okay as some of you know i am driving to the wcc from maryland, about 2700 one way. i would like to know which gas stations are cheaper, how much is gas, cigarettes, and stuff.

one reason i ask is i dont use credit so i will be doing things like prepaid gas cards, that way i cant spend all the cash and not have cash to get home. and if cigarettes are way more expensive i might bring some extras ( hint ) i can get name brands for 22 bucks a carton, and i could sell them in new york for 50, but i am not going to new york so how much in kali .

Gas will vary by state according to taxes. Cigarettes? Don't know and don't care!! Which way are ya going?

Just make sure you have enough smokes to get you back out of California. They are pricey here. $32.00 a carton or so for name brands. Gas is around $2.30 for regular.

i'll take a carton of merit light, box. i bet you need $500 for gas, minimum. depends on your route, there are a few interesting things to see along the way. Mesa Verde is real cool and not that far out of the way. I-70 looks like a pretty straight shot for you. I-40 for the ride home mix things up a bit. is this your honeymoon? you don't want to be selling nontax stamp cigarettes unless you are considering an extended stay.

k

Most gas stations take debit cards....

Stop at the "big rig" truck stops they have the least expensive fuel, the least expensive provisions, showers, good food ( well ok food)

and take plastic

when your on the interstates you will pick up the pattern, there is a truck stop every few hours

QUOTE (scott thacher @ Mar 21 2005, 04:34 PM)

okay as some of you know i am driving to the wcc from maryland, about 2700 one way. i would like to know which gas stations are cheaper, how much is gas, cigarettes, and stuff. one reason i ask is i dont use credit so i will be doing things like prepaid gas cards, that way i cant spend all the cash and not have cash to get home. and if cigarettes are way more expensive i might bring some extras ( hint ) i can get name brands for 22 bucks a carton, and i could sell them in new york for 50, but i am not going to new york so how much in kali .

I'd worse-case it: $2.50 for gas at 25mpg, 5400mi not including what driving you do here, that's $540 just for gas alone. Given gas in the Midwest is still under $2 (at least in MO, where my dad lives), you'll be spending less than that, but who knows how much you'll use up driving around in CA before you head back, and it's better to have too much than too little.

Note that some gas companies have a very small presence in some areas, so don't count on always being able to find a station for a particular brand. Particularly west of Missouri/Arkansas, the stations thin out pretty seriously. By the time you get to Colorado/New Mexico, you may go 50mi or more before you see a gas station. There are stretches in Utah and Nevada where you can go over 100mi between stations, and you'll need to get gas whenever and however you can. The more remote the area, the more expensive the gas, and brand is essentially unimportant. Here in California, gas prices even with one brand can vary by 20-30 cents a gallon within 10 miles.

You didn't ask about routes, but I'll give you some advice on that, anyway, at least from the Mississippi westwards (did that drive about a dozen times). If you just want to get there, take I-44/I-40/I-15. This route is reasonably quick, doesn't include many steep climbs. It's fairly dull, but gets you there reasonably quickly. If you'd like to be more entertained, take I-70 to I-15. Kansas and Eastern Colorado are painfully boring (so are Oklahoma and Texas in the other route), but west of Denver, this is a far nicer route both in terms of scenery and driving. You might even try one way there and the other way back. On I-70 between Vail and Denver you'll top 12,000 ft, which should be a good test of your cooling system.

For me, East to West this is about 3-4 days. West to East it's 4-5 days. Heading West, you're always driving with the Sun, so the light lasts longer and you don't get quite so tired. Heading East, the days are shorter, and I just can't go as far. Perhaps that's just me. When I was 20 and first made this drive, I could have done NYC to SF in three days, no worries. Now that I'm 40, I doubt I could do it in less than 4, even with much higher speeds (legal 85mph in AZ) in the West.

I wish I could be there, I'd love to get a close up look of your Soob conversion.

Tim nailed it. Travel America, Pilot, Flying J...those places are like heaven on a cross-country trip! (that's what you'll look like after the drive!)

