Ohio Road Meet 2018 - Mentor/Ashtabula, Sept. 29

[hbelkins]

I guess its time to start finalizing plans for this.
Saturday, September 29th
Lunch (Location TBD) at 11:30/Noon, followed by Brian Farr's presentation from 1 PM till 3 PM.
Afterwards, tour would go east from Mentor to Painesville then eventually to Northern Ashtabula County to visit some covered bridges.
Goal is to make it to Harpersfield, Jefferson, Ashtabula, Geneva, and return to Mentor before sunset (3 hour drive)

If anyone is interested we can include a shorter tour in the morning.

Lunch may need to be longer unless you're having it at the same place the talk is happening or at a fast food place - roadmeet lunches usually run an hour to an hour and a half on their own, and you're going to need time for people to meet up before lunch (there's always a few people running late) and to drive from lunch to the talk.

Sandor's hosted/attended enough meets that he would know the parameters for what would be a good lunch length for what he has in mind. I'd say he's got this one figured out pretty well and knows what will work for the event.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Google map of the proposed routing and stops.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EbVBAdpJAigev-_58zJ-uutpKvoa0y9W&usp=sharing

[getemngo]

I'm in! Earlier this summer I went to a wedding in Youngstown and didn't clinch a single new county... time to make up for that. 

[jpi]

It looks like I am 75% in, I will be in central PA on the days leading up to this meet so I would be leaving Harrisburg Friday morning taking 22/322 to State Collage then on to I-80 west to the Youngstown area and go from there, been nearly 20 years since I was in this part of Ohio so I am looking forward to it, just have to finalize my days off at work for this, unfortunetly Steph can't make it.

[Laura]

Yay this is the one meet that I'll be able to attend this year, so count me in.

[US71]

Unless my leg falls off between now and September, I should be there 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I guess its time to start finalizing plans for this.
Saturday, September 29th
Lunch (Location TBD) at 11:30/Noon, followed by Bryan Farr's presentation from 1 PM till 3 PM.
Afterwards, tour would go east from Mentor to Painesville then eventually to Northern Ashtabula County to visit some covered bridges.
Goal is to make it to Harpersfield, Jefferson, Ashtabula, Geneva, and return to Mentor before sunset (3 hour drive)

If anyone is interested we can include a shorter tour in the morning.

Lunch will be held at Max & Ermas, 7890 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060 (east side of Great Lakes Mall). It's less than a mile west of the Garfield site (where Bryan Farr is speaking).
As far as bridges goes, I think making only 5 stops will be feasible (Vrooman Rd, Harpersfield, Smolen-Gulf, Ashtabula Harbor, Old 20 - West Geneva)
So it goes.

[Alps]

Whoever is staying overnight in the greater east Cleveland area, I have interest in sharing a room Saturday.

[jpi]

I plan to stay in Medina off I-71, this positions me for my trip back to middle TN the next day, I also have an old friend that lives in the area I may meet up with too.

[US71]

I plan to stay in Medina off I-71, this positions me for my trip back to middle TN the next day, I also have an old friend that lives in the area I may meet up with too.

I've got a room a couple miles from the historical site.

[jpi]

Yay this is the one meet that I'll be able to attend this year, so count me in.

Will Mr MD roads being along? Unfortunetly Mrs JPI can't make it

[SSOWorld]

Outside shot of being able to make this one (even with Sam's meet a possibility). It depends on taking any days off impacting work progress and if I have to do any recruiting. (I did take a long vacay in July)

[Roadgeek Adam]

I can confirm I will be at this meet

[US71]

I plan to stay in Medina off I-71, this positions me for my trip back to middle TN the next day, I also have an old friend that lives in the area I may meet up with too.

I hope it's not funky cold

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

If I keep getting RSVPs, I might have to take lunch across the parking lot, from Max & Ermas to the Great Lakes Mall's food court.

[Alps]

If I keep getting RSVPs, I might have to take lunch across the parking lot, from Max & Ermas to the Great Lakes Mall's food court.

No! My RSVP is contingent on Max & Erma's.

[cl94]

If I keep getting RSVPs, I might have to take lunch across the parking lot, from Max & Ermas to the Great Lakes Mall's food court.

No! My RSVP is contingent on Max & Erma's.

I agree. Make the lunch 11 if needed. But Max & Erma's is a necessity, IMO. That place is awesome.

[Duke87]

I have no emotional attachment to either lunch location.

