Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:55:07 -0700
Reply-To: jbrush@AROS.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Anonymous Digest <jbrush@AROS.NET>
Subject: Re: 2 weeks enough to cross country - w/kids?
In-Reply-To: <20050323.141828.11740.39526@webmail23.lax.untd.com>
>I am buying my friend's 87 Wolfburg (Weekender-no stove) Westfalia. The
>only problem is it is within 5 miles of the Pacific Ocean in Washington
>state and I and within 5 miles of the Atlantic Ocean in Massachusetts.
>My wife and I are trying to decide if 2 weeks is enough time to cross the
>country with 2 kids under 11 - and still enjoy it. I can't get away for
>more than 2 weeks from the office.
Hi John,
Always happy to share an opinion, since opinions can't really be all wrong
:-)
>The other optins are shipping -about $1300 or so or getting the van
>witha friend and doing the drive in one weeks time (the most time he can
>give me).
Having driven across the country enough times to know, I would call it a
drain on you physically, as well as emotionally. Its a beautiful country,
but you won't get to enjoy it other than watching it zoom by. By the time
you get back home, you will have to go right back to work, and the 'jet
lag' will be nothing to write home about :-) Eight hours a day, for 12
days behind the wheel sounds very stressful.
The trip, with children, will take all of that two weeks, unless you drive
like a fiend, which eliminates the part about "enjoying it"
Your gas costs will exceed exceed $700, so $1300 to have it shipped
doesn't seem all that unreasonable, as other costs like food and a hotel
now and then will eat up that $500 pretty quick.
If you ship it, you can take the two weeks off of work to travel around
home, and have fun, rather than banzi across the heartland and over the
Rockies, and you won't have to be concerned about any reliability issues
in the middle of nowhere making you late to get back to work.
3000+ miles, about 96 hours behind the wheel, and if you don't get about 9
hours a day, you won't make it out and back in time for work. I guess you
could half that if your wife drives an 8 hour shift as well, but.......
Take it easy on yourself, ship it, take the wife out for dinner, while its
on the way, and then enjoy it at your leisure.
In my long lost youth, I have done such a drive in less time. I probably
could have done it with my wife, aware that I may no longer be married at
the end of it, :-) and I would hope someone would talk me out of it with
two young children......
Simply one man's opinion.
John
