Touring - Bike Forums GAP / C&O Canal Tour 2009 - Transporation

Please use this thread to arrange transportation, find car pools etc, for the Bike Forums GAP / C&O Canal Tour 2009. Please keep your posts limited to transportation.

Please see the main thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=7947538#post7947538) for information, questions and comments on the tour.

FYI - Multiple threads for this tour have been cleared by the moderator.

I'd like to arrange with other tour members to meet in DC before the tour, leave our cars there, and rent a vehicle to drive to Pittsburgh for the start of the tour. This will position our cars at the end of the tour, which is more convenient for those of us closer to DC then Pitts.

If you are interested, let me know.

Brian

I'd like to arrange with other tour members to meet in DC before the tour, leave our cars there, and rent a vehicle to drive to Pittsburgh for the start of the tour. This will position our cars at the end of the tour, which is more convenient for those of us closer to DC then Pitts.

If you are interested, let me know.

Brian

Relatively cheap long term parking is available at Reagan National Airport. In addition, the Mt. Vernon Trail runs by the airport, and you can reach the Mt Vernon Trail easily from Georgetown.

I'm planning on renting a car and driving to Pittsburgh, and then renting a car in DC and driving back home. I live just outside Philadelphia, and I'd be happy to carpool with anyone. I can pick people up at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, or anywhere along the way to Pittsburgh.

I'm planning on renting a car and driving to Pittsburgh, and then renting a car in DC and driving back home. I live just outside Philadelphia, and I'd be happy to carpool with anyone. I can pick people up at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, or anywhere along the way to Pittsburgh.

Hey Historian,

I'd carpool with you. I'm driving down from Vermont to mom's house in NJ the previous night. Short hop from there to Philly.

Brian

Maybe the folks that are coming back to Pittsburgh after the ride should start some planning?

I think first to discuss is when to leave for the Burgh? We will be ending the tour on Friday. I say we should leave Saturday afternoon or evening. That would give us a little time to see D.C.


The next item should be how many are coming back? There is me of course and up to 3 of my friends. How many others are coming back to the Burgh?

Then there is how. The way I see it we have two options train and rental car. I would like to avoid the bus.

If we drive and if we have enough people we could possibly rent a car and a small UHaul truck. Two could take the truck with the bikes and the rest in one or more cars.

Train Pros

1. No hassle, easy to arrange. Buy a ticket and get on the train is about it.

2. Very enjoyable and restful. We could sit around and talk about the trip.


3. Kind of cool and different if you don't usually take the train.

Train Cons.

1. It takes slightly longer than driving. But really by the time we stop for a bite to eat the difference might be only an hour or so longer by train.

2. Our departure time is set at 4:00 PM.

3. We will most likely need to pack the bikes up in boxes. This is not big deal really. It takes me about an hour. But we would need to make sure there are boxes at the DC end. If they are nice large boxes then we might be able to get away with just taking the pedals off and twisting the handlebar.

4. We arrive in Pittsburgh at 12 midnight. Not a big deal really but see #5.

5. We would most likely need to ride to my house. I am not that concerned about the time of night. I know the area very well and I am really not concerned about security. There will be low traffic this time of night so I am not worried about that. The main issue is the climb back to Robinson. There are a couple of steep hills on the way back. I am used to it so it is not an issue for me but may be an issue for other members in the group.


Rental car pros

1. We can leave when we want.


2. We can drive right up to my house.


3. We just toss the bikes in the truck and go. No real hassle with packing up the bikes.


Rental car cons

1. A hassle to setup.

2. Someone would probably have to drive a truck back to Pittsburgh. Probably not real pleasant.

3. Kind of difficult to relax after a long tour.

I think the cost might be about the same per person give or take $20 so that should not be an issue.

My vote is for the train. I think overall it will be less hassle. What do all the other Burghers think?

