TIme for another FOrum get together!

[DaveB]

Yeah but some of those shots need to be seen in their full size glory.

Which reminds me I never did post them here did I......

Dave

 

[GWDavis28]

Any new information? Or will it have to wait until next week because you guys are hanging with Tyler?

Dave, nope you didn't post them man!!!

Glenn |B)

 

[RitchieDarling]

...... so im seriously thinking about making a re appearance before i fly home to aus, if you can all handle it lol.

Tiffles,

My offer to pick you up in Phoenix still stands. It may save you a bit on air fare. And it is a direct flight from Gatwick.

Ritchie

 

[francric]

How far is the ride from Phx Ritchie.....................

 

[RitchieDarling]

How far is the ride from Phx Ritchie.....................

It's a fair bit of road. 3½ hours. But, it seems to save about $100 on airfare, and there is a non-stop flight from the UK.

R

 

[tiffles]

who is it flying with... ive only found ones to jfk with zoom.... granted i havent had alot of time to look....17 hour days damnit.


bethie i would LOVE to see you guys again. i had SO much fun last time and it seems like drew and all the jons are coming from slo so that will make it fantastic!!! aziah you had better be there.

 

[GreyDad]

tiffles, the only direct non-stop flight I could find was BA LHR-PHX at around £380 return or so.

This was a theoretical investigation on my part as I don't think I'll be able to go anyway

 

[RitchieDarling]

tiffles, the only direct non-stop flight I could find was BA LHR-PHX at around £380 return or so.

This was a theoretical investigation on my part as I don't think I'll be able to go anyway

British Airways does London to Phoenix and back for 344 pounds. But it is from Heathrow.

And it appears the Gatwick to Phoenix non-stop flight is no more.

It has only changed within the last few weeks. I have some friends that just took it at the beginning of summer.

Sorry

Check the BA website!

Ritchie

 

[Colin]

Here's a question, what airport should be looking to fly into?

 

[roburado]

Don't quote me Colin, but I think your only option--unless you have a stop-over/connecting flight from somewhere--would probably be Los Angeles International (LAX) as your port of entry. I suppose you could get another plane from there to Palm Springs.

 

[Beth]

I think Phoenix is about 3 hours away. The best airports would be, in order of closeness and ease, but not in order of expense:

-Palm Springs Airport (PSP) - 30 mins to Indio
-Ontario Airport (ONT) - 1 hour, 15 mins to Indio - no traffic
-Riverside (RAL) - 1 hour, 15-20 mins to Indio - no traffic
-Los Angeles (LAX) - 2 hours - no traffic
-Burbank (BUR) - 1.5 hours - no traffic
-John Wayne Orange County (SNA) - 2 hours - no traffic, unless you take the toll road, then 1.5 hours
-San Diego (SAN) - 2 - 2.5 hours

 

[GreyDad]

Ritchie, how straightforward is the drive from Phoenix? I need to google a bit I guess

I've only been to Phoenix once in my life, my knowledge of the local geography is limited.

Still purely theoretical of course...

 

[azzy_wazzy]

who is it flying with... ive only found ones to jfk with zoom.... granted i havent had alot of time to look....17 hour days damnit.


bethie i would LOVE to see you guys again. i had SO much fun last time and it seems like drew and all the jons are coming from slo so that will make it fantastic!!! aziah you had better be there.

Tiff, honey, look at Travel Supermarket online and do their live flight search. It's a screenscraping site so it takes the feeds from airlines and puts lives prices on their own page. We use them at work for clients - I found some great prices on there when I looked. Sadly, not cheap enough for us to be able to do it, but you should be able to find a good deal for yourself!

 

[RitchieDarling]

Ritchie, how straightforward is the drive from Phoenix? I need to google a bit I guess

I've only been to Phoenix once in my life, my knowledge of the local geography is limited.

Still purely theoretical of course...

Dead easy! Leave the airport, get on I-10 West, drive, take Palm Springs exit. There you are!

Ritchie

 

[kbaim]

I think Phoenix is about 3 hours away. The best airports would be, in order of closeness and ease, but not in order of expense:

-Palm Springs Airport (PSP) - 30 mins to Indio
-Ontario Airport (ONT) - 1 hour, 15 mins to Indio - no traffic
-Riverside (RAL) - 1 hour, 15-20 mins to Indio - no traffic
-Los Angeles (LAX) - 2 hours - no traffic
-Burbank (BUR) - 1.5 hours - no traffic
-John Wayne Orange County (SNA) - 2 hours - no traffic, unless you take the toll road, then 1.5 hours
-San Diego (SAN) - 2 - 2.5 hours

Just a suggestion to those flying from outside the US and who may not get here again for a long time. If expenses and time allow, I'd seriously think about flying into phoenix and doing the GRAND CANYON and SEDONA Arizona either before or after Open House 2 (Revenge of the Knuckleheads).

