Any Americans mind doing me a favour? by chronicthehedgehog

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Any Americans mind doing me a favour?

POSTED BY: CHRONICTHEHEDGEHOG
UPDATED: Sunday, December 18, 2005 16:37
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Sunday, December 18, 2005 1:53 PM

I'm planning on a trip to America next summer and trying to work out where I want to go. I'd really like to see Deadwood and Mount Rushmore but as I'm going to be starting in Denver (Colorado) I'm going to have to greyhound it up there. Now I know the greyhounds go to Rapid City which is pretty close, but for some reason it wont let me see times between Denver and Rapid City on the website, which means I can't price up my trip and work out if I can afford to go that far out of my way. If anyone's going past a greyhound station any time soon would you mind enquiring as to whether this trip is possible and how much it would cost? I'd be completely in your debt.
Thanks!

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Man walks into bar. Roll for damage.

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Sunday, December 18, 2005 1:57 PM

RKLENSETH

Sorry, I live on the other side of the country but if you find yourself east of the Mississippi then I would highly suggest going to Gettysburg. Probably one of my favorite places. And once you get there it should be pretty affordable depending on what options you do.

Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.

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Sunday, December 18, 2005 2:36 PM

LVS2READ

Chronic,

I've done this trip a few times. Seems to me it takes all day to drive from Rapid City to Denver, and that's in my own vehicle, not on a bus that makes lots of stops. Have you considered renting a vehicle and doing the trip yourself? If you Greyhound it, how will you get from Rapid City to Mt. Rushmore? One advantage to driving yourself is the ability to stop at other sites along the way. There are so many things you can do on the way to, and in and around Mt. Rushmore. I'd be happy to discuss this further if you'd like.

"I love my captain."

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Sunday, December 18, 2005 2:54 PM

CHRONICTHEHEDGEHOG

I'd actually thought about trying to rent a car in Rapid City for a few days (if there aren't trains that is, I really have no idea how things work in America) and then getting back on the greyhound once I've seen the local sites.

My main problem with renting a car for the whole trip is I also want to see the west coast and the guy I'm travelling with wants to visit a friend in El Paso so I'm going to be doing a huge loop around half the country on as small a budget as possible (the cost of car rental seems to be astronomical for any long period of time). Also, as he doesn't have a licence I'd be the only one driving.

The places I think we're pretty much set on are Rapid City (and surrounding), San Francisco, LA, Vegas (Grand Canyon) and El Paso, with Denver as a layover point between El Paso and Rapid City. Anything you can recommend (nice layover points on greyhound trips, nice sightseeing places around these locations, or you still think hiring a car would be better) then that would be fantastic.

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Man walks into bar. Roll for damage.

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Sunday, December 18, 2005 3:22 PM

EMBERS

unfortunately taking the train in the USA is not always easy...there are routes Amtrak goes, but it doesn't go to Rapid City (which is about a 9 hour drive from Denver):
http://www.tapestryinstitute.org/workshop/travel.html
this site should help w/where Amtrak DOES go:
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/Page/Route
s_Index_Page&c=Page&cid=1080072922209&ssid=4

unfortunately (unlike Europe) the tracks in the USA are owned by the freight trains, so the passenger trains go last (huge delays) and the tracks are rough and bumpy....
it is pitiful.

bus is slow, they stop in every little town and take forever...but are frequently cheap:
http://www.greyhound.com/
http://www.trailways.com/

renting a car might be easier....

**********************************************
watch the R. Tam Session vids: http://www.hittarivertam.nu/
and buy the 'Serenity' comics published by Dark Horse,
and have you joined the Browncoats yet?
http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/?fuseaction=tools.invlink
&u=embers&linkID=36

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Sunday, December 18, 2005 4:20 PM

MIKAMOM

Hi There,

I grew up in Rapid City and am currently in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I have traveled that route many times. It can be driven in about 7 hours in good weather, and maybe less on some back highways. The bus might take much longer not only because of stops, but also because I don't think it is a direct route. It may go north to I-95 and then south east to rapid city. The only way you can get anywhere in the Black Hills is by car or expensive tour bus.

I could try to find more info for you if you would like. Mt. Rushmore is worth a visit even for a jaded native.

mikamom@gmail.com

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Sunday, December 18, 2005 4:37 PM

KNIBBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by chronicthehedgehog:
The places I think we're pretty much set on are... Vegas (Grand Canyon)

Trust me I was stationed in Vegas for 5 years - it's where I went when leaving Lakenheath. The Grand Canyon sights are a good 6 to 8 hour drive from Vegas.

If you're going to try to see the Canyon, do the whole shebang right. Take a small plane to the Hualapai reservation and helicopter tour down to the floor of the canyon. Depending upon when you're going, the skybridge the Hualapai are building might be open.

http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/hualapai/22562/
skybridge

http://www.papillon.com/
This is a reputable company.

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/MN-Firefly/ Big Damn Shindigity Good Time
http://www.fireflytalk.com - Big Damn Podcast

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