I am tentatively going but this is dependent on A) me being able to leave work early enough on Friday to make it there on time, B) me not needing to travel for work the following week. Neither is guaranteed, though it is more likely than not this will work out favorably.

[jpi]

If I keep getting RSVPs, I might have to take lunch across the parking lot, from Max & Ermas to the Great Lakes Mall's food court.

No! My RSVP is contingent on Max & Erma's.

I agree. Make the lunch 11 if needed. But Max & Erma's is a necessity, IMO. That place is awesome.

I am ok either way but prefer Max & Erma's, been a long time since I ate at one.

[A.J. Bertin]

We used to have a Max & Erma's in Grand Rapids MI but it (and other locations around Michigan) closed at some point over the past 10 years. I used to love it but then the quality seemed to decline a bit. Having said that, I would definitely prefer Max & Erma's over a mall food court. But if the lunch does take place in the food court, at least it will be quicker.

[Alps]

I have no emotional attachment to either lunch location.

I am tentatively going but this is dependent on A) me being able to leave work early enough on Friday to make it there on time, B) me not needing to travel for work the following week. Neither is guaranteed, though it is more likely than not this will work out favorably.

Carpooling is encouraged. Hint.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Here are the "last minute" changes for next Saturday.
Max & Ermas @ 11:30 AM (7890 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060 - For those who need to plug the address in their GPS)
Tour will start 30 minutes after Bryan's talk ends.
Itinerary is as follows:
Stop 1) 60 year old abandoned concrete road that once carried OH 306, just south of I-90
Stop 2) Mason's Landing Park/Vrooman Rd Bridge (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/lake/vroooman-road/)
Stop 3) New 'Variable Speed Limit' signage along I-90 (We're NOT stopping along I-90 to analyze any of the signs, just noting their appearance)
Stop 4) Harpersfield Covered Bridge - Truss Bridge combo (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/ashtabula/harpersfield/)
Stop 5) Smolen-Gulf & Riverview Covered Bridges (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/ashtabula/smolen-gulf/)
Stop 6) Ashtabula Harbor Through Truss Bridge (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/ashtabula/406635/)
Stop 7a) Liberty Street Covered Bridge in Geneva
Stop 7) Old US 20 stub end (with bricks & trolley tracks), west of Geneva.

Stops (re: bridges) can be added or subtracted to the tour depending on available sunlight (Sunset will be just after 7 PM in Ashtabula Co that day), time, weather, and collective wishes of the traveling lynch mob or group leader.

FWIW, I have no strong feelings concerning dinner afterwards. Basically I'm going to play it by feel.

[Alps]

Here are the "last minute" changes for next Saturday.
Max & Ermas @ 11:30 AM (7890 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH 44060 - For those who need to plug the address in their GPS)
Tour will start 30 minutes after Bryan's talk ends.
Itinerary is as follows:
Stop 1) 60 year old abandoned concrete road that once carried OH 306, just south of I-90
Stop 2) Mason's Landing Park/Vrooman Rd Bridge (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/lake/vroooman-road/)
Stop 3) New 'Variable Speed Limit' signage along I-90 (We're NOT stopping along I-90 to analyze any of the signs, just noting their appearance)
Stop 4) Harpersfield Covered Bridge - Truss Bridge combo (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/ashtabula/harpersfield/)
Stop 5) Smolen-Gulf & Riverview Covered Bridges (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/ashtabula/smolen-gulf/)
Stop 6) Ashtabula Harbor Through Truss Bridge (http://bridgehunter.com/oh/ashtabula/406635/)
Stop 7) Liberty Street Covered Bridge in Geneva
Stop 7a) Old US 20 stub end (with bricks & trolley tracks), west of Geneva.

Stops (re: bridges) can be added or subtracted to the tour depending on available sunlight (Sunset will be just after 7 PM in Ashtabula Co that day), time, weather, and collective wishes of the traveling lynch mob or group leader.

FWIW, I have no strong feelings concerning dinner afterwards. Basically I'm going to play it by feel.

Can we order delivery to the brick stub and picnic at sunset?

[cl94]

Can we order delivery to the brick stub and picnic at sunset?

There a Donatos close by? May as well finish a Ohio meet with classic Ohio food. 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

One week (+1 day) out forecast for NE Ohio.
Dry (Clear to Partly Cloudy) for Lake & Ashtabula Counties with a high in the low 60s.
15% of rain (at most) for both areas at any given time.

Subject to change (of course) prior to (next) Saturday.