If all goes according to plan I will fly in a couple of days before (not sure whether PA or DC yet and need to arrange a LBS to ship my bike to for setup). I can stay with friends in DC but I'm not in contact with anyone in PA anymore. I could work out to take transport w/VT speed from DC but thought there might be a good LBS to ship to in PA... not sure but will take any suggestions. Will be flying in from Seattle and really don't want the hassle of flying with my bike (would rather concentrate on the trip rather than dealing with my amateurish bike "travel build."

If you know the day your bike will arrive, feel free to ship it here. I could work from home that day to receive the bike. I can help you put it back together. Or if you want to ship it to a bike shop, the closest LBS is the Trek store.

Trek Store of Pittsburgh
6514 Stuebenville Pike
Pittsburgh PA
412-788-8735

about 2-3 miles from here. If they are willing to release the bike to me, I can pick it up for you. No big deal as it is right near my gym and my grocery store.

I can host 3-4 people here. If you are odd man out for a room then we can probably fit an extra person. At least 2-3 people would need to bring sleeping bag and pad.

I can provide these services for anyone on the trip.

If you decide you want to stay at a hotel then I would suggest the Red Roof Inn on Stuebenville. it is walking distance from the Trek shop, a number of restaurants and a grocery store.

I can provide additional hotel suggestions at a later date. There are a number of good choices including one that is a stones throw from the trail.

Spin, I personally think the rental car/truck pros out weigh the cons. Having to meet a train schedule and dealing with boxing a bike away from home can be a pain in the arse. The flexibility of the rental is so much more relaxing but of course this is JMHO.

Not too sure on the train idea either. Training 8 hours, getting in at midnight, rebuilding bikes and riding uphill, in the dark, in Steelers country, just wasn't the Hollywood ending I'd envisioned.

Any guesses how many bikes, gear and riders we could get in a mini-van or full size van? I'd say 2 or 3 in a mini-van, 4-5 in a full size van with 2 seating rows. Would split costs and be more flexible. Guess it depends on how many riders are doing the return.

Another option. I've got a 4 bike carrier for 2" hitch. Ship that ahead somewhere and rent an SUV with a hitch. Doubt I'd get 4 tourers on it, but 3 on and 1 inside gets 4 people back.

Anyone looking to car pool from the Cleveland area to Pittsburgh? I don't mind driving and depending how things work out could haul between 1 and 3 others.

If anyone wants to arrive by AMTRAK on Friday, I'll make myself available for a shuttle. Please bear in mind that I will be driving an Escort wagon, so 2 bikes on the rack outside and two BoBs with gear inside is about the max I can handle. Will transport to your hotel or to Spinnaker's pad.

I thought about the bike carrier idea myself. I really like the hitch racks but I would not count on the rental having a 2 inch receiver. It was a problem I had with renting a vehicle to tow my boat.

I guess we could pre ship a couple of racks. Those coming back to the Burgh could reimburse the shippers. We would need the help of someone on the DC end gang to receive the racks and bring them to the trail head. Or maybe me could ship the, to the last night's hotel??

One problem would be to get the racks to the rental car. I suppose a couple of people could ride to the rental car place, toss their bikes in the trunk and bring the cars back to the trail head.

I guess I could check on renting vans. Might be a problem for one way.


And don't worry about riding through Steeler Country dewaday. I will be sure everyone knows that I slapped you across the head each day of our tour. They should leave you alone. :)


It is a good point of building the bikes at the Pittsburgh end too. I'll make a check with Amtrak to see if we really need to box them but I think so for this run.

Thanks for the offer jaqrahm.

Exactly how many people will be coming back to the Burgh?

Exactly how many people will be coming back to the Burgh?

That's the million dollar ? isn't it. At what point do you say "your on your own" for transport? Assuming we could have people signing up right until May, it'd drive you crazy trying to nail logistics.


I thought about the bike carrier idea myself. I really like the hitch racks but I would not count on the rental having a 2 inch receiver. It was a problem I had with renting a vehicle to tow my boat.

I guess we could pre ship a couple of racks. Those coming back to the Burgh could reimburse the shippers. We would need the help of someone on the DC end gang to receive the racks and bring them to the trail head. Or maybe me could ship the, to the last night's hotel??

