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| El Malpais National Monument, NM |
Mileage To Date:
Total Days on the Road: 191
Total Days Ridden: 143
Total Miles Ridden: 8,089
Average Miles Per Day Ridden: 56.57 (vs 48.91 as of June 1)
Average Miles Per Day ridden during the Tour Divide: 72.7
Max miles per day: 101
Accommodation To Date:
AirBnB: 10
Established Camp: 34
Friend: 31
Housesitting: 5
Motel: 62
Warm Showers: 9
Wild Camp: 40
Total Days: 191
Total average cost per day: $40
Budget Average June - Sept:
You ask, I provide! In May, you all thought it was silly that I put cycling costs under Entertainment. So, I have edited my categories, so that cycling and running costs are under Shopping. I have also added a Utilities category, which includes a monthly breakdown for the following, even though some of them are charged only once per year: phone, Garmin charges, subscriptions, credit card fees and internet security (NordVPN).
Accommodation: $1,041 (↓ from May, highest month August --> $1,412)
Dining Out: $348 (↑ from May, highest month July --> $518)
Groceries: $329 (↑ from May, highest month July --> $400)
Health: $234 (same - insurance premium)
Misc.: $122 (↑ from May - includes CFA membership, shipping, gifts)
Shopping: $287 (↑ from May, highest month July --> $669)
Transportation: $267 (↑ from May, highest month Sept --> $652)
Utilities: $226 (new category)
Average Total Spent: $2,854 ( (↑ 21% from May numbers)
Verdict: Many of these costs, as you can see from the highest month (July) were incurred during the Tour Divide, where I ate more, ate out more, shopped at higher cost food stores, fixed the bike a lot (hence the $669 shopping amount in July), and stayed in whatever room was near the course. This was not really a budget portion of my trip (total spending in July was $3,637). However, if you take out July, my average spending goes down by about 36%. Although I may not have months like this very often, I like to keep it in, as it gives me a good idea of the ebbs and flows of spending that will happen when traveling. For example, although my lodging in September was half the amount of August, in September I paid for a flight that I will not take until December, so my monthly total was not a lot lower. I look forward to doing a recap at the end of the year where the spending flattens out a bit, as month by month is a little harder to see the actual costs.
Fun side note, in finance we call this smoothing, and it is often a lot easier to look back on several months or years worth of data rather than look at it day by day or week by week. For example if you look at your investment account every day, you could easily get anxious for four days out of every five, but if you look at the last ten years, you will probably note a general upward trajectory.
Overall Spending To Date:
Currently, for the six months of full time bike travel, my average spending per month is $2,564. The breakdown per month is:
April: $1,881 (75% California/Oregon/Washington USA, 25% BC, Canada)
May: $1,845 (100% BC, Canada)
June: $2,410 (50% MT/ID/WY, USA, 50% BC/Alberta, Canada)
June: $2,410 (50% MT/ID/WY, USA, 50% BC/Alberta, Canada)
July: $3,637 (100% CO/NM/IL/WI, USA) <-- Highest
August: $2,862 (67% MN/WI/MI, USA, 33% ON, Canada)
September: $2,749 (35% OR/NY, USA, 65% ON/QC, Canada)
Verdict: The west has cheaper accomodation and more available wild camping (ie free) options due to there being a lot more national forest, BLM and Crown land. Also, most likely even the motels in the west were a lot cheaper in April than they were in July. I am also getting more tired or more lazy as time goes by, and am not as diligent about always camping or getting food from the grocery store as I was in the beginning.
To end this number heavy post, here are a few non-cycling related stats!
Favorite Ice Cream: The mint chip at The Clark Store outside of Steamboat Springs, CO. It was cash only, but a double scoop only cost me $5 and the kids serving it were top notch!
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| Double scoop of mint! |
Favorite New Town: Marquette, MI. The entire UP was nice, but the town of Marquette checks a lot of boxes. It is right on Lake Superior, it has a sweet bakery (Huron Mountain), is laid back, has good coffee, is walkable, has old buildings, has a Saturday farmers market, and has excellent bike paths! Win, win!
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| Marquette Bay |
Favorite New Water Related Venue: Although all of the Great Lakes were beautiful, I have a special spot in my heart for Lake Huron. I put my feet into all five of them, but was able to swim a few times in Lake Huron, and it was fabulous. Actually my first week or so in Ontario was all along Lake Huron and other waterways and every morning I got to see the sun rise over the water and it was very special.
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| Lake Huron at Blind River |
Favorite Food Item: I am back in the land of pate, of which I am a big fan. When I was in France, it was not uncommon for me to sometimes eat bread and pate a few times a day. Currently, I am not doing that, but it is nice to have the option! Bring me the liver!
