2021 Wilmington, DE Road Meet - 7/17/21

[hbelkins]

I think he should change his username to this:

[oscar]

Speaking of "if you're coming" (and since we're a month away), I want to see people take a more definitive stance as far as their attendance goes for this thing in the next week. (I will deal with the ballgame as its own separate thing at a future date as we get closer.) I'd like to have a party size that I can approach the restaurant with a week from today. Whether you reply to the Facebook event or here is up to you, but let's make it our collective goal to have a clearer guest number in mind by 6/23. Thanks.

You'll have to include me in the count as a "maybe" (except I'll almost certainly skip the ballgame). I have a schedule conflict that weekend, that I won't be able to resolve (by skipping either this meet, or the other event) until the weekend before the meet.

[signalman]

So are we all becoming Mr. Angery now?  I thought that was purely a roadwaywiz creation.

Angry is a state of mind. Not specifically a roadwaywiz thing.

[Alps]

So are we all becoming Mr. Angery now?  I thought that was purely a roadwaywiz creation.

Angry is a state of mind. Not specifically a roadwaywiz thing.

*Angery

[signalman]

So are we all becoming Mr. Angery now?  I thought that was purely a roadwaywiz creation.

Angry is a state of mind. Not specifically a roadwaywiz thing.

*Angery

So are we all becoming Mr. Angery now?  I thought that was purely a roadwaywiz creation.

Angry is a state of mind. Not specifically a roadwaywiz thing.

*Angery

So are we all becoming Mr. Angery now?  I thought that was purely a roadwaywiz creation.

Angry is a state of mind. Not specifically a roadwaywiz thing.

*Angery

😡😠

[PHLBOS]

Just rechecked my July calendar & the 17th is all clear for me.  I will be attending.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm an inney. 

[roadwaywiz95]

Road Meet Planning Update (6/23):

Small update today to tell you folks that tickets for the Blue Rocks home game (vs Hudson Valley) following the meet are now on sale at the link below. First pitch is 6:05 PM. Those who wish to attend are responsible for the purchase of their own tickets; since I assume the goal here is for us all to sit together, the best bet would be to go for the General Admission section and fight over seating on game day. 

https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Buy.asp?EventID=298935#.YNOB6OhKi00

[roadwaywiz95]

Road Meet Planning Update (6/28):

The iteniary will be posted this Friday for all to see/study. I'm working to complete all the planning for this event by the end of this week; after Friday, I'll be on the West Coast for the following 10 days and by the time I return we'll be just days away from the big day itself. (During that 10-day period, it will be relatively difficult to get a hold of me, whether here or elsewhere.)

Since this is going to be the single largest, most "normal"  gathering as a community since the onset of COVID, let's talk for a minute about carpooling and vaccinations — both of which are relevant here. According to the latest metrics, the background vaccination rate along adults in northern Delaware at this time is averaging around 60-70%, depending on the municipality and the zip code. This number is well in excess of the national average, which is trending these days somewhere just north of 50%. Additionally, we also have the group's vaccination rate to consider as we will (obviously) be in relatively close quarters throughout the day. If I look down the guest list and I pick the 30-35 folks who are most likely to attend, I'm guessing that our group vaccination rate will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 80%, maybe higher. (I can make this assumption safely b/c let's be honest — this thing has been out there for a while, you all are on Facebook, and I know all of your positions on this matter by now whether you want me to or not.) Given the concept of herd immunity (both globally and in our case) and the relatively high background vaccination rate in the areas we'll be visiting, there's no reason for me to believe at this time that carpooling will be an unsafe activity for the group.

Speaking of carpooling, yes, it's going to be a thing on the day of the meet — there's just no way to pull off a semi-urban driving tour w/ limited parking with 30 vehicles on the move. *On average*, folks will need to ride in pairs for this to work. (The goal should be getting the number of vehicles down to less than 15.) (Obviously the more folks per vehicle, the fewer vehicles we need to keep track of, and the easier this whole thing goes for everyone.) I trust that you folks will ride with other folks you're comfortable riding with; I will not be grouping people together according to vaccination status, nor will I ask people for their status, nor do I really care about their status. (And again, I'm not enforcing anything that is more stringent than any CDC/local guidance on the day of the meet.) I think we all pretty much know where everyone else stands at this point so I think you guys are more than capable of sorting this out yourselves without my interference. The ultimate goal here should be to have a good time and enjoy everyone's company and I know you all will be good eggs and do your own parts to make sure that happens. Any additional questions/comments/concerns on this or any other subject are welcome as wee start to wind down preparations.