One problem would be to get the racks to the rental car. I suppose a couple of people could ride to the rental car place, toss their bikes in the trunk and bring the cars back to the trail head.

I guess I could check on renting vans. Might be a problem for one way.


And don't worry about riding through Steeler Country dewaday. I will be sure everyone knows that I slapped you across the head each day of our tour. They should leave you alone. :)


It is a good point of building the bikes at the Pittsburgh end too. I'll make a check with Amtrak to see if we really need to box them but I think so for this run.

Thanks for the offer jaqrahm.


Seems the big question is, what's available rental wise for DC to Pitts? Guess I assumed full size SUV's had 2" hitches standard, but apparently not. I'll call around this weekend to see what's available. Mini-vans could work well since they're readily available. Just not sure how many bikes and gear we could get per vehicle. If we could get 3 per vehicle that's probably a no brainer. Anyone out there with a minivan that can do a test?

If we use the rack mount angle, I'd say ship the racks to the hotel, and being DC there's probably some sort of shuttle available getting to the car rental, or even a taxi if need be. Drive the rental back to the hotel and load up. Only problem now is if I need my rack to haul peeps from Cleve. to Pitts. for the beginning.

I guess you could just tell everyone I'm a Brown's fan :cry:, that should elicit enough pity to get me through :twitchy:.

and being DC there's probably some sort of shuttle available getting to the car rental, or even a taxi if need be.

The Mount Vernon Trail runs by Reagan National Airport. It's an easy bike ride from DC.

That's the million dollar ? isn't it. At what point do you say "your on your own" for transport? Assuming we could have people signing up right until May, it'd drive you crazy trying to nail logistics.

Seems the big question is, what's available rental wise for DC to Pitts? Guess I assumed full size SUV's had 2" hitches standard, but apparently not. I'll call around this weekend to see what's available. Mini-vans could work well since they're readily available. Just not sure how many bikes and gear we could get per vehicle. If we could get 3 per vehicle that's probably a no brainer. Anyone out there with a minivan that can do a test?

If we use the rack mount angle, I'd say ship the racks to the hotel, and being DC there's probably some sort of shuttle available getting to the car rental, or even a taxi if need be. Drive the rental back to the hotel and load up. Only problem now is if I need my rack to haul peeps from Cleve. to Pitts. for the beginning.

I guess you could just tell everyone I'm a Brown's fan :cry:, that should elicit enough pity to get me through :twitchy:.

Been there, done that:

Older Dodge Mini-van, inside: 1 Trek Navigator, 1 Trek MB - both had both wheels removed; 1 two-wheeled Kool-Stop cargo trailer w/high clearance - both wheels removed; camping gear stowed in trailer plus rack bags, handlebar bags, helmets, Camelbaks; 1 driver, 3 passengers. YMMV. Lib and I were packed in the back like sardines.

I'll volunteer my services to tie up any loose ends on this trip like shipping racks to your hotel (at least anything you guys need for the GAP segment). I've asked for 3 months off this summer starting the 12th of June -- it's not like I won't have time to play roadie for a few days if you'd like. :)

Judy

Anyone coming in from the East? Another poster and I have discussed vanpooling from just outside Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and then renting one from DC to Philly on the return leg.

An alternate is to drive to DC, rent a van from there and head north, tying in with what some other posters have suggested. I prefer the Philly- Pittsburgh trip myself, since there's less driving, but I'm agreeable to whatever the rest of the poolers decide.

Anyone coming in from the East? Another poster and I have discussed vanpooling from just outside Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and then renting one from DC to Philly on the return leg.

An alternate is to drive to DC, rent a van from there and head north, tying in with what some other posters have suggested. I prefer the Philly- Pittsburgh trip myself, since there's less driving, but I'm agreeable to whatever the rest of the poolers decide.

I agree with you Historian, avoiding DC would be nice heading out. I would guess that heading to DC first, parking, getting a rental car and then driving would add about 6 hours to the day before the trip. Not sure it worth it. The only benefit to carpooling to DC and spotting a car there is it eliminates a second rental at the completion of the trip. I can swing either way though.



