Attending BM from the East Coast

[sjordan23]

I live just outside of DC and I'm thinking of attending. I don't know that I have enough time (nor the inclination) to drive. Does anyone else fly out for the event? Where do you fly to? Do you drive in with folks who are "local" (relatively speaking) to the event?

I was thinking of flying into Reno, renting a minivan, and using that for sleeping, conveyance, etc. I used to roadrace motorcycles and always found vans to be good at providing plenty of cargo capacity as well as mobile shelter. I figured I could fly in early and pick up anything I could bring on the plane in Reno (bike, food, etc.)

It's a very rough plan, but to me it seems workable. Anyone see any major holes, problems, etc?

[Dr. Pyro]

The problem you may have with flying into Reno is that 1) vans are scarce; and 2) they charge an extra "cleaning" fee of $250 or more. Might I suggest you fly into Sacramento which is only two hours west of Reno. The Avis dealership there is very Burner-friendly and he has already told me that he is going to ignore the $250 cleaning fee that both Avis and their counterparts are beginning to charge. Send me a private message if you would like the particulars.

[phil]

In addition to cars, plan ahead on bikes, too. They get to be in short supply with 30,000 others looking for them.

See Louise's pages at
http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html#renoResources
for shopping in Reno.

[sjordan23]

[quote]In addition to cars, plan ahead on bikes, too. They get to be in short supply with 30,000 others looking for them.

See Louise's pages at
http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html#renoResources
for shopping in Reno.[/quote]

Hmm... I was thinking of getting an inexpensive mountain bike from Walmart. I have several bikes *here*, but getting them to NV would constitute a major hassle. Maybe flying into Sacramento as previously suggested would be more advantageous. Heck, the $250 cleaning fee I could save would buy a decent bike (or two.)

[skeetsh00ter]

i planning on doing the same sort of thing. Flying from Atlanta to SFO and spending the weekend getting supplies (bike/pvc) that i couldn't bring with me on the plane.

[AntiM]

Other reasonable jump-off destinations: Boise or Salt Lake City. Heck, in Utah the expect you to take your vehicle off road at some point during your vacation.

[phil]

If you're flying to SFO, my suggestion is to shop in Reno rather than the Bay Area. You'll find everything you need, and I suspect you'll have fewer traffic problems driving around Reno.

Louise's page lists stores by thing you need and by exit, so you can group your shopping trips into areas. We also provide a link to BMOrg's Web page which has similar information, so you can see which you prefer.

If you drop by
http://www.cieux.com/maps.html
you will find links to online maps that will let you plan routes from your motel to stores, shopping centers, and such to save time or to use expressways or local roads, and so on.

[LeChatNoir]

It also may be worth mentioning that a post-event plan should be in place to deal with any large stuff you buy in Reno or SF. It may not be able to fit on the flight back and it can't be left on the playa.

Packing light and hooking up with a group pre-event might be an option. Last year we trucked some items out and back for someone who was flying in.

[Dr. Pyro]

On a related subject, if you van/RV it, you can ususally drop your garbage and empty the gray/black water at Boomtown* for $5. I do it there every year and so far it's worked great.


* Boomtown is five miles west of Reno, which is about 30 miles west of the turnoff onto I-80 from the road out of Gerlach.

[gyre]

You can shop in reno but the selection is not great and that is before the event.
They consider the camping season over.