I am really confused about how some of these suggestions are going to work. People keep suggesting I wireless LAN for the trip? I kind of understand this, LAN parties are cool, people are going to be bored on the 24+ hour drive, got it. I understood it until people started mentioning desktops. Lets get over the fact that I havn't been to a LAN party where we can get everyones computer on the same network for more than 10 minutes, and the fact that we will not only not be in the same room, but in different moving vehicles. Now we have to deal with power, the inverters that people keep mentioning were meant for laptops, or smaller equipment, you might be able to get away with a laptop and a WAP(Wireless Access point), but I give the first person to plug in a power strip attached to a full desktop and a monitor 5 minutes before his battery just dies.
I am also really curious about this sponser thing, did a bunch of work on Yahoo! Travel, and found out that I can get round trip tickets, a car rental, and three nights stay at a hotel different than the one they suggest for $346 per person for the whole thing. If I drove by myself (my car gets horrable milage), I would probably have to fill up at least 5 times, which, with the current price of gas would cost over $100, and than the non discounted due to package hotel at $89 (the other option assumed i stayed three nights to get the best deal on unpopular flying time tickets, but if I drive I can assume that I want to sleep before and after I drive that far.) x 3/2 (split two ways) = $250 which does not seem efficient with the ware on my car, especially with how easy it is to sleep for hours compared to driving for 24. If I could reduce the cost of the road trip to near or less than $100, I would be all up for it though.
I live in Pheonix btw, for anyone who is wondering, and that AZ mills is right next to that Fry's Electronics, so what does it matter?....and just to put in my own 2 cents, I am an assistant manager at PCClub, and I loath the institution that is Fry's electronics, mainly becuase they don't know what RMAing (Return to manufacturer) a product is.....
Toran Darkoone
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Greetings all! A good sized group of us are planning on heading up from Chico, CA, and will definitely want to get in on this if it fits the time scale (we were originally thinking of driving up in a single day). Chico is a little out of the way of I-5, but if there's a planned stop in Redding we can definitely join in there.
If people want a timeschedule I think the first step is to figure out how long it will take to get to each of the stops. And obviously the people who can give the best estimates are the people who live in the areas, so for starters it takes about 2 1/2 hours to get between Redding and Sacramento, and another 2 1/2 between Redding and Medford, Oregon, assuming you're not driving much faster than 5 over the speed limit.
Not sure on meeting places in Redding, but there's this "California Welcome Center" on the south end of town that's right off the highway, big parking lot, all these colored flags, really hard to miss. It might do, I'll check it out next time I'm passing that way.
Also, about the wireless network thing, I was thinking a really good reason to go to the trouble of having it: communication! It'd be hell to get walkie talkies in every car, so why not set up roger wilco or something and have everybody on headsets? And I like the idea of everybody taping a print out of the PAX logo to their back windows, we should definitely do that.
Also, there will be a MASS disembarkation of THE ENTIRE CARAVAN when we get to the California/Oregon border. Why? Those assholes are going to want to check for fruit. While they may find an apple, a pear, and Legacy, there will be no other fruits among any of the vehicles participating. It'd be a good idea to get out and stretch at that time, anyways... we don't want anyone getting deep vein thrombosis.
Also, we may be having a stop in Roseburg, Oregon to say hi to my grandma, if nobody else minds...
what's the eta on like real hardcore chiseled in stone info so that I can make a descision. and could the thread be marked (dated) when there are updates please.
Also, we may be having a stop in Roseburg, Oregon to say hi to my grandma, if nobody else minds...
Err, no offense, but how bout *you* stop at your grandma's and then catch up at the next waypoint. Unless your grandma is an extremely nice lady who lives right off the highway and wants to provide refreshments for ~50-100 complete strangers. Try and keep things realistic here man, and keep in mind some of us are taking time off school/work to do this thing.
Also, we may be having a stop in Roseburg, Oregon to say hi to my grandma, if nobody else minds...
Err, no offense, but how bout *you* stop at your grandma's and then catch up at the next waypoint. Unless your grandma is an extremely nice lady who lives right off the highway and wants to provide refreshments for ~50-100 complete strangers. Try and keep things realistic here man, and keep in mind some of us are taking time off school/work to do this thing.
Agreed. You can always catch her on the way back.
PS: In other news, my car was totaled this morning while it was parked in front of my house by an old woman medicated beyond my understanding. So I might not be able to cart you fools around Stockton/Lodi/Modesto to the waypoint.
Ok, since nobody else seemed to be doing this I went ahead and calculated a possible 2 day trip. Here is a rough intinerary based on my calculations, everything rounded up to provide buffer times:
Estimated speeds accounting for inevitable slowdowns like waiting at a waypoint for lost people, traffic, construction, lower speed limits in Oregon, etc.