Take the long way and drive through Canada. You'll love the scenery and the people, plus we don't have too many highways so it would be hard to get lost. You might lose a little bit on the smokes (sin taxes are brutal in Canada), but you could make up for it big time on the exchange rate (25% or better)! It might take you a bit longer, but think of the stories you could tell at the WCC. You might even see a moose!

If you take I-70, make sure to fill up on the front range, before you get into the mountains. Gas can climb $.10 to $.20 more per gallon once you get past the foothills. BTW gas is currently $2.07 (average) on the front range and expected to climb.

well my route is a very leasurly one, heading southwest to texas, then to new mexico ( 914rs's house ) then to vegas, to the wcc, return trip is even worse back to nm, to texas to baton rouge back to maryland, i am figureing on being out of maryland for 2.5 to 3 weeks.

i do have debit but its one of those things that i have had a problem with cards getting lost, scratched and just not working. as well as when i do trips i do cash, and prepaid stuff ( gas cards and travelers checks ) . that way i always know what i have left.

i do have a habit of coming home broke, therfore the prepaid stuff. i took teri florida 2 years ago, blew 1700 over the weekend including plane tickets, came home with 17 dollars to my name to pay parking.

i am setting aside 400 just for gas, with 300 in emergency cash, you know the emergency stuff like when the wife/gf says i need that little trinket that makes no sense that she will loose in a month. my total money planned for this trip is 1500 plus emergency.

before you all say fly, the cheapest tickets i could find where 900 rt

break down

400 gas
400 food ( we eat cheap and food at familys and friends thanks 914 rs )
150 wcc money
300 hotel ( only need hotels in kali, all other stays are family )
200 blow it money ( raffle )

Watching the US news channel tonight they said gas in CA was up to $3.00 per gal. Current oil price is $50 a barrel and could hit $80.

Plan on a tad more for gas....

you don't need money for the raffle. it's included in the track fees. if you take I-70, western nebraska, well everything west of lincoln, is like 3 day pass to disneyland. except no thrills. how many travel days do you figure heading west?

k

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Mar 22 2005, 05:56 AM)

how many travel days do you figure heading west? k

well i am leaving maryland on sunday, driving just about straight to texas, with just a long nap at night, after 12 hours or so, then into texas monday night( mapquest 20 hours to texas ) spend 1 day in texas, leave texas on tues about noon, to drive to joe's house which is 10 to 11 hours. then leave joe's on wed with him and who ever else is there, hit vegas i think wed night, leave vegas thurs to get to kali 1 day early, or for break down time.

i will need an extra day in kali for the gf anyway, she wants to put her feet in the pacific ocean , so get ready for a fish kill on the west coast. as well as she wants to see LA.

i have planned the long drive in the begining then kept it at 10 to 11 hours a day. i wanted to drive more but she wont let me, i wanted to do about 15 to 18 a day. i look at it this way why sit somewhere when i could be driving, i only need 8 hours a day, which leaves 16 for driving

tell her she will be able to "see" all she needs of LA when we're up in the hills. you're doing some serious driving.

k

$900?? Wow, there are air fares sales on now. $230 to the east coast from Seattle right now. Got to be something cheap coming the other way?
Look on TravelZoo.......

Geoff

remember we are talking 2 people round trip, this is southwest's prices

Depart BWI-BNA-LAX $194.42 each with taxes and extras both are $455.80

Return LAX-LAS-BWI $194.42 each with taxes and extras both are $458.80

Total $388.84 each rt tax and extras each $41.96 $26.50 total for everything $914.60

plus no car or a rental at 50 a day is another 200, unless someone would loan me a 914 for 4 days so i can race it, and have a car to use for 4 days, plus then i dont get to see family in texas and in baton rouge

southwest . their prices SEEM swell. lots of stops, usually. the landing/departure fees are not included in the "low cost" fares. last time i flew i found nw was less exspensive after everything was added in. my cousin that lives in buffalo few out west. buf to newark, to st louis(?), to houston, to seattle, or something like that. more than 13 hours with a missed connector in newark on the way home. not everyone enjoys following the 914 pack in a neon rental.

k

that price is just the advance purchase price