July 2005 Western States

[Mark Sedenquist]

We just completed a 13-day roadtrip circuit that started and ended in Las Vegas.

Total miles driven: 4,819 (average per day = 371)
Longest Day was 642 miles (Santa Cruz to Klamath Falls, Oregon)
A couple of days we drove less than 50 miles (around Walla Walla, Washington)
Most travel days exceeded 425 miles.
Travelers: Three

Fuel cost was $51.18 per day [$2.50 per gallon)
Food was $52.97 per day [2 restaurant meals + 1 cooler meal per day]
Lodging was $102.02 per night (double bed rooms or suites with two adjoining rooms) [All had high-speed internet except for Wallace, ID]
Kettleman City, CA -- Best Western: $90.00
Klamath Falls, OR -- Shiloh Inns: $135.00
Pendleton, OR -- Red Lion Inn: $87.00
Walla Walla, WA -- Best Western: $87.00
Wallace, ID -- Stardust Hotel: 67.00
Havre, MT -- Super 8 Motel: $95.00
Idaho Falls, ID -- Best Western: $139.00
Ely, NV -- Ramada Inn: $139.00

Attractions visited included Mt. Shasta, Crater Lake NP, shoe trees in Oregon, Washington and Nevada, the National Bison Range in Montana, Glacier NP, Havre, Montana, Lewis & Clark routes, EBR-1, Craters of the Moon Nat. Monument, the "lonliest highway in America" and the California Big Sur coastline.

Average total cost per day: $183.00 for three travelers -- we tended to stay at the nicest lodging available in each town and ate in comparable restaurants. No fast food snacks.

Best Finds -- the "family suites" available at Super 8 Motels -- 2br-2ba rooms with ample work spaces and comfortable beds. Most amazing urban view -- room 98 at the Best Western Driftwood in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Most unique motel room -- #100 at the Copper Queen Ramada Inn in Ely -- counts as the high roller suite. Best waitress and hamburger: Sports Club Cattle Baron in Shelby, Montana. Best breakfast: Eureka Cafe in Eureka, Nevada. Most amazing rock and mineral shop: Wally Marks' Hwy 50 Rock Shop in Fallon, Nevada. Most amazing road: no contest: Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.

Mark

[Syv]

Thanks Mark. This list of costs is especially helpful for those coming to America from overseas to get a feel of what to expect. I still need to see one of those shoe trees!

[PNW Judy]

Good info, Mark.

The cost that amazes me is the $52.97 for food. Being that you had 3 people and that you didn't eat fast food, that is a surprisingly low amount. How did you manage to eat so well on so little? What trick am I missing in my repertoire?

I have never seen a shoe true either, Syv. I didn't know there were so many. I didn't even know there was one in Washington.

[Syv]

Judy - maybe we'll have to just start our OWN shoe tree!

Re: food costs
My travellin' pardner and I (two adult females) recently took a road trip June 17th - July 3rd. We brought from home a couple boxes of snack crackers, granola type bars, fruit drinking boxes, bottled water, single serving size containers of fruit (like sliced peaches, applesauce). We both find that while travelling our hunger is way way down compared to the normal routine at home. We get so busy looking at / doing stuff / that we forget to eat. We munched from the cooler now & then. Occasionaly bought a bagel or piece of fresh fruit at a coffee shop or grocery store. About 5 times in the entire trip we sat down for a meal at a regular restaurant. Two mornings breakfast was included at B&B's. Three dinners were visiting friends.

We never spend more than $200 each in the entire two weeks for food. Several vacations it has been far less than that.
I can easily relate to the $52.97 for three per day. It can be done!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Re: food costs
My travellin' pardner and I (two adult females) recently took a road trip June 17th - July 3rd. We brought from home a couple boxes of snack crackers, granola type bars, fruit drinking boxes, bottled water, single serving size containers of fruit (like sliced peaches, applesauce). We both find that while travelling our hunger is way way down compared to the normal routine at home. We get so busy looking at / doing stuff / that we forget to eat.

