I'm making this topic because 2014 is still mostly a clean slate, and it's not a bad idea to look at what we may be missing out on. Maybe someone in one of these areas will see a need and decide to host a meet there sometime.
Roadgeek meets in the US tend to happen more the further east and further north you go. In some states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois) they happen at least once a year, but in other areas, sometimes close by, there just isn't enough activity.
I'm surprised we don't see more meets around:
- Texas. Lots of roadgeeks, lots of discussion about Texas, always a big project happening, but as far as I can tell, there's never been a Texas meet. Is it too far south or west for most roadgeeks? Tulsa, Oklahoma happened successfully in 2010, and I bet a Houston or Dallas/Fort Worth would draw more long-distance travelers than Tulsa did.
- Florida. Another state of huge roadgeek interest. The Titusville mini-meet last weekend very well may have been the first ever. Why??
- Georgia. Goes along with Florida, I guess, but it seems like there are more roadgeeks here, and the Carolinas have a meet every year or two. Nothing apart from Atlanta in 2004, and Atlanta again in 2008.
- The west coast. Apart from Los Angeles earlier this year, and Portland in 2009, there's been nothing since 2002! You'd think California would have enough of a roadgeek population to pull this off, even if none of us out east came. And we probably would show up if it were advertised as a "national meet."
- Colorado. I'm mostly listing it because meets don't seem to happen in Mountain Time, which is a pretty big chunk of the country. Denver had meets in 2003 and 2004.
- Indiana. It's 100% surrounded by states that have 1+ meets each year. Lots of construction thanks to the Major Moves program, especially with US 31 and I-69. Apart from Michigan and Illinois meets that crossed the border, there have only been two Indiana meets ever, both in 2009. I would take care of this myself if I had the resources.
- Minnesota. Looks like the Hastings meet (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10186.0) next year would be the first ever. Seems like the Wisconsin/Illinois people would be all over this, especially with the size (and number of freeways) of the Twin Cities.
- Maine,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware. Can't find evidence of many meets in these states. Sure, they're tiny, and maybe a Maryland meet's tour has crossed into Delaware or something, but there's enough New England/Mid-Atlantic roadgeeks that turnout wouldn't be a problem. There has to be something interesting to see.
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 05:11:15 PM
- Florida. Another state of huge roadgeek interest.
I think you mean sprawlgeek.
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 05:11:15 PM
The Titusville mini-meet last weekend very well may have been the first ever. Why??[/li][/list]
There was one about 6 years ago that filled two cars IIRC.
There were two road meets which took place in Connecticut, Hartford in April 2008 and New Haven in July 2011. There was also a road meet that took place in Springfield, Massachusetts in November 2010. As for Maine, the Portsmouth, New Hampshire meet this June crossed into Kittery, Maine for part of the tour, but it was essentially a New Hampshire meet.
Quote from: NE2 on September 30, 2013, 05:27:09 PM
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 05:11:15 PM
- Florida. Another state of huge roadgeek interest.
I think you mean sprawlgeek.
it is a haven for old signs. at least, it was as of 2007. [/list]
We need a Hawai'i meet just for the heck of it. Granted that it would be expensive to get there, but damn, it would be fun. :bigass:
Seriously though, I've never heard of meets in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, or New Mexico for that matter. I also agree that for a state with so many roads crossing it, Indiana is sorely underrepresented for meets. I'd think that Kokomo and Bloomington would be good locations in the near future given the amount of road building going on at both. I could hold a South Bend - Elkhart - Goshen meet sometime due to my knowledge of that area.
Quote from: Brandon on September 30, 2013, 05:51:13 PM
Seriously though, I've never heard of meets in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, or New Mexico for that matter.
As far as I can tell, the only states west of the Mississippi that have had even a single meet are California, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Louisiana. That's barely a third of them. Of course, population density is an issue here, with both a lack of locals and a lack of fun infrastructure in a lot of places.
(But then, I missed a bunch, even though all of them except New Haven are listed on the Gribblenation meets page. Thanks for the corrections, Doug.)
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 06:25:04 PM
Quote from: Brandon on September 30, 2013, 05:51:13 PM
Seriously though, I've never heard of meets in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, or New Mexico for that matter.
As far as I can tell, the only states west of the Mississippi that have had even a single meet are California, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Louisiana. That's barely a third of them. Of course, population density is an issue here, with both a lack of locals and a lack of fun infrastructure in a lot of places.
(But then, I missed a bunch, even though all of them except New Haven are listed on the Gribblenation meets page. Thanks for the corrections, Doug.)
I helped get the Portland, OR meet together, but there were also a couple of Oregonians and a Washingtonian in attendance. I have family in Oregon, so I fit in a meet during one of my visits to Oregon. There was talk of having a Seattle meet at one time, but that hasn't come to fruition yet.
Connecticut has a lot of rural routes with nice scenery. I'd be all for doing a road meet there some time.
Connecticut is a tough state because interesting stuff does not quite occur in clusters that make for a nice afternoon tour.
Although one potentially attractive idea does come to mind: Merritt Parkway meet. Anyone interested in that? I should be able to organize it. It's all ordinary stuff to me since I grew up in the area, but might be interesting for some people who didn't.
I can also show you a bridge in Stamford that's about 110 years old and has been abandoned for nearly 80 of those. :)
Quote from: Duke87 on September 30, 2013, 08:48:36 PM
Although one potentially attractive idea does come to mind: Merritt Parkway meet. Anyone interested in that? I should be able to organize it. It's all ordinary stuff to me since I grew up in the area, but might be interesting for some people who didn't. :)
A Merritt Parkway meet would be fun. I would go.
Mike and I have played around with the idea of doing a Delmarva meet. We were thinking of various points along Maryland's Eastern Shore, but it might easily be possible to extend the tour to Delaware or Virginia.
If I make it back out to Albuquerque, NM in 2015, maybe I could put one on out there. :-) The BIG I is impressive. :)
Quote from: Laura Bianca on September 30, 2013, 08:52:13 PM
Mike and I have played around with the idea of doing a Delmarva meet. We were thinking of various points along Maryland's Eastern Shore, but it might easily be possible to extend the tour to Delaware or Virginia.