Day 1: Phoenix to Sacramento = 12 hours
9:30 AM – Assemble at Fry's Electronics, 2300 W Baseline Road, Phoenix, AZ.
10:00 AM – Depart for Anaheim
Noon – Cross border to California, pit stop in Blythe, CA for gas/lunch
3:00 PM – Junction with highway 91 en route to Anaheim
4:00 PM – Arrival at WayPoint: Fry's Electronics, 3370 East La Palma, Anaheim, CA
>>>Stop somewhere around 6-8 PM for dinner, gas, etc, anyone know a good spot?
10:00 PM Arrival in Sacramento, find a motel 6 and crash
Day 2: Sacramento to Seattle = 14 hours
9:30 AM – Assemble at Fry's Electronics, 4100 Northgate Boulevard, Sacramento, CA
10:00 AM – Depart for Anderson (Redding)
12:30 PM – Arrival at WayPoint: California Welcome Center, 1699 State Highway 273 Anderson, CA (just south of Redding) stop for lunch?
3:30 PM – Arrival at [WayPoint Pending], Medford, OR
6:30 PM – Arrival at [WayPoint Pending], Eugene, OR, stop for dinner
8:30 PM – Arrival at [WayPoint Pending], Portland, OR
Midnight – Arrival at Destination: Bellevue, WA, Crash at hotel, wake up early for a day of endless gaming, etc…
Biggest thing I see needing done atm is you Oregon folks need to get on the ball and find some waypoints. For all waypoints I think it'd be good to have info like how close are the nearest gas stations, fast food, etc. Also I haven't driven all the routes mentioned above in a while, some never at all, so please correct me if there's stuff I don't have down right. There's still gaps that need filled in, too.
It's going to be crucial to keep on a tight enough schedule so people aren't waiting for hours at waypoints. This means having checklists of everybody who is expected to show at each waypoint so the group can leave as soon as everyone's assembled, not taking more than 1/2 hour for meals, etc. What about assigning people as a "WayPoint Leader" with a list of all the people meeting at their waypoint, which they're responsible to check at each subsequent WP to see if we've lost anybody.
Once things are finalized, lets be sure and write up a packet everybody can download and print out with a full schedule, lists, maps to each WP, map of the entire trip, etc.
If we end up using a schedule like this, it might also be worth considering starting slightly later each day to give people more time to assemble at the Phoenix and Sacramento WPs, since I know it's gonna take people 2-3 hours to get to Sac from the Bay Area.
My two friends and I are planning on going to PAX, and conveniently enough we live only 20 minutes from Fry's in Sacramento... This super trip will be great, and I'm all for it.
Most likely we will be going up in my car (unless friend #2 can get his driver's license ever, in which case we may be going up in his nice, spacious van), so there will only be room for one more person with us. I'm willing to drag anyone with me who needs a ride though, so just PM me or something if you live nearby or will be able to make it to one of the waypoints.
And I like the itenerary breadman, but i think it seems a little bit idealistic...
Breadman, thanks for the suggestion and timetable, but I'm working on something right now that would save a LOT of money, and be much less rigid to the letter of things.
I didn't mean the Supertrip to be all about timetables, regulations, etc. It's just supposed to be a freeform roadie up to the Expo, picking people up along the way, etc. etc. If anything, the only timetables we'll have will be made at about three hours before we get to each waypoint.
Also, I had planned on there being driver rotations in order to not have to get rooms at Motel 6. As we all know, gamers/geeks don't usually have scads of money to throw at a Motel 6.
And yes, we're all taking time off for this. I am too. I'm postponing a contract job for this, and that postponement is costing me quite a bit of money.
edit: After reading the itinerary in depth, I have the following issues:
1) This is far too rigid and linear.
2) We most likely be doing above the spee dlimit. About 5mph over.
3) There's no time for sightseeing/goofing off/bathroom breaks/stops into Fry's Electronics/etc.
Thanks again for the submission, but I think it would be more prudent if we were patient enough to wait for more people to throw their hats in for the Supertrip until we made anything resembling an itinerary. forcing deadlines and things just isn't the kind of thing I wanted this to be, man.
Hey, no problem. Main reason I did this was I wanted to know the travel times, then I figured hey I've done this much why not just go the next step? Thing I'm wondering about, though, is how you expect people to join up with the group if you don't know when you'll be at each spot? You gonna get phone numbers and call when you're three hours away?
And about the speeds, I deliberately estimated lower to account for the stops, unpredicted slowdowns, etc.
As far as the rendezvous at each waypoint, that comes to my next plan: PHONE LISTS. I plan on gathering the telephone numbers of everyone participating, sorted alphabetically by waypoint. When we get within three hours of each waypoint, I and up to three other volunteers will jump ont he cellphones and start informing the participants. We will do this again when we are one hour away from the waypoint.
on another note. when you hit california expect your time tables to be fucked. especially were you to make it to anaheim at 3. that would mean hat you were traveling with the flow of traffic at peak traffic hours
and i still can't/won't commit till i learn more deatils. how bout also a list of whos going. and a web site. and some monkeys. no wait not monkeys, koalas!
