Going to Fort Worden, WA: Weighing the Costs

With the assistance of my sister and brother-in-law last week, I was provoked to think out the costs of going to Fort Worden for the upcoming family reunion in August.

First of all, the Amtrak idea is out. It's just too expensive to travel to a station that hosts the Chicago-to-Washington state line and then take the train directly to Seattle. Disappointing--yes. But I do hope to take a train trip sometime.

Another choice for me was doing the long drive from Kansas City to Fort Worden which means a three-and-a-half day drive and nearly 2,000 miles one way and then I repeat that as I drive home. As my brother-in-law points out, not only does this include the costs of gasoline (which might cost four or five dollars a gallon this summer) but also the costs of wear and tear on my car and the cost of any hotel or campground stays. My business calculator was working overtime as I keyed in the anticipated costs.

Perhaps the most practical (but still costly) way of getting to Washington is to fly from KC to Seattle and then rent a car for a week. I have been spending some time on Travelocity considering the costs of a round-trip ticket and car rental.

I guess there are a couple reasons why I am scrutinizing the costs here. But I guess the biggest reason I am concerned is that when I reflect on my trip to the San Juan Islands in 2006, I realize that my uncle was kind and generous enough to cover a lot of the costs: the timeshare of the boat, the groceries, dining in restaurants, etc. I know with the Fort Worden trip this year, I'll have to be accountable for most of the costs.

But still, it's a family reunion. And how often does one get a chance to see the extended family?