At least two of us would come from Michigan solely to pick up some new counties. :)
I attended a meet in Texas a few years ago. Gene VanDusseldorf hosted it. There were only three of us who attended, and one guy got lost before the first stop on the tour and we hadn't exchanged cell phone numbers, but it was a meet.
I think Atlanta's prime for another meet, given all the construction that's going on down there. I'm not sure if Steve Williams (the Georgia Road Geek) or Jim Georges (FreewayJim) are on this board or not, but they could definitely host an Atlanta-area meet.
It's unusual that I'm doing two Kentucky meets this year. I had only done two Kentucky meets prior, and had been doing a meet every other year since I started (Pikeville in '05, Somerset in '07 and Charleston, WV in '09) but I hit somewhat of a lull and even though I'd scouted the Ashland area meet for a possibility in '11, I didn't actually do it until this year. When I realized that part of the new US 460 route will open to traffic next year, that's when I decided to go ahead and do a meet this fall while construction is ongoing.
If I do something in the Louisville area concerning the bridges construction, it's quite likely that we would eat across the river in Indiana. I've been to meets in Indianapolis (two-day) and Fort Wayne.
Lastly, I've always wanted to drive the Merritt Parkway. I have only been on a small portion of it, and that was after dark, so I'd love to see it. I'd definitely be interested in such a meet. Even though you may be intimately familiar with a place (like I have been with the places where I've hosted meets), that doesn't mean what's there wouldn't be of interest to someone else.
A few years ago, it seemed like the concept of road meets was dead. They're back with a vengeance, and that's a good thing.
I'd love a Texas meet. :D
I'm not likely to have the time or $$ to go much farther anytime soon...but someday....
Quote from: hbelkins on September 30, 2013, 10:08:43 PM
A few years ago, it seemed like the concept of road meets was dead. They're back with a vengeance, and that's a good thing.
I'd argue that the creation of the AARoads Forum was the best thing to happen to road meets. It broadened the potential audience for meets and therefore made meet more popular.
Quote from: NE2 on September 30, 2013, 05:27:09 PM
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 05:11:15 PM
- Florida. Another state of huge roadgeek interest.
I think you mean sprawlgeek.
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 05:11:15 PM
The Titusville mini-meet last weekend very well may have been the first ever. Why??[/li][/list]
There was one about 6 years ago that filled two cars IIRC.
Indeed, it was held by Justin and I in Orlando in 2006. You, Gene and his partner and Rob Droz rounded out the meet. We looked at the 429 construction and afterwards you, J and me walked around downtown and drove some of the Disney roads.
QuoteSeems like the Wisconsin/Illinois people would be all over this, especially with the size (and number of freeways) of the Twin Cities.
FTFY.
Seattle should have one.
Quote from: Duke87 on September 30, 2013, 08:48:36 PM
Connecticut is a tough state because interesting stuff does not quite occur in clusters that make for a nice afternoon tour.
Although one potentially attractive idea does come to mind: Merritt Parkway meet. Anyone interested in that? I should be able to organize it. It's all ordinary stuff to me since I grew up in the area, but might be interesting for some people who didn't.
I can also show you a bridge in Stamford that's about 110 years old and has been abandoned for nearly 80 of those. :)
Sounds good to me. If we're going to be in the area, I'd propose also including Super 7 and the mountain tunnel on the Wilbur Cross. Maybe checking out the end of the CT 25 expressway would be cool as well.
Quote from: dgolub on October 01, 2013, 08:39:07 AM
Sounds good to me. If we're going to be in the area, I'd propose also including Super 7 and the mountain tunnel on the Wilbur Cross. Maybe checking out the end of the CT 25 expressway would be cool as well.
*ahem* Route 34?
Quote from: KEK Inc. on October 01, 2013, 01:23:48 AM
Seattle should have one.
I feel like we'd easily have enough people to pull a Seattle meet- it would just be a matter of somebody organizing it.
Quote from: Laura Bianca on September 30, 2013, 08:52:13 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on September 30, 2013, 08:48:36 PM
Although one potentially attractive idea does come to mind: Merritt Parkway meet. Anyone interested in that? I should be able to organize it. It's all ordinary stuff to me since I grew up in the area, but might be interesting for some people who didn't. :)
A Merritt Parkway meet would be fun. I would go.
Mike and I have played around with the idea of doing a Delmarva meet. We were thinking of various points along Maryland's Eastern Shore, but it might easily be possible to extend the tour to Delaware or Virginia.
It has been over 15 years since I travelled the Merritt PKWY, I spent 2 weeks in Milford, CT at a new Barrel opening and got to travel it then. I would be game for either one of these meets if I am in central PA at the time. :-)
I've never been to Seattle and would love to give that a try if the time and money worked out; it'd also be a chance to visit the Museum of Flight.
When people say "Texas" my immediate reaction is, "Dang, there's a HUGE possible world unto itself" due to the size of the state making the idea of a "Texas meet" a rather broad generalization. I tend to think the 85-mph stretch of Route 130 is probably an obvious choice. Either way, I'd love to go down there and turn it into a longer trip. I was born in Texas but we moved when I was 1 year old and I've never seen where I was born and such, so it would be kind of neat to take a few days and go there (my father says our old house looks pretty much the same on Street View as it did 40 years ago....I'm not sure whether that's good or bad).
I'd be willing to host a Baja California meet. I've taken certain members of the road community down there before and I believe each and every one of them can attest to its awesomeness.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 01, 2013, 06:10:30 PM
I'd be willing to host a Baja California meet. I've taken certain members of the road community down there before and I believe each and every one of them can attest to its awesomeness.
Or Chihuahua. They have roadgeek dogs.
Or Niedersachsen.
Quote from: 1 on October 01, 2013, 06:14:01 PM
Or Chihuahua.
okay. I'll attend your meet.
seriously, don't be a shit.
