iNat-athon August 20-27, 2017 (Ride and Room Sharing)
If you're planning on attending the iNat-athon and need to share hotel rooms or transportation please feel free to connect with other through this journal post. Add a comment and say what you need and/or if you're willing share anything.
Comentarios
Looks like flights from Chicago to Phoenix are $200 cheaper than to Tucson.
If I go, might be looking for someone to rent car/carpool with from Phoenix.
I'll also throw out that I'd be interested in camping rather than hoteling!
What sort of prices are you looking at for hotels/lodging during that time of year?
@silversea_starsong Hotel prices are usually $60-100 a room for two beds.
$30-50 per person for splitting a room is pretty reasonable.
Yeah that isn't bad at all for accomodations.
I'd be up for camping but if I'm doing high activity several days in a row I think the value of "real sleep" in a hotel is too significant to overlook. And I'll also need to charge camera batteries.
I think camping in August in SE AZ will be a little crazy. It will be very hot a lot of the time and it might come pouring down other times.
True, probably wishful thinking on my part! I have never explored that part of the country.
I'm planning on attending and getting a rental car. Not sure if I'll be flying in from DFW to Phoenix or Tuscon. But when I get the tickets, I'll post and will be willing to give rides to folks (and while we wait, we can iNat close to the airport). :)
If I'm able to get the time off I'm thinking about making another crazy car trip out of it and drive down. I have a portable moth light set up in which I use through a power converter and my Jeep as well as a 1000 watt metal hallide set up with pvc frame and queen size sheet however that would require an outlet. Im sure there will be others with such setups so if it's not nessecery for me to bring it just let me know, but if it would come in handy and someone can arrange a location with a power source, let me know as well and I'll plan on bringing it. If I do make the drive I can offer a ride anywhere between New England and Arizona however I plan on taking a southern route back so it would likely be a one way offer. I also plan on possibly making a stop at a state park or wildlife area along the way there. I may be interested in sharing a room however on my last trip it did help to camp a few nights to save cash and to get an early start on the day. Camping In the rain can dampen spirits though. Also, has a list been started for locations and areas within the vicinity that may be of special interest?
Hey folks, I will probably arrive in the late afternoon or evening of 8/22. I'm guessing there's not much of a plan yet, but if there are any other late-comers maybe we could split car / room or something. Happy to rent wheels and join you guys wherever, though. I have experienced summer rains in AZ and it is no time to be in a tent, but then again, moths...
Anyone looking to share a hotel in Arizona?
My cheapest flights wil be leaving Saturday August 20 and returning middle of the next week.
I have Marriott points enough for 2 days so was hoping to share a room with someone for 3 or 4 days and I cover those 2 days at least.
This would put me flying in on Saturday August 20 and flying back home approximately Wednesday August 23. Would anyone be around to share travel expenses (maybe a car)?
Thoughts?
Hi all. I'm interested in sharing car / rooms, but have not bought air tickets yet. Will check back in when I have my arrival/departure times etc. Thanks, Matt
I think I will be able to make it. I'll be coming from a workshop in Colorado the week before and should be able to stay the entire week. I haven't made travel arrangements yet. I'm interested in sharing a car, rooms, or camping for the Chiricahua/Huachuca portion. I will stay with friends while we are in Tucson. I can drive, but I don't own a car, so would have to buy extra insurance. It would be great if I can just go in on a rental car with somebody else and be driven.
@muir or @treegrow I can provide a room for 3 days middle of the week if one of you could coordinate the rental car and we arrived at the airport at the right time to share from there. I don't mind man, woman, or both. Typically I could get a room with two double beds and floor space. Based on the itenarary posted I think I can get Fairfield Inn at the SEmost point but not the in-between stay. the itinerary is on the other thread. I will have to look back.
Sierra Vista and Tucson have Marriott type hotels that take points.
I would be interested in sharing a hotel room at least a couple of the nights and am totally fine sleeping on the floor. I have a yoga mat and sleeping bag so it's not as harsh as it might sound. I'm hoping to have a rooftop sleeping unit by then but it's getting close to the date and I'm not so sure I'll have it in time even if I order it today so I'm not relying on it.
I will also have with me a converter in which in which I will have the ability to charge batteries from my jeep.Anyone is welcome to charge batteries as we travel if need be however if I have batteries that need charging they will be first and then in the order of whoever needs to charge them. I'm sure with hotels and all that it won't be needed but it's there if anyone needs to charge batteries, the service will be available. Make sure your name is on your items.
I am planning on participating the entire week, with a few days tacked on to visit by brother in Phoenix. Bringing camping stuff. I have camped here in August in the past, and conditions in the higher elevation campgrounds (Cave Creek, Carr Canyon, Madera Canyon) aren't bad at all. I would also be willing to stay in hotels and motels, depending on what works with whatever activities are going on. I will be driving out from Dallas. I have a pretty capable four-wheel drive vehicle, with at least one extra seat.
So happy to join this group. I am planning on arriving TUS @8pm on Sat Aug 19, and departing @6am on Sun Aug 27. I'm open to sharing rooms and transport, but haven't looked into a car yet. Let me know who is still looking to share costs.
My general plan: 8/19 (TUS airport Quality Inn), 8/20-21 Portal Peak Lodge (booking already made), 8/22-23 Sierra Vista Quality Inn (booking already made), 8/24-26 (no bookings yet).
@berkshirenaturalist I hope your rooftop sleeping unit arrives in time! Looking forward to meeting everyone.
@muir Thanks Matt. Me too. Just spoke with them yesterday. They said it should be here in time but i'm still gonna plan on not having it for now just in case. @silversea_starsong Did you end up finding a ride?
