Sunday, August 30, 2009

Seventh Trip: Washington

We continue our logistics planning for the 2009-2010 away games.
Check the archive list on the right for prior trips.

The schedule for this trip is brutal for anyone with a nine-to-five job. It just isn't is just barely possible to see the WSU game and get home for work Monday.

Friday in Seattle

The weekend starts well with a 7 PM Friday evening game (we presume; game time is still TBS) at the UW. You can expect heavy street traffic and possibly bad weather, so, one, tell your hotel you'll be checking in late, and two, allow three hours from touchdown to reach Hec Edmundsen Pavilion (click the venue in the Schedule page for a map).

You have Saturday at large in Seattle (see the Travel page for things to do).

Then, probably, you'll grab a leisurely flight home, because...

Sunday in Pullman

The WSU game is at 2pm NOON on the Sunday.

It's easy to get from Seattle to Pullman. You drive down to SeaTac and catch a one-hour flight to Spokane, which with clear weather, will be spectacularly scenic. In the pleasantly low-key Spokane airport you grab a rental car and drive 90 minutes to the WSU campus in Pullman. Since game time is 2pm, you have all morning to do this.Game time is noon but Alaska has 7am and 8am departures from SEA that will do.

After the game you can still get home. Say you fire up the rental car at 2:15pm. You are back to Spokane airport at 4pm so a 5pm departure is makeable. And hey, looka here: United has a nonstop GEG-SFO departing at 6:18! Book it, baby! Or, call Alaska Air and let the friendly operator work out a return to SJC or OAK via either Seattle or Portland.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Sixth Trip: Oregon

We continue previewing the road trips of 2009-10. For the earlier trips, see the archive list at the right.

The Oregon trip is one of the most popular with FBC members. It's not too far; Oregon is scenic; the arenas are historic; the towns, especially Eugene, are pleasant. On the Travel page we delve into the fly/drive tradeoff and itineraries.

Thursday, Corvallis and OSU

This year the first game is at Corvallis at 7pm Thursday January 21st. Corvallis is the more northerly town, an hour nearer to Portland and an hour farther from the Bay Area. If you drive up from the Bay Area, you can stop off in Eugene, check into a hotel, drive on to Corvallis, and drive back to Eugene after the game—but that makes for a long day. If you fly to PDX and drive down, it makes sense to plan to stay that night in Corvallis and move on to Eugene next day, or even Saturday.

Saturday, Oregon and Eugene

The Saturday game at Mac Court is at 11am, so you can get a good start on a southward drive.

There's lots to do and shop and eat in Eugene. The Travel page has a list.

The Valley River Inn has always been popular with FBC travellers. This year we can also recommend the Hilton Eugene, which is easier to get to and in easy walking distance of downtown shops and even the Oregon campus.