Quote from: Brandon on September 30, 2013, 05:51:13 PM
We need a Hawai'i meet just for the heck of it. Granted that it would be expensive to get there, but damn, it would be fun. :bigass:
Seriously though, I've never heard of meets in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, or New Mexico for that matter. I also agree that for a state with so many roads crossing it, Indiana is sorely underrepresented for meets. I'd think that Kokomo and Bloomington would be good locations in the near future given the amount of road building going on at both. I could hold a South Bend - Elkhart - Goshen meet sometime due to my knowledge of that area.
Not to mention Arizona. Phoenix has two major projects going on as we speak:
* the "Gateway" interchange (AZ SR 24) is under construction and a 3-level stack is being built to connect it to the 202.
* The 303 - nuff said.
Plus the existing interchanges are marvels in themselves especially
* The stack (17 and 10)
* The short stack (10, 51, 202)
* The SuperRedTan (202 and 60)
I don't know much else about Phoenix and I would have to dig into history to find out more. One could also visit historic routes (66 through Northern AZ (Flagstaff, Kingman))
It would have to be a national meet as well and since Steve's doing NYC next year - a second national meet would break budgets.
About NM - besides the Big I - what else is there besides a route 66 tour?
CO - there's more than Denver and this would be National Meet material as well as you have the marvels that cut through the Rockies.
* The Glenwood Canyon structures are VERY accessible from below because there is a recreation path following the river, but how much of a top view we would get I'm not sure.
I do agree that the whole west coast is not well mentioned for meets - and there are many roadfans here. (I'm glad the OP remembered the LA tour - there's also San Diego (Andy, Michael, and Jake), SF (Brent), SacTown (Ray Mullins), I sure like the idea of a Baja California meet, but I'd like to get a SENTRI pass first :P - but that may have to wait until, oh wait we can't speak of that here ;)
Quote from: NE2 on October 01, 2013, 09:30:10 AM
Quote from: dgolub on October 01, 2013, 08:39:07 AM
Sounds good to me. If we're going to be in the area, I'd propose also including Super 7 and the mountain tunnel on the Wilbur Cross. Maybe checking out the end of the CT 25 expressway would be cool as well.
*ahem* Route 34?
The West Rock Tunnel and CT 25 were both featured in my 2011 New Haven meet. As was CT 34, although the freeway was still completely intact then.
The way I'd expect a Merritt Parkway meet would work would be to parallel it entirely on local roads in one direction, seeing some of the underpasses from underneath (which you otherwise would never see driving the road itself) and other related sights, and then driving the parkway itself for the clinch on the return trip.
Another benefit of this is that narrow back roads in New England are an experience unto themselves, which people not from the area might not appreciate. Especially since in some places you will drive past some houses owned by some pretty well-off people (a lot of hedge fund managers and people of similar ilk live in Fairfield County).
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 05:11:15 PM
- Texas. Lots of roadgeeks, lots of discussion about Texas, always a big project happening, but as far as I can tell, there's never been a Texas meet. Is it too far south or west for most roadgeeks? Tulsa, Oklahoma happened successfully in 2010, and I bet a Houston or Dallas/Fort Worth would draw more long-distance travelers than Tulsa did.
The Tulsa meet was also on a weekday. It would have probably had more attendees if it had been on a weekend.
Post Merge: October 01, 2013, 10:50:57 PM
Has there ever been an Arkansas meet? Mississippi? Alabama?
Quote from: bugo on October 01, 2013, 09:46:49 PM
Has there ever been an Arkansas meet? Mississippi? Alabama?
Cody Goodman hosted a meet in Birmingham on October 20, 2012. Can't find anything on Mississippi or Arkansas.
The Memphis meet I hosted last spring brought us into northern Mississippi to check out some future I-269 construction that will tie in with the newer stretch of I-69 going toward Tunica.
Quote from: getemngo on September 30, 2013, 09:05:52 PM
Quote from: Laura Bianca on September 30, 2013, 08:52:13 PM
Mike and I have played around with the idea of doing a Delmarva meet. We were thinking of various points along Maryland's Eastern Shore, but it might easily be possible to extend the tour to Delaware or Virginia.
At least two of us would come from Michigan solely to pick up some new counties. :)
Excellent! We will definitely get planning! We'll brainstorm a bit and definitely start a feeler post for dates in the coming weeks.
I agree with Brandon about Indiana being very underrepresented. The only meets Indiana has had (as far as I know) are the following:
- September 2006 - a meet around South Bend that may have started in Edwardsburg, MI
- June 2008 - a multi-day Chicago area meet that entered northwest Indiana for a bit
- July 2009 - an Indianapolis meet that went down the future I-69 corridor toward Evansville and back
- November 2009 - the Fort-to-Port meet that started in Fort Wayne, explored the new U.S. 24 freeway corridor, crossed into Ohio, and came back
Indiana is way overdue. I was thinking it would be nice to see meets in South Bend, Kokomo, and Evansville.
H.B. - if you're planning to host a Louisville meet at some point within the next year or two, I'd love to make that. I've been wanting to explore Louisville for quite a while.
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed for Minneapolis/St. Paul.
I've never had the opportunity to attend a Pennsylvania meet and would love to make it to one of those someday. Not sure if there's anything roadworthy that would prompt another Pittsburgh-area meet, but I'd love to make it out that way.
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on October 02, 2013, 06:31:52 AM
Indiana is way overdue. I was thinking it would be nice to see meets in South Bend, Kokomo, and Evansville.
Not much to see in Evansville at this moment. The multi-day Indy meet tracked the corridor of the then-unbuilt I-69 and crossed into Kentucky. Until they get started on an I-69 bridge, I can't foresee much of interest in the Evansville area.
With all the construction north of Indianapolis, I would think there are some prime possibilities for Indiana. Kokomo and the new US 31 alignment is one I've thought would be good fodder for a meeting, and the IND 25 construction that's often mentioned here on AA Roads as well.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 02, 2013, 10:50:55 AM
Not much to see in Evansville at this moment. The multi-day Indy meet tracked the corridor of the then-unbuilt I-69 and crossed into Kentucky. Until they get started on an I-69 bridge, I can't foresee much of interest in the Evansville area.
