Greatest road meet of all time?

[bugo]

The Saint Louis meet was definitely the best one that I have attended, and from what I've heard about some of the others, it was the greatest of all time.  It had a little bit of everything, and the fun didn't end when the sun went down.  It was a once in a lifetime experience that sadly probably won't ever be repeated.

[getemngo]

I can see how a lot of folks would say St. Louis, but to a guy who missed Friday night, went to bed before Saturday night really got fun, and never got over the frustration of the downtown traffic... it would have to be Ashland 2013. Beautiful country, perfect weather, well organized, nobody got lost, no real traffic, good variety of old and new sights, made 4 great new friends there, tons of fun Saturday night with no hangover, free Ale-8-One, and county clinching that was somehow not tedious. Makes me want to live in Kentucky, which would incidentally result in my significant other killing me.

Best there-and-back (as in, no hotel stay) was my first meet, Lansing 2008. Felt like I was finally home with my people, and again, huge diversity in content - it's not for everyone, but I liked that there was not-strictly-road stuff interspersed, like the Bath School Disaster site and a county tripoint. Most old maps I've ever seen at a lunch, too.

I started to make a list of honorable mentions, until it turned into almost half of my meets. But Flint 2013 does get an honorable mention for being the best meet I've attended with no host and no agenda! (Seriously, it was a blast.)

[bugo]

Was it a bunker blast?

[froggie]

For those further east, it's hard to top Baltimore or Raleigh...

[bugo]

Yeah but those were regional meets.  The St Louis meet was the first truly national meet.

[froggie]

Tell that to Jeff Kitsko...

[oscar]

Tell that to Jeff Kitsko...

Or Dan, who hosted the 2008 Chicago national meet.

But I'm not sure either Jeff's or Dan's meets had attendees coming in from the Pacific or Mountain time zones, as did St. Louis (corco, and Steve Riner and his wife). 

[AsphaltPlanet]

You could argue that any meet that I attended, or any meet that Dr. Frank attends was an international meet, by that logic.

[oscar]

You could argue that any meet that I attended, or any meet that Dr. Frank attends was an international meet, by that logic.

Yeah, but you're both Eastern Time Zone, and fairly close to the U.S. border, so you're not expanding the geographic coverage as much as attendees from the western states/provinces.

[bandit957]

The St. Louis meet tops 'em all. But the ones in Ashland and Cincinnati last year were amazing too.

The Cincinnati meet had very good planning.

[bandit957]

It's just too bad that Chris Bessert, H.B. Elkins, and the Sesame Street Krew missed the mini-meet in Michigan's Thumb back in 2003.

[bugo]

It's just too bad that Chris Bessert, H.B. Elkins, and the Sesame Street Krew missed the mini-meet in Michigan's Thumb back in 2003.

Too bad I missed that meet.

[hbelkins]

Most all of the meets themselves I've been to have been pretty good, with a couple of exceptions. Offhand, though, I'd rank the Atlanta meet in 2008 as one that seemed to be the most fun and light-hearted. Steve Williams (The Georgia Road Geek) did a video of the meet that captured a lot of the activity.

And for personal reasons, the Akron/Canton meet in 2010 stands out as well. The weather was awful, but the meet was the day after my dad's funeral and going to the meet helped provide a diversion when I really needed it.

All of the trips for the meets provided opportunities to visit new counties and, for the most part, drive on new roads, so viewed in those lights, there hasn't been a bad meet. I could have done without getting sick when I went to New Hampshire last year and the car trouble when I went to Kansas, however.

[jpi]

I would have to say the best meets I have been too would be Atlanta in 2008, Hartford, CT in 2008 because this was just days after my father in laws funeral and was a nice "escape" during a sad 2 weeks in central PA, also I would say the 2010 Baltimore meet is high on this list and is the largest in the terms of attendees for any meet I have been too.  Overall St. Louis was a fun meet, pretty much every meet I have been to has been fun, I would say the worst was Chattanooga last July and thats mainly because it rained heavy the entire day.

[agentsteel53]

nothing compares to the time I took Lou Corsaro to Tijuana.

(Scott Onson has a general idea about how my Mexico tours go down, but Scott didn't have the entire "holy shit!" reaction that Lou did.)

[NE2]

nothing compares to the time I took Lou Corsaro to Tijuana.

(Scott Onson has a general idea about how my Mexico tours go down, but Scott didn't have the entire "holy shit!" reaction that Lou did.)

A caprine stripper?

[agentsteel53]

A caprine stripper?

almost.

there, it is considered titillating to put pants onto the performer.

[A.J. Bertin]

...the Sesame Street Krew

Sesame Street Krew? LOL

mini-meet in Michigan's Thumb back in 2003.

There was once a meet in Michigan's Thumb? Who all was there and remembers it? I'm intrigued.

[bandit957]

There was once a meet in Michigan's Thumb? Who all was there and remembers it? I'm intrigued.

It was a mini-meet attended only by myself and a family member.

[Alps]

I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.

[NE2]

I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.

Was there a Fart Smock?

[Alps]

I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.

Was there a Fart Smock?

There was, and it didn't keep the bunks away.
Also, if you come to the NYC meet, it will be the greatest ever.

[Zeffy]

There was, and it didn't keep the bunks away.

If I ever come to a roadmeet, I'd just like to warn everybody that I suffer from...indigestion problems that lead to a frequent expulsion of (sometimes rotten smelling) gas. In case you wanted to know, my current record of bunker blasts in one day is 73 times. An average human is 14.

So, if I'm there, bring lots of fart smocks. Whatever the hell those are anyway.

[corco]

I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.

That was a pretty fucking awesome meet

[SSOWorld]

Nothing really stands for me.  The fact that I went from one extreme, all the way to the east with totally random drives (Providence), to the other, outside my apartment door (Dubuque and LA US 99) pretty much puts them in perspective.  Note: I put together the Dubuque meet.  It was the only one I didn't have to stay in a hotel or drive far for. (The LA one doesn't count because it was 2000+ miles and a temporary home).

What I liked about Providence weekend was that the side trips I took had much focus on Boston, I think I spent too much time in the big dig.