I'm going to try and head back to Sioux Falls for, what has turned into, a dorm reunion. Most likely at the beginning of August. At first I was just trying to figure out what the best way was to get the cheapest airfare since going from Seattle to SF can cost a bundle!
You can't get there directly by train. The closest place it stops is either Fargo (250 miles) or St. Paul (272 miles). And to get to some other places, I would have to go all the way down to Sacramento and then head east. Jenny H and I took the train from Fargo to Oregon in college. We decided that we really should have been in a sleeper car for that long of a trip. Looking at how much those cost, it gets to be as much as a plane ticket. Then add on the fact that I haven't even made it to the correct state yet!
Then it became less about money and more about the journey. I was driving home from work the other day and was longed to just keep going. I got this notion in to my head. What if I drove there? My day job will probably be over by then and the theatres are closed here in August. So I would probably have the time. I had this notion of grabbing my digital camera and laptop and doing some sort of travel blog. Or having some angle that would be good for a documentary short. Basically, just looking for an adventure.
I have done the drive before, a few times, but it's been over ten years and every time I was with my family.
Here are some draw backs: Gas is $4/gallon. It's not eco-friendly. I'm not that fond of driving. Barely anyone going to this reunion lives on this side of the Missouri. So far I can't think of anyone who could come with me for the whole journey. And going through a few of those places alone may not be the wisest thing to do. Even if I did find someone that would have the time to do the trip, would we be able to stand each other for that long?
And yet, I still want to do this.
I was trying to figure out how I could make any money on this. How do travel writers get the job? And considering I've never had anything published, would that even be feasable?
Maybe someone needs a car transported. K-Lyn suggested, half jokingly, that maybe someone needs their dog transported. My house-mate fosters rescue-dogs and occasionally they have needed transport, but only across the state. And she mentioned a friend who is moving from Seattle to a small town near Spokane (the eastern side of the state) and might have things that need transport. There's another thought. It doesn't have to be someone/something that needs to go all the way there or all the way back, just be somewhere along the way.
A little scary to put an ad on Craigslist.
Anybody need a hybrid car tested? There are mystery shopper jobs where they stay at hotels and report back. However, I think the chance of me getting the gig, in the towns I want at what date I want, esp. doing it for one to two weeks, would be highly unlikely.
Then there is the gimmick, or angle. What would be different about this roadtrip? I -90 starts in Seattle and goes right through Sioux Falls. Maybe never touching I-90 (except where necessary). Staying only at hotels that... Visiting places that... Following the trail of...
So if anyone has any suggestions/solutions/ideas/resources for anything I've mentioned here, please let me know!
6 comments:
If you have a little wiggle room with the dates, on expedia.com I found a listing for a NWA flight from Seattle to SF for under $400. Try plugging it in as leaving on 8/7 and returning 8/11.
August 4-10 is also Sturgis Rally week. Chances are better than average that you could find someone coming this way to split gas/driving time with. Unfortunately, we have a four-seater, and there are four of us. Otherwise I'd say we could take you across the state with us.
If you wanted to keep going, you could drive I-90 from coast to coast...
Sturgis Rally week? Would you mind doing the drive on the back of a Harley? You'd make a fabulous Biker Mama.
I'm thinking more and more that I will do a road trip.
Amy: I was hoping Sturgis would be around that time (on my move to my first year at Augie, knowing nothing of the rally, we were there a few days after it).
However, it's a bike rally. Won't most people be on their Harley's?
Maybe we can meet up West River and caravan east.
Spike: Well, I do have relatives in Boston and Vienna...
The important thing to remember: I have to go there and back. When talking to friends about doing a road trip, plenty of them have said with ease,"I've done a roadtrip across the entire country." I had to point out that they went one direction and then stayed here.
Quinn: Thanks! [I think]. How does one dress for a thing like that when they don't wear leather?
I might have to add in to my research "how to blend in when you are a vegetarian."
I'll go. We can drive my car. It is newer than yours. I'm safer than a leather clad biker that doesn't wear a helmet. We get along fairly well, have known each other for ages, and know each other's quirks. I have lots of relatives in SD. While you are in SF, I'll go to Yankton and Tabor. I might have a couple of other suggestions for places to see. I have money and I'm ready to go anywhere, anytime. Just give a call.
To answer your question: During the Rally most people are stuck in traffic, whether on bike or in a car. There a tons and tons of bikes, but in Sturgis proper you're basically hoofing it. It's a small town and parking just doesn't exist.
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