Best way (cost) to get to Lexington, Virginia?

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Weekend of the UCF game, we're going to Virginia to visit the Dadster (& take in VaTek vs. Ohio... University, not State). Dep 12th, ret. 19th Sept. I WILL be wearing Burnt Orange in the stands... NO maroon for me!

Option 1. Fly to D.C. & drive 3+ hours down to Lexington. Stay maybe one night on the way out "near" DC so we can @ least say we did the DC thing (there's no way I can hang with my Dad for that long without gouging my eyes out).

Option 2. Drive all the way across Arky & Tennessee, then hang a L @ the small racetrack. 2¼ days out, same back... provided I bust ***.

Variables / wildcards: 2 Chillens... one will be 8½ months old, the sig pic will be 2½ years & looks like a 3 year old. This means I may need to purchase a seat for her (airlines are all steady on the 2+ year old requirement from all the websites I've spied).

Truck is probably going to be the modus transportatii; new tires 2 weeks ago, recent upgrade to dual exhaust (*yeah!*) & possibly a cold air kit before then as well (all elading to better mileage, but I'm still considering myself a lucky bastard to get 13 mpg on a highway run.

Yahoo! maps has this around 1,340 miles.

1,340 / = 103 gallons x $ 2.85 per gallon = $ 293.55 one way, or $ 587.10 r/t.

Flight for two = around $ 450.00 or so with JetBlue or Luv'n SW. Haven't looked on PriceLine or Travelocity, et. al... also contemplating a purchase of "Drink Vouchers" for SWA.

Thoughts? Insanity on the kids for this drive? Looking @ mid week dep / ret which hopefully will be lighter on the plane load, but I don't want us to be "The Couple" who had kids on a flight & made it miserable to the other passengers.

Flight to DC means rental car for 1 week, or @ least maybe 5 out of the 7 days.

I am not adverse to asking for GS equivalent rates for the vehicle rental which means lowest price possible (if you actually do get it & they don't lie to you that it's the best rate).

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

[crickets]Anyone?[/crickets]

 

[bigup2dahorns]

well, i was waiting to see if anyone else had comments first. i'm single with no kids so not much help there. but when i was at UT, my parents lived in washington DC. so i made the drive to/from texas many times. my cousin went to VMI, in lexington. it's just not an easy place to fly to, as you have figured out. not sure if you checked out flying into richmond or charlottesville but i am guessing that is a bad idea for 2 reason, you have to change planes and the price is probably higher.

i would think your decision would not be based on price as much as the comfort for you and the kids. seems to me that if they are okay in your vehicle, i would go that route. that way, you could stop when needed for food, bathroom breaks, etc. parts of the drive are scenic. not sure there is a correct answer here.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

I've made that run once before; went from Austin to Shreveport, stayed with the G-parents & then on to Memphis... overnight there & then across to The Triangle in North Carolina. A stay there & then up to Lex.

The trip back to Texas was W into West Virginia (just so I could say I'd been) & S into Tennessee, then back W to Memphis (one day run). Memphis to Shreveport & then back to Austin.

Memphis to Bristol / Bristol to Memphis sure is a long run...

I've also flown into Roanoake & got picked up @ the airport by my Dad... unfortunately, on both trips I was stuck without my own method to get away. The first time, my car had trouble just as I got into town (lightly driveable but needed help).

The 2nd time, I flew & was going to rent a car while I was there, but I lost my ID on the way in (fell out of a vest pocket while I was sleeping) & I couldn't get a replacement since it was the Dec. after 9/11 & everyone was freaky suspicious of everything.

I was hoping someone might have some other website suggestions. The thing with the kids is a potential 2 days of hell vs. 5 hours of it.