Trip Costs

I wrote up the following not too long after my arrival at home. I kept thinking I would tighten up the numbers particularly since my gas expense was $100 less than 2008 when I drove 7500 miles. These numbers though will have to stand as I at least have a pretty clear picture of the costs. Yesterday I took the van to the storage facility. Only one camping trip in the near future, Sept 12 in Titusville to do an evening kayak trip. There will be Roadtrek rallies each of the following months which I plan to attend. Meanwhile my focus is to get those photos posted and prepare for my bicycle tour from Prague to Vienna beginning Sept 21. Here's the cost info:

I am surrounded by piles of receipts but I primarily used my daily log and credit card bills to give a rough estimate of the costs of my 3 month odyssey. One of my surprises was that the cost of fuel and the cost of campgrounds was not that far apart. In Canada, gasoline frequently averaged about one US dollar a liter which would make it over $3 a gallon which certainly was less than I paid in Canada in 2008. The total costs will come in around $8400 I think. Camping facilities totaled $1842 and gasoline $2242. There are many places to camp for less cost but they were not as convenient or as comfortable in many cases. Food including restaurants, groceries, and odds and ends, though I can’t say every ice cream cone is counted, was $1172. Tours including the Talkeetna air flight, the Tracy Arm boat ride, and the Kantishna Experience in Denali was around $1000. The ferry rides on the inside passage totaled $1746. Admission fees were approximately $200. Propane refills were $32. For 90 days of travel, food and lodging and related costs it will come to slightly less than $100 a day.

Alaska Bound Days 91 and 92

Day 91 Miles 527 Total trip miles:12,374 Home Sweet Home, Stuart Florida

Yes I pulled into my driveway shortly after 7 p.m. The day went surprisingly well considering I did not make many stops and had rain off and on all day. As I was about to leave the campground, a thunderstorm hit so I delayed since I wanted to pump out my tanks. It was still raining when I finally did pump out and as a result the inside of the front door was pretty wet. There seemed to be more northbound traffic the entire way and I saw several accidents. I was lucky to get through most of the Orlando area before rush hour. Thank goodness for my Sun Pass as there were few toll booths open and long lines. I stopped at the rest area just south of Orlando. When I emerged from the van, I felt my first 90+heat and thought how good it felt, almost like getting into those hot springs. As I approached my home area there was a rainbow in the sky. It was quite a welcome back to the sunshine state.

Day 92 This will complete the Alaska Bound “series” but I will post a summary of expenses and other data. It will take a while to sort everything out. I just continue to marvel at my good fortune to have had a wonderful, safe and healthy trip filled with such incredible experiences, breath taking scenery and great people. Today it seems almost like it was a dream. Of course the reality sets in as I do the laundry, sort the seeming tons of stuff coming out of the van and try to find a place for it all. I caught up with some of my neighbors including the 5 p.m. gazebo bunch where there was a beautiful onshore ocean breeze.

As I unpack I am already giving some thought to my next adventure when I fly to Prague in September for a two week trip that will include a week of bicycling from Prague to Vienna. I inflated my bike tires tonight and hope to get a short ride in the morning. Some of my Alaska wardrobe and my passport have been set aside ready to go again. First however I want some more time to savor the past 3 months and revisit through my photos and travel information. I am going to try to do a condensed version of my photos and have a slide show on the blog.