Brian

Bad news is that my wife will not be coming with or right after (allowing me to do a turnaround on the trail). The good news is that I'm looking at tickets from Seattle to Pittsburgh for under $200! This means I can ride early with you all, fly back to the west, maybe do a couple of California trips (Russ Rocca are you in the house?) and then fly back out to do the trail again but with the wife in August (the earliest she can take off). This is still a developing plan so bear with me please.

That's the million dollar ? isn't it. At what point do you say "your on your own" for transport? Assuming we could have people signing up right until May, it'd drive you crazy trying to nail logistics.






Good point but I think we could all still plan on coming back together. We could have a drop dead date, say mid March. Anyone signing on past then would be welcome to join us if there is space. Otherwise they are on their own.

I like the shipping racks idea more and more. I have one two bike rack I can ship. It is a Sarris Bones so it should go on any car. If we get a midsize car then I figure one bike in the trunk, two on the rack. Three people in the car would leave plenty of space for luggage. Rental is only $70 add another $30 or so for gas and that is only $35 - $40 a piece.

Should we get a large group nearer to date, we could always ditch the rack idea and go back to the truck idea.

Spin,
Because of my plans to ride with you all and then come back in August and do it again with my wife, I am hoping to stash my bike and gear in PA so I don't have to re-ship it all. Would you know where I could do that for a month and a week or so?
Cheers!

I like the shipping racks idea more and more. I have one two bike rack I can ship. It is a Sarris Bones so it should go on any car. If we get a midsize car then I figure one bike in the trunk, two on the rack. Three people in the car would leave plenty of space for luggage. Rental is only $70 add another $30 or so for gas and that is only $35 - $40 a piece.

Should we get a large group nearer to date, we could always ditch the rack idea and go back to the truck idea.

Your right about hitches on rentals, no go. That takes my rack out of the mix. I could check on borrowing something.

Is that $70 with a one way drop fee figured in? The three rentals I called all quoted around $100 drop fee in addition to the rental cost. Either way, racks seem to give us the most flexibility.

Your right about hitches on rentals, no go. That takes my rack out of the mix. I could check on borrowing something.

Your right, my mistake I forgot to check the one way button. I just did another quote and I am getting between $160 and $220.

Did you ask about rentals on bike racks?

Your right, my mistake I forgot to check the one way button. I just did another quote and I am getting between $160 and $220.

Did you ask about rentals on bike racks?

If you mean using bike racks on rentals, I'm sure that's implicitly forbidden in about 20 places in the fine print contract. Which is why I'd never ask ;).
Any idea on head count for the return to Pitts? Maybe a 2 bike rack on a mini-van gets 4 back? Mini-vans priced out at $205 - $250.

If you mean using bike racks on rentals, I'm sure that's implicitly forbidden in about 20 places in the fine print contract. Which is why I'd never ask ;).


No I meant a rental from the rental car company. I heard some rent them. But your right, it is probably forbidden. It might be a good idea to back some rags with the racks to place under the rubber feet of the rack.



Any idea on head count for the return to Pitts?


So far I guess just you and me and possibly a couple of my buddies (if they go). I really wish others would chime in We need to get this wrapped up soon.




Maybe a 2 bike rack on a mini-van gets 4 back? Mini-vans priced out at $205 - $250.


Where did you find a mini van? Hertz did not have them. Maybe you should reserve one?

Sorry, count me in for the return to Pitts.

Hey Spinnaker,

If I decide to go with my original plan to drive to DC from Vt, and then rent a vehicle for travel to Pitts to start the ride,

1) If the return is at the Pitt airport, how is cycling to the start of our adventure?

2) Or perhaps hotels closer to the ride start that have shuttles to the airport? I could drop the bike first at the hotel, so I wouldn't have to deal with that on the shuttle.

2) Do you know of any car rental companies closer to the ride start?