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| Foie! |
Favorite Book: I know I have mentioned this before, but I really enjoyed The Indifferent Stars Above. Another one that was thought provoking was The Anxious Generation, which I've also already mentioned. My largest category for star ratings is four stars, so there are a ton more I could add, but you can look at them on my Goodreads page here instead!
Okay it's your turn!! Do you like pate? What is your favorite water related venue that you have been to? What was your favorite book last month and why?
Dare I admit my main takeaway from this post was how badly I want to have that ice cream? It looks amazing and reminds my of my mint chocolate gelato in Portugal which was - without a doubt - some of the best ice cream of my LIFE.
ReplyDeleteThese stats are incredible. So many miles covered; it would make a fascinating book (a bit like those books about people hiking the Appalachian Trail). Boo about bike repairs (good news when you visit me is there is a bike repair shop right in town and a bigger shop two towns over, in case the need arises).
Can't wait to see you soon!
The mint chip was divine! What is not divine is dropping so much on bike repairs, and if I never have to see another bike repair shop again I would be happy. However, that is not going to happen! However, they do charge about $60-$70 per hour in many cases. I have learned how to fix some things on my own though, so hopefully it will be less expensive going forward. In fact, I just changed out my brake pads and chain! Also, I think everyone should know how to change a tire, as it is super easy and the shop will charge you $15 to $30 each time. I have had to change my tube ~ 11 times on this trip, so that would add up fast!
DeleteWhat is the name of the place in Portugal? I will put it on my list!
Super interesting to see the trends there by month! I guess July is sort of "peak everything" month in the Northern hemisphere... so I suppose it makes sense that your costs are higher then too. (Besides all the extra expenses you had then, too.)
ReplyDeleteI've never had pate. I am not a very adventurous eater, so can I admit I just sort of assume I would not like it?? hahaha. (I hate to admit how often I do that. If something looks or sounds gross, I'll just be like, Oh, I don't think I like that. Instead of, you know, actually trying it first....)
July really is peak everything! It is holiday weekends and kids out of school, higher costs of flights, everything. Then yes, to top it off, having a couple of unexpected things come up coupled with having to do a lot of things a la carte or at the last minute, it was significantly higher.
DeletePate is good, and it is not all liver! In fact, if you like deviled ham, or spam, or corned beef hash or ham dip, or scrapple, or really any salty meat things, you would probably like it. I don't think it tastes too "livery" but, there are also non liver ones, like the country pate, which is usually pork and is kind of chunky so it is has a bit more character, or feel of regular meat. So when you go to Mexico, do you ever get the "fun" tacos? I love the variety and am happy to try stomach and tongue and brain and everything.
Interesting to see your expenditures! I don't know that I have a favourite body of water but I did love bobbing around in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. I like looking at Lake Okanagan too, and since that's home I guess it will get my vote. I loved The Burning, that's the best book I read last month.
ReplyDeleteI can get on board with the Pacific and the Caribbean. Also, if you have never been to the Gulf of Mexico, the water is so pretty and warm! I really enjoy the panhandle of Florida, and of course Cancun, although I am not sure if that is still the gulf or the Caribbean. However, I also enjoyed Lake Okanagan, and it came in 2nd (to Kootenay) in my BC version of my favorite bodies of water! I swam in Lake Okanagan and it was wonderful!
DeleteSadly, I did not read a single book last month! I was reading a ton of magazines--The New Yorker--trying desperately to catch up. Did I? No. But I made a huge dent, and donated the ones I finished. I am ready to start The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store this week.
ReplyDeleteI will always have a soft spot in my heart for "my" Great Lake, Lake Erie. I grew up practically on its shores and still live a stone's throw from it. I remember when it was a dead lake in the 1960s, and it was brought back to life after The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. As school kids we learned a lot about how to take better care of our lake.
As far as pate goes, I'm a huge fan of liver, period. I don't make it at home because no one but me likes it, so if it's on the menu anywhere in any form, I order it immediately.
A huge fan of liver! I love it. I am with you all the way! I never really had it as a kid because my Mom was traumatized by liver and onions when she was a kid and so she would never cook or serve it to us. However, once I tried it later in life, I was also a fan. Of course, I really love foie gras but that is controversial and often not served in some places, but I will also take any liver, including liver and onions (I had a great version of this in Vienna)!!
DeleteOh, and ice cream--I have to put a plug here for Cleveland's own a Mitchell's Homemade ice cream. I love their Lemon Black Raspberry Yogurt. My all-time fave.
DeleteWhen I go there I will try it!! Actually if you go to San Francisco, you have to try Mitchell's Ice Cream there!! It is my favorite in San Francisco!! I haven't had a flavor I don't like. They are family owned and have been around for ages.
DeleteWhat Nance said - Lake Erie is "my" Great Lake, so it's where my heart is. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my flirtations with Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario was nice as well, but if I have to choose just one I'm going with the one that I have "driven" across (via the ferry) and the one that I have done an island bender on. But I am open to changing my mind once I have seen all of the GL's and see them all I will! I can't believe that I'm picking the lakes over the ocean.
