Barry,

Straight-line distance for Sorcha would be 1,017 miles. It's only 637 miles for me. Of course, that's "as the crow flies" and not "as the car has to drive."

The highest motel rate on the Wells website is less than $55 per night, and that's for 4 people. I know for a certainty that San Francisco rates are somewhat higher.

There's another thing: some people simply do not LIKE large cities. Me, I only dislike New York City and Los Angeles, but I'll put up with them if I'm forced to do so. But there are people, many of them, who think differently -- and many of them live in the West.