While EB is around 3 hours west of Phoenix, Sedona is 2 hours North unbelievably gorgeous and could be used as a base for a trip to the Grand Canyon about 2 1/2 hours away (from Sedona), I think.

 

[Colin]

I'm thinking about hitting LAX and then hiring a car to Palm Springs. So if anyone is interested in joining me, just drop me a pm...

 

[GreyDad]

Ritchie, thanks for that - yep, does look pretty straight'n'easy! Especially if there's a whole convoy of Knuckleheads stretched along it...

I asked Mrs Dad if she fancied a holiday in the desert in October - she said no too hot and I said no no Sterling says it'll be nice (oops, let the cat out of the bag a bit there ) and she gave me one of those funny wifey looks but didn't say no, only asked whether it was in late October 'cos the kids have a week off sometime around then. Gosh, I think that's as close to a marital maybe as I'm likely to get!! Might be a bit tight financially though, have to see - after all I could buy a whole Bongo for the cost of the trip for a whole family.

BP, do you have rough idea of dates yet? October? 1st half or 2nd half? If 3rd or 4th week of October it might even work for me yet

kbaim: thanks for the tip about Sedona. I've always wanted to see some of that wierd Arizona scenery and the GC (Grand Canyon, not Guitar Center ) might be the lure for Mrs Dad and the Dadettes. How far away is Monument Valley?

Neil

 

[RitchieDarling]

Keith is correct!

While EB is around 3 hours west of Phoenix, Sedona is 2 hours North unbelievably gorgeous and could be used as a base for a trip to the Grand Canyon about 2 1/2 hours away (from Sedona), I think.

Very close Kbaim! The EXIT for Sedona is 2 hours North of Phoenix. Then, depending on traffic, it may take you up to another hour and a half to actually reach Sedona. It's a two lane road all the way back there. However, having said that, it IS worth the drive! It doesn't look like much from I-17. But just a few miles in, and it turns into a completely different landscape!

As for a base to visit the Grand Canyon, I feel you would be better off spending the day in Sedona, and then driving to Flagstaff for the night. BUT, don't go back to t I-17! Take the winding road up through Oak Creek Canyon! GREAT VIEWS! Sedona is NOTORIOUSLY expensive! Unfortunately, the town has become one huge tourist trap. So, beware!

The Grand Canyon is about 2 1/2 hours from Sedona and it's good road all the way. Go West on I-40 from Flagstaff and exit at Williams / Grand Canyon. Or if you want, you can park in Williams and take the Grand Canyon Railway. The railway offers some incredible views! And I can't even describe the canyon itself. It boggles the mind!

As and added bonus, when you leave the Grand Canyon, you can keep going West on I-40 to Needles, CA. Then go South on California 95, and pick up I-10 West at Blythe. Then it's only about an hour and a half to Palm Springs. CA 95 kinda sux. Because you are going directly South, but it saves you having to drive all the way back to Phoenix!

Ritchie

 

[RitchieDarling]

Ritchie, thanks for that - yep, does look pretty straight'n'easy! Especially if there's a whole convoy of Knuckleheads stretched along it...

Once you are out of Phoenix, it's pretty much dead road until you get to Blythe. Then dead road until you get to Indio! I live in a desert!

kbaim: thanks for the tip about Sedona. I've always wanted to see some of that wierd Arizona scenery and the GC (Grand Canyon, not Guitar Center ) might be the lure for Mrs Dad and the Dadettes. How far away is Monument Valley?

Monument Valley, the town, is actually in Utah. It's about 6 hours from Phoenix. Monument Valley, the area with the cool landscape is North of Kayenta, Arizona. And is about 5 hours from Phoenix. Also a beautiful area!

AND if you DO want to see the Guitar Center, it's on the way!

R

 

[GreyDad]

Ritchie, thanks for the fantastic pics! That's what I want to see, all that lump, rocky, reddish stuff with gun-barrel highways joining them up. If it's all within 3-5-6 hours then it might be nice and do-able in a long-ish week, only-if-only BP makes it coincide with Somerset school holidays

Now, just where exactly is The Valley of the Dargies??