m3dragon
Seasoned Member
Epic Southwest Road Trip - June 2015
Disclaimer:
---------------------------------------------
This is a pay your own way event. This means even I, the organizer, must pay my own way to attend. Organizing drives is my hobby and I enjoy putting these events on. Also, I pay for the website and store system I use for these events out of my own pocket because it makes sharing information and registering easier on everyone.
---------------------------------------------
Moderators: You will see this post in the different regional sections because this is meant to be a national / world adventure. For the 2013 event, I posted the trip in the "general section" and received posts stating, "How did I miss this?" I hope you will leave this thread in the regional section so I can avoid these types of posts.
---------------------------------------------
See the first Epic Road trip from 2013 posted on this forum here:
-
Itinerary for the 2015 Epic Drive South West Road Trip: June 1st – 9th 2015
The Epic Road Trip event is a bi-yearly event for owners of European and sports cars, which focuses on the spirit of having an adventure and making friends. Participants from the first Euro epic adventure voted on where the next epic adventure would be, and the South West was the winner.
This will be a nine day road adventure to see the major sights of the South West region. You are welcome to join and/or leave the event at any point if you are not able to make all nine days. Group rates on hotels and selected items have been worked out to cut the cost of the event as much as possible. With what I have planned, I strongly suggest you attend all nine days, as this will be one amazing adventure and it will give you numerous stories to share.
This is a family friendly event, so if you are wondering if it for just the boys or for couples, the answer is NO. However, for those who might want to bring the family pet, the stops will have LIMITED access to see the sights, even if on a leash. Therefore, for this trip, unlike trips in the past, I advise you to book your pet into a spa so they can have their own vacation as well.
For international participants and participants who prefer not to drive their cars that far, I have arranged a group rate on some BMW 328i rental cars from AVIS out of the Las Vegas Airport. The cost is $115 per day or $1040 for all 10 days (9 days of the trip and one day to return to Las Vegas) with unlimited mileage. If you wish to rent a car, once you have registered I will give to the direct number to AVIS to reserve the car.
Register here for the drive:
Deadline to register is April 1, 2015 so I can secure the hotel rooms. My hope is to have 5 of you out there register by January so I can secure the room block for the group.
Planned itinerary of the 9 day road trip.
You can see the full PDF of the planned trip here:
Day 1 – June 1 - Monday
Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon Skywalk
Day 2 - June 2 - Tuesday
Grand Canyon
Day 3 - June 3 - Wednesday
Grand Canyon North Rim
Day 4 - June 4 - Thursday
Zion Park
Day 5 - June 5 - Friday
Bryce Canyon
Day 6 - June 6 - Saturday
Petrified Forest
Capitol Reef
Day 7 - June 7 - Sunday
Canyonlands
Arches National Park
Day 8 - June 8 - Monday
Mesa Verde National Park
Day 9 - June 9 - Tuesday
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Optional Day 10 (for people who want to trek further west) – June 10 - Wednesday
Petrified Forest
Painted Desert
Wigwam Motel (teepee hotel)
Ruins
-----------------------COST FOR THE EVENT-----------------------
On average, I was able to get 10-20% off hotel rooms and 10% off activities. Hotel room costs are based on two people per room. If there will be more than two people per room, please let me know. Also, in some locations, hotels only offer double beds in the rooms, therefore, you will not see other options for these locations when you register.
NOTE: One cost I would recommend you make prior to the trip is the purchase of a National Park One Year Membership. The cost is $80. Each of the 12 National Parks we will visit has a fee of approximately $25. The savings you will get through the Membership is clear.
National Park Annual Pass can be bought here:
Base event cost includes:
$140-Two decals with number, merit badge decals (see below), event insurance, 2-tshirts, PayPal, and shipping.
Hotel Costs:
The cost I was able to secure for 10 nights of hotels is $960.13. As not everyone attending will be attending the entire trip, when you register you can see the rate break down by day for each hotel. All but one of the hotels we will be stopping at includes either a full or continental breakfast. That means the cost for the trip is less than $100 a night plus a meal.
Register here for the drive:
Deadline to Register is April 1, 2015
If you have any questions, please email me directly because for some reason I don’t always get an email when someone replies to the post. Email – norcal.drivers@gmail.com
-----------------------DECALS-----------------------
Decals are 11 inches tall and DO NOT harm the paint of the car. I have been using these decals for overnight drives to make a fun memento of the trip. They are also fun to collect. You can pick your own 1, 2, or 3 digital number combo.
For those who attend the event, I thought it would be fun to earn "achievements," or merit badges for the stops. Below are all the achievements you can earn in decal form. These are meant to be placed on the car as you visit each stop.
This post is in response to questions on other forums.
Q. Why are we going in June?
A. A date had to be picked that missed the monsoons, accommodated families, and events out in the world. So first week of June was the best gap to beat the major crowds and the major heat.
Q. It going to be too hot right?
A. We looked at what average temperatures were for the available dates and going in first of June we will be High 70's low 80's on average - http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatolo.../graph/USAZ0088
Q. What is the deadline?
A. February 1st 2015 is the deadline to register for group rates on hotel. This deadline is from the hotels as they need to know if we are really coming or not. After February 1 the deadline to register is March 15th 2015 so things can be mailed out.
Q. What if I miss the group hotel rate deadline?
A. You will be on your own to book a room either at the hotel we are all at or a alternate hotel. It is worth noting that over the winter most of the hotels close as these are seasonal sights so it will take some time to book as well as cost more.
Q. Are the times listed from driving like a hooligan or other?
A. The time listed is the average from google maps and map quest. We use known times so we can factor in stops and anything else we want to do. There will be some drivers sections but we don't leave anyone behind so just drive and enjoy.
