Have a 4 hour layover at Dallas-Ft. Worth - any suggestions?

[+Papa EGTH]

Hey Dallas & Ft. Worth Geocachers,

 

I will be returning from a vacation on October 18th at 3:40 p.m. and have a 4 hour layover at the Dallas - Ft. Worth airport.

 

Is there a decent public transit system that can take me to a caching area where I can pick up a few caches and get back with a resonable level of reliability?

[+9Key]

Hey Dallas & Ft. Worth Geocachers,

 

I will be returning from a vacation on October 18th at 3:40 p.m. and have a 4 hour layover at the Dallas - Ft. Worth airport.

 

Is there a decent public transit system that can take me to a caching area where I can pick up a few caches and get back with a resonable level of reliability?

Unfortunately the airport's rail system is not tied into the local rail system... yet. You would have to get a taxi to get out of the airport to a local cache, and that might be a pricey trip being that DFW Airport is one of the largest airports in the world in both land area and volume of travel. You'd have about a 15-20 minute ride in a cab to the nearest cache, barring traffic and snarls at the toll booths. A 4 hour layover would be cutting it close, IMO, but it's up to you.

[+9Key]

Double post, but I should add that neither the Dallas or Fort Worth bus systems service the airport, and the towns that surround the airport don't offer mass transit.

Edited September 29, 2008 by 9Key

[+Papa EGTH]

9Key - Thank you for the valuable information. That's exactly what I was looking to find out.

 

Barirng mass transit it looks like I may have to resort to outright bribery in order to log a Texas cache so...

 

If you know of anyone in the area that has time to kill around 4:30 p.m. on October 18th, has a functioning vehicle, and would like to show a Californian what Texas style caching is about then have them drop me a line before October 9th (that's just before we leave and I'll be incommunicato afterwards) and I'll see if I can make it worth their while.

 

Papa EGTH of the Elk Grove Treasure Hunters

[+9Key]

In the time you have available you won't get much of a taste of Texas. If you have some travel bugs target Snakes on an Ammo Can to the north of the airport - its next to Grapevine Mills Mall. You should be able to get the cabbie to that location without much trouble and the cache is easy to find.

[+TravlnGma]

In years past, Bass Pro Shop provided a shuttle service from the airport to the store. Grapevine Mills is more or less across the street from Bass. I haven't heard anything about the shuttle in several years so it may no longer be an option.

[+Papa EGTH]

TravlnGma,

Thanks for the info. It looks like Grapevine Mills is gone but there is Bass Pro Dreams (GCVR1V) right there in their parking lot.

 

I've sent a message to the store to see if the shuttle service is still active. If so, I'll have a chance to grab at least 1 cache in the fine state of Texas. Would love to go after Snakes on an Ammo Can (GCXTJV) becasue I could drop some travelers.

 

I'll post the outcome when I find out.

[+webscouter.]

As a frequent traveller through DFW I would caution against this. Four hours really is cutting it close and if you have a really thorough inspector at the checkpoint you are likely to miss your flight. Being from California it is hard to imagine but the DFW airport encompasses the same land area that the island of Manhattan occupies.

 

Also a four hour layover is from touchdown to pushback. You can subtract 30 to 45 minutes from the front side to get to your gate. Then subtract the 30 minutes you have at boarding. A typical walk from gate to gate is another 30 minutes. The security process at DFW is easily another 30 minutes. Under two hours left and you haven't even found a cab. Also in the two times I have grabbed a cab at an airport to find a cache they would not wait for me to find the cache. They left and I ended up having to call another cab to pick me up from the location.

 

I really think your pushing it to get back to your flight.

 

As an indicator of my experience in airports I earned 13 free flights in 2007, 37 free nights in a hotel and 18 free car rental days.

[+Papa EGTH]

webscouter,

 

Thank you for the advice. It looks like I'll be staying in the airport and finishing off a book.

 

As an update regarding the Bass Pro Sports store, I emailed them and received a response from their coporate headquarters that encouraged me to contact the store directly. I may call to see if the shuttle is still in service in case we encounter a lengthy delay.

 

Perhaps I should start a thread in the main forums asking all about Geocaching friendly airports - but it'll have to wait until after the trip.

Edited October 8, 2008 by Elk Grove Treasure Hunters

[+KoosKoos]

webscouter,

 

Thank you for the advice. It looks like I'll be staying in the airport and finishing off a book.

 

As an update regarding the Bass Pro Sports store, I emailed them and received a response from their coporate headquarters that encouraged me to contact the store directly. I may call to see if the shuttle is still in service in case we encounter a lengthy delay.

 

Perhaps I should start a thread in the main forums asking all about Geocaching friendly airports - but it'll have to wait until after the trip.

 

Finding Airport Caches

 

My layovers tend to be too short to try for any, but it's a handy link as you're planning.

[+stargazer21]

Crud...just saw this.. Would have been happy to pick you up. I'm 10 minutes from the airport, and Grapevine Mills is my 'hood. Maybe next time.

[+Spunkmeyer]

I'll agree that caching during a layover is a bit of a challenge. San Diego is the only airport I've been to where you can WALK to several caches - both on and off the airport property!

 

Having said that, with 4 hours at DFW, you could definitely head up to Bass Pro (cab or fellow cacher). With all due respect to webscouter, DFW is unique in that you are dropped off / picked up / checked in / baggage claimed AND TSA security checked AT THE GATE (okay, small groups of 5-10 or so gates share those assets). While it can be a challenge to change planes at DFW (and get between gates/terminals), it is by far the fastest curb-to-gate (arriving or departing) of any airport I've ever been to. It is a very unique design.

[+Papa EGTH]

Yo all - I'm back from the trip.

 

Stargazer21 - would have loved to have met up with you but there wasn't as much time as I thought.

 

We were vacationing in Mexico so we had to go through Customs. Then we had to pick up all our luggage and take it to another part of the airport and go through another another TSA checkpoint. When we were done, it had taken almost an hour and a half. We had a leisurely dinner at one of the airport resturants and ended up with about an hour of free time afterward (I had a caher buddy call me for a lifeline so it wasn't completely Geocaching free).

 

My question to you area cahcers: Do you have a local cacher's association website where it would have been better to make a request?

 

By the way - if ya'll are ever heading through the Sacramento airport and have some time them drop me a line. If I have the time available, I'll be more than happy to take out of area cahcers for some finds.

[+9Key]

 

My question to you area cahcers: Do you have a local cacher's association website where it would have been better to make a request?

 

www.texasgeocaching.com