The Great NE Wisconsin Summer Roadmeetâ„¢ Announcement - 2012-08-03 to 05

[mgk920]

I hope that this isn't too short of notice, but I have decided to call a meet for Saturday, 2012-06-02, and possibly extending to Sunday, 2012-06-03, for here in the Ground Zero™ of road construction geekdom in northeastern Wisconsin.  The tentative schedule is to meet up at a very good sports bar called 'The Bar' ( http://www.meetatthebar.com/appleton_ave.html ), located in the heart of downtown Appleton at about 11am for food, then spend the following seven or eight hours of daylight checking out the US 41 construction-geek zones in both the Oshkosh-Neenah and Green Bay areas, as well as the US 45 upgrade construction zone NW of Oshkosh, the demolition site of the former Port Plaza Mall in downtown Green Bay, plus anything else that we can fit in, followed by dinner at one of several very decent places here in the Appleton area.

If Sunday is added to the schedule, additional recent upgrade areas and related places can also be explored.  Possibilities include the WI 26 upgrade zone between Janesville and Waupun, US 41 and 141 north of Green Bay, US 10 between Appleton and Stevens Point, the recently completed four lane upgrades to WI 57 northeast of Green Bay, etc.

Let me know how things work out.

Thanx!

Mike

[agentsteel53]

if you're going to be running around Wisconsin, don't forget to check out this 1910s (!) highway marker located in Baraboo.

http://g.co/maps/vmjzs

that is a four-sided concrete marker which refers to WI-33 and WI-12, which later became US-12.

some photos of it may be seen here:

www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=WI19180121&search=33

[A.J. Bertin]

I'll consider attending this meet because I've always wanted to go to a road meet in the Green Bay area. However, I'd say there's only about a 20-30 percent chance that I'll actually attend... mainly because I've got several other road meets I'm attending this year and the Dayton meet is the following weekend.

[mgk920]

If that date doesn't work out, I can certainly reschedule it for either early-mid July or mid-late August or even later, keeping in mind that there will be about an hour or so less available daylight in late August than in early July and that the NFL's week-by-week regular-season schedule of the has not yet been set.  Visiting NFL teams stay in at a hotel in downtown Appleton before they play at Green Bay (opposite end of the block from where The Bar is located) and hotel/motel rooms are hard to find anywhere in the area on those weekends.  The pre-season NFL schedule has just been released, the Packers are home during the periods of 17-19 Aug (Fri-Sun) and 29-30 Aug (Thu-Fri), exact times are not yet set.  The last weekend in July is out, too, due to a major annual event in the Oshkosh area ( http://www.airventure.org ) as rooms are also unavailable anywhere in the area.

Mike

[JREwing78]

I happen to be moving right around that date, so later on in the summer or early fall would work better in my case.

[A.J. Bertin]

I'm very interested in attending, but it's more likely that I'll be able to go if the meet is scheduled for later in the year (maybe July, August, or September). That may also depend on the likelihood of a Michigan Upper Peninsula road meet taking place.

[jpi]

I can't make it, will be in Pennsylvania visiting family that weekend.

[mgk920]

I have decided to delay things until 14-July (Sat) with optional additional activities on either Friday or Sunday (or both).  Any thoughts?

Mike

[A.J. Bertin]

I have decided to delay things until 14-July (Sat) with optional additional activities on either Friday or Sunday (or both).  Any thoughts?

Right now, for me, I'd say I'm about 50/50 on whether that weekend will work. I'll have to see. If I attend, It's likely that I'd probably attend the meet only and not participate in any of the additional activities. As soon as I have a better idea, I'll give an update.

I'd like to go! I hope it works out for me. And if not, I hope others are able to go and have a good time. :-)

[Alps]

Sorry, Bastille Day celebration.

[hbelkins]

Sorry, Bastille Day celebration.

http://youtu.be/V7yxA9vt2-c

(How in the crap do you get the YouTube link button to work? The "embed" code from the YouTube page doesn't work, and neither does the page URL.)

[SSOWorld]

The July date is better for me.  Keep in mind I had Wausau on the weekend after the Fourth last year - no interest prompted a postponement to October (though I see that you have that gap - good).

[mgk920]

I can also do the weekend before (07-July, Sat), et al, as an option, but cannot do the next two weekends (21 or 28) due to http://www.airventure.org/ in Oshkosh and the total unavailability of hotel/motel rooms in the area for both weekends.  Pushing things back into August starts to infringe onto Da YooPee meet that is expected for late August/early September as well as two preseason home game weekends (16-19-Aug and 30-31-Aug [Labor Day weekend] - exact dates/times not yet known) for the Green Bay Packers (unavailability of hotel/motel rooms).

This leaves a potential of five weekends, keeping in mind that hours of available daylight will be progressively less with the later dates.  Which weekend would be best?

