By the numbers - Rejuvenation? Or Last Hurrah? - CycleBlaze

By the numbers

Summarizing the experience in cold hard numbers

FOR THOSE WHO LIKE NUMBERS, here are a few details:

Number of training rides: 33
Miles ridden in training: 1,244; probably too few because they were spread out over 9 months
Average training ride length: 35 miles

Longest mileage day: 81 miles
Shortest non-zero mileage day: 20 miles (doesn't include the 8 mile day of errands in Missoula)
Average mileage day: 47 miles

Total days on tour: 33 (includes side trip to Bozeman for family event and shut-down day in Cody WY)

Riding days: 24
No-ride days: 9

Days riding < 20 miles: 1
Days riding 20-30 miles: 0
Days riding 30-40 miles: 4
Days riding 40-50 miles: 9
Days riding 50-60 miles: 6 
Days riding 60-70 miles: 2
Days riding 70-80 miles: 1
Days riding 80+ miles: 1

Nights in tent: 14
    At formal campground/RV park: 13
    In city parks, churchyards, etc.: 1
Nights in hotels: 14
Nights in hostels: 3
Nights in Warm Showers host homes: 1

Total Climbing (approximate): 51,020 feet
Average Climbing: 2,126 feet/day (average ~1% grade)
Highest summit / pass: Sylvan Pass, leaving Yellowstone (8,604 feet)
Longest continuous climb (4 percent or steeper): 10 miles (0716, White Bird Grade)
Longest single descent (4 percent or steeper): Sylvan Pass (5 miles; doesn't count the descent to Ennis because I caught a ride for that section)
Steepest descent: Lamb Grade, between Grangeville and Stites, ID. 3 miles at between 9 and 13 percent.
Day with most total climbing: 0706 Prairie City to Union Creek Campground, 4,160 feet total

I elected early on not to track and break expenses down by category while I was on the road.  It was a vacation, not an accounting and bookkeeping exercise.  But what I can say is, I spent more than I anticipated.  Meals were costlier than I expected, and I had more hotel nights than I thought I would.  One of those nights was over $200, most were in the $90 to $110 range.  (I don't count my side trip to Bozeman as part of the tour expenses, because it was a family matter and not really "part of" the tour per se.) 

That said, a review of my credit card and bank statements for the period of time covered by the trip suggests that, all in, I spent something around $4,500.  Again, that total does not include the expenses for my Bozeman side trip, which was a family thing not a bike tour thing per se, but does include the airfare and shipping charges for my early termination.  Leaving those costs out brings the total down to around $3,700, or about $112/day.  Considering that I spent nearly half my nights in hotels that's a surprisingly modest figure, I think.

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Comment on this entry Comment 7
Scott AdamsI've often read that it's better to spend money on experiences than on "things". At less than $150 per day average (excluding Bozeman, and not subtracting what you would have spend if you had stayed home), I imagine that you got your money's worth from this experience, since it was so positive overall.
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2 years ago
Keith AdamsTo Scott AdamsI agree, but it was a surprise to see what it actually ran to. I've always thought of bike touring as a relatively inexpensive way to travel, and certainly there are others who do it more frugally than I did. I met a fellow who had been on the road for two months, for example, and who had not yet spent a dime on lodging expenses. (I got the sense that he's quite adept at finding ways to game a system, mooch, or simply freeload but the fact remains that he hadn't invested a lot in keeping a roof over his head.)
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonDefinitely it’s more expensive than in the good old days, even if you’re not credit card touring. When I biked from Indiana to Montana back in 1974 I averaged $8/night, including meals and even a few dive motels. On other nights I spent two nights in college dorms, two in jails, and at least one in the home of a guy I met in a bar.
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2 years ago
Keith AdamsTo Scott Anderson"I spent two nights in ... jails..."

Those nights were, I presume, voluntary on your part.
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2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Keith AdamsYes, I just stopped and asked. I don’t remember now why that seemed like a good idea at the time, but it worked out fine. Both were memorable experiences, in a simpler time. I wouldn’t do it again.
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2 years ago
Kelly IniguezKeith,

I think I forgot to reply to you, about your potential bicycle shopping. I had suggested a Rodriguez. Jacinto also has a Long Haul Trucker, purchased in 2008. This is his favorite date. She doesn't go out often anymore, but when he takes her out, he always comments on what a good ride, and always dependable. Now he's more into internal geared hubs, Rohloff being the most common. Jacinto's reason for going IGH is that he doesn't like to clean chains! We might laugh, but it's the truth. He did have a spectacular failure at the end of our 2021 tour, but other than that, the Rohloff has been very dependable. He has encouraged me to switch one of my bikes to a Rohloff. If there were someone in our area familiar with them, I'd probably give it a try.

I got sidetracked there - what I really wanted to say was to keep the LHT at the top of your list. It's an inexpensive, dependable ride.
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2 years ago
Keith AdamsTo Kelly IniguezI don't relish the idea of the LHT or Disc Trucker's empty weight of 31 pounds. I know it's unrealistic to expect *any* touring model to be close to the gossamer weight of my road bike, but even Odysseus is only in the middle 20s, with all the racks and gee-gaws included.

I think my long gone yet still mourned 1984 Trek 620 was only around 22 pounds. In many ways it's still the bike I most enjoyed riding. It's tempting to see if I can find one on FleaBay (they pop up from time to time) until I think about the number of changes (and the lack of provision for a disc brake, which is now a must-have qualifier for consideration) that I'd have to make.
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2 years ago