Q. Has anyone signed up?
A. Yes, as of this post there are 4 of us paid and ready to go.
Disclaimer:
---------------------------------------------
This is a pay your own way event. This means even I, the organizer, must pay my own way to attend. Organizing drives is my hobby and I enjoy putting these events on. Also, I pay for the website and store system I use for these events out of my own pocket because it makes sharing information and registering easier on everyone.
---------------------------------------------
Moderators: You will see this post in the different regional sections because this is meant to be a national / world adventure. For the 2013 event, I posted the trip in the "general section" and received posts stating, "How did I miss this?" I hope you will leave this thread in the regional section so I can avoid these types of posts.
---------------------------------------------
See the first Epic Road trip from 2013 posted on this forum here:
-
Itinerary for the 2015 Epic Drive South West Road Trip: June 1st – 9th 2015
The Epic Road Trip event is a bi-yearly event for owners of European and sports cars, which focuses on the spirit of having an adventure and making friends. Participants from the first Euro epic adventure voted on where the next epic adventure would be, and the South West was the winner.
This will be a nine day road adventure to see the major sights of the South West region. You are welcome to join and/or leave the event at any point if you are not able to make all nine days. Group rates on hotels and selected items have been worked out to cut the cost of the event as much as possible. With what I have planned, I strongly suggest you attend all nine days, as this will be one amazing adventure and it will give you numerous stories to share.
This is a family friendly event, so if you are wondering if it for just the boys or for couples, the answer is NO. However, for those who might want to bring the family pet, the stops will have LIMITED access to see the sights, even if on a leash. Therefore, for this trip, unlike trips in the past, I advise you to book your pet into a spa so they can have their own vacation as well.
For international participants and participants who prefer not to drive their cars that far, I have arranged a group rate on some BMW 328i rental cars from AVIS out of the Las Vegas Airport. The cost is $115 per day or $1040 for all 10 days (9 days of the trip and one day to return to Las Vegas) with unlimited mileage. If you wish to rent a car, once you have registered I will give to the direct number to AVIS to reserve the car.
Register here for the drive:
Deadline to register is April 1, 2015 so I can secure the hotel rooms. My hope is to have 5 of you out there register by January so I can secure the room block for the group.
Planned itinerary of the 9 day road trip.
You can see the full PDF of the planned trip here:
Day 1 – June 1 - Monday
Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon Skywalk
Day 2 - June 2 - Tuesday
Grand Canyon
Day 3 - June 3 - Wednesday
Grand Canyon North Rim
Day 4 - June 4 - Thursday
Zion Park
Day 5 - June 5 - Friday
Bryce Canyon
Day 6 - June 6 - Saturday
Petrified Forest
Capitol Reef
Day 7 - June 7 - Sunday
Canyonlands
Arches National Park
Day 8 - June 8 - Monday
Mesa Verde National Park
Day 9 - June 9 - Tuesday
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Optional Day 10 (for people who want to trek further west) – June 10 - Wednesday
Petrified Forest
Painted Desert
Wigwam Motel (teepee hotel)
Ruins
-----------------------COST FOR THE EVENT-----------------------
On average, I was able to get 10-20% off hotel rooms and 10% off activities. Hotel room costs are based on two people per room. If there will be more than two people per room, please let me know. Also, in some locations, hotels only offer double beds in the rooms, therefore, you will not see other options for these locations when you register.
NOTE: One cost I would recommend you make prior to the trip is the purchase of a National Park One Year Membership. The cost is $80. Each of the 12 National Parks we will visit has a fee of approximately $25. The savings you will get through the Membership is clear.
National Park Annual Pass can be bought here:
Base event cost includes:
$140-Two decals with number, merit badge decals (see below), event insurance, 2-tshirts, PayPal, and shipping.
Hotel Costs:
The cost I was able to secure for 10 nights of hotels is $960.13. As not everyone attending will be attending the entire trip, when you register you can see the rate break down by day for each hotel. All but one of the hotels we will be stopping at includes either a full or continental breakfast. That means the cost for the trip is less than $100 a night plus a meal.
Register here for the drive:
Deadline to Register is April 1, 2015
If you have any questions, please email me directly because for some reason I don’t always get an email when someone replies to the post. Email – norcal.drivers@gmail.com
-----------------------DECALS-----------------------
Decals are 11 inches tall and DO NOT harm the paint of the car. I have been using these decals for overnight drives to make a fun memento of the trip. They are also fun to collect. You can pick your own 1, 2, or 3 digital number combo.
For those who attend the event, I thought it would be fun to earn "achievements," or merit badges for the stops. Below are all the achievements you can earn in decal form. These are meant to be placed on the car as you visit each stop.
This post is in response to questions on other forums.
Q. Why are we going in June?
A. A date had to be picked that missed the monsoons, accommodated families, and events out in the world. So first week of June was the best gap to beat the major crowds and the major heat.
Q. It going to be too hot right?
A. We looked at what average temperatures were for the available dates and going in first of June we will be High 70's low 80's on average - http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatolo.../graph/USAZ0088
Q. What is the deadline?
A. February 1st 2015 is the deadline to register for group rates on hotel. This deadline is from the hotels as they need to know if we are really coming or not. After February 1 the deadline to register is March 15th 2015 so things can be mailed out.
Q. What if I miss the group hotel rate deadline?
A. You will be on your own to book a room either at the hotel we are all at or a alternate hotel. It is worth noting that over the winter most of the hotels close as these are seasonal sights so it will take some time to book as well as cost more.
Q. Are the times listed from driving like a hooligan or other?
A. The time listed is the average from google maps and map quest. We use known times so we can factor in stops and anything else we want to do. There will be some drivers sections but we don't leave anyone behind so just drive and enjoy.
Q. Has anyone signed up?
A. Yes, as of this post there are 4 of us paid and ready to go.
