Announcing the 2021 Wilmington, DE Road Meet, to be hosted by yours truly in his first attempt in the host's seat. (So you know what that means - it could be the last attempt too! :-| :angry:)
Saturday 7/17, beginning at 11:30 AM.
Lunch location: Timothy's Riverfront Grill (930 Justison St, Wilmington, DE 19801)
Meet Tour Highlights (1:00-5:00), portions WILL involve walking:
Wilmington Riverfront/New Sweden Street Bridge
Interstate 95 (downtown) construction
Bridges of Brandywine Park
Washington Street Bridge
DE 273 @ I-95 interchange construction
WAWA
"Delaware Park" Access Roads & Signage
Old DE 7/White Clay Creek Bridge (Stanton)
Old DE 41/141/James Street Bridge (Newport)
The 12'10" Bridge (Newport)
DE 141 (Newport area) construction
Post-Meet Ballgame: Hudson Valley Renegades @ Wilmington Blue Rocks (6 PM, Frawley Stadium)
Many more details to follow, but this event *is* happening. Look forward to seeing you there!
YAYYYYYY, I can't wait!! This will be awesome!!!!
I'll be there. :| X-(
Huh...Hudson Valley Renegades at Wilmington, huh?
Count me in!
Quote from: Rob Adams on May 12, 2021, 04:37:38 PM
Huh...Hudson Valley Renegades at Wilmington, huh?
Can't get enough of those golden Gades.
Whoa, a roadmeet within easy driving distance. I'm in!
Go. Or he'll come your house!
Quote from: SSOWorld on May 12, 2021, 09:00:00 PM
Go. Or he'll come your house!
Now that we've been chipped, I look forward to us coming Dan's house again.
Serious mode:
I'm very likely in. I have to, however request the time off and it should go through - given though the situation is changed with my job that me being gone an extended amount of time will impact production. Bosses will respect time off though.
I normally don't respond on public Facebook events, so if you're looking for a head count off that please let me know.
Ah, a road meet that's both within very reasonable proximity (1/2 drive from home) and falls on a weekend with no known schedule conflicts on my end.
Definitely interested.
Quote from: SSOWorld on May 13, 2021, 05:57:59 AM
Serious mode:
I'm very likely in. I have to, however request the time off and it should go through - given though the situation is changed with my job that me being gone an extended amount of time will impact production. Bosses will respect time off though.
I normally don't respond on public Facebook events, so if you're looking for a head count off that please let me know.
will you be needing a place to stay approximately 2 hours from the meet?
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on May 12, 2021, 04:02:46 PM
Announcing the 2021 Wilmington, DE Road Meet, to be hosted by yours truly in his first attempt in the host's seat. (So you know what that means - it could be the last attempt too! :-| :angry:)
I have it penciled in on my calendar but likely will not be able to attend due to my current workload and schedule expected to continue through July and possibly into August. Also not sure how comfortable my wife will be with me travelling out of state (even though we're both vaxxed).
Quote from: Alps on May 13, 2021, 06:36:10 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on May 13, 2021, 05:57:59 AM
Serious mode:
I'm very likely in. I have to, however request the time off and it should go through - given though the situation is changed with my job that me being gone an extended amount of time will impact production. Bosses will respect time off though.
I normally don't respond on public Facebook events, so if you're looking for a head count off that please let me know.
will you be needing a place to stay approximately 2 hours from the meet?
My route there and back (an existing trip originally planned for last year stations me an hour south of the meet on 95 northeast of Baltimore.). This also gives me an opportunity to do driving tours of Baltimore and DC and finish I-64, I-66, I-70, I-Maryland, and I-83. Don't worry, there may be another opportunity (this year).
I'm still kicking myself for missing the 2011 Central Jersey one even though it was right in my backyard (and have missed out on ice cream ever since then!/s). I had been planning on a South Jersey drive/vacation to personnally clinch the rest of southeastern NJ plus maybe some beaching and biking. I think with this meet, I can do the SJ trip the week before and maybe do the Cape May-Lewes Ferry in the process to head up there. Count me in for this!
I am most likely in (maybe with my parents as well as they are interested in going to a meet).
In spite of my meet-hosting creds (or lack thereof), I appreciate the early interest among the crowd for this meet! In the interest of transparency, I hope to provide (at least) a weekly update on the progress of the planning of this meet and related topics.