I'm sure you're right about how there probably wouldn't be much interest in an Evansville meet. When I say that I'd like to see an Evansville meet, it's mostly for selfish reasons. It's just a city I'd love to explore and need an excuse to do it. I often use road meets as an excuse for visiting new cities I'd otherwise not have a chance to visit. LOL
Quote from: hbelkins on October 02, 2013, 10:50:55 AM
With all the construction north of Indianapolis, I would think there are some prime possibilities for Indiana. Kokomo and the new US 31 alignment is one I've thought would be good fodder for a meeting, and the IND 25 construction that's often mentioned here on AA Roads as well.
I think Sam Scholtens mentioned something recently about either wanting to host a Kokomo meet or thinking someone else might want to host one there at some point soon.
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on October 02, 2013, 12:47:46 PMI think Sam Scholtens mentioned something recently about either wanting to host a Kokomo meet or thinking someone else might want to host one there at some point soon.
Yeah, I suggested a Kokomo meet in December, once the US 31 bypass was finished. Heard nothing but crickets. Then I suggested a Lafayette/Kokomo meet and was told "that's too much driving", even though it would be less than 70 miles between the two, including IN 25 from Lafayette to Logansport. :rolleyes: As H.B. said, we went a lot further than that at Indianapolis in 2009.
There's still a lot happening with US 31 in the coming years immediately south of South Bend, and north of Indianapolis. Perhaps Brandon can do the South Bend meet he suggested. I'd prefer someone with more Indiana knowledge than I to host any of these ideas, but I'll do the research and do it myself if nobody else takes the initiative.
You know, we've really seen everything there is to see in Michigan in the last 10 years. That's an unfortunate consequence of our state's budget. I can't see much reason to have more Michigan meets between M-231's completion and whenever the hell the new Detroit bridge gets built (apart from seeing old alignments, old bridges, etc). I'd like to see it where, instead of doing an annual Michigan meet, we alternate between Michigan and Indiana for the next few years.
As long as my schedule allows I would be up for a Kokomo meet, only around 6 to 7 hours from me.
Quote from: getemngo on October 02, 2013, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on October 02, 2013, 12:47:46 PMI think Sam Scholtens mentioned something recently about either wanting to host a Kokomo meet or thinking someone else might want to host one there at some point soon.
Yeah, I suggested a Kokomo meet in December, once the US 31 bypass was finished. Heard nothing but crickets. Then I suggested a Lafayette/Kokomo meet and was told "that's too much driving", even though it would be less than 70 miles between the two, including IN 25 from Lafayette to Logansport. :rolleyes: As H.B. said, we went a lot further than that at Indianapolis in 2009.
There's still a lot happening with US 31 in the coming years immediately south of South Bend, and north of Indianapolis. Perhaps Brandon can do the South Bend meet he suggested. I'd prefer someone with more Indiana knowledge than I to host any of these ideas, but I'll do the research and do it myself if nobody else takes the initiative.
You know, we've really seen everything there is to see in Michigan in the last 10 years. That's an unfortunate consequence of our state's budget. I can't see much reason to have more Michigan meets between M-231's completion and whenever the hell the new Detroit bridge gets built (apart from seeing old alignments, old bridges, etc). I'd like to see it where, instead of doing an annual Michigan meet, we alternate between Michigan and Indiana for the next few years.
Kokomo would be a change of pace, but we never did hear anything more about it. I'd go as it is an easy drive for me.
We've seen a lot in the Mitten, but the UP is virgin territory as far as I know for roadgeek meets. They've been suggested in the past, but I've never seen anything come of them.
Then we have downstate Illinois. East Dubuque saw some love during the Dubuque meet, and there have been some in Metro East, but Chicagoland hogs the majority of the meets. That's why I've planned my next one for the Illinois Valley. I'd like to see a Rockford one sometime as we have folks from Rockford here, and it is a mecca for old and odd traffic signals.
Yes, non-Chicagoland meets in Illinois would be great! Similar to A.J.'s thoughts on Indiana, I'd like to see something in Springfield, Decatur, Bloomington, Urbana/Champaign, or the Quad Cities, but more because I want to visit the cities themselves than for roadgeeking purposes.
Quote from: Brandon on October 02, 2013, 04:29:18 PMWe've seen a lot in the Mitten, but the UP is virgin territory as far as I know for roadgeek meets. They've been suggested in the past, but I've never seen anything come of them.
There was a mini-meet (4 people, plus another at breakfast the next day) in Marquette (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3065.msg77182#msg77182) in September 2010. It was mostly an experiment to see if we could pull off a full roadmeet there in the future.
Nothing happened after that because every single Yooper roadgeek moved out of the peninsula. But Michael (bulldog1979) is there now, and I'll be moving back myself in January. So now I'm considering something pretty strongly again, in either fall 2014 or fall 2015. I'm trying to decide between another Marquette/Baraga County loop or the Keweenaw Peninsula with a side trip to Ontonagon. Maybe a two-day meet with both, to make it worth the drive.
Quote from: corco on October 01, 2013, 09:40:29 AM
Quote from: KEK Inc. on October 01, 2013, 01:23:48 AM
Seattle should have one.
I feel like we'd easily have enough people to pull a Seattle meet- it would just be a matter of somebody organizing it.
Yeah. There's lots of cool things in Seattle, from historic roads to the new 520 project and Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement. Take a ride up through Mukliteo and take a ferry to Clinton. Go up Whidbey Is. through Deception Pass to see the two bridges there and then see the replacement bridge over the Skagit River in Burlington/Mt. Vernon? That way you get to experience some cool bridges, relevant stuff in the news, and the WSDOT ferry system.
