Rick

I thought I was starting a new thread and tried to get rid of my post and my computer crashed.

djb

Good replies re average costs of stuff.
Re damage deposits, interestingly r enough I've never encountered this in my life. Maybe it's an American thing or larger urban area thing. When i biked from Montreal to Boston i stayed in small motels or some motel 6 type places in Vermont and NH but don't recall this at all, this was 7 years ago I think.

indyfabz

There are more than a few people “down on their luck” living in hotels here these days. At the Red Roof I stayed at last Thursday, some of them were visibly intoxicated. One guy stumbled off to the shopping center to get something to eat. Not sure how he was able to stay upright.

mev

I find it to be fairly common, though not always disclosed.

In the US, I've found it doesn't happen at the small Mom & Pop motels, but in last few months I was in a Days Inn in Fort Stockton, TX; a Quality Inn in Chicago and a Quality Inn in Albuquerque. When I checked in, each of them placed a "hold" on the debit card. This is a pending request but not formally submitted to the credit card payment company. When I checked out, those holds were removed. On a room with a minibar, that hold would pay for that cost (none of these had this), and if there had been damage, it also would have been charged. I believe placing the hold is a pre-authorization of sorts to make sure any damages really could have been covered. It doesn't show up as an actual transaction - though with my debit card I can sometimes see them as pending.

I'm pretty sure if I had paid in cash at these three places, the deposit/hold wouldn't have been as transparent.

I'm not sure how much the technique is used outside the US, though when traveling on business in India, I'm pretty sure it was done with those hotels as well. I don't think it was done with lower end hotels I found on my own in India - many of which I paid in cash.

djb

Thanks mev, in the last few years we've stayed a few times in mom and pop places, as well as the lower end chain type ones, maybe we just weren't aware of it taking place, as you described (using credit card to pay)
In the small motels paid in cash, there certainly wasn't any mention of it, but maybe being older folks who look pretty darn boring, they don't figure its an issue, especially as we show up tired and clearly wanting just to have a shower, eat and go to bed by 8 or 9.......

indyfabz

In Jeffrey City, WY on ACA’s Trans Am route there was the noted JC Motel. Stayed there in 2000. It was basically a string of double wide trailers put together and paneled over. It only took cash. The place closed many years ago. Last report I read from a rider who stayed there mentioned mushrooms growing out of the carpet and trash in the basket in the first room he was given.

indyfabz

In Wisdom, MT (Small town) the GF and I rode up to the Nez Perce Motel. There was a sign on the office door informing that the owners were out at a family function and would return that evening. Taped to the office door were envelopes with keys to each available room. The sign said to pick a room and settle up later, which we did. Paid cash. Nice people.

alan s 

What if you only needed the room for an hour?

indyfabz

Then I would have been doing it wrong.

mev

I stayed in the same motel when I visited in September 2016. It wasn't fancy, but was fine for my needs, particularly getting out of a strong wind that sprung up overnight.


Before my visit, I had read up about the community. In 2012, the pottery place had earned the June Curry award - https://www.adventurecycling.org/res...award-winners/ for helping out after the motel closed.

Also helping out was the Jeffrey City Community Church

I didn't go all the way out to the church, but did see this sign along the road

Otherwise spent some of the afternoon at the Split Rock Bar and Cafe

Overall a friendly community and for me the re-opened motel was fine.

BobG

The JC Motel sign was its most attractive feature!


Cash only!

indyfabz

Yep. When I called from Lander to ask about availability a woman answered with simply a “Hello.” I had to ask if I had reached the correct number.

indyfabz

Interesting history behind the town. It was incorporated in the 50s and served as a base for uranium miners. When I was there in ‘00 you could still see the army barracks-like housing where some miners lived. The town started to go down hill when the uranium market crashed in the early 80s.

I spent time in that bar talking to a one-legged woman whose husband had worked in the industry. She said they moved there because people were promised jobs for life. At one point a man wearing dirty coveralls stumbled in drunk, bought more beer then stumbled out and got back in his truck.

The wind there can definitely be brutal. While walking from the motel to get lunch I felt like I was leaning at a 45 degree angle to keep from getting blown over. A local told me it wasn’t even that strong that day.

As for the church, several years ago someone from the church posted on ACA’s forum announcing it would no longer host people. The woman declined to say exactly what happened, but some cyclists committed some serious rules violations one night. It was really sad. She basically wrote “We had only a few simple rules, but those people couldn’t follow them.” It may be that the place has since started hosting again because I seem to remember reading a post from someone who stayed there after the incident. Or maybe a different church started hosting.