A Facebook event has been created for this meet and can be found at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/events/488805725901935 (https://www.facebook.com/events/488805725901935)
As stated above, the iteniary for this meet is work-in-progress at this time, though I don't expect any drastic changes from what's already been listed; maybe one (but not more than two) additional points of interest will be added, that's about it. I hope to get down to the Wilmington area this weekend to do a bit of scouting; most of the tour will be written out from memory, but there are a couple of things I want to check in on before finalizing the tour route.
Looking longer term, I expect to have a written iteniary for this event available by early next month and I'll look to start to come up with a solid head count for the day around the middle of next month. Until then, know that this event is out there and is definitely happening = no postponements.
Road Meet Planning Update (5/26):
Scouting of the meet area took place last weekend as expected and was very successful; this will allow me to start on the written iteniary, which should be ready on-time next month. Another step I took this week was to name a 'Vice President' for this event - this is someone who (in an emergency situation) will be able to step in as substitute host in my unlikely absence; the meet date is firmly fixed so I'm taking all the necessary steps to ensure that this event goes ahead as planned in spite of any unforeseen obstacles that might develop.
If you are a Facebook user and are interested in this event, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Facebook event page (if you have not already done so), which can be viewed at the link posted above. There you'll be able to find additional posts & discussion about the event that may not find their way to this forum. I have shared a few images from this past weekend there already and will be putting some more up in the coming days. It's all being done in an effort to show people what they can expect to see throughout the day in general. (I will do my best to post important stuff to both locations but it's always possible that something will slip through and only make it to one venue at a time.)
Well everyone, hope you all have fun, Steph and I are out, we will be in St Louis that weekend for a toy show then heading west to Albuquerque, NM for a toy convention.
While a Wilmington meet sounds like a fun idea, I don't think I can really make it due to a planned family outing that may occur roughly in the same time-frame. So I'm out.
Road Meet Planning Update (6/4):
There is no new news this week in the way of planning; this was expected on my end as I knew going in I would have a few days out of town around last weekend (working on some stuff for that crappy YouTube channel of mine :-| :angry:) thrown in there. It's really just a matter of typing up the iteniary at this point anyway, which I hope to have complete in the next 7-10 days.
For this week's update, I'd like to call your attention to Delaware's COVID-19 response/status website, which is linked below. On this dashboard, you'll be able to view data per county and by zip code and view trends and other charts (including positivity rates, hospitalization rates, and vaccination rates) that will help paint the picture of what's going on in the area as far as the virus is concerned as the meet date approaches.
https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/ (https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/)
One more thing I'd like to add this week is that while Delaware's mask mandate was discontinued a few weeks back, private businesses *are* allowed to implement their own rules on mask wearing and in fact are still doing so. My best advice to everyone is *please* bring masks with you if you're coming, just in case you find you need one. I will not be enforcing any guidelines on attendees that are more stringent than the state/local/CDC guidance on the day of the meet, but folks are of course welcome to take any additional precautions they feel are necessary for themselves.
Quote from: SSOWorld on May 15, 2021, 11:42:19 AM
Quote from: Alps on May 13, 2021, 06:36:10 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on May 13, 2021, 05:57:59 AM
Serious mode:
I'm very likely in. I have to, however request the time off and it should go through - given though the situation is changed with my job that me being gone an extended amount of time will impact production. Bosses will respect time off though.
I normally don't respond on public Facebook events, so if you're looking for a head count off that please let me know.
will you be needing a place to stay approximately 2 hours from the meet?
My route there and back (an existing trip originally planned for last year stations me an hour south of the meet on 95 northeast of Baltimore.). This also gives me an opportunity to do driving tours of Baltimore and DC and finish I-64, I-66, I-70, I-Maryland, and I-83. Don't worry, there may be another opportunity (this year).
If you'd like to stay with us you are more than welcome to do so!!! We are about 45 minutes northeast of Baltimore near exit 77 on I-95. I understand if that is too far out of the way, though. (We used to live in north central Baltimore City which would have been more convenient.)
Road Meet Planning Update (6/16):
We're now about a month away from this little get-together of ours. The iteniary was completed last week and is in the process of receiving a few tweaks/additions/edits before being released -> I am aiming for this to happen in the next 10 days. Expect the tour to last about 4 hours in all; we are bound by the meet start time in the morning and the ballgame in the evening, so this tour cannot go on for too long. Weather in northern Delaware in mid-July is typically in the mid to upper 80s with humidity so if you're coming, prepare accordingly.