That might be a bit long once you add in lunch, but I'd be down for it in the summer months when days are long. I think that's a good start- one thing to keep in mind is that a Seattle meet would likely have a lot of "locals"/people already familiar with the area. Certainly viaduct replacement stuff would need to be on the docket.
A winter meet would probably require a shorter tour- maybe check out the viaduct- I like your idea of ferrying- but maybe to go to Bremerton, check out some of the sights around Bremerton, then loop back around the Narrows Bridge- that'd probably be a couple hours faster.
Another option would be to forego the ferry, which would save a bunch of time, and concentrate on stuff right in and around Seattle. A third option would be to actually host the meet around Deception Pass or on the Kitsap Peninsula and just focus on those areas. Seattle has so many different possiblities with cool roads/old things to see/new construction that it'd be hard to go wrong. When I start thinking about it, it seems like it'd be possible to fill at least 10 roadmeets with stuff that's ~ 60 miles around Seattle without it getting boring.
I guess another thing to consider is that people who attend the Seattle meet would likely almost all be people who haven't attended other roadmeets, so perhaps an organic form can develop that's different than established roadmeet protocol- there wouldn't necessarily be the expectation that we meet at 11, have lunch for a couple hours, then drive to a few stops, stopping for a good bit of time at each place, and get back before dark (though personally, having done it a couple times, I think that form works well, but I'd be open to doing something different).
It'd probably depend on the number of people- it seems like there'd be an inverse relationship between length of tour and number of attendees- if you have 20 people, they're going to want to spend a lot of time talking to each other and everybody is going to have stuff to say at each stop, which limits it. If we can all fit in one car, then we could drive a couple hundred miles and still socialize.
That said, Seattle's a meet I'd 100% certainly attend nearly any weekend. I lived there for a few years myself and still have some friends in the area, and it's a drive I can reasonably do Friday afternoon/Sunday without missing work. Finances/getting time off work wouldn't be a consideration- it'd be strictly "do I have anything better to do that weekend?" and the majority of the time the answer to that question is "no."
Quote from: corco on October 02, 2013, 07:59:43 PM
it'd be strictly "do I have anything better to do that weekend?" and the majority of the time the answer to that question is "duh, I live in East Idaho."
Quote from: Duke87 on October 01, 2013, 09:14:05 PM
The way I'd expect a Merritt Parkway meet would work would be to parallel it entirely on local roads in one direction, seeing some of the underpasses from underneath (which you otherwise would never see driving the road itself) and other related sights, and then driving the parkway itself for the clinch on the return trip.
Another benefit of this is that narrow back roads in New England are an experience unto themselves, which people not from the area might not appreciate. Especially since in some places you will drive past some houses owned by some pretty well-off people (a lot of hedge fund managers and people of similar ilk live in Fairfield County).
Agreed completely. Paralleling it on the local roads sounds cool, although most of the major roads in the area are north/south, so we might have to get creative to do east/west on local roads. CT 106 and CT 123 might work in the areas that they go through.
We can even canoe under the 520 bridge. :)
I may be inclined to attend (but not host) a Seattle meet, depending on if it fits well with any vacation plans, as I visit the Pacific Northwest annually for my vacation, but haven't had much of an opportunity to explore the roads around Seattle.
Quote from: dgolub on October 02, 2013, 08:16:12 PM
Agreed completely. Paralleling it on the local roads sounds cool, although most of the major roads in the area are north/south, so we might have to get creative to do east/west on local roads. CT 106 and CT 123 might work in the areas that they go through.
Or something like this (http://goo.gl/maps/d2fbh).
That gets us sight of every underpass except the Saugatuck River, which requires the use of a canoe to see from underneath (incidentally, I have done this).
...okay, yeah, that'll take too long. Gonna have to be less aggressive with the dipsy-doodling and some underpasses will not be seen. Ah well.
I'm also tossing around a Portland or other Oregon meet with Doug, since I'll be out there sometime next year. There are old bridges and modern construction.
...and 25 minutes later I have a full tour route planned out with 3 stops and a lunch location. That was too easy. (http://goo.gl/maps/piqXh) Although I suppose planning a meet that starts in the town where you grew up should be!
This is so happening. Now the only question is when.
Quote from: getemngo on October 02, 2013, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on October 02, 2013, 12:47:46 PMI think Sam Scholtens mentioned something recently about either wanting to host a Kokomo meet or thinking someone else might want to host one there at some point soon.
Yeah, I suggested a Kokomo meet in December, once the US 31 bypass was finished. Heard nothing but crickets. Then I suggested a Lafayette/Kokomo meet and was told "that's too much driving", even though it would be less than 70 miles between the two, including IN 25 from Lafayette to Logansport. :rolleyes: As H.B. said, we went a lot further than that at Indianapolis in 2009.
There's still a lot happening with US 31 in the coming years immediately south of South Bend, and north of Indianapolis. Perhaps Brandon can do the South Bend meet he suggested. I'd prefer someone with more Indiana knowledge than I to host any of these ideas, but I'll do the research and do it myself if nobody else takes the initiative.
I, personally, would be very hesitant to host a meet in an area with which I was unfamiliar. I scouted the West Virginia meet three times (not counting the evening before the meet) even though I knew the territory very well. If I knew enough about Lafayette or Kokomo, I wouldn't hesitate to host a meet, but I don't know much about that region at all so any meet I hosted there would be an epic fail.
The Ashland meet was around 120 miles, and it looks like Pikeville may be a little longer than that. The long haul is from Grundy back to Pikeville and the laps around the Pikeville downtown area that we'll be doing.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 02, 2013, 10:28:42 PM
Quote from: getemngo on October 02, 2013, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on October 02, 2013, 12:47:46 PMI think Sam Scholtens mentioned something recently about either wanting to host a Kokomo meet or thinking someone else might want to host one there at some point soon.
Yeah, I suggested a Kokomo meet in December, once the US 31 bypass was finished. Heard nothing but crickets. Then I suggested a Lafayette/Kokomo meet and was told "that's too much driving", even though it would be less than 70 miles between the two, including IN 25 from Lafayette to Logansport. :rolleyes: As H.B. said, we went a lot further than that at Indianapolis in 2009.