...When we get within three hours of each waypoint, I and up to three other volunteers will jump ont he cellphones and start informing the participants. We will do this again when we are one hour away from the waypoint.
If you set up a blog to host "official" announcements (only from you and any coordinators you authorize), you could post your "We're three hours from Sacramento!" and any other on-the-road announcements there via your cellphone's email and/or text messaging feature. This would a helpful (and easy) addition to your phone calls.
And if it was a RSS-enabled blog, we could read it from our phones, too. Just a geeky suggestion.
Anything with an RSS feed can be converted to a WAP-readable site. The posts would have to be short or they'd get truncated, but the posts should be short enough anyway. Bear in mind that you must use your phone's web browser (or a WAP-compatible browser like Opera) to view the following example:
...you can append the RSS URL after the following address in your phone's browser:
h t t p : //blogstreet.com/wap/t/
I didn't mean the Supertrip to be all about timetables, regulations, etc. It's just supposed to be a freeform roadie up to the Expo, picking people up along the way, etc. etc. If anything, the only timetables we'll have will be made at about three hours before we get to each waypoint. edit: After reading the itinerary in depth, I have the following issues:
1) This is far too rigid and linear.
2) We most likely be doing above the spee dlimit. About 5mph over.
3) There's no time for sightseeing/goofing off/bathroom breaks/stops into Fry's Electronics/etc.
I actually liked the time table so far because we need to setup some loose time frames on where we are going to be mostly at the night. If we used that table it sounds like we are going to be leaving on Thurday crashing in Sacramento and then crashing in Bellevue on Friday night.
If that is the case then we need to find rooms in Sacramento. Also everyone that is going on the trip will probably want to jsut get tried rooms at the doubletree for friday and saturday.
To be honest we need to decide what is more importaint on this trip. Getting to PAX as a group or sightseeing along the way because unless this is turning into a 2 week trip I honestly don't see how we have time for both.
Breadman, I live in Portland and I would recommend having the caravan waypoint at Best Buy off of I-205 (I-5 splits into I-405 and I-205 south of Portland. I would HIGHLY recommend taking 205 because 405 goes directly through downtown Portland where its even slower maximum speed limit and the chances of a traffic jam increase significantly. Both 205 and 405 merge after you get north of Vancouver). The stores address is:
11703 NE Glenn Widing Drive
Portland, Oregon 97220.
Its right up against the Columbia River, so you just get back on the freeway and your into Washington. Since its near the Portland airport, hotels/motels, fastfood, diners, and gas stations are also very closeby.
I know someone recommended the Portland Fry's Electronics, but that would be a bad choice because its pretty far south of Portland. From where I live, its 45 minutes away at 63-70 MPH.
As far as the rendezvous at each waypoint, that comes to my next plan: PHONE LISTS. I plan on gathering the telephone numbers of everyone participating, sorted alphabetically by waypoint. When we get within three hours of each waypoint, I and up to three other volunteers will jump ont he cellphones and start informing the participants. We will do this again when we are one hour away from the waypoint.
This simply won't work. Some people will be spending upwards of three hours just to get to the waypoints (Reno and SF people to Sacto, for example). You can't expect them to hang by the phone with baited breath all day because you need to take your time getting within "three hours away". It'll also bog down the trip because a few people will inevitably be late to each of the waypoints, and we'll feel more inclined to wait for them if we've already given them a few calls on the tele.
I agree with SoulFury that we need to decide if this is going to be a chill trip or a mad dash to the finish. I'm all for splitting up the trip into two days, or whatever you guys want to do. But we need to stay united, because this trip is the shit of legends.
EDIT: Another benefit of timed waypoints is that anyone can join up at the last minute. Just show up at the right place at the right time, and you're in. If you're trying to get sponsors, timed waypoints give those sponsors a place to be with cameras, goodies, etc. The benefits of timed waypoints are just too many to list, and I think they beat out the abstractness of "a freeform trip". I understand where you're coming from, but this sounds like a trip too big for that kind of atmosphere anyway. Even a dozen people can ruin that kind of chillness. I think we're looking at a dozen people per waypoint, at least. I know half a dozen people personally who're ready to go.
As far as the rendezvous at each waypoint, that comes to my next plan: PHONE LISTS.
Err, right. Well, us Chico guys are gonna be leaving Friday morning and spending the day driving up. Wether we end up meeting with this caravan, well, I guess that depends. We're certainly not gonna stand by our phones all night as jensen said. Sorry, just doesn't seem very realistic, I was being sarcastic when I mentioned it above. I'll keep checking this thread and see how things develop, though.