Thanx's
Brian

Hey Spinnaker,

If I decide to go with my original plan to drive to DC from Vt, and then rent a vehicle for travel to Pitts to start the ride,

1) If the return is at the Pitt airport, how is cycling to the start of our adventure?

2) Or perhaps hotels closer to the ride start that have shuttles to the airport? I could drop the bike first at the hotel, so I wouldn't have to deal with that on the shuttle.

2) Do you know of any car rental companies closer to the ride start?

Thanx's
Brian

I have 3-4 (could probably squeeze 5 if you are odd man out on a hotel room) spots here at Ostello Spinnaker. I have a couch, an air mattress and a love seat if you are short. Others will need to provide sleeping bag and pad. No one has yet to make a reservation.

I can also provide taxi service for the out of towners. I can either bring you here or to a nearby hotel. I think we will have one or two people driving here with their vehicles that might also be able to help out.
Another thought is for everyone to stay at the same one or two hotels. You could all meet there then share a cab back the hotel (if no shuttle) or Ostello Spinnaker. It will only be about $25 with tip (around $6 each for 4).


There is a hotel a stones throw from the trail. It should provide a shuttle. The problem is there are no nearby restaurants. I suppose we could pick you up for dinner. I will try and get a buddy or two to join us for dinner Friday night.

There are also a number of hotels with shuttles in the nearby shopping center. If you go that route this might be the easiest over all. It is an easy bike ride to the restaurants and to the bike trail.

I am going to suggest the Red Roof Inn on Stuebenville Pike. It is spiting distance from a number of restaurants, a bike shop and a grocery store but I do not thing it provides a shuttle but I can check. There is also one right behind the grocery. I think it provides a shuttle.

I will provide phone numbers at a later this week. To keep things simple, I will probably just suggest 3-4 and let you know the cost per room and if they provide a shuttle, proximity to the trail etc.

I've been doing some checking on car rentals and the only local place that I can seem to make a reservation is on the Avis site. They have a drop off in Pleasant Hills, which doesn't appear too far from the Yough Inn. The rate is around $165 oneway.

If I go this route, I'd pick the car up early on Friday at Reagan Airport, spotting my car there in long term parking.

Would anyone else be interested in sharing a ride?

Brian

I've been doing some checking on car rentals and the only local place that I can seem to make a reservation is on the Avis site. They have a drop off in Pleasant Hills, which doesn't appear too far from the Yough Inn. The rate is around $165 oneway.

If I go this route, I'd pick the car up early on Friday at Reagan Airport, spotting my car there in long term parking.

Would anyone else be interested in sharing a ride?

Brian

The Yough Shore Inn is about 40 miles from Spinnaker's place, and the ride start. The Yough was intended as lodging for the first night on the trail.

I'd be interested in riding down to DC with someone instead of driving across PA. I don't feel like leaving my own car in a strange lot for 8 or 9 days. (Carpooling in my car is out because I can only carry one bike.) The catch is that I have both a bike and a trailer, in addition to my gear.

I found Carrentals.com to have the lowest prices and best service for renting. A vehicle big enough for two riders, two bikes, a trailer, and gear was less than 70 bucks every time, with no one-way charges.

Hey Historian,

Thanx's for clearing up on the Yough Inn being the first night on the trail. Sounds like a great place.

I see that you may do an extended tour back home, but I'd be happy to carpool from DC to Pitts. Since I'd be passing by (well somewhat close) to your home, I could pick you up and then we could head to DC to get the rental. We should be able to pile everything into the back of my Kia Sportage. I've had 2 bikes laying flat on the floor before, with luggage piled on them. If you decide not to do the bike tour back home from DC, I could drop you off at your home on my way back home.

Brian

Hey Historian,

Thanx's for clearing up on the Yough Inn being the first night on the trail. Sounds like a great place.

