Thursday, September 13, 2007

Morning folks. While the Bear is a real good motorhome, it do like it's gas. It cost me just under $3000 to go up to the Yukon and come back this far. So with the planned trip to Arizona being approximately the same distance, fuel cost is a big part of the decision, but that has been made easier by recent events.

With the US$ being at a 15 year low against most major currencies, our beloved(?) loonie is approaching par, being at 96.8 cents on Wednesday. With the average price of gas in the states I'd be driving through at approx $2.90US that would mean about 80 cents a liter after exchange. Compare that to the high I paid up on the Dempster Highway of $1.569 you can see how that eases the pressure. Add to that the fact that, fair or unfair, things like food etc are much cheaper on average than here, you can see that the economics are right.

The one snag is what to do with the car. If I was to take it down with me it would mean buying a car dolly, license, insurance, taxes, and the extra gas to pull it behind the Bear. I would be lucky to get away for less than $3000. If I wanted, or needed, a car down there I could rent a small economy model for probably $50 or so for the weekend sort of thing.

A fellow here has offered to let me store the car at his place where it would be safe. I would put storage insurance on it, but what happens if I find a spot in my travels that I want to roost at for a while? I guess another ride on the Greyhound (ugh). So, as much as I love the Cattlerack, it's a bit of a pain in the butt right now.

I might still find a place in a bit warmer clime to sit out the winter, but I'm not hopeful. For one thing they are just too expensive. One spot wanted $600/month, PLUS utilities! I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night. Sheesh!

So there you have it, the whine du jour. If this keeps up I'll have to start serving cheese. Oops, the microwave just bit the dust, and I gave a real good one away. Now there's a whine!

Trucker Bob blogged at 2:38 AM

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