(all Saturdays)
- 07-July (maximum daylight)
- 14-July
- 04-August
- 11-August
or
- 25-August

Note - Right now I cannot attempt to schedule any weekends after Labor Day due to the NFL not yet releasing their week-by-week regular season schedule.  Again, rooms are essentially unavailable anywhere near Appleton on Packers' home game weekends.

Mike

[Brandon]

I can also do the weekend before (07-July, Sat), et al, as an option, but cannot do the next two weekends (21 or 28) due to http://www.airventure.org/ in Oshkosh and the total unavailability of hotel/motel rooms in the area for both weekends.  Pushing things back into August starts to infringe onto Da YooPee meet that is expected for late August/early September as well as two preseason home game weekends (16-19-Aug and 30-31-Aug [Labor Day weekend] - exact dates/times not yet known) for the Green Bay Packers (unavailability of hotel/motel rooms).

This leaves a potential of five weekends, keeping in mind that hours of available daylight will be progressively less with the later dates.  Which weekend would be best?

(all Saturdays)
- 07-July (maximum daylight)
- 14-July
- 04-August
- 11-August
or
- 25-August

Note - Right now I cannot attempt to schedule any weekends after Labor Day due to the NFL not yet releasing their week-by-week regular season schedule.  Again, rooms are essentially unavailable anywhere near Appleton on Packers' home game weekends.

Mike

The four later ones work best for me.

[A.J. Bertin]

My vote would be for either August 4 or August 11.

[Brandon]

My vote would be for either August 4 or August 11.

I agree.  It's far enough away from the Ohio meet in June.

[Alps]

Sorry, Bastille Day celebration.

http://youtu.be/V7yxA9vt2-c

(How in the crap do you get the YouTube link button to work? The "embed" code from the YouTube page doesn't work, and neither does the page URL.)

I'll have to remember to play this on 7/14 with the volume turned up to 11.

[hbelkins]

Sorry, Bastille Day celebration.

http://youtu.be/V7yxA9vt2-c

(How in the crap do you get the YouTube link button to work? The "embed" code from the YouTube page doesn't work, and neither does the page URL.)

I'll have to remember to play this on 7/14 with the volume turned up to 11.

There are probably several other videos floating around out there on YouTube. I just picked that one. One of my all-time favorite Rush songs.

[SSOWorld]

I'm for the later ones as well. (August)

[mgk920]

I have decided schedule the Great NE Wisconsin Summer Roadmeet™ for the weekend of 3-5 August, 2012.  This is a clear weekend with the most available daylight for experiencing all of the construction and other road-geekiness of NE Wisconsin.  The tentative schedule is to gather at The Bar in downtown Appleton ( http://www.meetatthebar.com/appleton_ave.html ) at 11am on Saturday the 4th for food and moderate amounts of adult beverage and take it from there.  Tour highlights will include the US 41 construction-geek zones in the Neenah-Oshkosh and Green Bay areas, the US 45 upgrade zone between US 41 and US 10 NW of Oshkosh, the Port Plaza Mall demolition and redevelopment zone in downtown Green Bay and whatever else we can come up with.

Friday night (03-August) is available for meeting up at one (or more) of the numerous great nightspots here in central Appleton and additional options are open for Sunday Afternoon.

Directions to The Bar - Exit US 41 at College Ave, interchange 137 (WI 125) and head towards downtown (WI 125 east).   Clinch WI 125 and then continue eastward, The Bar is two blocks past the downtown railroad crossing on the right.  Parking is on-street-metered (75¢/hour - two hour limit), there is a city-owned lot just across the alley and across the street south of The Bar with 6-hour limit meters.  Un-metered parking is available in the Courthouse parking lot a block farther south.

Seeya there!



Mike

[hbelkins]

Looks like I will have to delay my participation in a Wisconsin road meet yet again. I have a work obligation on Friday, and that is the weekend of the World's Longest Yard Sale along US 127, so I will be critter-sitting at home while my wife goes in search of bargains in Kentucky and Ohio.

[mgk920]

Looks like I will have to delay my participation in a Wisconsin road meet yet again. I have a work obligation on Friday, and that is the weekend of the World's Longest Yard Sale along US 127, so I will be critter-sitting at home while my wife goes in search of bargains in Kentucky and Ohio.

Again, the date can be changed if popular demand warrants.  All August weekends are clear - both of the Packers' pre-season home games are on Thursdays.

Mike

[hbelkins]

Don't change it on my behalf. Most of August is most likely out of the question for me. Do it when you want, or when the majority of people can make it, and if I can come I will.

[mgk920]

Don't change it on my behalf. Most of August is most likely out of the question for me. Do it when you want, or when the majority of people can make it, and if I can come I will.

Kewl!



Mike

[Alps]

I find a poll would be a good idea.