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.
(https://image.freepik.com/free-vector/group-angry-emoji-characters_52683-27753.jpg)
Just another angry road meet
Since I've already locked in the $$$, there's no backing out now. a.k.a. I'm in. 😡
So are we all becoming Mr. Angery now? I thought that was purely a roadwaywiz creation.
I think he should change his username to this:
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on June 16, 2021, 03:11:14 AM
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.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 16, 2021, 10:09:11 AM
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.
Quote from: signalman on June 16, 2021, 03:21:28 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 16, 2021, 10:09:11 AM
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
Quote from: Alps on June 16, 2021, 09:52:22 PM
Quote from: signalman on June 16, 2021, 03:21:28 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 16, 2021, 10:09:11 AM
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
Quote from: Alps on June 16, 2021, 09:52:22 PM
Quote from: signalman on June 16, 2021, 03:21:28 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 16, 2021, 10:09:11 AM
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
Quote from: Alps on June 16, 2021, 09:52:22 PM
Quote from: signalman on June 16, 2021, 03:21:28 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on June 16, 2021, 10:09:11 AM
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
😡😠
Just rechecked my July calendar & the 17th is all clear for me. I will be attending.
I'm an inney.
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 (https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Buy.asp?EventID=298935#.YNOB6OhKi00)
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.
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on June 28, 2021, 11:17:06 PM
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!
Quote from: Laura on July 01, 2021, 08:34:50 AM
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on June 28, 2021, 11:17:06 PM
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!
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 :angry: :-|
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.
I'll be there. I can drive, or jump in with someone. Doesn't matter to me.
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:
Quote
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.
QuoteLooks 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.
I'm planning to attend. Corco's presence alone is worth the jaunt from DC.
Oh hell yeah
I will be there
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. :-| :angry:
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!
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.
... 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!)
Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740 (https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740)
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 16, 2021, 08:27:45 AM
Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740 (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!
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 16, 2021, 09:28:11 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 16, 2021, 08:27:45 AM
Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740 (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.
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!
For those thinking of going to the game and/or who already purchased tickets in advance: Blue Rocks' Rain Policy (https://www.milb.com/wilmington/tickets/rain-policy)
Quote from: signalman on July 16, 2021, 10:24:08 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 16, 2021, 09:28:11 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 16, 2021, 08:27:45 AM
Assuming the game won't be rained out...
https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/b70e6bb56acc936034fd99101bdd7490bc071a749107b3ff8048e43fd8e55740 (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.
:|
Well the heavy rain showed up driving back to the hotel after the game.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 17, 2021, 10:10:27 PM
Well the heavy rain showed up driving back to the hotel after the game.
It sure did. I waited in the parking lot for it to slow down some before leaving for my motel. I got completely drenched just walking from my car to the motel.
Quote from: signalman on July 17, 2021, 11:14:44 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 17, 2021, 10:10:27 PM
Well the heavy rain showed up driving back to the hotel after the game.
It sure did. I waited in the parking lot for it to slow down some before leaving for my motel. I got completely drenched just walking from my car to the motel.
Driving on US 13, the Del Mem Br, and the NJ Turnpike really sucked without the raised reflective markers I otherwise rant about when placed along the fog line of arterial roads. Should have went to the brewery since that line was gone by closing time. :coffee:
Quote from: signalman on July 17, 2021, 11:14:44 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 17, 2021, 10:10:27 PM
Well the heavy rain showed up driving back to the hotel after the game.
It sure did. I waited in the parking lot for it to slow down some before leaving for my motel. I got completely drenched just walking from my car to the motel.
Woulda been fine if you joined us for the nightcap :|
Quote from: Alps on July 18, 2021, 01:29:38 PM
Quote from: signalman on July 17, 2021, 11:14:44 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 17, 2021, 10:10:27 PM
Well the heavy rain showed up driving back to the hotel after the game.
It sure did. I waited in the parking lot for it to slow down some before leaving for my motel. I got completely drenched just walking from my car to the motel.
Woulda been fine if you joined us for the nightcap :|
I seriously doubt it. As soon as I turned onto the ramp onto I-495 SB from US 13 BUS SB, the downpour began.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 18, 2021, 05:43:46 PM
Quote from: Alps on July 18, 2021, 01:29:38 PM
Quote from: signalman on July 17, 2021, 11:14:44 PM
Quote from: 74/171FAN on July 17, 2021, 10:10:27 PM
Well the heavy rain showed up driving back to the hotel after the game.
