Some random thoughts and stats.

People ask me "How was your trip?" What can I say? My trip was just about dropping off one bike, picking up another and visiting friends and relatives. But as I lay around my house thinking about it, it was so much more.

How so? I'm not sure as I'm still processing all the data, but I feel there's some sort of underlying meaning to everything I saw. Or not. Who knows?

My old friend Larry M. from Grass Valley in California once advised me (when we were both working stiffs) to put all the data I could into spread sheets. I had just learned Excel and was having fun with lists.
This has become almost an obsession with me and I put some trip info into spread sheets. Actually it's pretty interesting.

total mileage....4, 170

gallons of gas used....232

total spent on gas ..... $1884.96

repairs and oil change .... $70.15

average mpg .... 17.97 mpg

highest mpg .... 24.61 mpg from Ontonagon MI to Clayton, WI (no trailer)

lowest mpg.... 13.55 mpg from Eureka, KS to Chelsea, OK (empty trailer and strong headwind!)

highest price ... $4.20 (in remote MI and OR)

lowest price ... $3.38 (AZ, MN, OK)

nights in motels... 13

total motel cost... $671

nights in campgrounds... 15

total campground cost...$292

It was too hard to keep track of food and odds-n-ends (like my cool hoodie from Hayward, WI) but I did manage to log in $350 towards meals.

I probably could have trimmed down here and there. For example, I didn't realize I spent so many nights in motels. Better planning may have cut that down.
But as my friend Victoria S. tells me, it's only money, living life is what's important. Guess I have to agree with that!

The one thing I'm really happy with is my van Brunhilda. She didn't do bad for an 18 year old ex-beer delivery truck. She never failed to start, stop or turn. She never leaked and everything (besides the AC) worked fine.

What can I say? An old fart in an old van and we both made it.

Soon as I get some more scratch together I plan to explore more of Oregon with Susan and the Merry Mutts.

...more follows...