Transportation
Transportation at the North Carolina Geology Field Course will be in university owned vans and trucks. The vans will be occupied by no more than 10 persons and the truck by no more than 2 persons. At least one faculty member and one graduate teaching assistant will be riding with the vans and trucks at all times. University vans and trucks will be operated by designated drivers, who have taken a driver safety course, administered by the East Carolina Department of Geological Sciences or an equivalent driver safety course at another university.
Students will not be permitted to drive the university vans and trucks for personal use for reasons of cost, liability, and insurance.
All routine transportation costs are included in student Field Course fees.
Monday May 10 - Students, who live in the Greenville, NC area, should assemble in front of Graham Building (the Geology Department) by 5:30 AM. We will depart from the Graham Building at 5:45 PM after packing and brief travel instructions.
Monday May 10 - Students, who live in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area, should assemble in the parking lot of the UNC-CH Friday Center, in Chapel Hill by 8:00 AM sharp! We will depart westward on I-40 from the UNC-CH Friday Center at 8:30 AM after packing and brief travel instructions
Monday May 10 - Pickups later in the day at Statesville, NC, Asheville, NC, Knoxville, TN, and points farther west along the I-40 Corridor can be accommodated if arranged for in advance. Please contact the Field Course Director, Steve Harper ([Mobile] 336-413-4164) harpers@ecu.edu for specific information on Pickup Locations. The pick-up location for Statesville, NC is noted in the paragraph immediately below.
For students, who need to fly out, you should plan to fly to Albuquerque, NM on Wednesday, May 12 and catch a shuttle to Santa Fe (Be in Santa Fe by ~3 PM). Ask your shuttle driver to drop you in front of Albertson's Grocery Store at the DeVargas Shopping Center in Santa Fe, NM. You should plan your trip, such that you will be waiting in front of Albertson's at the DeVargas Center in Santa Fe by ~3 PM on Wednesday, May 12. If your shuttle van driver will not drop you in front of Albertson's at the DeVargas Shopping Center, have your driver drop you in front of the El Dorado Hotel in Santa Fe. The shuttle trip from the Albuquerque airport to Santa Fe will take about 1.5 hours. Information on the Shuttles from Albuquerque Airport to Santa Fe, NM is noted below.
For students, who plan to fly back, you should plan to fly out of Albuquerque, NM. Students should book his/her return flight for a departure no earlier than 1 PM on Sunday, June 20, 2010 or 1 PM or later on Monday, June 21, 2010. Please check with Dr. Harper before you lock in your flight reservations!!
For your arrival to Albuquerque, NM on May 12, there are 2 reliable shuttle services for transport from Albuquerque Airport to Santa Fe, NM.
Sandia Shuttle Express – Departs hourly at 15 minutes before the hour from 8:45 AM
To 10:45 PM. Cost = $25 for one-way. 1-888-775-5696
Twin Hearts Express – Departs from Albuquerque Airport to Santa Fe at 11:30 AM,
1:30 PM, and 3:30 PM. Cost = $20 For one-way. 1-800-654-9456
For your departure from Albuquerque, NM on June 20 or June 21, there is only one reliable shuttle service for transport from Taos to the Albuquerque Airport.
Twin Hearts Express – Departs daily at 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, and 1:30 PM from Taos town to Albuquerque Airport.
Departs daily at 6 AM, 8 AM, 10 AM, and 12:30 PM from Taos Ski Valley to Albuquerque Airport.
(one-way travel time is about 3 to 3.5 hours)
Cost = $50 for one-way. 1-800-654-9456
The rates quoted above were last checked on November 20, 2009. The Sandia Shuttle Express can be booked online and by toll free phone; The Twin Hearts Express Shuttle must be booked by phone (Be patient as they are slow to answer their phone!).
Absolutely NO Alcohol or Illegal Drugs in the Vehicles at any time!