eric's little black star » Maybe a few weeks trip in August (Watch me brainstorm)

eric on Jul 8th 2007 at 9:46 pm 2007 - West Coast Trip '07

Maybe a few weeks trip in August (Watch me brainstorm)

There are three things out west that I would like to see this summer (in chronological order).

1) Iceburn (Salt Lake City) – Aug 11
2) San Francisco Ratha Yatra – August 19
3) visiting friends in and near Olympia & Seattle, WA (etc)

I’m wondering if I could do all three of these AND visit friends in Washington (State). I could fly out and then rent a car, I guess. Let’s see how many miles are betwixt each of these stops.

It’s about 2500 miles all in all.

That would mean:
1) Fly (eww) into SLC – hang out and then see Iceburn and hang out and rent a car. Drive 700 miles to San Francisco.
2) Dance/feast/chant at the Ratha Yatra. Drive 800 miles to Olympia, WA.
3) Hang out with friends in the Northwest and then drive 900 miles to SLC (to return car – cheaper to return to same place and fly out – cheaper to have round trip ticket).

I could hang out in SLC for four or five days, leave on the 17th to go to the Ratha-Yatra. Leave San Francisco on the 20th, arriving in Washington late on the 21st. I could hang out there for a week, returning the car at the end of August, making it back to the bookstore by the time everyone goes back to work/school.

But I haven’t even talked to my SLC friends to see if it’s ok that I wander out there and have a smoke-free place to crash. Same with my SF friends. Actually, I’d need a place to crash – anyone offering?

I’d like to wrap this all up into no more than two and a half weeks. That shouldn’t be an issue.

I also wanted to see The Handsome Family in Sante Fe, NM on the 13th, but that would give me very little time in SLC and too much time traveling between Sante Fe and San Francisco. The idea is to spend not much moolah. I’ll just have to catch them when they tour out east.

Originally, I wanted to take the train out, but it’s expensive and long and now showers. No thanks. It’s a romantic notion, but an absurd one.

So there you go. Any suggestions?

5 responses so far

5 Responses to “Maybe a few weeks trip in August (Watch me brainstorm)”

jeff says:

July 8, 2007 at 10:03 pm

no suggestions. just definately do it. we can hang at ryan’s. and you could come see the shrine!

yah

eric Reply:
July 8th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Shriney, captain.

*swoon* Kaylee!
eric says:

July 8, 2007 at 10:22 pm

Not counting any camping that I’d need to do, this would cost me about $1300 with car rental and flight. Flight is about $400. The rest is car (not counting gas). Maybe I should get a 15 day train pass. Hmm… That would get me from SLC to SF to WA to SLC again.

A 15 day pass is $369 for 15 days. But then I’d have to find rides, etc. everywhere. I’m not sure I like that. And I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra $800ish for my freedom. Hell, with gas, it would be an extra $1300ish. Damn.

Rail pass is probably the best. Or bus pass. *checkes* Damn, that’s like $50 more expensive than a rail pass.

Rail pass it is.

Damn. I usually don’t do stuff like this.

eric Reply:
July 8th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Oddly –

If I pay for the individual fairs on Amtrak, it’s cheaper than a pass, but the ride from Olympia to SLC is nearly 40 hours.

BUT if I take the train from SLC to SF to WA it’s $130 and then the bus from WA to SLC is $65.

That’s not even $200. Beats the hell out of $1300 for a rental car and gas.

Woo! I could reel in this trip for under $600 including airfare.
Ryan says:

July 10, 2007 at 9:46 pm

Man, i would injure someone to see the Handsome Family. I absolute love their discs and i loved seeing them in the movie Searching For the Wrong-Eyed Jesus.