[Laura]

Speaking of carpooling, yes, it's going to be a thing on the day of the meet — there's just no way to pull off a semi-urban driving tour w/ limited parking with 30 vehicles on the move. *On average*, folks will need to ride in pairs for this to work.

We'll be above average because we will automatically have three in our car, lol!

[74/171FAN]

Speaking of carpooling, yes, it's going to be a thing on the day of the meet — there's just no way to pull off a semi-urban driving tour w/ limited parking with 30 vehicles on the move. *On average*, folks will need to ride in pairs for this to work.

Yeah, I am in the same boat with my parents attending.
We'll be above average because we will automatically have three in our car, lol!

[roadwaywiz95]

Road Meet Planning Update (7/2):

First off, and as promised, the complete meet iteniary is now available for reading/study/use at the following locations. Please enjoy responsibly and angrily

For full meet iteniary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5o83f1simll6bpi/Wilmington%20Road%20Meet%20Iteniary.docx?dl=0

For a more printer-friendly version of the meet iteniary that omits all photos (but includes all maps):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ixokeii107d1zjd/Wilmington%20Road%20Meet%20Iteniary%20-%20Printer-Friendly.docx?dl=0

The other major development from the past few days is the reservation for the restaurant was formally made and we"˜re all set on that front. I gave them a party size of "30-35" , with it being possible that a few more folks might jump in on the proceedings in the days ahead. The friendly folks at Timothy's are excited to have us but they want to remind you all that outdoor seating at this location shall be filled on a first come-first serve basis. (It's not unlimited.) So get there early on meet day if you want a spot for sure. (They open at 11:30.)

With that, and the completion of major planning for this event, I'm going into hibernation mode for the next 10 days. I think that we've addressed all the major topics of conversation about this event in past posts, both here and on the Facebook event page. Folks may continue to keep the conversation going and others who have not yet RSVP'd can continue to do so in the days ahead. As I said, I think we hit on everything important already but if there are other questions and topics that I haven't covered here that you want addressed, feel free to chime in. I will eventually see posts in here, but my response time will be greatly lengthened for the next week plus.

Overall, as we're about 2 weeks from Meet Day, I think we're in pretty decent shape. My only recommendation to you folks who know you're going is to start to figure out who you want to carpool/ride with on the meet tour since I know there was some preliminary discussion about that the other day in response to my previous post on the subject. While I don't mind hanging out with you people, I don't want to be sitting in the parking lot on Meet Day with y'all staring at each other b/c you're not sure who you want to ride with. Remember — we're going to be pressed for time to some extent due to the lunch beforehand and the ballgame after; the less time we spend standing around looking at each other, the more time we'll have to see roads & stuff. Just something to keep in mind.

[jeffandnicole]

I'll be there. I can drive, or jump in with someone. Doesn't matter to me.

[vdeane]

I finally had a chance to look at the tour in depth this morning.  Looks like it will be not to hard for me to build my drive down to fill in some of the gaps that the tour route would leave on my TM map, though it will be interesting to see how many segments that wouldn't appear in TM due to only driving some of them end up with points added following the meet (as a certain contributor likes to map his travels with high precision and will add points just because a roadmeet tour got on/off a road at a certain spot).

I did find this sentence interesting:

We will be meeting at the above location promptly at 11:30; whether you are dining indoors or outdoors, are driving, or are a passenger, I hope you have an enjoyable experience today!

I wonder if that's referencing the outdoor seating being first-come, first serve, or if it means that the group won't all be eating lunch together.

In any case, I'm looking forward to the meet!  It will be nice to explore Delaware rather than just pass through.

[74/171FAN]

Looks like it will be not to hard for me to build my drive down to fill in some of the gaps that the tour route would leave on my TM map, though it will be interesting to see how many segments that wouldn't appear in TM due to only driving some of them end up with points added following the meet (as a certain contributor likes to map his travels with high precision and will add points just because a roadmeet tour got on/off a road at a certain spot).