BobG

Our 2009 trip blogger, Bill Maxwell, descibes our stay at the JC with a touch of his British humor ...

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/...id=116215&v=9M

I actually had a room with working AC!

staehpj1

When we ate at the restaurant twe were waited on by a girl who was maybe 9. She seemed to be in charge of that side of the place. I am sure the staff on the bar side must have been older.

We camped across the street in the old Lions Club pavillion. Not sure if the Motel was open or not.

indyfabz

I went over there from the motel to cook dinner. Too many skeeters there for my liking. But I did get some good intel from a trio of Dutch tourists heading west. They told me the KOA in Rawlins was not great. Very little (if any shade) and right next to I-80. Went to check it out myself. They were correct:

Rawlins KOA Journey - Google Maps

skookum

i thought the Rawlins KOA was okay. Cheaper rate for cyclists.
Windy as all heck and yes next to the Interstate, but that comes with the territory.
We were on the Divide and if we had known a little more, we could have easily skipped Rawlins for camping, stopping only to shop.

staehpj1

We camped at an RV oriented kind of campground in Rawlins and were pretty happy with it. They had a tent area, laundry facilities, and nice showers. I probably wouldn't have noticed if there was traffic noise. To make matters even better a gang of welders working on a pipeline nearby invited us to their site for food and drinks. One of their crew was a great cook. I don't recall if there was much shade because we weren't there for much of the afternoon or evening daylight. I think by the time camp was pitched and we were showered we were using headlamps. We were still not making great time after Lauren injured her knee in a crash near Dubois.

I don't think it was the KOA though, looking at the map I am guessing it was Western Hills Campground. I remember it as pretty nice for an RV type place.

ClydeClydeson

I've only toured inside Canada, and only in the past few years, and almost everywhere is set up to take debit cards. There is a rare occasion that a small roadside stand or newly opened small shop only takes cash, but more and more of these are going to some sort of mobile connected card machine. I get the impression that a lot of vendors prefer debit cards (not credit cards as there are often high fees for vendors) over cash as it makes bookkeeping easier.

Tourist in MSN

In Nova Scotia two years ago someone at a bakery looked at my credit card and handed it back to me, said they would only take cash. I did not ask about debit cards, I had a few hundred (CAD) so I paid cash without any discussion or argument. A small independent campground in PEI would only take cash, no plastic. I think businesses that are part of a national chain are more likely to take anything, but small independent operations are more likely to refuse credit cards.

skookum

Since the pandemic started there are some places that wont take cash only debit or cc. Unless they are Montreal style bagel places, who only take cash.
Because they are owned by the mob according to my McGill graduate niece.
(Montrealers feel free to chime in)

djb

chuckle. weird one that.
certainly in my experience, small places prefer cash for not having a fee involved, although as said, because of covid, everyone and their uncle has been doing cashless purchases, better that than dealing with touching stuff in the first year, 2020, although its less of an issue now because the vast majority of us here in Quebec are vaccinated, unlike out west where you guys are (and the ICU situation is pretty tough, especially if you know anyone who is a nurse, or waiting on delayed surgeries, although so many people who arent vaccinated just don't think of this stuff--until it affects them directly, then its all tears.....)

sorry, but yes, one can buy bagels using plastic. Got off tangent.

TiHabanero

OP here. The tour will take place three years from now and figured 3 large will accommodate inflation. Campgrounds are silly expensive in my area at $40 bucks a night for tenting. I do not plan to use a motel, but one never knows when on tour. Figure food will be at least 25 bucks a day with inflation. Suppose I could plan less daily costs. Will play with it.

indyfabz

Probably because of the swipe fee and any cost associated with the equipment needed. Many others have a minimum purchase amount to use a card. It’s usually $10 in my neck of the woods.

staehpj1

Not sure what your planned route or camping preferences are, but on a route like the Trans America, Southern Tier, or Northern Tier camping can be free much of the way especially in the middle of the country. I spent very little on camping on either the TA or the ST, but did splurge on a room a few times on the ST. Food can run a good bit more than or less than your estimate depending on your choices. So basically your $3K number could be close or way off. I'd probably make sure to have that much available and spend maybe 1/3 of it myself. If I felt like splurging more I might spend half of it. I'd never carry it all in cash though. Heck in my normal life I seldom ever use cash these days. I'd carry some on tour though.