day 93

well its sunday. daylight saving time started (or stopped,, i never know which) this morning i think i was supose to move my clocks back an hour. any way it is now an hour earlier than when it was before.

in my boredom i started planing a tour to yellow stone state park. originally the plan called for a train a bike and a tent. but after some research i discovered that the American train system is only fisable for non-Americans since they are allowed to get a rail pass. for us americans it cost more to use the train than to drive (to go from st. paul to chicago cost $116) (gas would be about half of that) the total cost of going to yellow stone would be $200+ not including food or accommodation or trip back. so i then changed the plan, going by car would be no fun so why not go entirely by bike?, if i broke the distance up into 11 days out and 11 days back my transport cost would be negligible. then i started researching accommodation. i looked up motels in the cities i would stop in the cheapest would have been $50. that would add up to $550 minimum on the way out. so motels were out of the question. there are no hostels in America so i can't do that but i could go camping at about $12 a night. so the total for camping would be $132-$175ish much better than hotels and if i bring my tent i may be able to camp in some places for free (i.e. about 500 yards off the road in a forest). next was food and equipment. if i pack properly i should have plenty of space on my bike for all the equipment i would need for a month. the problem is food would i be able to survive off of camping food for a month? then it occurred to me every town needs a grocery store and in every town i could buy about a meals worth of food for under $3-$5 all i would really need would be a aluminum pot that i could use over either a gas stove or a wood fire. that would also cut the weight of the bike. so the total of this trip would be about $500 not including equipment i don't have yet like the pot, a tent, light weight sleeping bag, gps, bear mace, water filter, bike repair stuff (extra sets of tires). ect....

i expect the total cost to end up around $1000. but thats only if i spend money on good equipment. i really don't need things like a brand name tent or sleeping bag . i could just as easily use a blue tarp and a home made fleece sleeping bag. that would same me roughly $150. so if i minimize the amount of stuff i actually need and compromise with the stuff i do need the cost should come down to about $700. now the problem is when to do it. ideally it would be best done in the summer between may and august. however after college i will need to get a job and work for about 2 - 20 years before i can get 1 month worth of vacation time. it seems that in order to provide for my self and to afford to do things like this i won't be able to.

well as you guest this is merely a plan i made up because i was bored and nothing better to do. in all likely hood this will never happen.

in other news tomarrow i am going to a 4 hour opera by richard strausse "Der Rosenkavalier" its about a guy who loves a girl and some other guy loves the same girl or somthing there is a explanation here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Rosenkavalier

i think its the rainy season here in europe. we havn't had a sunny day in a long time.

well thats all for now