Amazing Race-Updated

We have never gotten into watching the Amazing Race on tv. Maybe it is because of days like today.
We had decided not to rent a car for the week because the people we were meeting with on Sunday had a car, and the conference provided transportation to and from the congress and from St. Paul to Mankato. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel in Minneapolis with little to no issue other than the fact that he had to call the hotel to find out where they were because he couldn't find us with his GPS. ($16- more later)
Today we checked out of the hotel and walked two blocks to a place for a late breakfast then called for a taxi to take us to the University of Minnesota which is where our bus to the conference was leaving from. It was about 11:30 and the bus to Mankato left at 3:00. We hopped in the cab and right away the guy acted lost. He mumbled and fluffed during the whole fifteen minute cab ride to the U of M campus then said he didn't know where the street/building that we were looking for was. After driving around aimlessly watching the cab fare rack up, we just asked him to let us out and hoped that a student would point us in the right direction. $32 cab fare. After talking to a couple of students a couple informed us that the street we were looking for was at the St. Paul University of Minnesota campus. We were at the Minneapolis U of M campus. Great. But, they said, we could take the bus. So we went over to the bus stop hoping for a map. No map, but a phone number. So we called the bus info line and found that we had to walk a bit to the correct bus to take us to the St. Paul campus. So we did, and we waited. Hubby went off and got cash from an atm while I waited. Of course, we are carrying our bags- thank goodness I packed really light! So, we got on the bus confirming that we were on the right bus with the driver. He didn't know the road but he was going to the other campus. $5 bus fare since the bus doesn't make change. After another fifteen minute ride the bus driver stopped at the road we were asking for, but it was a short road and went away from where he said the campus was. Either way we got off the bus. We walked up the direction the bus driver pointed and ended up at a Lutheran Seminary campus. Not what we were looking for at all! We were getting frustrated at this point. We do not work well together on directions. We need each other to have our business and home run smoothly, but we are very unpleasant when we are trying to find someplace together. It was getting very snarky. So, just when Art was breaking out the cell phone to call another cab I decided to try the laptop. We were at a campus so I took the chance I could hijack a wireless signal to get on the internet and map out where we need to go. Thank you Lutherans! I had signal and mapped out a path. 1.2 miles- with bags. More sniping about how sure we were that this was the right way, the right road... finally, reached the campus! Tried a few shortcuts and found the intersection of Buford Circle, and Upper Buford. We were looking for Buford. Still didn't see the building we were looking for though... so, we kept walking, and walking. We finally found the building. The first entrance was locked, walked around to what I thought was the front of the building and found the back with no doors. More sniping then back around to the front. Found a door and walked around the building and up the stairs to finally get to our destination. With about twenty minutes to spare!
We are at an international bioenergy conference where many of the attendees are from Scandanavia and Europe. I am walking out with a man from Austria to go out to get on our bus to go to Mankato and he looks up and says (not in a good way), "That is quite a bus." I look up and see a bright red very large motorcoach/tour bus with a large American flag sweeping across the back part, an eagle holding a bright yellow banner across the side professing "God Bless America!" Garrish does not even come close to describing! Not much better inside, but it was a bus so I was asleep in no time :)>
We made it to the conference, survived the reception, dinner, and opening presentations, and finally at 8:30 were dropped off at our hotel.
This was in a country where we speak the language. We also travel a quite a bit. Why on earth would anyone do this willingly in another country is very much beyond me! I am also keeping track of how much money we spend on transportation (and time!). We could have rented a car for the week for $120. Already, for the time and money spent today, we would have covered the rental in my book!
The saga continues...
So we finished the conference, which was kind of like a cross between kindergarten (where they tell you where to go and when, feed you meals and snacks), college cram week before finals in advanced chemistry with all of the information and statistics, and church camp with the social and networking aspects. We made some valuable contacts and the information is always useful. We had Wil Steger do a presentation on his arctic travels and global warming, as well as many state officials, and European participation. It always amazes me how tall professional men are and how pretty the people were that were there... but back to travel-
Wednesday morning the congress shuttle was heading back to Minneapolis and touring a district heating plant to wrap up the session from there we could have caught a taxi to a hotel stayed the night and taken a shuttle to the airport. The only cost to us would have been a taxi ride and we could have played at the Museum of Science all afternoon for no charge since that is where the chip powered facility was...
We chose to go to Iowa to look at some equipment. I got up early and booked a car rental reservation with Enterprise for $70. It was early so I was routed to some central place, but I got the reservation number and was told to call the local place after 7:30 for details. We headed down for breakfast and came up with our plan. Just as we were getting ourselves together the local Enterprise called. They had NO cars. none... *&#!t
He gave us the number of a local yocal rental place instead. We called them and they only do local rentals so we could not rent here and return at the airport. (sigh) They rent for $35 a day, but after 100 miles it is an additional $0.15 a mile. Our round trip would be around 300 miles so add another $30.
The only other yocal place needed an insurance card to rent a car (who carries that with them!?!) and they also don't do one way rentals...
So, now we need a way to get to the airport tomorrow, too. They have a taxi service for $135 that will pick you up, or a shuttle with multiple stops for $54, but you have to get there (across town)- taxi...
So, we are looking at ~$75 to rent a car for the day, a taxi to the shuttle for ~$15-$20, and the shuttle for $54.
So total travel $$$ = $197 to $202 Not to mention the time we had to waste figuring out and navigating about....
Next time we are renting a car before we go for the whole trip. This has made the air travel look like a breeze!