mrjones,
I sympathize with your predicament. An hour and a half drive in traffic would likely keep me from flying very often, but learning to fly almost requires it.

I'm guessing that with the year and a half Sim time you could probably solo in one day spent at the field, with an instructor that's willing to work with you. I agree with Zombie, try to contact that club and make arrangements prior to going up. You might be able to arrange that full day by phone. It may require that you join the club, but if you explain the drive issue, they might be willing to let you fly for the day without membership.

I don't often advocate Park Flyers as a final solution to RC, but in your case it might be the best alternative. Planes like the GWS Tiger Moth, Slow Stick, or Pico Cub would allow you to fly close by (like inside the bases of a baseball diamond), without endangering anyone. They're so light, and fly so slowly that as long as the motor was stopped, I'd be willing to act as a target for one of those things.

What I'm saying is, there are alternatives to the 60 MPH glow planes that would allow you to get stick time fairly often. I'm betting that you could probably fly one without instruction too.

Good luck,
Dennis-