1) I really wanted to have the Portland waypoint be the Fry's Electronics in Wilsonville, but since nobody wants to drive past Tualatin, it looks like the Best Buy on the 205 by the airport looks like it'd be the best idea.
2) Since we'll be crashing at Sacramento (it seems like we might have to, unless we're gonna go all night), it'll give the Reno people an extra 12 hours to get there to rally up. We can contact the Reno people and let them know we're going to arrive. Or would you guys rather we contacted the Reno people when we leave LA and have us all crash at the same hotel? Let's hear some votes.
Red, please don't take this as negative criticism I'm trying to do this to help but I'm still interested in knowing at least the general plan. I mean as it stands now there is this trip where there are rally points and PA minded people going. that's all I know. could you please fill in some blanks:
How long do you plan the whole thing taking?
How are people getting back?
Where are you planning on stoping other than the rally points?
How many people are going so far?
Who's are they?
What kind of transportaion has been established so far?
What's transportation issues are needed?
Is fry's sponsoring us?
what does fry's sponsoring us mean?
projected costs
Is there anything else you could tell us (that you don't want to keep as a suprise) [list:3831520aa0]
note a suprise being something like gabe and tycho are flying down to take the trip not like the convo is acting as a drug smuggling transport
[/list:u:3831520aa0]
and again... you're not meeting in Los Angeles. L.A. : Anaheim = Sacramento : San Francisco.
How long do you plan the whole thing taking? Somewhere between 36 and 44 hours. Depends on how many people we have yelling at us to GO GO GO PEOPLE ARE TAKING TIME OFF FOR THIS.
How are people getting back? The Supertrip will go in the opposite direction of the way it came, dropping people off at the waypoints we picked them up at.
Where are you planning on stopping other than the rally points? Since we can't stop at my grandmother's for cookies and milk, and there's no northbound fruit check, then I gues sonly at gas stations and fast food places. Also at somewhere in Sacramento to crash, if needs be.
How many people are going so far? I've had about a dozen people email me. From what I've heard, there's a LOT more people going than I know, and so UNLESS EVERYONE WHO IS GOING EMAILS ME AT padiamondback@gmail.com LIKE IT SAYS IN THE FIRST POST, THEN I WILL NTO BE ABLE TO PLAN FOR YOU TO COME.
Who's are they? Who's what? I don't understand.
What kind of transportaion has been established so far? So far, coming out of Phoenix, we've got three cars and a command trailer (which is probably where the Wi-Fi antenna is going to be placed, if the ownerof said trailer allows me to).
What's transportation issues are needed? I'm going to need to know what make/model/year everyone's car is so I can figure out gas mileage and thus figure out where we'll be stopping for gas.
Is fry's sponsoring us? I spent a LONG time on the phone with them yesterday. I'd better hope they're sponsoring us. the person I talked to seem very interested on having a moving advertisement go through a lot fo their territory,e specially the I-5 corridor.
what does fry's sponsoring us mean? For us: equipment, mainly. Power inverters, battery chargers, network equipment, possibly some software. for them: advertisement space ont he command center as well as the banners, flags, and signs that each vehicle will have.
projected costsI can't project anything until I have more information on who all is oging and who all has what vehicles to offer and what not. I can't go out and fetch information from people ont he internet that I don't even know exist. People have to tell me they're going or I can't do SHIT.
and again... you're not meeting in Los Angeles. L.A. : Anaheim = Sacramento : San Francisco.
I already detailed the plan to the Fry's representative I spoke with. It would look EXTREMELY unprofessional to change it. If anyone would have brought up issues with this before I talked to Fry's (nobody had), then there could ahve been chanes. right now, changing ANYTHING in the actual roadmap of the trip could jeopardize the sponsorship, which in turn could lead to MAJOR problems.
Also, Ian, there's no way in hell I'm making all the Portlanders drive to Wilsonville. I explained that to the Fry's representative as well.
If anyone knows anybody else who is planning on going, email me at padiamondback@gmail.comOR THEY WILL NOT BE COUNTED AS GOING.
Good news! I spoke with the Fry's representative again today, and they like the idea. Now, the deal's not done yet, there's still some specifics to be worked out, but things are looking good for the sponsorship.
Good news! I spoke with the Fry's representative again today, and they like the idea. Now, the deal's not done yet, there's still some specifics to be worked out, but things are looking good for the sponsorship.
Righteous, keep us posted. THanks for busting your ass to get this ball rolling.
This may have been brought up already but it seems like there needs to be some kind of contact between the people waiting at a given waypoint and the caravan. They will need to know how far away the caravan is and the approximate time they should be at the waypoint. I’m not sure what the best way to do that is but I might be able to help.
It would be fun to have a map on the PA page that showed the current location of the super trip. People could even send me photos from their phones and stuff and I could post those as well. I could keep it updated with estimated times of arrival at each waypoint.