It sure did. I waited in the parking lot for it to slow down some before leaving for my motel. I got completely drenched just walking from my car to the motel.
Woulda been fine if you joined us for the nightcap :|
I seriously doubt it. As soon as I turned onto the ramp onto I-495 SB from US 13 BUS SB, the downpour began.
Steve was replying to me. He just chose to not delete the quote of what you said.
Here are my two group photos, both on a pier near the meet lunch restaurant. I won't caption them at this time, both because I'm drawing blanks on many of the names (so many people I met for the first time), and also in case other photos (including a drone photo) come out better and become the "official" group photos.
http://www.alaskaroads.com/Wilmington-meet-group-photo1-DSC_5702.jpg (http://www.alaskaroads.com/Wilmington-meet-group-photo1-DSC_5702.jpg)
http://www.alaskaroads.com/Wilmington-meet-group-photo2-DSC_5703.jpg (http://www.alaskaroads.com/Wilmington-meet-group-photo2-DSC_5703.jpg)
Thank you so much to everyone who came out this weekend. Whether you came just for the meet, or if you stuck around for the ballgame, or if you also stuck around for the spontaneous after-party down the street, it was/is humbling to see the amount of overall interest that there was in this event from Day 1 and we ended up having one of the great turnouts in Meet history. For the past several months, I believed that the single best thing we could do as a group (after the last year and a half) was to be together again at an event/place of any kind. It's something I've felt very strongly about and it took that special circumstance (plus a little something else) to finally stir me into hosting something. The whole thing exceeded even my own expectations and I'm glad to say that I finally got in the host's seat and put something together for you folks.
It was my honor & privilege to serve as your host on Saturday and I'm just really grateful that this day was able to happen the way that it did with all of you. I look forward to seeing you all again next time, wherever/whenever that might be. The aerial meet photos (and some other things from the day) are available now on the FB event page. Cheers!
Quote from: roadwaywiz95 on July 19, 2021, 03:37:00 PM
The aerial meet photos (and some other things from the day) are available now on the FB event page. Cheers!
Not visible, on the part of the event page I can view as a non-FB user. Can at least the photos be posted here, too?
I liked the aerial meet photo posted for the Quad Cities meet, which was better than my own so I didn't post mine. In this case, the aerial shots might better show the people in the back rows, who can be hard to see in a photo taken at ground level. So I'm curious whether we indeed got that benefit.
The photo would either have to be public (it is) or hosted on a third party server.
Thank you, RoadwayWIZ, for holding the meet. It was a great meet in my opinion and I look forward to you hosting another. :cool:
A video from a YouTube user "Roadways of Delaware" from this meet is in my recommendations after I saw a previous video covering Dover to Rocks State Park in my area of Maryland.
Yes, it was a great meet - my only constructive criticism is that it could have been a bit more organized when getting into cars (the system where the drivers stand off to one side and people line up behind them seems to work well for large groups); it felt like in school where the teacher assigns a group project, people just glance each other, and suddenly everyone has formed groups before one even has a chance to ask (I had some thoughts before the meet, but nothing firm enough to not be affected by how things shake out). Other than that, excellent meet! It was wonderful to do a regular overnight roadmeet again for the first time since 2019.
I got back to NY last night tired after a long drive back. I think Google does a particularly bad job forecasting travel times around the DC area; it took me significantly longer to move though the first half of my trip as a result (the second half through PA and NY went as predicted, aside from having to stop after my check tire pressure went on; I hope that this was just low pressure due to normal leakage from all the driving combined with the 20-30 degree temperature drop from Friday/Saturday to Sunday and not an issue that needs to be addressed). I had a similar issue with my Florida trip three years ago, where the day that went through DC went long by a larger amount than the other days (that trip actually caused me to change how I estimate time, and I'm now normally accurate down to the minute; the other major exception actually being my drive to the meet, which I attribute to bridge construction and crashes). I had attributed that to the heavy rain on and off that day, but clearly there is more to it than that. I might also make a note to not drive significantly more than 8 hours on a leg of these overnight trips, as the adaptations for 9 hour drives were never fun and are less fun now that I'm no longer used to that (the time even as quoted was 9 hours; I might have to do one more just to get Cumberland done as envisioned, or maybe I'll leave I-66 for another time).