There's still a lot happening with US 31 in the coming years immediately south of South Bend, and north of Indianapolis. Perhaps Brandon can do the South Bend meet he suggested. I'd prefer someone with more Indiana knowledge than I to host any of these ideas, but I'll do the research and do it myself if nobody else takes the initiative.
I, personally, would be very hesitant to host a meet in an area with which I was unfamiliar. I scouted the West Virginia meet three times (not counting the evening before the meet) even though I knew the territory very well. If I knew enough about Lafayette or Kokomo, I wouldn't hesitate to host a meet, but I don't know much about that region at all so any meet I hosted there would be an epic fail.
The Ashland meet was around 120 miles, and it looks like Pikeville may be a little longer than that. The long haul is from Grundy back to Pikeville and the laps around the Pikeville downtown area that we'll be doing.
While we're on the topic, what counties are getting covered?
Quote from: Steve on October 02, 2013, 09:59:17 PM
I'm also tossing around a Portland or other Oregon meet with Doug, since I'll be out there sometime next year. There are old bridges and modern construction.
And of course, I'm out in Oregon every year, usually just for a week for my vacation. I'll have to brainstorm, do some research and consult with people who live in or around Oregon about what works best. I'm most familiar with Portland or Salem. We had a meet in Portland in 2009, but I wouldn't see an issue with having a return engagement in the Rose City.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 02, 2013, 10:28:42 PM
Quote from: getemngo on October 02, 2013, 03:26:14 PM
There's still a lot happening with US 31 in the coming years immediately south of South Bend, and north of Indianapolis. Perhaps Brandon can do the South Bend meet he suggested. I'd prefer someone with more Indiana knowledge than I to host any of these ideas, but I'll do the research and do it myself if nobody else takes the initiative.
I, personally, would be very hesitant to host a meet in an area with which I was unfamiliar. I scouted the West Virginia meet three times (not counting the evening before the meet) even though I knew the territory very well. If I knew enough about Lafayette or Kokomo, I wouldn't hesitate to host a meet, but I don't know much about that region at all so any meet I hosted there would be an epic fail.
I would certainly go on at least one scouting trip beforehand, and I'd put a couple months' worth of research into it. In fact, if I hosted, I wouldn't even hold the meet this year because I wouldn't be prepared.
Quote from: Steve on October 02, 2013, 10:48:58 PM
While we're on the topic, what counties are getting covered?
There's a pretty good answer in the meet thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10375.msg247910#msg247910) already.
Quote from: Brandon on September 30, 2013, 05:51:13 PM
Seriously though, I've never heard of meets in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, or New Mexico for that matter.
As SD 100 is supposedly going to be under construction sometime in the next five years, I think a Sioux Falls meet is in order. I believe I know enough about the area to host such a meet.
Quote from: Steve on October 02, 2013, 10:48:58 PM
While we're on the topic, what counties are getting covered?
Pike, Ky., and Dickenson and Buchanan, Va. The restaurant is only a few miles away from the Floyd County, Ky. line, so it would be an easy clinch for anyone who needs it but won't be coming through there. The county line is not too far from the Double Kwik store that sells Ale-8 and Cheerwine both, which is north of the restaurant.
Quote from: Duke87 on October 02, 2013, 09:58:13 PM
Quote from: dgolub on October 02, 2013, 08:16:12 PM
Agreed completely. Paralleling it on the local roads sounds cool, although most of the major roads in the area are north/south, so we might have to get creative to do east/west on local roads. CT 106 and CT 123 might work in the areas that they go through.
Or something like this (http://goo.gl/maps/d2fbh).
That gets us sight of every underpass except the Saugatuck River, which requires the use of a canoe to see from underneath (incidentally, I have done this).
...okay, yeah, that'll take too long. Gonna have to be less aggressive with the dipsy-doodling and some underpasses will not be seen. Ah well.
That works, although it will probably take a while with all the zig-zagging. I'll propose trying to get CT 111 through Trumbull in there somewhere along the way in one direction or the other.
Did the oft-discussed Texarkana meet ever happen? That would have gotten both Texas and Arkansas -- and I can't remember a meet ever being in Arkansas unless the Memphis meet crossed the river.
HB- The Memphis meet did cross the river into West Memphis, AR as part of the tour, then east back into Memphis and traced our way to Sam Cooper BLVD.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 04, 2013, 10:20:30 PM
Did the oft-discussed Texarkana meet ever happen?
For a period of time I posted about efforts to coordinate with LaDOTD for official permission to drive I-49 North before it officially opened to the public, and I was going to base it in Texarkana in order to also drive the new AR 549 section, as well as drive I-369 ("see I-369 'child' shields over 100 miles away from their nearest 'parent' I-69 shield!"). They even sent the waiver forms to me, etc. However, there apparently has been a fairly recent reshuffling among LaDOTD management and a key decisionmaker is not comfortable even with a signed-waiver group driving it. :angry: For that reason, my attempt has fallen through.
That said, the corridor between Texarkana and Shreveport will offer an "interstate-heavy" agenda by this time next year:
- the I-369 shields;
- probable I-49 shields in Arkansas and the ability to drive from the Texas state line to LA 1 north of Shreveport (the "last four miles" in Arkansas are currently scheduled to open Summer 2014);
- Segments J & K construction in Shreveport, including the I-49/I-220 interchange.
However, that would be a LOT of driving for one meet (and does not include any other "local interest" stuff). Just an initial idea. Maybe separate Shreveport and Texarkana meets.
Cincinnati is underrepresented. The one coming up on Saturday is the first real Cincinnati roadmeet ever.
There were 2 so-called roadmeets in Cincinnati in the mid-2000s, but those don't count, because the location wasn't announced beforehand, all because of spitefulness.
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2013, 09:03:08 PMthe location wasn't announced beforehand
how the shit does that work?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 07, 2013, 09:07:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2013, 09:03:08 PMthe location wasn't announced beforehand
how the shit does that work?
