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GeekNights 080124 - Desert Bus

RymRym
edited January 2008 in Everything Else
Tonight on GeekNights: the Desert Bus. In the news, there is no news, so Scott GeekBacks about Gamefly, and Rym GeekBites The Terror by Dan Simmons.

Scott's Thing - F1 Photos
Rym's Thing - Unexecutable

Comments

  • edited January 2008
    Sounds like an awesome trip. The drive from San Francisco to Seattle isn't that bad. There is a certain stretch of highway that goes along the coast and is fun to see, however it might not be the more efficient in regards to time. If you have an extra day or two, touring Seattle might not be a bad idea as well.

    Regardless, I hope this plan follows through, and I'll be seeing you guys at PAX. ^^

    @Sail

    Stop changing avatars! >.< Although your new one is cute, I loved the Squirtle one.
    Post edited by Rochelle on
  • I have Gametap! Not Gamefly!
  • I have Gametap! Not Gamefly!
    Game.*
  • edited January 2008
    Stop changing avatars! >.< Although your new one is cute, I loved the Squirtle one.
    I agree. Squirtle's just got so much damn character.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • Not to mention those kick ass shades he's got.

    image
  • Haha, I thought this show was actually going to be about Desert Bus =P

    If you go see Penn & Teller, before the show Mike Jones and Penn are standing off to the side of the stage playing some jazz. Be sure to shout Monkey Tuesday between songs.
  • Oh mans, I would love to be able to go on this excursion! It would be awesome if in a few years we could set up a GeekNights Forum trip like this, unfortunately setting up something like this would be a pain in the ass to do.
  • Not really, we could all just start a pilgrimage to RIT or Beacon. We'd just have to set a date for all us to arrive at the destination, and everyone who participates can make their own plans.
  • So does this mean "Geeknights: On the road" or "Geeknights: On hiatus"?
  • It sounds like you guys are underestimating the distance you'd have to cover to hit all of these spots and still have time to do all the stuff you mentioned. I spent three weeks doing a rambling road trip across the western states in the summer of 2003, and believe me the distance between places really increases as you head west.

    It sounds like you're still in the brainstorming stage, but you may want to consider breaking this trip up - say a separate trip for Texas, another for Vegas, and another for PAX.

    Also, there is something worth seeing west of Mount Rushmore (which is, frankly, disappointing in person - the Crazy Horse monument is of a much more impressive scale, but its a WiP). Yellowstone National Park is almost a full days drive west from there. Its a bit far, but I'd recommend checking it out or at least consideration when planning a trip in that part of the country.
  • Not to mention those kick ass shades he's got.

    image
    I like to pretend that those glasses inspired Kamina's in Gurren Lagann.
  • Go west and conquer FRC!
    Not really, we could all just start a pilgrimage to RIT or Beacon. We'd just have to set a date for all us to arrive at the destination, and everyone who participates can make their own plans.
    Ah. All of us meet at a spot. That sounds cool and has a 80% chance of epic.
  • edited January 2008
    I went to RIT over the summer over night. It was actually a lot nicer then I expected it to be. And a whole lot of bricks. And a rather ridiculously large statue that seemed to be made of large random pieces of metal.
    Post edited by Kiey on
  • And a rather ridiculously large statue that seemed to be made of large random pieces of metal.
    Beware the sentinel.
  • Yeah I done the Tucson to San Francisco trip almost every summer, driving at night is a good idea. And of course those AZ highway patrol get mad at you if you do more then 85 MPH, and CPH at 80 MPH. Know from personal experience. I drive the road from my house and Tucson all the time.
  • You mentioned driving up from SF to Seattle for PAX: I'd not reccommend this. The trip is a lot longer than it looks: At least 12 hours, even horribly speeding. There's also some really nasty mountain passes along 5: Probably not as bad in August as during the winter snows, but still huge drops off the side.

    Still, PAX is worth whatever steps it requires. I've volunteered for the last two PAX's, and had the time of my life. It's a weekend of gaming at your friends house, except instead of "House" you have "Convention Center". And your friends number 10,000 rather than 10.

    Be on the lookout: I have it on good authority that you'll get to put your money where your mouth is on coming to PAX shortly.
  • edited January 2008
    Are you guys INSANE? If you drive across country from New York, there is NOTHING from Ohio until the black hills in South Dakota. (Well, there is Wall Drug and the Corn Palace.) Once you hit western South Dakota, that's where all of the awesomeness starts. Devil's tower, the Badlands, the Rockies... all awesome! Montana and Idaho are beautiful.

    I agree that you're overestimating the distance.

    I would start with San Diego to Seattle. Even that's a hugely long trip. You could also start in Vegas.

    As for Vegas, it's not cheap anymore. It used to be, but if you want to stay on the strip (you want to) and see shows, it's not cheap at all. The cheapness is downtown and outside of town.

    You also should drive instead of taking the train.
    Post edited by Kilarney on
  • Rym, you're a 20-something hippie freak.

    Have you considered Green Tortoise?

    They do tours, but they also have a Hostel Hopper that you can use to go from Las Vegas, L.A. and San Francisco.

    Check out their creepy hippie coaches.

    I have to say that some of their tours are really cool.
  • You mentioned driving up from SF to Seattle for PAX: I'd not reccommend this. The trip is a lot longer than it looks: At least 12 hours, even horribly speeding. There's also some really nasty mountain passes along 5: Probably not as bad in August as during the winter snows, but still huge drops off the side..
    I've heard from many places that the train ride up the coast is totally awesome. A glass domed train and awesome views of the coast await us.
  • I've heard from many places that the train ride up the coast is totally awesome. A glass domed train and awesome views of the coast await us.
    Too many things to do, and too few days.
  • why don't you just take some unpaided days off or something ^_^
  • why don't you just take some unpaided days off or something ^_^
    I have to see if they will let me.
  • I've done Portland to San Francisco, which is significantly less than Seattle to SF, and it wasn't that bad. We did it over two days without any real trouble, and it wasn't particularly grueling.
  • Well, I drove from Sterling Heights, MI to Wildwood NJ in about ten and a half hours once, a few days after driving from Poughkeepsie, NY to Lansing, MI, also in one shot. With more than one driver, we can make some pretty good time.
  • Vegas is way overrated. I've only seen a few shows b/c in my experience they start at night and with the 3 hour time difference, it's just too late. I'm not much of a gambler so I tend to dread it when I have to go there for conferences. If Vegas is America's fun capitol, then we are a sorry nation indeed.
  • I agree with Thaed. Vegas is entirely overrated. The good shows are at night. Period. Many of them are watered down versions of what you can see in New York. The good ones are absurdly expensive.

    If you like to dodge people handing out ads for hookers, then Vegas is perfect.

    I think that everyone should see Vegas once, but unless your a gambler, it's entirely overrated.
  • edited January 2011
    So, while I'm here at work, deploying computers, I've been listening to a shit ton of geeknights and other podcasts and I hit this episode. Specifically, I hit the part where Rym is talking about the planning part of when they thought "Yeah, lets get a Winnebago and drive to California!"
    So he's talking about the planning and he says that, past minneapolis, there's nothing.

    Having driven from the east coast to the west coast, I laughed my ass off for a good 10-20 seconds before yelling at my computer "There is FUCK ALL past minneapolis!"

    The he goes on saying "Nothing...Nothing..." and I just lost it. My sides hurt from laughing.
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
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