I really like the idea of having a stop in Sacramento, particularily since I live there! This might mean that I just might go after all... I was thinking before of driving over there, but it'd be boring to do on your own. Having a caravan would ROCK.
Also, as a semi-long time resident of Sacto, I must really stress the importance of going down the right "I-80", as is mentioned before. One of them leads to Fry's, and the other to Roseville I think.
I'll try to find out if I can go, this is probably going to be the most fun I'll have in quite some time.
This may have been brought up already but it seems like there needs to be some kind of contact between the people waiting at a given waypoint and the caravan. They will need to know how far away the caravan is and the approximate time they should be at the waypoint. I’m not sure what the best way to do that is but I might be able to help.
It would be fun to have a map on the PA page that showed the current location of the super trip. People could even send me photos from their phones and stuff and I could post those as well. I could keep it updated with estimated times of arrival at each waypoint.
Something to think about.
Addressing each issue in the order it was brought up:
1) I brought up a similar idea earlier (contacting the people at each waypint 3 hours and 1 hour from ETA), but maybe it might be better if the ocntact was made at a certain distance... hm. I'll give it some thought.
2) I thought about the updating map idea, but the picture blog sounds awesome. :^: Is there some kind of Javascript applet that could possibly keep track of real-time location somehow? A GPS locator applet or something?
Thanks for the input. If you or anyone else has any ideas, be sure to let me know. Also, if anyone has anything they think might be useful to get from Fry's int he sponsorship deal, tell me. I'm going to be speaking witht he representative again on Tuesday.
2 points, maybe I missed where this was said, but where exactly is the stop in Eugene OR?
2nd, is it possible to catch a ride back from the PAX if I didn't ride up?
edit:
As for possible waypoints in Eugene, there is a Circuit City which is easily accessible from I-5, as well as being right next to a large mall so parking wouldn't be an issue. Also along that strip are a ton of fast food joints (McDonalds, Taco Bell, Taco Time, AM/PM, Jack in the Box, Schlotsky's Deli). But if we are trying for sponsorship, I don't know how Circuit City would be.
A better waypoint might be Big City Gaming (http://www.bigcitygaming.com/), a local lan party/gamestore that might be keen on sponsorship, the only problems would be that it's downtown. Bad for parking and for getting to for people who have never been to Eugene before.
Also, if anyone has anything they think might be useful to get from Fry's int he sponsorship deal, tell me. I'm going to be speaking witht he representative again on Tuesday.
Also, if anyone has anything they think might be useful to get from Fry's int he sponsorship deal, tell me. I'm going to be speaking witht he representative again on Tuesday.
Posts
I am also really curious about this sponser thing, did a bunch of work on Yahoo! Travel, and found out that I can get round trip tickets, a car rental, and three nights stay at a hotel different than the one they suggest for $346 per person for the whole thing. If I drove by myself (my car gets horrable milage), I would probably have to fill up at least 5 times, which, with the current price of gas would cost over $100, and than the non discounted due to package hotel at $89 (the other option assumed i stayed three nights to get the best deal on unpopular flying time tickets, but if I drive I can assume that I want to sleep before and after I drive that far.) x 3/2 (split two ways) = $250 which does not seem efficient with the ware on my car, especially with how easy it is to sleep for hours compared to driving for 24. If I could reduce the cost of the road trip to near or less than $100, I would be all up for it though.
I live in Pheonix btw, for anyone who is wondering, and that AZ mills is right next to that Fry's Electronics, so what does it matter?....and just to put in my own 2 cents, I am an assistant manager at PCClub, and I loath the institution that is Fry's electronics, mainly becuase they don't know what RMAing (Return to manufacturer) a product is.....
Toran Darkoone
If it's easier for you to just fly, then fly.
Next time this happens, we should try to organize a 'Cannonball Run'-esque trip.
If people want a timeschedule I think the first step is to figure out how long it will take to get to each of the stops. And obviously the people who can give the best estimates are the people who live in the areas, so for starters it takes about 2 1/2 hours to get between Redding and Sacramento, and another 2 1/2 between Redding and Medford, Oregon, assuming you're not driving much faster than 5 over the speed limit.
Not sure on meeting places in Redding, but there's this "California Welcome Center" on the south end of town that's right off the highway, big parking lot, all these colored flags, really hard to miss. It might do, I'll check it out next time I'm passing that way.
Also, about the wireless network thing, I was thinking a really good reason to go to the trouble of having it: communication! It'd be hell to get walkie talkies in every car, so why not set up roger wilco or something and have everybody on headsets? And I like the idea of everybody taping a print out of the PAX logo to their back windows, we should definitely do that.
Also, we may be having a stop in Roseburg, Oregon to say hi to my grandma, if nobody else minds...
All you notice at the Oregon border is a little sign that says "Welcome to Oregon" (and the road gets a lot nicer).
