sure, but I had no idea of the costs so it’s interesting to find out.
ReplyDeleteThe cost really depends. I am actually pretty frugal, but I am not camping every single day. Some people camp every day, and in that case, could get by with a lot less. Some people are called "credit card tourers" and they get a room and buy food out all the time, which I imagine could easily go into the tens of thousands per month depending on the room. Near the National Parks, some of the cheapest rooms are $200+ I am going to go through Kalispell/Whitefish later this month and I will definitely be camping in that area, as the rooms there around ~$300 a night.
DeleteThat's a lot of biking! I haven't been to Nelson in like 25 years, it's a cute little place for sure. Too bad you weren't here a week later when we were home and things were less chaotic!
ReplyDeleteOh, forgot to answer your questions. What unexpected thing did you have to spend money on last month? Nothing unexpected but a ton of expected, as we are doing landscaping. Who is your real life hero or inspiration? Hmmm...I have so many I cannot name them all. I have so many wonderful women in my life. What was your favorite book last month and why? Happiness Falls - loved it!
ReplyDeleteHome things always cost a lot! I did some landscaping and was amazed at how much rocks cost. I grew up in a place where they were plentiful so it is strange to have to pay thousands of dollars to buy them! However, it always seems like home related items add up so fast, faster than I can keep track of at times. Despite selling my house in May, therefore giving me a short year of expenses, my home category will probably still be the biggest spend of 2024.
DeleteAh. Well, we had a huge unexpected car-related expense, as my son was in a little fender-bender. Aren't you glad you don't have a car???
ReplyDeleteYour whole trip sounds amazing. i love the financial stats- i would have no idea how much it would cost to do something like that. I'm not a big fan of camping, but I can see how it would be necessary unless you want to spend a fortune. Also, I'm sure you enjoy it.