I find that I consume more food on a road trip than I do at home -- And I fail to get as much excercise as I should -- I am beginning to think that Judy is on to something with her zen approach to setting up a tent each night.

Mark

[Mark Sedenquist]

The cost that amazes me is the $52.97 for food. Being that you had 3 people and that you didn't eat fast food, that is a surprisingly low amount. How did you manage to eat so well on so little? What trick am I missing in my repertoire?

It really is a matter of the choice of motel -- virtually every morning we ate the continental breakfast provided by the motel -- some of these meals were quite extensive -- all were healthy and quite good. So, our out-of-pocket expense for food was for cooler supplies and supper.

Mark

[siel]

I drove last june to portland oregon, and i love the road and specially Mt shasta, the snow still there , I spend a night in eugene ( beautiful campus town) . in may way back to chico, I drove through cressent city and arcaida, beautiful city in the cost I will recomened to every one to drive that road to san fransisco .

[Syv]

I find that I consume more food on a road trip than I do at home -- And I fail to get as much excercise as I should --
Mark

Hmmm... Not a good combination, is it? I lost FOUR POUNDS on my last trip!!! Of course being home 3-4 weeks now, I have quickly found them again ;-)

[Mark Sedenquist]

Hmmm... Not a good combination, is it? I lost FOUR POUNDS on my last trip!!! Of course being home 3-4 weeks now, I have quickly found them again ;-)

I probably gained 2-3 pounds on my trip. Not as good.

Mark

[PNW Judy]

Judy - maybe we'll have to just start our OWN shoe tree!

Wow....what a great idea! Where? I've got a ton of shoes in my closet I never wear. Lots of seed shoes to start it off!

Re: food costs
My travellin' pardner and I (two adult females) recently took a road trip June 17th - July 3rd. We brought from home a couple boxes of snack crackers, granola type bars, fruit drinking boxes, bottled water, single serving size containers of fruit (like sliced peaches, applesauce). We both find that while travelling our hunger is way way down compared to the normal routine at home. We get so busy looking at / doing stuff / that we forget to eat. We munched from the cooler now & then. Occasionaly bought a bagel or piece of fresh fruit at a coffee shop or grocery store. About 5 times in the entire trip we sat down for a meal at a regular restaurant. Two mornings breakfast was included at B&B's. Three dinners were visiting friends.

We never spend more than $200 each in the entire two weeks for food. Several vacations it has been far less than that.
I can easily relate to the $52.97 for three per day. It can be done!

Actually, that's pretty much what I do. All that sitting in the car makes me not want to eat much. And, since I like to roadtrip to where it's hotter than it is at home, I also eat far less in the heat. Most roadtrips I spend about the same or less on food than I would if I was at home. So I rarely consider food a real expense part of my trip since I would be eating at home too, right? I figure I probably eat about $5 worth of food per day if I just eat from my cooler. If I eat out, it's usually an inexpensive meal maybe costing me about $8-12. But I usually only do this about once every 2 days. Since I spend so little, I will now-and-then splurge on a real nice meal at some unique restaurant or a dinner/show.

Anyway....what got me was that it was 2 meals out per day for 3 people for $52.97/day. That seemed kinda incredible to me. But, as Mark later explained, this included complimentary breakfasts at their hotels. Thanks for that explanation. I was truly bewildered on how you could eat out so much for so little.

I lost FOUR POUNDS on my last trip!!! Of course being home 3-4 weeks now, I have quickly found them again ;-)

Syv, you and I would make good traveling buddies. I often lose, too. The hiking a bit, combined with eating less, is usually good for my weight.

I am beginning to think that Judy is on to something with her zen approach to setting up a tent each night.

Zen? Hmmmm, I LIKE that. Never thought of it that way. Maybe it's putting that darn tent up-and-down that keeps the weight off when traveling, eh?

I probably gained 2-3 pounds on my trip.

Gosh, I sure hope that wasn't your norm when you were roadtrippin' full-time. Hope that door to the Phoenix didn't become a tight-squeeze. LOL