I see that you may do an extended tour back home, but I'd be happy to carpool from DC to Pitts. Since I'd be passing by (well somewhat close) to your home, I could pick you up and then we could head to DC to get the rental. We should be able to pile everything into the back of my Kia Sportage. I've had 2 bikes laying flat on the floor before, with luggage piled on them. If you decide not to do the bike tour back home from DC, I could drop you off at your home on my way back home.

Brian

Deal. And I could arrange to be closer to wherever you are passing through. Let's work out the arrangements privately.

Are you going to stay at Ostello Spinnaker?

Carrentals.com is showing National offering a SUV at Reagan National for 99 bucks. No drop off charge.

Where did you find a mini van? Hertz did not have them. Maybe you should reserve one?



I found Carrentals.com to have the lowest prices and best service for renting. A vehicle big enough for two riders, two bikes, a trailer, and gear was less than 70 bucks every time, with no one-way charges.

Thanks Historian, nice find.
Spin, just to clarify. We're planning on return drive to Pittsburgh on Saturday the 20th, correct? Would Pittsburgh National Airport be the best return location?

If you guys from the east want to bring a bike rack, I can ship it back to you Fedex ground.

You will need to:

1. Acquire a suitable box and bring it with you.

2. Visit Fedex or UPS and acquire a shipping form. UPS might be best since I can go to a Staples right near my gym.

3. Determine the cost of shipping. You do not have to pay for it at that time (sometimes that is difficult) just bring the cash and leave it with me.


4. Fill out all paper work and attach it to the bocx and address the box.


5. Understand that I may not be able to return the rack for a few days.

Thanks Historian, nice find.
Spin, just to clarify. We're planning on return drive to Pittsburgh on Saturday the 20th, correct? Would Pittsburgh National Airport be the best return location?

Yeah I think we should come back Saturday. That will give us some of the day Friday and some of the day Saturday to see DC. I have not been to DC in many years. I would like to ride the Mall and possibly go to the Smitsonian Science Museum.


I am wondering about the value of an SUV. You could probably get 3 bikes in there if you stacked them with maybe sleeping bags in between but that would be with the back seat down, so only two people would be able to ride. Am I wrong?

My flight back east is BOOKED! We'll see you all soon!

Yeah I think we should come back Saturday. That will give us some of the day Friday and some of the day Saturday to see DC. I have not been to DC in many years. I would like to ride the Mall and possibly go to the Smitsonian Science Museum.

I am wondering about the value of an SUV. You could probably get 3 bikes in there if you stacked them with maybe sleeping bags in between but that would be with the back seat down, so only two people would be able to ride. Am I wrong?

I ditched the SUV idea when I found out they don't have hitches for racks. I'm thinking a mini-van makes the most sense at this point. If you shipped your rack ahead I'm pretty sure we could get two bikes outside and two inside. Make sense? I'll go ahead and reserve a mini-van, we can always change later.

It's hard for me to believe that no car rental service in or near DC doesn't have vehicles including trucks/SUV's that wouldn't have a hitch already installed since so many come out of the factory that way? Are we very sure of this?

It's hard for me to believe that no car rental service in or near DC doesn't have vehicles including trucks/SUV's that wouldn't have a hitch already installed since so many come out of the factory that way? Are we very sure of this?

I talked to Enterprise and Hertz this weekend and both said absolutely not. Makes sense since they would have no control over what people towed. My guess is that the hitch is there but locked out somehow.

I had an Uncle fly in from Wy. I borrowed a bike for him. We rode to D.C. from Ohiopyle. He flew home from D.C. I tried renting a car-van-truck to come home. U-haul advertises $20.00 a day. Nobody would rent me anything for less than $200.00 due to it being on a weekend. I could pick up group at Pittsburgh if asked niceley.

. I could pick up group at Pittsburgh if asked niceley.

Thanks Scott,

But I don't think we need to have anyone picked up at Pittsburgh. So far there are only 2 that will be arriving here in a rental car and they should have the space for bodies and bikes.

What we need is a way to get bodies and bikes back to Pittsburgh from DC. The thinking so far is to rent a mini van and pre ship a bike rack. We should be able to get 3-4 people in a van with their bikes that way.

