How to get to the Hab (MDRS)
From HabLife
Wherever you are travelling from, plan your trip in concordance with your crewcommander and communicate your personal info to your crewmates. Having a print out of the cell phone numbers in your crew and in Mission Support helps when travel plans go awry.
Contents |
how to get to Grand Junction,Colorado, USA
Grand Junction is situated on the Interstate 70 that connects Denver, via Grand Junction, Green River, to Las Vegas. It is a 4 line road, not too crowded, which allows you for a decent speed. From Grand Junction to exit 149 the speed limit is 75 miles. Highway 24 into Hanksville has a speed limit of 65 miles. Keep to this speed limit. For the sake of your safety and for the sake of your purse, as patrol cars do ply their trade of handing out tickets on those roads.
Planning your trip
Grand Junction, Colorado, Walkerfield airport is your port of entry.
Plan to arrive in Grand Junction no later than Friday evening before your crew starts. And to fly out not earlier than Sunday afternoon after your crew ends.
Plan to stay overnight in Grand Junction on Friday night before your crew rotation, and the Saturday night after your crew rotation.
We realise that people flying in from overseas might have to have to book their flights in and out of Grand Junction in such a way that they have to stay overnight (or hang out on the airfield, not advised) in Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas, or another American city. For Europeans there is a route from Paris in the morning to SLC non stop with ample time (3 hours) to clear customs and make your ongoing flight to Grand Junction.
You can find the airlines that fly into Grand Junction at the website of the airfield.
Whatever you choose, make sure you are in Grand Junction on Friday evening. The crew handover will take place on Saturday afternoon. And the crew before yours will use the same vehicle to drive homeward to Grand Junction. That is why you need to arrive in Grand Junction on Friday to make the drive to the MDRS on Saturday morning in about 3 hours and arrive at 12.00 noon at the MDRS.
where to stay in Grand Junction
The Mars Society has negotiated a price of $60 (double room), + tax, to stay at the Best Western Sandman Motel 708 Horizon Dr, Grand Junction, CO 81506-3907, United States tel:+1 970-243-4150 The motel offers airport shuttles service!
The cost of your stay at the Best Western Sandman Motel is at your own expense. The rooms can accommodate as many people in 2 queen size beds as you like. That is up to you. This means that if you want to save money you can book 2 or 3 rooms for your complete crew. Phone them and use the discount code: ‘Mars Society’.
The manager and the front desk should know.
The best course of action is to have the crew commander make a reservation for 3 rooms for both nights.
how to get to the Hab
Transport from Grand Junction to Hanksville and on to the MDRS (158 miles, 2 hours, one way) The Mars Society provides a safe vehicle for your transport to Hanksville and for your transportation around the Hab. This vehicle will be ready for you at the AVIS rental car agency at the airport. They need a drivers licence from one of your crew over 25 (who will be the designated driver) to check the car out. We will email you the rental agreement ahead of time. Print it and take it with you. (more info on the instruction sheet for the AVIS rental) We expect you to take good care of the provided vehicles and to drive safely. The gasoline is at your own expense. That sounds bad, but it works out to about $12 for the return trip per person. Any dents in the vehicles are at your own expense too.
The Grand Junction (Colorado) to Hanksville drive
- phone the Field Manager AND the mission director when you leave Grand Junction for Hanksville
- and phone the mission director again when you arrive in Hanksville
- Once you have arrived in Hanksville, report to the Hollow Mountain, to the Field Manager, so he can give you very precise instructions to find the Hab.
The Hollow Mountain is the shop and gas station on your left when you reach Hanksville.
- Pick up your food and other supplies at the Bull Mountain Market (left hand side of Highway 24 in the direction of Capitol Reef Park/Richfield).
Driving directions Grand Junction to Hanksville _ 158 mi – about 2 hours 47 mins according to Google Maps
From Grand Junction head west on I-70 Wf or about 105 mi, Take exit 149 for UT-24 W toward Hanksville for 44 mi. Simple.
You fill up the rental car before you hand it over to the outgoing crew.
They fill it up before they hand it in at the airport. A good place for this last refill is the Gaspump at the Safeway only one block down from the Best Western on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction.
Keep the receipt, of which an image is send to the Mission Director.
what to do when you arrive late on Saturday
Don't panick, get in touch with Mission Support AND your own crew commander.
There is a Greyhound Bus from Grand Junction to Green River at 5:45 PM which gets you to Green River. This shaves about 100 miles off your trip to MDRS and makes it much more easy for someone from your crew to come and fetch you from the Greyhound Busstop (West Winds Rodeway Inn) in Green River. Which is about one hours drive from the Hab.
The fare is about $39.50
You will arrive in Green River around 7:25 PM.
This gives your crew mates time to attend to the crew change over from the former crew and drive to Green River in time to pick you up.
The address in Grand Junction, Co, is at MASA TRANSPORT, LLC, 230 S 5TH ST, Grand Junction, CO 81501.
