I will admit to being of a certain age such that I remember hopping on a bike and touring on the cheap. Such is harder and harder to come by now. A quart of milk used to be 60 cents - now, if you can even find a quart, it is $2.29 and in a plastic ergonomic bottle. A carton did fine, thanks. And a motel room? Whew, lawd, I used to find Mom & Pops for $29. Now, if you need a room, count on forking over $100 or more.

But it's the cost of camping that has really gotten me ticked. Yeah, I know. We were still using those giant stone coins with the hole in the middle when I was young, but camping at national parks, national forests, and state parks tended to be between $4 and $6 - with $6 on the outrageous side. And $1 for hiker/biker sites in the few places that had them. Private campgrounds were more, but never much over $10.

Nowadays, it's hard to find a public campsite for under $20. And, yes, I know about random camping having done it for years. But there are times when I like the ease of pulling into a developed site. Increasingly, there are differential rates, particularly in state parks - with out-of-state and weekends costing more. Take Pennsylvania, for example - Base Rate, Non-Resident - $17; Weekend - +$4; Showers - +$4 which equals $25. And if there are only "modern" campsites - often the case - there's an extra $19.50 for EW&S. For a grand total of $44.50.

And I love the "Minimum 2-Day Stay" rule for weekends and holidays. Yeah, right. Not to mention parks that have paved pull-through sites with all utilities. And being expected to pay for them because all sites have been "modernized". So that I get to listen to generators running long past the 10 p.m. posted cut-off from people in their overprices steel boxes will all the comforts of home. (Why are we fighting wars in the Middle East?)

And I haven't even mentioned private campgrounds. Yep, a few will cut you a deal as a cyclist. But many are hardcore - with rates from $35 to $50. For what? If they have a tenting area - because many private RV parks don't want those downscale tenters nearby. And if they do, it is often a grassy spot that doubles for the dog walking area - with all the attendant issues of landmines.

I feel fortunate to live in Wyoming - where I can head out my door and camp almost anywhere. Beautiful, isolated places where I only hear the wind and coyotes. I've ridden cross-country almost a dozen times - the last time just last summer - but it truly gets tougher once you cross the Missouri - definitely once you cross the Mississippi.

Well - I have to get my hammer and chisel out, now, because I have to make some change.

Pic - Free Camping in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho