If you want on the Trek Tour bus '16, jump by Feb. 26!

RED ALERT: Friday, Feb. 26 is the deadline!

If you ever thought about jumping in on our special 50th anniversary edition of the #LA2Vegas Star Trek film site tour this summer, leading into the Vegas Khaan—and with the all-new San Francisco option—please reach out to "head geek" Teras Cassidy at @GeekNationTours by end of day Friday, Feb. 26.

One way I knew this Trek year was going to be "5-0 crazy" was how the tour this year has DOUBLED in size over any other. And we've barely done any regular promotion!

So, now... with STLV sold out, amazingly—there's not much point in keeping the Tour open. Of course, you can always come if you have your #STLV ticket safely in hand... or if you just want to come hang out around the con fringes at the Rio after your awesome trek across Hollywood and/or SF —but if so, you better sound off by the end-of-day tomorrow!

Check the details .... then fill out the website form or email Teras at headgeek@geeknationtours.com —just to get the conversation started ... because this boutique company that does dozens of other "geek" tours as well—sci-fi to gaming, military to historical—will give you personal service and tweak it for you, any partners or spouses, or special needs you might have.

No wonder we've got a group twice as big as ever before (24, at last count—10 seats open; we don't open a second bus). It's taken two cycles, through 2012 and 2014, but now the word seems to be out about LA2Vegas—and 5-0 fever has not hurt any. Those GNT Trek tour bowling shirts are known around the Khaaan now, and the Facebook page albums for both past tours has more memories you can check out.  This year, with the earlier start in San Fran for many, I'll be talking for 10 days before I ever GET to Vegas—so we'll see how that goes!

Of course, there's still room to jump in on the "Kirk Memorial" one-day tour out to the Valley of Fire canyon on Tuesday, the day before the expanded con opens on Wednesday this year. It's one way to smaller leap, a smaller tab, and get a taste of what the booming Trek touring experience has become.

Last call: No deposit, but LA2Vegas Trek film site tour for 2013 closes THIS Friday, May 31

Yes, last call!

Our "LA2Vegas" Trek film site tour from Geek Nation Tours is back for its second year, running Aug. 3-11—before and then through  Creation's Vegas Khhaaann! Trek convention and carrying some tweaks for 2013 .... but hurry!

We've talked about it on many, many podcasts since we first announced it, but allow me to say how proud I am that Teras Cassidy came to me in 2011 to develop this tour together with him and lead it for everyone headed to Vegas. (In fact, if you don't want to attend the core con, you could still go with us Trek-touring, hover on the outskirts of the Rio events, and just enjoy Sin City that weekend!)

You can get aboard now for no deposit, but the registration ends THIS Friday, May 31. Click on the email at GNT's site, but as always you'll soon be talking to Teras directly for a personal chat as to what exactly you need for your trip—and it doesn't have to be cookie-cutter off the basic template, either more OR less.

Geek Nation Tours, home of many "geek" niche excursions, is travel agent Teras's own boutique company, and the personal care shows:

Have your airfare already set for a Las Vegas arrival? No problem. Already have your hotel at con host Rio, or elsewhere? Never fear—Teras will adjust your plan. As our tourists learned last year, getting to the idea late with plans in place is no reason to not come along now!

Sorry if the used-car salesman is coming out here, but I really do enjoy this—and everyone on the shakedown cruise last year was happy to say so at Vegas 2012 and the Facebook site.

A chunk of the tour is the same as we mapped out in that debut —with photos here on Facebook as well from a lot of our "tourists."

But check out these tweaks for H2V 2013:

First, we've got some great promotional sponsors this year with discounts and goodies—Creation Entertainment, Robe Factory, Bye Bye Robot and Stronghold Games.

Then, we've moved the Saturday welcome dinner to Cirroc "Jake Sisko" Lofton's own hands-on restaurant—and he has a lot more than Cajun on the menu!