Back in the day (TM), there was a Cabal (R) who sorta ruled MTR (C), and they decided who could and couldn't attend meets. When there was a thought Tim would attend, they decided to keep the location secret so that he couldn't find them. We're all a lot wiser now, and meets are held in the open. (There is an occasional invitational meet - I've held one myself)
Quote from: Steve on October 07, 2013, 09:08:58 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 07, 2013, 09:07:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2013, 09:03:08 PMthe location wasn't announced beforehand
how the shit does that work?
Back in the day (TM), there was a Cabal (R) who sorta ruled MTR (C), and they decided who could and couldn't attend meets. When there was a thought Tim would attend, they decided to keep the location secret so that he couldn't find them. We're all a lot wiser now, and meets are held in the open. (There is an occasional invitational meet - I've held one myself)
Guess what? Tim attended the Ashland meet and the sky didn't fall, the world didn't end, and Ale-8 didn't go out of production.
Quote from: bugo on October 07, 2013, 09:12:55 PMAle-8 didn't go out of production.
Not only that, but he (and everybody else who attended) got a 6-pack to take home with them, courtesy of the meet host.
I doubt I'd like Ale-8 anyway. I like two soft drinks, Coke (by a long shot) and Pepsi. Some other brands of cola are pretty decent, but none are as good as Coke. The Walmart brand is gross, as is RC.
ha. Mean Girls of MTR.
that said, I've held plenty of invitational meets. "hey ScottO wanna go to Mexico?"
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 08, 2013, 12:24:07 PM
ha. Mean Girls of MTR.
that said, I've held plenty of invitational meets. "hey ScottO wanna go to Mexico?"
High school never ends.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 08, 2013, 12:24:07 PM
ha. Mean Girls of MTR.
that said, I've held plenty of invitational meets. "hey ScottO wanna go to Mexico?"
Didn't Carl Rogers try to plan a meet once upon a time that would have crossed the border? And wasn't it an epic fail?
Quote from: hbelkins on October 08, 2013, 02:11:43 PM
Didn't Carl Rogers try to plan a meet once upon a time that would have crossed the border? And wasn't it an epic fail?
I can see him running afoul of the US authorities just by virtue of him being calrog and doing calroggy things.
Yay, discussion fully derailed! :spin:
In a weird coincidence, I found viatology.info (http://www.viatology.info/) this morning.
QuoteSo, when you see someone using the word Viatology you know that they're talking about something which is wrong. Often, very wrong. Or lots of things which are wrong.
:-D :-D :-D
Quote from: Steve on October 07, 2013, 09:08:58 PM
(There is an occasional invitational meet - I've held one myself)
Yep, same here...
Quote from: jpi on October 09, 2013, 01:51:28 AM
Quote from: Laura Bianca on October 08, 2013, 11:06:21 PM
Quote from: Steve on October 07, 2013, 09:08:58 PM
(There is an occasional invitational meet - I've held one myself)
Yep, same here...
Me too! :-)
Not because we have a secret club, but because through roads we've developed genuine friendships with each other, and it's easy to put together an informal, last minute meet when people are geographically close or happen to be traveling in another friend's region.
Also, in my case (wedding!) there were financial and space constraints.
Quote from: Laura Bianca on October 09, 2013, 12:22:07 PM
Quote from: Steve on October 07, 2013, 09:08:58 PM
(There is an occasional invitational meet - I've held one myself)
Not because we have a secret club
shhhhhhh, you're in it (http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/smeet)
Quote from: jpi on October 04, 2013, 11:28:31 PM
HB- The Memphis meet did cross the river into West Memphis, AR as part of the tour, then east back into Memphis and traced our way to Sam Cooper BLVD.
Ah, the shittiest town in Arkansas. I hope that those of you who had never been to Arkansas before don't judge the entire state by that hellhole.
Quote from: Alps on October 07, 2013, 09:08:58 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on October 07, 2013, 09:07:00 PM
Quote from: bandit957 on October 07, 2013, 09:03:08 PMthe location wasn't announced beforehand
how the shit does that work?
Back in the day (TM), there was a Cabal (R) who sorta ruled MTR (C), and they decided who could and couldn't attend meets. When there was a thought Tim would attend, they decided to keep the location secret so that he couldn't find them. We're all a lot wiser now, and meets are held in the open. (There is an occasional invitational meet - I've held one myself)
Actually guys like me and Elkins ruled MTR...those losers just thought they did.
Quote from: bugo on March 03, 2014, 04:08:54 AM
Quote from: jpi on October 04, 2013, 11:28:31 PM
HB- The Memphis meet did cross the river into West Memphis, AR as part of the tour, then east back into Memphis and traced our way to Sam Cooper BLVD.
Ah, the shittiest town in Arkansas. I hope that those of you who had never been to Arkansas before don't judge the entire state by that hellhole.
Helena-West Helena isn't much better, IMO.
Quote from: bugo on March 03, 2014, 04:08:54 AM
Ah, the shittiest town in Arkansas. I hope that those of you who had never been to Arkansas before don't judge the entire state by that hellhole.
All I know of West Memphis is the conglomeration of motels, truck stops and restaurants where I-40 and I-55 come together. There's actually a town there?
Quote from: bugo on March 03, 2014, 04:10:31 AM
Actually guys like me and Elkins ruled MTR...those losers just thought they did.
I never thought I ruled anything. I just found a forum that discussed an interest I'd had all my life, so I became a prolific poster and voracious reader. If there was a "power ranking" of the top 25 roadgeeks/road enthusiasts/Roads Scholars/etc., I probably wouldn't even register now, if I ever did.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 03, 2014, 01:10:04 PM
Quote from: bugo on March 03, 2014, 04:08:54 AM
Ah, the shittiest town in Arkansas. I hope that those of you who had never been to Arkansas before don't judge the entire state by that hellhole.
All I know of West Memphis is the conglomeration of motels, truck stops and restaurants where I-40 and I-55 come together. There's actually a town there?