ReplyDeleteThe nice part about doing a few months of budget recaps at once is that you can see the trends - and I sound like I am at work so I will shut up now.
You know the best ice cream that I've had this year! King Condrell's!!! I don't usually get that excited about ice cream, but that was goooood stuff.
Best book? Last month was a total binge of the Linda Castillo Amish murder mysteries. I finished the last one and I'm gobbling up the short stories but I will run out very soon and I will have to Move On - at least until next summer when the next book comes out.
The good thing is that you do not have to choose; you can have lake and ocean. For me Huron is my favorite most RECENT body of water, but I have many others on my list!! You need to put New Zealand (among other places) on your list of places to go because the water there is so beautiful. Also Patagonia, Canada (Banff and Jasper) and the high Sierras all have wonderful alpine or blue lakes. I refuse to pick just one.
DeleteI love talking about trends! And smoothing! And you are totally right; it is actually less work overall also, as you are pulling the data and crunching the numbers all at once rather than four separate sessions, although I actually did June - Aug and then September separately, so I did end up doing it twice.
Best ice cream is another hard one. I agree, KC was VERY, very good. I also had a nice gelato near Toronto; the margins are very slim and I am happy to keep trying them to keep looking for a new favorite! And last but not least, I have one Castillo book on loan, but my loan list is long and my reading these days is not as significant so I hope I can get to it before it expires!
I'm a Lake Michigan girl. To be fair, I adore all the Great Lakes - they each have their charm. And there's no threat of hurricanes, which seems like a real pro these days. :(
ReplyDeleteI imagine The Indifferent Stars Above hit differently for you when you're on an epic cycling trip than it did for me, but I thought it was excellent, too.
I didn't have any five star books last month, but I liked Encore in Death quite a lot. It's book #56 in the In Death series by JD Robb and while it's not the most consistent series I've ever read, I am impressed that they are still pretty good books this far into the series.
I do like Lake Michigan too, and all of the Greats but for some reason Huron was my favorite! I think it had to do with the weather and the lack of bugs, two things that we not that great at Lake Superior! No threat of hurricanes is good, but the cold weather may just neutralize the joy of no hurricanes.
DeleteI think I liked Indifferent Stars because I have heard that story so many times, but he has a way with words and the way he told it was different than what I have experienced before. I also really liked Facing The Wall; he has a great voice and I enjoy his style.
Hi, NGS! I think you might be the only other person I know/read who read the Death series. I binged those books many years ago. Your comment reminded me that I miss it and should look into getting back to it again. My brain couldn't "stay put" (no concentration) around Covid times and a couple of years after for books but I am now again enjoying reading and want to go back to the Death series again. Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteHello. I followed you from one of the bloggers' sites -- maybe from Nicole's or Birchie's or Elisabeth's...such a great community!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've enjoyed reading your blog. I can't imagine riding across the country like you are doing! II's so different, and I'm really appreciating looking it from your perspective! I'm more of a couch potato and live through others' blogs and/or books! But I'm also an accountant (retired for a year now) so I enjoy reading your accounting data, too! :-) Looking forward to reading more of your adventures!
Best body of water: I think I'll have to choose the Caribbean. We live in a coastal town in San Diego county and I love the Pacific Ocean but only for sunset-viewing. :-) I'm a wimp so I don't go in the water, and the first time I dipped my feet in some of the beaches in FL and in the Caribbean, I was amazed how warm (and wonderful!) it was!
Best ice cream: I've been hooked on the Talenti gelatos and ice cream for years, my current favorite being coffee flavor. I loved all the gelatos I had in Spain, France and Italy in the summer; I had a goal of having ice cream or gelato every day -- and we were there for almost a month, so that was a lot of ice cream/gelato -- and I'm sure it didn't help with my blood sugar! Ha-ha!
~M~
Hello and welcome fellow math nerd!! I was in finance for a long time, have my CFA etc. and I guess am basically retired so hopefully I will have many more adventures to share with you! I love reading travel adventures and am always looking for posts about logistics/finance and so I figured I would share in case someone else enjoys them too!
DeleteI love San Diego and am especially partial to Ocean Beach; what a fun town! I have not explored all of the places, but I always thought that the San Diego area was a place I could live. Of course, the water is warmer than it is in San Francisco, but definitely not as warm as FL. I do love the Gulf of Mexico!
Those Talenti gelatos are good but they are not cheap! I saw them the other day at Safeway for 2.99 each and wanted to buy like ten of them. I restrained myself though and only bought one! Go me. I am on board with ice cream every day, blood sugar be darned.