I'm planning on reserving a rental car soon, and I was curious what type of car everyone else is driving/renting. I've never been to AZ before so I'm not totally sure what would be appropriate for the places we intend on going.
I've never used this site before, but should we try to use groupcarpool(.)com to organize ourselves? Here's a link I created for the iNat-athon: http://www.groupcarpool.com/t/hrbjz4 If that site is a pain, a google spreadsheet should also work.
From this journal post alone, it looks like @psyllidhipster @berkshirenaturalist @bogslogger @sambiology might have seats available (but need to confirm!), and myself @treegrow @kueda @bouteloua might still be looking for seats.
Since I'm arriving late and leaving early I think I'm just getting my own car and try and meet up with you guys in Sierra Vista Wednesday morning. Scott might join too.
Oh yeah, any word on recommended vehicle, @finatic? I guess those of us with off-road capability could ferry those who don't. I was just going to rent a sedan but if an SUV would be better I could do that instead.
Almost all (if not all?) renting places have the "no driving on dirt roads" line, which is troubling.
I have a Toyota FJ Cruiser. It will hold 4, but the back seats are kinda short on leg room. This will be my first long-term road trip in this vehicle, so I don't know yet if I will have to sacrifice the back seats to cargo space. I guess even if I do pack my whole car full of gear, i can always leave that stuff somewhere secure during day trips to fit a couple people in. My experience has been that most of the "dirt" roads in the area are navigable by two-wheel drive vehicles, but higher ground clearance can be handy. Having said that, I have taken Toyota Tercels and Honda Odyssey vans to some pretty hairy places, so your mileage may vary.
Some of the roads to the highest elevations; like Ramsey Vista in the Huachucas, and Barfoot Pass in the Chiricahuas, can get a bit dicey. Of course, those places also tend to have some of the most unique flora and fauna. If we have one or two good 4x4s, we can at least get a smaller strike-team up to survey those areas.
4x4 is always the best option in SEAZ, but most of the places we will be heading SHOULD be fine in a sedan. High clearance would be a good idea if possible.
Conditions are always changing in the area and what is open today may not be come event time, and the opposite can be true too. The last I heard the road up to the Onion Saddle in the Chiricahuas was in bad shape and they where thinking about closing it. The Chiricahuas will most likely be the only real challenging area.
@kueda In the Huachucas (depends on which canyons we go) and Madera Canyon (all the way to the top parking lot) you'll be fine in passenger cars.
@bogslogger You'll love the FJ out there. That's what I drive but I wouldn't expect much room in those back seats for people. But you might cram things into it differently than I do.
Any update on who has a vehicle seats available and who is still looking? I'll re-post this link if it helps us to organize and not spend more on rental cars than we need to: http://www.groupcarpool.com/t/hrbjz4
So far, Alan (@bogslogger ) has posted his vehicle, and Katja and I are "waitlisted."
Since I'm arriving Tuesday night and leaving Saturday I'm just going to rent my own car. I'll add myself to the carpool thing but I doubt anyone else is going to be on the same schedule.
I'm renting a car and will have some seats available. When we have our first 'meet up' at the hotel, I betcha we can plan out seats there too.
The car I'm getting is a little sedan though, so it may not be able to handle the rough terrain.
My situation mirrors Sam's; renting a car and should have a couple extra seats, provided we can manage to fit 4 people's worth of luggage and gear in there as well; otherwise it might only fit 3. And as Sam mentioned, if the terrain looks particularly treacherous for a given day I may need to pool with someone else with a more suitable vehicle; we'll have to see how it goes.
I'm arriving in Tuscon from LAX at about 5pm on the 19th and I'm staying at the Tuscon Quality Inn & Suites Airport North that night.
Wow this looks absolutely great! Unfortunately my semester is about to start at ASU in Tempe. I would absolutely love to join but would have to rely on someone with a vehicle leving Phoenix on Saturday/Sunday and coming back on Tuesday already. If someone plans on doing this please let me know, otherwise I wish you all a fantastic few days!
Markus, I am on my way to Phoenix now. I will visit my brother for a couple of days before heading to Tucson. So I can get you from Phoenix to Tucson. Getting you back on Tuesday would take a little more planning. When on Tuesday do you need to be back? I was hoping to get in some road-helping (night driving) on this trip, so maybe the return trip would work out.
I will be driving pretty much all day today, so I may not have a chance to respond to additional comments until tonight.
That's supposed to be "road- HERPING"! I'm not some sort of creepy Good Samaritan. Autocorrect can be so annoying sometimes.
LOL @bogslogger Most people I meet think of herping as creepy.
If things work out and you can bring @markuslilje that would be awesome. Let me know so that I can send the details to him.
Should see a 70% eclipse on Monday in AZ. It will be at 10:30am.
I made it to my brothers place in Phoenix. Having a good visit. I am starting to work out the timetable for the iNatathon, and the packing configuration. Does anyone want to ride with me? And if so, when and where do I meet you? @treegrow? @muir? anyone else?
Hey @bogslogger , I still need a ride, that would be great. I'm scheduled to arrive Saturday late evening. Meet up at TUS airport Quality Inn on Sunday morning? email at muirmatthewj gmail
Hi @bogslogger. I'm also still in search of a ride. I just arrived in Tucson. I will be at the meet & greet tomorrow evening and can also meet up at the Quality Inn on Sunday morning. FYI to all: I have booked rooms for all segments of the trip (places suggested by finatic) and will be happy to take in people who are still looking for a place to sleep.
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