Talk:2009-07-05 49 -125

Planning

Moving some of the planning talk here, to clear up the expedition page.

By bike

Highly approximate times.

• 3:30 - leave UBC by bike to Horseshoe Bay
• 6:20 - ferry to Departure Bay
• 8:00 - bike from Nanaimo to hashpoint (about 100 km)
• 14:00 - briefly celebrate
• 15:00 - bike back to Nanaimo (another 100 km)
• 21:05 - penultimate ferry to Horseshoe Bay [1]
• 23:00 - bike home and collapse on bed sometime well past midnight.

By car

Entirely subject to what the driver feels is most convenient for them. And Elbie will pay gas.

• 9:00 - pick up whoever is coming at seabus north terminal (8:45 departure from downtown)
• 10:40 - ferry to Departure Bay - plan to arrive at ticket booth ~9:30
• 12:20 - drive from Nanaimo to hashpoint
• 13:30 - arrive at hashpoint, celebrate leisurely
• 15:30 - drive back to Nanaimo
• 17:20 - ferry to Horseshoe Bay - plan to arrive at ticket booth ~16:30 [2] (note this is expected to be busy - there may be a sailing wait)
•  ? - drive back to Vancouver, (maybe) get home for dinner

Looks like a good schedule. Rhonda & Xore might make a side trip to Victoria on the way back. If that's the case, we can drop Elbie off at the Nanaimo ferry and she might make the 16:40 ferry as a walk on passenger. Taking the car on the ferry is cheaper (with 3 people) than taking the greyhound to Courtenay and back, too! -- Rhonda 17:43, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Sounds good to me. How many seats does that leave in the car? We should prolly try to fill them to futher distribute the ferry toll. I can send out a message to the interested-in-geohashing mailing list. - Elbie 20:24, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

There are 5 seatbelts total, so with the 3 of us that leaves 2 seats open. If anonymous is Robyn, one or both of those might be taken soon...

The anonymous edits earlier today were me, sorry - didn't realise my login had expired. I'll go post on the list now. - Elbie 20:58, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Another car/bike option

We can combine the biking and the driving -- bike to the point, then to Courtenay/Comox and rent a car and put the bikes in the back, drive it to Nanaimo, and then bring the bikes on the ferry or somesuch. Would this be at all cheaper than splitting a ferry toll for a car? 128.189.245.49 19:16, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

I've sent an email to Budget car rentals asking about the cost of renting something big enough for 3 people/3 bikes (probably a pickup truck, maybe a minivan if the seats fold right down) for a one-way rental (always extra fees for one-way rentals). The online booking thing I tried for another company refused to give me a quote for Sunday afternoon pickup and told me to choose a later pickup date. That was after I managed to find a drop off location in Nanaimo that was still open at 5 on a Sunday (airport).

Also, this excludes Xore with the currently-unrideable bike. -- Rhonda 19:37, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Found another car rental place that would give me a quote; for SUV/minivan sized vehicles, looks like about $130-$170 per day (after taxes). -- Rhonda 19:57, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Alright, sounds like it's not a good option, then. 128.189.233.179 20:14, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

By Public Transit

Doesn't appear doable solely by bus.

• Translink bus to Horseshoe Bay
• Nanaimo Route 90 goes from Nanaimo to Parksville [3]
• the 89 goes from Parksville to Qualicum Beach [4]
• how to get from Qualicum to Buckley Bay? About 45 km.
• Comox Valley Route 10 goes from Buckley Bay to Comox [5]
• Route 2 goes to Cumberland, which gets pretty close to the hashpoint [6]

or: Greyhound from Nanaimo to Courtenay. But that's a ca.$50 round trip ticket.

Peanut Gallery

This looks a lot more fun than standing in a ditch. Wish I could be there. Juventas 01:50, 4 July 2009 (UTC)