Thanks! Definitely a math nerd -- but only as it relates to money/finance. My husband and I both have Accounting degrees(he worked in the field for a few years but got tired of the corporate world so he went out to do his own non-Accounting/Finance), and my son just graduated with a Finance degree. So a full house of nerds here. LOL
DeleteYou are a young retiree - how wonderful! Enjoy! I retired as soon as I was eligible -- at 56yrs old -- so I could carry the health insurance into retirement. But my husband sold his business 15yrs ago and has been retired since, the lucky duck! :-)
We lived in LA county then moved to TX and lived there for a decade but the heat became just too much. When we moved to San Diego almost 15yrs ago and looked for a house, I said I was buying my forever home. And we are still very happy here and definitely still think/plan this to be our forever home. This way, we can travel to states/countries with warm water and enjoy the vacation even more!
$2.99 for Talenti? Wow!! I would've hoarded! I just did a grocery order earlier today and looking forward to coffee and pistachio flavors. Yum!
I would have hoarded too but I'm on a bike and I have to eat it now or forever hold my peace. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I eat way too much ice cream but in that particular case, I was more responsible.
DeleteWhat a fun update! I see you renewed your CFA (which has gotten so expensive! I think it was $400+ for me!)! People often think that my old colleague Paul is not really retired so I tell them that you know he is very much retired because he did not renew his CFA!
ReplyDeleteI was kind of thinking about average spending levels lately but have accepted that we are in too odd of a stage of life to really contemplate that because our kids still need full-time childcare. So it's not worth wrapping my mind around our average spending since I would not retire until 8-10 years from now when they won't need childcare. But then Phil will probably keep working so I don't really need to know our average for quite some time. But it will be a more useful exercise when our kids are older. Right now we have a higher burn rate than is normal because of the kids ages.
Do you like pate? Nope. I tried it in France and did not care for it at all. HARD PASS.
What is your favorite water related venue that you have been to? I really love my parents' lake home. I've spent so much time on that lake so it's a very sentimental place and I feel very at peace there. But the most beautiful bodies of water I've been by are probably the lakes of the South Island of New Zealand or Lake Louise.
What was your favorite book last month and why? I wouldn't strongly recommend any of the books i read last night, except maybe The Guncle Abroad if you want to return to the world of Gay Uncle Patrick (it was enjoyable, just not as good as the first). I'm almost done with "The Return of Ellie Black" which is a good page turny mystery so I would probably check that out if you are looking for a book like that! Next I plan to read Shark Heart - it's my book club selection so hopefully it is good. It has a wild premise - a woman's husband is slowly turning into a great white shark. It sounds bonkers but I've heard rave reviews about it.
Yup, I think my CFA dues were also about $400, which seems like a high price to pay for something that I should rightfully now have for free. However, in the off chance that I will need it at some point, I will probably keep paying for it every year for a while. I also have to pay to keep my series 7 and 66, which I have not even looked into, but could cost me another cool hundred or so per year, and then after two (I think they did extend it during the pandemic) years I would have to retake the exams if I wanted to get back into the industry. Paul has the right idea; just cut and run!
DeleteI think as far as budgeting ten years from now, if you assumed costs would stay the same as right now (adjusted for inflation of course), you would probably come out ahead, as you will have less costs for the kids (unless you are paying for college) and I have heard that most people actually spend less than they thought they would once they retire. Of course at some point, healthcare becomes a high cost, but at first, you probably will spend less than you think.
Hmm, Lake Huron! I don't think I've ever been there. I grew up right near Lake Michigan.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to love Indifferent Stars Above! I have to read it.
Pate grosses me out. To each, his own!
Facing The Wall was also good and is written by the same author. Pit it in your list!!
DeleteI have enough trouble with numbers much less trying to figure them out on my phone! Your pictures are gorgeous and these memories that you are creating are so special!!! When you are in more populated areas do you have to be more aware of safety and find more secure lodging? That ice cream looked FABULOUS!
ReplyDeleteI know; I don't see how some people use their phone for everything. When it comes to crunching numbers or writing something kind of long or detailed, I definitely prefer a computer. I would not even mind a bigger screen for photos and stuff, and a ten key would be great too, but my laptop is already heavy enough as it is...
DeleteI really enjoyed seeing all your stats and expenses, Kyria! 191 days on the road, over 8000 miles, and only 9 showers that were warm!! I love reading about your adventures. I had pate in France, and I liked it - at the time, I had no idea it was goose liver!! (I ate A LOT of things in France that I had no idea about.) Pate and a baguette made the perfect meal. I haven't had it since though. I've never seen it around, and I've never thought about it. My favorite water venue is probably the Puget Sound in Seattle. I've been on several boat tours and eve a sea plane tour.
ReplyDeletePuget Sound is special, that is for sure. I have never been on a sea plane, but I did kayak around Lake Union in Seattle and that was very fun too! I would love to spend more time in that area, and actually am planning on it for the month of November if things work out!
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