Telephone Numbers: Main: 970-242-6012, Baggage: 970-242-6013
Address in Green River, Ut, WEST WINDS RODEWAY INN, 525 E MAIN ST, Green River, UT 84525
Telephone Numbers: Main: 435-564-3421
To get to the Grand Junction busstop of the Greyhoundline,
you have to take route 1 bus from the Airport to the transfer station on South Ave and 6th street
which is 1 block from Grey Hound bus station
The fare is $1.00
This busroute is run from 5:15 a.m. till 7:05 p.m. @ Downtown Transfer Station
They advise you to be at your stop by the times indicated and a bus will arrive in 5 to 10 minutes
The route is as follows:
HORIZON DR. + NORTH OF HORIZON CT. (BEST WESTERN):35
HORIZON DR. @ SAFEWAY :45
12TH ST. @ NORTHWOOD APARTMENTS
1100 PATTERSON RD.
PATTERSON RD. + WEST OF 26 3/4 RD (BY THE ATM)
750 WELLINGTON (SURGICAL CENTER/DIALYSIS)
LITTLE BOOKCLIFF DR. + SOUTH OF WELLINGTON AVE.
BOOKCLIFF AVE. + EAST OF 9TH ST.
BOOKCLIFF AVE. + EAST OF 11TH ST.
12TH ST. + SOUTH OF WALNUT AVE. (COMMUNITY HOSPITAL)
12TH ST. + SOUTH OF TELLER AVE. (CHURCH) :55
MAIN ST. + WEST OF 11TH ST.
7TH ST . + SOUTH OF UTE AVE.
DOWNTOWN TRANSFER STATION (6TH st) :05
shopping in Grand Junction
Please remember that we provide you with the food and other daily essentials. And that the GreenHab does not allow for any contaminations in the water, like normal household soap or dishing liquids. So shopping in Grand Junction will have to do with the personal items like combs and such that you have forgotten to pack.
Or perhaps a sleeping bag or mattress that you decided was too bulky / too heavy to bring.
Grand Junction has one major shopping area, which is to the south of the town on Highway 6 and 50. It is called Mesa Mall, and there are busses that travel from / over Horizon Drive and bring you to the Mesa Mall.
The [Mesa Mall] has the normal list of shops: Home Depot, Target,Sears, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Pearle Vision, Sports Authority.
[Walmart] is not at this Mall, but further to the east on the Highway 6 and 50.
Food
The food is provided by TMS and has to be picked up by each crew at the Bull Mountain Market in Hanksville which is on the left hand side of highway 24 when you drive to the MDRS.
There is an ongoing food study during this full season, with Dr. Kim Binsted as Principal Investigator.
All crews are expected to comply with the study and not bring in their own food.
Menu suggestions and a TMS cookery guide will be provided, too. And can be found in this wiki.
Food will consists of freeze dried vegetables and fruits, pulses like lentils, various kinds of beans, pasta, rice, grains, seeds, nuts, milk powder, coffee, tea, cocoa, water, tofu, oil.
If you have allergies or such, contact the Mission Director as early as possible before your crew rotation. We will be able to find a solution, of that we are certain.
The HSO will keep a precise logbook of the food that is consumed by the crew during each meal or snack,and send this each day to mission support.
Soap/toothpaste
TMS provides OASIS liquid soap for all your washing.
To keep the GreenHab water recycling system working only Oasis can be used for dishes, as shampoo and shower gel and for washing clothes. Over the years we have tried different environmentally friendly soaps and shampoos, but without fail they bubbled out of the GreenHab tanks and killed the system. This year we intend to make it work. Oasis is okay to wash your hair with. The hair that looks as if you were hit by lightning is caused by the water, not by the soap.
Similarly no toothpaste is allowed; to brush your teeth only baking soda will be used. Your teeth will not fall out.
shopping in Hanksville
Hanksville is not exactly a shoppers' paradise. It has one supermarket, the Bull Mountain Market, and several small, not really much smaller, supermarkets at the various gas stations.
Entry into the USA for foreigners
Entrance visa into the USA is different for various countries
Check the USA embassy site in your home country for more info. And do this as soon as possible after you have been accepted in a crew!
NOTE Recently anyone planning to travel to the USA needs to fill out an online form, which gives a FREE visa.
This also applies to travellers, who until recently just filled out the green form in the airplane they were arriving on.
EVERYONE without a USA passport MUST obtain a entrance visa BEFORE stepping on to an airplane to travel to the USA.
Failure to do so, will result in not being granted entry in the USA, potentially when you have already travelled to a USA airport.
You must declare on the form that you are entering the USA for a LEASURE / HOLIDAY visit.
Give the address of the Best Western Sandman Motel in Grand Junction:
708 Horizon Dr, Grand Junction, CO 81506-3907, United States
Those of you that are citizens of countries that can not apply online for the above type of visa
- should apply for a LEASURE visa for their stay at the MDRS
(not business), as you are an unpaid volunteer of a volunteer organisation with 501 c 3 (tax exempt) status.
Contact the mission director for a letter specific for your stay that declares the purpose of your visit to be handed in, when you apply for your USA visa.
Regrettably expect the process to obtain a visa to be slow.
However, if that process is slow, keep the Mission Director informed regularly, as we will try to help you obtain that visa.
return to index