I seriously doubt that I will be adding any points in northern DE as a result of this meet.  First off, I have already clinched all of the routes in that area, and secondly, I am pretty sure all of the major junctions are already covered.

[yanksfan6129]

I'm planning to attend. Corco's presence alone is worth the jaunt from DC.

[corco]

Oh hell yeah

[ccurley100]

I will be there

[roadwaywiz95]

Road Meet Planning Update (7/13):

Welcome to "Meet Week", everyone! By now you folks should be well familiar with what we're going to be doing on Saturday. I didn't see any complaints about the iteniary while I was away so I take that as a good sign.

Note for anyone who has not already RSVP'd for this thing - please do so ASAP; I will be following up with the restaurant on Thursday as far as a final count for lunch goes - they asked me to do this due to the large size of our crowd. (I have 30 confirmed "yes" votes as of now.) Your cooperation on this matter is appreciated.

As stated in the iteniary, there is no official pre-meet activities planned for Saturday, however since the restaurant opens at 11:30 I suggest folks get there well prior to that time so they may be able to check out the area. (As I said, there's a decent amount right in that area you might be interested in.) I haven't fully decided what I'm going to be doing that morning; I will have wrapped up work by 7 AM in New York, so I expect to be in Wilmington around 10 or so. I'll definitely be at the riverfront no later than 11 if anyone is looking for someone competent to socialize with. 

And with that, I think we're in good shape. It'll be hot this weekend by all the early indications, so plan accordingly. Looking forward to  seeing you all in The First State!

[oscar]

Please count me in as well.

I'll be driving up to Wilmington by myself, with room in my car (silver Subaru Forester) for two or maybe three passengers. To help with the process of consolidating our group into fewer cars, please PM me (I'm not on Facebook) if you'd be interested in riding with me, or letting me ride with you. FYI, I completed my Covid-19 vaccinations in March. Also, I'll be skipping the post-meet baseball game, though it looks like there will be ample parking space in lots near both Timothy's Riverfront Grill and the baseball stadium, so that should not matter.

[yanksfan6129]

... ditto what Oscar said, I'm planning to drive up from DC on Saturday morning, and I AM going to stay for the post-meet baseball game, so if anyone needs a ride from the DMV, hit me up.

Fully covid-19 vaxxed.

(Oscar, if you weren't skipping the game, I'd take you up on your offer!)

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740

[jeffandnicole]

Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740

Depends on their thunderstorm protocols, which in the minor leagues are often more strict than the major leagues.  Hopefully if anything happens its a passing storm...after the roadmeet and before game time!

[signalman]

Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740

Depends on their thunderstorm protocols, which in the minor leagues are often more strict than the major leagues.  Hopefully if anything happens its a passing storm...after the roadmeet and before game time!

That's a rather small window. It would need to be very brief in order to not negatively impact either part of tomorrow's events.

[roadwaywiz95]

Road Meet Planning Update (7/16) "FINAL UPDATE":

A few final comments and pointers for folks as we all get ready to converge on Wilmington tomorrow:

I informed the restaurant yesterday about the expected final tally of folks in our party. Everything is good to go and all are looking forward to seeing a party of our size.

Based on evidence found on certain airspace apps, the President is not expected to be home in Wilmington this weekend, so any issues in terms of traffic (stoppages, rolling closures, etc.) and/or flight space are not expected to be present.

It's probably not a bad idea for folks to bring their own supplies of drinking water for tomorrow given the high temperatures expected — I will also have a stash of bottled water in my car if anyone needs any.

Finally, there were comments recently about the post-meet game and what happens should the game be postponed. First off, it's worth remembering that this event is not part of the actually meet and it's therefore not lumped into the planning of the day in the same way that everything else has been. As a result, there was never any consideration of a "Plan B"  in the event of a postponement — there isn't really anything in the area (assuming it's raining) that would be suitable for a large group of folks to take part in as a substitute and so I don't have anything else of an organized nature that would serve in that capacity.

In the end, if it rains, it rains. And if we have to adjust, we'll adjust. Unfortunately, I do not possess a switch in my car that can turn off clouds/rainfall — a revelation that is sure to stir some of you at this critical moment in our hobby's history. We'll make the most of whatever comes our way.

See you all tomorrow!