We will keep you in mind. Perhaps in the event of an emergency, if someone needs to be hauled back to Pittsburgh, once we reach your area then your offer would be most helpful.

We are looking at the possibility of using a shuttle service to get us back to Pittsburgh.

This service (http://www.freedomtrailriders.com/index.html) will do it for $100 each if we have at least 3 people.


Dewaday reports the cost renting a minivan one way at $125. Add say another $50 for gas and tolls (probably really closer to $75). We need to add the cost of shipping the rack. Let's say it is $20.

So that makes it $195 or around $50 each (if we can squeeze in four). If we go with only 3 then that is $65 each. For an extra $35-$50 probably not worth the hassle.


I think there are a lot of advantages to the shuttle.

1. We don't have to hassle with shipping the bike rack.

2. We don't have to bother someone to accept the rack and bring it to us.

3. We don't have the hassle of picking up the van.

4. We don't have to worry about fitting people and bike in the van (having too few people or worse too many).

5. We don't have to worry about mounting the rack or a bike damaging the van (we would probably be breaking the rules with a rack).

6. We don't have to drive. We can sit back and gab about what a great time we had or carry on a fist fight the whole way depending on how things went on the trip. :)

7. We don't have to hassle with returning the rental vehicle.


There are only two concerns I have.

1. Would they be willing to take us all the way to my house (the shuttle goes to Mckeesport)? My guess is that if we fill a van then it does not matter much. We might need to pay a bit more. Worse comes to worse we could always shuttle a car to Mckeesport and maybe get the assistance of someone in the Burgh not going on the trip. I think there was a BF member who offered the use of a truck and his trailer for local transport.

2. Can we leave when we want? I don't know about anyone else but I would like to leave no earlier than 4 PM to give us a chance to see a bit of DC. Once again, if fill a van we might be able to tell them when we want to leave within reason, unless they want to fill it on the way back. We might need to pay a bit more. The other option would be to stay in DC Friday and Saturday, with hopefully an early morning departure on Sunday.

I have a call into them to get details. My guess is that they don't exactly sit by their phone on the off season so it might take a couple of days for them to get back to me.

We are looking at the possibility of using a shuttle service to get us back to Pittsburgh.

This service (http://www.freedomtrailriders.com/index.html) will do it for $100 each if we have at least 3 people.



Assuming they're willing to accommodate our schedule somewhat, I'd opt for the shuttle. Eliminate rack shipping and mounting hassles, getting to and from the rental place, driving and getting lost, and being ready to relax kind of tips it for me. Besides, the joy of 6. camaraderie and fisticuffs can't be overlooked :troll::hug:.

Returning to Pittsburgh crew.

Do we want to come back on Sunday or stick with Saturday? I am open to either but if we switch we should probably do so soon.

I would prefer Saturday return but only because I have an 8 hour drive after returning to Pitts. If all others want to stay the day, then that will be fine, but let me know as I can make accommodations.

I would prefer Saturday return but only because I have an 8 hour drive after returning to Pitts. If all others want to stay the day, then that will be fine, but let me know as I can make accommodations.

I assume you need to be back at work on Monday? If so maybe we should stay with Saturday.

You are welcome to stay at my place Saturday or Sunday night (whenever we get back to the Burgh).

I was planning on coming back late afternoon Saturday or whatever day we decide. Is that OK with everyone?

So after reading everything on this transportation thread thus far, I can't make heads or tails as to what is happening. I am up for the shuttle (less hassle more room) unless someone has a better plan (fill me in).
Cheers!

Yes we are going with the shuttle for now. With dewaday dropping out we are at the bare minimum of 3 for getting a discount. But it is looking very good for one of my buddies going and that would bring us up to four with a save margin. Plus my friend may bring along two of his friends. A coworker / friend has a 75% chance of going too.

If everyone goes (and comes back to Pittsburgh) that would bring us to 7 and we would qualify for another discount (6 or more).

But if all seven go, then we will need to strap you on the roof. Sorry twodeadpoets. :)