Plus, our  all-new final stop pre-con is none other than the site of Captain Kirk's death in Generations: Nevada's incredible Valley of Fire State Park—and with none other guest host than Trek makeup guru Michael Westmore, one of the few eye witnesses from the shoot's  final days. And Bobby "The Gorn" Clark will be back to tour us around iconic Vasquez Rocks himself and recreate vividly for you exactly how "Arena" was made. Larry, meanwhile, will point out the Vasquez angles from TOS's "Friday Child,"  TNG's "Who Watchers the Watchers" and JJ's Star Trek '09, among others shot there. As always, bring your uniforms and props for the "Oh yeah!" photo opps at every stop—or we may have some to loan

Whatever your favorite series or cast, we'll hit one or more of their iconic off-the-lot filming locations—and all of them double as famous or beautiful L.A. postcard-perfect vacation spots to show off even to your non-fan friends. Which you means you see a LOT of "SoCal" as well as the Federation!

Just remember: what even your own personal tour can't bring you, apart from my expertise and that of our guests, is the chance to do it with fellow Trekfans—much less those from around the world, from Asia to Europe and then some, reflecting Teras's clientele and the adventursome souls who have already, and plan to now, join us. That means, in turn, that no one on the tour enters Vegas Khaann a stranger.

Give the page a look, email Teras and get in for a call—but whatever you do, hurry!  You have three days to at least claim a seat and pay later.

I hope you can make it!

Trekland on pods: Doomsday, McCoy, and the Tour

Whoa—now it's the last TWO months that have been a blur...

But one thing that's easy to do no matter how intense the "day job" gets is a friendly little blog interview when Trek is the subject... and Trekland, too.

Shame on me, for I've been remiss in sharing when some of the best Trek and sci-fi podcasts have been good to have me on ... at times with Teras Cassidy of Geek Nation Tours and our second annual Hollywood2Vegas Trek film site tour just before the Creation Vegas con. It's been a flurry.

In all of these we talk about not just the new Trek Tour for 2013, but also what's going on in Trek at large—according to what the hosts bounce off us—and I even wax poetic about esotrekica (yes, that is now a word). Because we turned over another generation in fandom the past couple years, in case you didn't know. In fact, you may have been part of the turnover (okay, I'll stop talking about you, now).

Of course, if you're already a fan or subscriber of these fine pods, you know this already—and if you're not much of a podcast downloader yet, here's your entree. They make a great way to spend a jog or a long commute or an interminable airflight. The hot air in mine alone is enough to start a balloon ride with.

Trekland got even more global than the Internet when UK-based Colin HIggins at Trek News & VIews over trek.fm had me on just today in Ep. 66 to talk about my fave "The Doomsday Machine" with Lou Costanza of The Lou Trek Show, plus explain how I came to be wearing McCoy garb in Georgia last month, and saying things like "Well, it's damn peculiar, Jim." And other Trekland stuff.

Then, Teras joined me to be grilled by Terilynn and "@Gettysburg7" NIck re: a lot of Trekness on their G&T Show for my beardless McCoy experience, the JJ "defection" to Star Wars (whoooo cares?) ... plus the Tour—and even a shoutout to 1701 Pennsylvania Ave on YouTube (you're welcome, Pony and Ralph!) ... Steve & Co. had us on as well for a new Tour Tart entry on the tasty menu at Sci-Fi DIner, Ep. 162B ... and Tom Cruz and Risa of STOked Radio over trekradio.net went way beyond the realm of Star Trek Online gaming for a trifecta of guests on Ep. 27 (the 41:30 mark; or download only here) where we went on about forgotten true fans, the upside of having no Trek TV (blossoming fandom), the future of the "next" Trek TV show, the fun of playing McCoy and of course the Tour—along with Teras, AND Mr. Enterprise-D Non-Profit Restoration & Museum himself, Huston Huddleston, and his project.

Which is all pretty cool considering I haven't even told YOU gentle readers about my Kingsland, GA experience as Bones... much less the Secret Project that's kept me from posting and vidchatting more with you here at TREKLAND... including today's Oscar guest post at startrek.com.

And more podcasts coming up quick ...