Vanpool for Road trip to the Southwest

This is a supplemental Meetup for those who wish to be in the vanpool. You must also register for the main meetup here (https://www.meetup.com/SF-Bay-Area-Geology-Hiking/events/227935584/).

The final/total cost for the vanpool will be in the $175-225 range (per person). The deposit you are paying here will about cover half the cost of the rental. The total cost of the rental and gas will be divided equally between all riders (thus, the actual cost will depend on the actual MPG of the van, total miles driven, and number of passengers).

The van we are renting is a Ford Transit Wagon, which is rated at 15 passengers, but we'll be taking fewer to allow room for gear. Photos of the van can be found at the bottom of this document (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QMhH2rdzK7gc17o9tFYNOM2E1RNoVo-kaVALaWlDpJI/edit#heading=h.4bto2bdpw7eh).

Please read the following carefully before you sign up:

• The deposit you are paying here is non-refundable. We have to make a commitment to the rental. However, if you cannot make it and there are people on the waiting list, we may be able to find someone to take your seat and refund your deposit.

• You should be comfortable sitting next to someone you are just getting to know (sort of obvious for a vanpool, but thought I'd mention it just in case).

• The van will be starting in San Francisco around 6:00 AM, and we will drive to the Starbucks in Dixon by 8:30 to meet others who want to caravan in other vehicles.

• Our route from SF to Dixon will be either up I-80 or 24/I-680, depending on who signs up first.

• We will be able to pick up people along the route, but probably will not be able to drive too far from it (depends on the number of stops we have to make). You are encouraged to find someone who can drive you to a freeway exit, or find a place near a freeway exit where your car will be safe and legal for a week.

• We can also pick up from Balboa Park BART station or El Cerrito Del Norte/Plesant Hill BART station (the second depends on whether we take 80 or 24/680).

• Pickup after Dixon is possible, but we will not likely be able to return you to this location (the return trip comes up I-5 from the south, and even Dixon is already out of our way when we return home).

• Gear should be kept to a reasonable minimum. We don't have room for large tables, chairs, deep fryers, or other non-essential equipment. All equipment will need to be stashed under and behind seats in the van, so we need to keep our supplies down. Katie and Lee have one two-burner stove that we can share, so maybe one more will be enough for the 8-10 people in the van. Those who register will receive an email with a link to a Google document to help us plan equipment sharing.

• We will return sometime between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM on Sunday. The final day is only about 7 hours of driving, so we should be closer to the 6:00 time, but traffic, weather, and passenger drop-offs may alter the time you get dropped out.

If you have any questions, please email the organizers (if of a personal nature) or post them as a comment (for general questions) before you sign up.