Quote from: vdeane on July 19, 2021, 08:56:34 PM
I think Google does a particularly bad job forecasting travel times around the DC area; it took me significantly longer to move though the first half of my trip as a result (the second half through PA and NY went as predicted) I had a similar issue with my Florida trip three years ago, where the day that went through DC went long by a larger amount than the other days
That's why it is called a forecast.
I drove from Christiana Mall to the North toll booth of the Ches. Bridge & Tunnels earlier today. For my route, Google had the trip at 8 hours, while my 2015 Delormes Map program had the trip taking 10 hours. I got it done in 9 hours. I'm not sending complaints to Google over this.
As long as you don't get traffic forecasts from PennDOT ;)
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on July 19, 2021, 11:07:35 PM
Quote from: vdeane on July 19, 2021, 08:56:34 PM
I think Google does a particularly bad job forecasting travel times around the DC area; it took me significantly longer to move though the first half of my trip as a result (the second half through PA and NY went as predicted) I had a similar issue with my Florida trip three years ago, where the day that went through DC went long by a larger amount than the other days
That's why it is called a forecast.
I drove from Christiana Mall to the North toll booth of the Ches. Bridge & Tunnels earlier today. For my route, Google had the trip at 8 hours, while my 2015 Delormes Map program had the trip taking 10 hours. I got it done in 9 hours. I'm not sending complaints to Google over this.
Well, I've found that using a live time taking for a trip on the same day of week/approximate time as when I plan to take it is nearly always very accurate, practically to the minute (note that I drive 5-7 over the limit, so if one drives exactly the speed limit, they'll take longer than Google says). The only time this has not happened the vast majority of the time is along the NEC for some reason. Is congestion in DE/MD just not as predictable than the rest of the country for some reason? Because normally summer traffic is recurring, predictable, and already accounted for in the drive time. This is why I use the directions in the first place (it's certainly not for routing, which I've already figured out for the most part) - to get drive time estimates. I ended up missing the news when I got back to NY because of this (and I couldn't enjoy a MTO lunch at Sheetz and had to settle for a cold pre-prepared sandwich too, which was unfortunate, but I didn't want to wait longer when I was trying to make up time and the place was swamped), and was a few minutes late to the meet as well. Back in my 2018 Florida drive, I didn't even get to eat dinner that day and had to cut out my planned clinch of I-295 in VA (which I STILL don't have and am unhappy about) because of that. So yeah, it's a problem. If I ever decide to go exactly the speed limit rather than 5-7 over, I have no idea what I'll do, as Google doesn't have an option to cap travel speed at the speed limit.
This was mentioned briefly above, but one of our attendees (Ian) put together this fantastic summary video of the day's drive for his YouTube channel ("Roadways of Delaware"). Feel free to check it out here:
Quote from: vdeane on July 19, 2021, 08:56:34 PM
Yes, it was a great meet - my only constructive criticism is that it could have been a bit more organized when getting into cars (the system where the drivers stand off to one side and people line up behind them seems to work well for large groups); it felt like in school where the teacher assigns a group project, people just glance each other, and suddenly everyone has formed groups before one even has a chance to ask (I had some thoughts before the meet, but nothing firm enough to not be affected by how things shake out). Other than that, excellent meet! It was wonderful to do a regular overnight roadmeet again for the first time since 2019.
I echo those sentiments. That said, I believe nearly everybody in attendance gave RoadwayWIZ some slack for the following reasons:
1. Although he's hosted virtual/video meets (where there was only one, maybe two vehicles involved at the most) in the recent past; this was his first time hosting a conventional meet that featured a high turnout and related-number of vehicles. IMHO, after the second or third stop; things started to flow more smoothly.
2. Learning curve issue associated with #1 aside; the fact that many either hadn't seen each-other in about 2 years or just met for the first time certainly contributed to the
transitionally-impaired factor at times.
As others have stated, the meet was well attended & received. For those that attended the game; at least the
major deluge held off until after the game ended.
Kudos to RoadwayWIZ for planning & hosting it.
Side bar: I believe there were as many as 5 females in attendance at this meet. Is such a record?
True. I probably feel more strongly about it than others given that I was the one nearly left behind due to my inability to process social situations at the same speed/accuracy/reliability as most people. Still, I don't want my comment there to detract from what a great meet it was. It was a great exploration of northern Delaware and it's been far too long since I last drove so far from home (~2018, I think!).
Based on discussions we had at the meet, I think this one is tied with NYC for most women, though I haven't looked back at the NYC meet thread to verify.