Err, no offense, but how bout *you* stop at your grandma's and then catch up at the next waypoint. Unless your grandma is an extremely nice lady who lives right off the highway and wants to provide refreshments for ~50-100 complete strangers. Try and keep things realistic here man, and keep in mind some of us are taking time off school/work to do this thing.
Agreed. You can always catch her on the way back.
PS: In other news, my car was totaled this morning while it was parked in front of my house by an old woman medicated beyond my understanding. So I might not be able to cart you fools around Stockton/Lodi/Modesto to the waypoint.
Phoenix -> I-10 -> CA border (Blythe) ~130 miles @ 65mph = 2 hours
Blythe -> I-10 & 91 -> Anaheim ~220 miles @ 65mph = 3.5 hours
Anaheim -> I-5 -> Sacramento ~390 miles @ 65mph = 6 hours
Sacramento -> I-5 -> Redding ~ 165 miles @ 65mph = 2.5 hours
Redding -> I-5 -> Medford ~145 miles @ 65mph = 2.5 hours
Medford -> I-5 -> Eugene ~165 miles @ 60mph = 2.75 hours
Eugene -> I-5 -> Portland ~110 miles @ 60mph = 1.8 hours
Portland -> I-5 -> Seattle ~175 miles @ 65mph = 2.7 hours
Estimated speeds accounting for inevitable slowdowns like waiting at a waypoint for lost people, traffic, construction, lower speed limits in Oregon, etc.
Day 1: Phoenix to Sacramento = 12 hours
9:30 AM – Assemble at Fry's Electronics, 2300 W Baseline Road, Phoenix, AZ.
10:00 AM – Depart for Anaheim
Noon – Cross border to California, pit stop in Blythe, CA for gas/lunch
3:00 PM – Junction with highway 91 en route to Anaheim
4:00 PM – Arrival at WayPoint: Fry's Electronics, 3370 East La Palma, Anaheim, CA
>>>Stop somewhere around 6-8 PM for dinner, gas, etc, anyone know a good spot?
10:00 PM Arrival in Sacramento, find a motel 6 and crash
Day 2: Sacramento to Seattle = 14 hours
9:30 AM – Assemble at Fry's Electronics, 4100 Northgate Boulevard, Sacramento, CA
10:00 AM – Depart for Anderson (Redding)
12:30 PM – Arrival at WayPoint: California Welcome Center, 1699 State Highway 273 Anderson, CA (just south of Redding) stop for lunch?
3:30 PM – Arrival at [WayPoint Pending], Medford, OR
6:30 PM – Arrival at [WayPoint Pending], Eugene, OR, stop for dinner
8:30 PM – Arrival at [WayPoint Pending], Portland, OR
Midnight – Arrival at Destination: Bellevue, WA, Crash at hotel, wake up early for a day of endless gaming, etc…
Biggest thing I see needing done atm is you Oregon folks need to get on the ball and find some waypoints. For all waypoints I think it'd be good to have info like how close are the nearest gas stations, fast food, etc. Also I haven't driven all the routes mentioned above in a while, some never at all, so please correct me if there's stuff I don't have down right. There's still gaps that need filled in, too.
It's going to be crucial to keep on a tight enough schedule so people aren't waiting for hours at waypoints. This means having checklists of everybody who is expected to show at each waypoint so the group can leave as soon as everyone's assembled, not taking more than 1/2 hour for meals, etc. What about assigning people as a "WayPoint Leader" with a list of all the people meeting at their waypoint, which they're responsible to check at each subsequent WP to see if we've lost anybody.
Once things are finalized, lets be sure and write up a packet everybody can download and print out with a full schedule, lists, maps to each WP, map of the entire trip, etc.
If we end up using a schedule like this, it might also be worth considering starting slightly later each day to give people more time to assemble at the Phoenix and Sacramento WPs, since I know it's gonna take people 2-3 hours to get to Sac from the Bay Area.
Umm, yeah. Thoughts anyone?
My two friends and I are planning on going to PAX, and conveniently enough we live only 20 minutes from Fry's in Sacramento... This super trip will be great, and I'm all for it.
Most likely we will be going up in my car (unless friend #2 can get his driver's license ever, in which case we may be going up in his nice, spacious van), so there will only be room for one more person with us. I'm willing to drag anyone with me who needs a ride though, so just PM me or something if you live nearby or will be able to make it to one of the waypoints.
And I like the itenerary breadman, but i think it seems a little bit idealistic...
I didn't mean the Supertrip to be all about timetables, regulations, etc. It's just supposed to be a freeform roadie up to the Expo, picking people up along the way, etc. etc. If anything, the only timetables we'll have will be made at about three hours before we get to each waypoint.
Also, I had planned on there being driver rotations in order to not have to get rooms at Motel 6. As we all know, gamers/geeks don't usually have scads of money to throw at a Motel 6.