Take the Broadway exit and you're on US 70
Quote from: hbelkins on March 03, 2014, 01:10:04 PM
Quote from: bugo on March 03, 2014, 04:08:54 AM
Ah, the shittiest town in Arkansas. I hope that those of you who had never been to Arkansas before don't judge the entire state by that hellhole.
All I know of West Memphis is the conglomeration of motels, truck stops and restaurants where I-40 and I-55 come together. There's actually a town there?
Quote from: bugo on March 03, 2014, 04:10:31 AM
Actually guys like me and Elkins ruled MTR...those losers just thought they did.
I never thought I ruled anything. I just found a forum that discussed an interest I'd had all my life, so I became a prolific poster and voracious reader. If there was a "power ranking" of the top 25 roadgeeks/road enthusiasts/Roads Scholars/etc., I probably wouldn't even register now, if I ever did.
You were easily top 5 in the early MTR days.
Necroing this thread after 15 months as we do have other areas that could use a roadmeet.
Here's a few below, off the top of my head:
Des Moines - I-235 and downtown appear interesting.
Omaha - check out I-680 some time.
Kansas City - hell of a lot of good stuff, but I've never heard of a meet there.
Quote from: Brandon on June 26, 2015, 12:44:28 PM
Des Moines - I-235 and downtown appear interesting.
Jeff Morrison did a two-day meet in Iowa back in 2010 that covered Des Moines.
Quote from: Brandon on June 26, 2015, 12:44:28 PM
Kansas City - hell of a lot of good stuff, but I've never heard of a meet there.
I wonder if Gene would have any interest in hosting this.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on June 26, 2015, 11:38:54 PM
Quote from: Brandon on June 26, 2015, 12:44:28 PM
Kansas City - hell of a lot of good stuff, but I've never heard of a meet there.
I wonder if Gene would have any interest in hosting this.
C'mon Man!
Someone mentioned a KC meet on Facebook somewhere, and I'm pretty sure he saw the suggestion.
Quote from: hbelkins on June 26, 2015, 11:51:04 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on June 26, 2015, 11:38:54 PM
Quote from: Brandon on June 26, 2015, 12:44:28 PM
Kansas City - hell of a lot of good stuff, but I've never heard of a meet there.
I wonder if Gene would have any interest in hosting this.
C'mon Man!
Someone mentioned a KC meet on Facebook somewhere, and I'm pretty sure he saw the suggestion.
Gene's hosted KC meets in the past and would host if interested.
Atlanta could still use a road meet. Large projects either underway (I-75 northwest corridor toll lanes), about to get underway (I-285/GA 400 interchange rehab), or finished (GA 400 SB to I-85 NB flyover) Also, New Orleans since the last time there was a meet there none of the big projects were finished (Twin Spans, I-10/Causeway Interchange, and Huey P Long bridge)
Also, anything in Texas. I mean look at all of the construction going on in both DFW, Houston, and Austin.
NW Arkansas would also be a good one.
Of course, it really takes someone that lives in these areas to set something up, so that is part of the problem. I could TRY to do an Atlanta meet since that is the closest to me, but I would rather have someone that lives closer do it if they are willing.
Quote from: codyg1985 on July 29, 2015, 07:36:53 AM
Atlanta could still use a road meet. Large projects either underway (I-75 northwest corridor toll lanes), about to get underway (I-285/GA 400 interchange rehab), or finished (GA 400 SB to I-85 NB flyover) Also, New Orleans since the last time there was a meet there none of the big projects were finished (Twin Spans, I-10/Causeway Interchange, and Huey P Long bridge)
Also, anything in Texas. I mean look at all of the construction going on in both DFW, Houston, and Austin.
NW Arkansas would also be a good one.
Of course, it really takes someone that lives in these areas to set something up, so that is part of the problem. I could TRY to do an Atlanta meet since that is the closest to me, but I would rather have someone that lives closer do it if they are willing.
I think Steve Williams (The Georgia Road Geek) did the '08 Atlanta meet.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 29, 2015, 03:06:58 PM
Quote from: codyg1985 on July 29, 2015, 07:36:53 AM
Atlanta could still use a road meet. Large projects either underway (I-75 northwest corridor toll lanes), about to get underway (I-285/GA 400 interchange rehab), or finished (GA 400 SB to I-85 NB flyover) Also, New Orleans since the last time there was a meet there none of the big projects were finished (Twin Spans, I-10/Causeway Interchange, and Huey P Long bridge)
Also, anything in Texas. I mean look at all of the construction going on in both DFW, Houston, and Austin.
NW Arkansas would also be a good one.
Of course, it really takes someone that lives in these areas to set something up, so that is part of the problem. I could TRY to do an Atlanta meet since that is the closest to me, but I would rather have someone that lives closer do it if they are willing.
I think Steve Williams (The Georgia Road Geek) did the '08 Atlanta meet.
He did (had it on his blog)
Quote from: SSOWorld on July 29, 2015, 09:07:01 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on July 29, 2015, 03:06:58 PM
Quote from: codyg1985 on July 29, 2015, 07:36:53 AM
Atlanta could still use a road meet. Large projects either underway (I-75 northwest corridor toll lanes), about to get underway (I-285/GA 400 interchange rehab), or finished (GA 400 SB to I-85 NB flyover) Also, New Orleans since the last time there was a meet there none of the big projects were finished (Twin Spans, I-10/Causeway Interchange, and Huey P Long bridge)
Also, anything in Texas. I mean look at all of the construction going on in both DFW, Houston, and Austin.
NW Arkansas would also be a good one.
Of course, it really takes someone that lives in these areas to set something up, so that is part of the problem. I could TRY to do an Atlanta meet since that is the closest to me, but I would rather have someone that lives closer do it if they are willing.
I think Steve Williams (The Georgia Road Geek) did the '08 Atlanta meet.
He did (had it on his blog)
That was seven years ago.
I guess what I was saying was that he would be a logical host for another Atlanta meet. Jim Georges came to that meet, but I don't think Freewayjim is all that much into meets.