And yes, we're all taking time off for this. I am too. I'm postponing a contract job for this, and that postponement is costing me quite a bit of money.
edit: After reading the itinerary in depth, I have the following issues:
1) This is far too rigid and linear.
2) We most likely be doing above the spee dlimit. About 5mph over.
3) There's no time for sightseeing/goofing off/bathroom breaks/stops into Fry's Electronics/etc.
Thanks again for the submission, but I think it would be more prudent if we were patient enough to wait for more people to throw their hats in for the Supertrip until we made anything resembling an itinerary. forcing deadlines and things just isn't the kind of thing I wanted this to be, man.
And about the speeds, I deliberately estimated lower to account for the stops, unpredicted slowdowns, etc.
and i still can't/won't commit till i learn more deatils. how bout also a list of whos going. and a web site. and some monkeys. no wait not monkeys, koalas!
And if it was a RSS-enabled blog, we could read it from our phones, too. Just a geeky suggestion.
Anything with an RSS feed can be converted to a WAP-readable site. The posts would have to be short or they'd get truncated, but the posts should be short enough anyway. Bear in mind that you must use your phone's web browser (or a WAP-compatible browser like Opera) to view the following example:
I actually liked the time table so far because we need to setup some loose time frames on where we are going to be mostly at the night. If we used that table it sounds like we are going to be leaving on Thurday crashing in Sacramento and then crashing in Bellevue on Friday night.
If that is the case then we need to find rooms in Sacramento. Also everyone that is going on the trip will probably want to jsut get tried rooms at the doubletree for friday and saturday.
To be honest we need to decide what is more importaint on this trip. Getting to PAX as a group or sightseeing along the way because unless this is turning into a 2 week trip I honestly don't see how we have time for both.
11703 NE Glenn Widing Drive
Portland, Oregon 97220.
Its right up against the Columbia River, so you just get back on the freeway and your into Washington. Since its near the Portland airport, hotels/motels, fastfood, diners, and gas stations are also very closeby.
I know someone recommended the Portland Fry's Electronics, but that would be a bad choice because its pretty far south of Portland. From where I live, its 45 minutes away at 63-70 MPH.
This simply won't work. Some people will be spending upwards of three hours just to get to the waypoints (Reno and SF people to Sacto, for example). You can't expect them to hang by the phone with baited breath all day because you need to take your time getting within "three hours away". It'll also bog down the trip because a few people will inevitably be late to each of the waypoints, and we'll feel more inclined to wait for them if we've already given them a few calls on the tele.
I agree with SoulFury that we need to decide if this is going to be a chill trip or a mad dash to the finish. I'm all for splitting up the trip into two days, or whatever you guys want to do. But we need to stay united, because this trip is the shit of legends.
EDIT: Another benefit of timed waypoints is that anyone can join up at the last minute. Just show up at the right place at the right time, and you're in. If you're trying to get sponsors, timed waypoints give those sponsors a place to be with cameras, goodies, etc. The benefits of timed waypoints are just too many to list, and I think they beat out the abstractness of "a freeform trip". I understand where you're coming from, but this sounds like a trip too big for that kind of atmosphere anyway. Even a dozen people can ruin that kind of chillness. I think we're looking at a dozen people per waypoint, at least. I know half a dozen people personally who're ready to go.
holy shit if this gets big and crazy that'll make me want to go more. futy need more details
um.... and there's also this thing about the way back
Err, right. Well, us Chico guys are gonna be leaving Friday morning and spending the day driving up. Wether we end up meeting with this caravan, well, I guess that depends. We're certainly not gonna stand by our phones all night as jensen said. Sorry, just doesn't seem very realistic, I was being sarcastic when I mentioned it above. I'll keep checking this thread and see how things develop, though.
1) I really wanted to have the Portland waypoint be the Fry's Electronics in Wilsonville, but since nobody wants to drive past Tualatin, it looks like the Best Buy on the 205 by the airport looks like it'd be the best idea.
2) Since we'll be crashing at Sacramento (it seems like we might have to, unless we're gonna go all night), it'll give the Reno people an extra 12 hours to get there to rally up. We can contact the Reno people and let them know we're going to arrive. Or would you guys rather we contacted the Reno people when we leave LA and have us all crash at the same hotel? Let's hear some votes.
- How long do you plan the whole thing taking?
- How are people getting back?
- Where are you planning on stoping other than the rally points?
- How many people are going so far?
- Who's are they?
- What kind of transportaion has been established so far?
- What's transportation issues are needed?
- Is fry's sponsoring us?
- what does fry's sponsoring us mean?
- projected costs
- Is there anything else you could tell us (that you don't want to keep as a suprise) [list:3831520aa0]
- note a suprise being something like gabe and tycho are flying down to take the trip not like the convo is acting as a drug smuggling transport
[/list:u:3831520aa0]and again... you're not meeting in Los Angeles. L.A. : Anaheim = Sacramento : San Francisco.
- How long do you plan the whole thing taking? Somewhere between 36 and 44 hours. Depends on how many people we have yelling at us to GO GO GO PEOPLE ARE TAKING TIME OFF FOR THIS.
- How are people getting back? The Supertrip will go in the opposite direction of the way it came, dropping people off at the waypoints we picked them up at.
- Where are you planning on stopping other than the rally points? Since we can't stop at my grandmother's for cookies and milk, and there's no northbound fruit check, then I gues sonly at gas stations and fast food places. Also at somewhere in Sacramento to crash, if needs be.
- How many people are going so far? I've had about a dozen people email me. From what I've heard, there's a LOT more people going than I know, and so UNLESS EVERYONE WHO IS GOING EMAILS ME AT padiamondback@gmail.com LIKE IT SAYS IN THE FIRST POST, THEN I WILL NTO BE ABLE TO PLAN FOR YOU TO COME.
- Who's are they? Who's what? I don't understand.
- What kind of transportaion has been established so far? So far, coming out of Phoenix, we've got three cars and a command trailer (which is probably where the Wi-Fi antenna is going to be placed, if the ownerof said trailer allows me to).
- What's transportation issues are needed? I'm going to need to know what make/model/year everyone's car is so I can figure out gas mileage and thus figure out where we'll be stopping for gas.
- Is fry's sponsoring us? I spent a LONG time on the phone with them yesterday. I'd better hope they're sponsoring us. the person I talked to seem very interested on having a moving advertisement go through a lot fo their territory,e specially the I-5 corridor.
- what does fry's sponsoring us mean? For us: equipment, mainly. Power inverters, battery chargers, network equipment, possibly some software. for them: advertisement space ont he command center as well as the banners, flags, and signs that each vehicle will have.
- projected costs I can't project anything until I have more information on who all is oging and who all has what vehicles to offer and what not. I can't go out and fetch information from people ont he internet that I don't even know exist. People have to tell me they're going or I can't do SHIT.
I already detailed the plan to the Fry's representative I spoke with. It would look EXTREMELY unprofessional to change it. If anyone would have brought up issues with this before I talked to Fry's (nobody had), then there could ahve been chanes. right now, changing ANYTHING in the actual roadmap of the trip could jeopardize the sponsorship, which in turn could lead to MAJOR problems.Also, Ian, there's no way in hell I'm making all the Portlanders drive to Wilsonville. I explained that to the Fry's representative as well.
If anyone knows anybody else who is planning on going, email me at padiamondback@gmail.com OR THEY WILL NOT BE COUNTED AS GOING.
I'll prolly shoot you off a "hey I'm going" email soon. if you'll have me
Righteous, keep us posted. THanks for busting your ass to get this ball rolling.
fly there like all the cool kids are doing
well, count me in red, i'll send an e-mail to you confirming it right now
It would be fun to have a map on the PA page that showed the current location of the super trip. People could even send me photos from their phones and stuff and I could post those as well. I could keep it updated with estimated times of arrival at each waypoint.
Something to think about.
Also, as a semi-long time resident of Sacto, I must really stress the importance of going down the right "I-80", as is mentioned before. One of them leads to Fry's, and the other to Roseville I think.
I'll try to find out if I can go, this is probably going to be the most fun I'll have in quite some time.
1) I brought up a similar idea earlier (contacting the people at each waypint 3 hours and 1 hour from ETA), but maybe it might be better if the ocntact was made at a certain distance... hm. I'll give it some thought.
2) I thought about the updating map idea, but the picture blog sounds awesome. :^: Is there some kind of Javascript applet that could possibly keep track of real-time location somehow? A GPS locator applet or something?
Thanks for the input. If you or anyone else has any ideas, be sure to let me know. Also, if anyone has anything they think might be useful to get from Fry's int he sponsorship deal, tell me. I'm going to be speaking witht he representative again on Tuesday.
In the last fifteen hours there's been seven new entries.
This is going to fucking rock.
2nd, is it possible to catch a ride back from the PAX if I didn't ride up?
edit:
As for possible waypoints in Eugene, there is a Circuit City which is easily accessible from I-5, as well as being right next to a large mall so parking wouldn't be an issue. Also along that strip are a ton of fast food joints (McDonalds, Taco Bell, Taco Time, AM/PM, Jack in the Box, Schlotsky's Deli). But if we are trying for sponsorship, I don't know how Circuit City would be.
A better waypoint might be Big City Gaming (http://www.bigcitygaming.com/), a local lan party/gamestore that might be keen on sponsorship, the only problems would be that it's downtown. Bad for parking and for getting to for people who have never been to Eugene before.
Gas money?
Food money?