2013 Portsmouth, New Hampshire Road Meet

[Dougtone]

Interesting ... if you remove a post, all subsequent posts get renumbered.

So it looks as if the meet will be over around 5 or 5:30? Trying to figure out how much mileage I can get behind me after the meet breaks up. Right now, it looks like making it all the way to Hartford while there's still some daylight may be feasible. Depending on how early we're done, Danbury might even be possible.

Sorry that I won't be able to go over to Manchester, since I know a meet was considered for there last year.

I think that the meet may wrap up before 5pm, with a strong possibility that the meet tour may wrap up in the neighborhood of 4pm-4:30pm (and not that I planned it this way, but it would give me plenty of time to see a minor league ballgame in Portland, ME that evening, and to explore more of southern Maine on Sunday morning).  The tour has a handful of stops and some items of interest that we will drive by, but isn't lengthy in mileage (should be about 30 miles round trip).  Part of my reasoning for a shorter tour was that it would give meet attendees to explore the area on their own if they chose to do so, plus that anything else I was aware of roads-wise around Portsmouth and the Seacoast would be a little further away than what I felt could be accomplished as part of a meet tour.

While I'm not going to the after-meet activities in Manchester, which is about a 45 minute drive from Manchester, I certainly think that there will be plenty of time to go there and to explore for those who are considering that after-meet tour.

[Dr Frankenstein]

I'm staying in Portland as well, and I'm probably going back home via I-95/NB 95/QC 185/85/A-20.

[mtantillo]

I'm staying in Portland as well, and I'm probably going back home via I-95/NB 95/QC 185/85/A-20.

Dang, talk about the long way around!  Have fun explaining that one at the border

[vdeane]

Well, being Nexus, he hopefully won't have to.

Even though I marked decline on Facebook, I may yet change to going given that my apartment may not be ready for the weekend of June 1.  I'll keep you posted if I do end up going.

[mtantillo]

Well, being Nexus, he hopefully won't have to.

Even though I marked decline on Facebook, I may yet change to going given that my apartment may not be ready for the weekend of June 1.  I'll keep you posted if I do end up going.

Not necessarily true.  NEXUS at Woodstock/Houlton is only open Monday to Friday, for three AM hours into the US, and three PM hours back into Canada.  The only places that seem to have long hours, close to full-time hours, are NEXUS lanes at ports in the vicinity of Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal (the only true bona-fide 24/7 NEXUS lane is at St Armand/Highgate Springs, heading into Canada).  While using a NEXUS card as ID in a non-NEXUS lane may very well reduce the questions, technically NEXUS card holders are not guaranteed anything other than a regular primary/secondary experience when using it in a non-NEXUS lane, at a NEXUS port where the NEXUS lane is not open, or at a non-NEXUS port. 
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/land-terre-eng.html#where-ou


Hope you can make it to Portsmouth!

[Dougtone]

Just a few days before the meet now.  The weather should be sunny, but hot.  Not to fret though, since being near the ocean, and tour stops being mostly near bridges, the water should hopefully moderate things a bit.  I'll take RSVPs until Friday morning and will give the restaurant a call about lunch sometime on Friday afternoon.

[hbelkins]

Just a few days before the meet now.  The weather should be sunny, but hot.  Not to fret though, since being near the ocean, and tour stops being mostly near bridges, the water should hopefully moderate things a bit.  I'll take RSVPs until Friday morning and will give the restaurant a call about lunch sometime on Friday afternoon.

Starting out on my journey tomorrow afternoon. See you Saturday.

[PHLBOS]

I will be there.  Driving up the night before.

[roadman]

Not sure if you got my e-mail Doug (I don't do Facebook), so just to verify that I do plan on attending on Saturday.

[PHLBOS]

Not sure if you got my e-mail Doug (I don't do Facebook), so just to verify that I do plan on attending on Saturday.

Good deal, I'm looking forward to finally meeting you.   

We can swap old war stories regarding old MA signs.  FYI, I have some old vintage (late 70s/early 80s) sketches of various BGS'/LGS' of the era I drew as a kid that might be of interest to you or strike a good laugh.

Note to self: I must bring a sketch pad and a writing utensil.

[deathtopumpkins]

I had really wanted to attend (and RSVP'd maybe), but there's an event scheduled at the exact same time that I promised I would accompany my mother to, so it looks like now that there's finally a road meet within an hour of me I still can't make it... 

[yakra]

A little problem with the directions in the itinerary linked above:

Make a right onto Maplewood Avenue
Make a left to exit onto Bypass US 1 north

This cannot be done, as that left turn is prohibited.

I recommend changing the following portion of the itinerary:

Take Pierces Island Road, make a left onto Marcy Street and a quick right onto Hancock Street.  You may notice the historic Strawbery Banke as we pass as well.
Make a right onto Pleasant Street
Make a left onto Islington Street (this is at the town center of Portsmouth)
Make a right onto Maplewood Avenue
Make a left to exit onto Bypass US 1 north

to instead read:

Take Pierces Island Road, make a right onto Marcy Street, continue north back to State Street
Make a right onto State Street. State Street curves left underneath the Memorial Bridge, becoming Harbour Place.
Take the first right, onto Bow Street
Make a right onto Market Street, continue north and pass underneath Bypass US 1
Make a left at Albacore Park
Make a left onto Bypass US 1 north

I'll make this edit to the itinerary, print out some copies, and bring them along to the meet. Perhaps we'll discuss this over lunch before the trip gets underway...

Edit: I'll also make an alternate-alternate itinerary, in case we cannot pass under the Memorial Bridge due to the construction.

[yakra]

Oops - my edit above does not get us a full clinch of US1Byp, which I bet would be a nice thing to have for most attendees.
I'll keep on revising, and print out a few different variations. We can compare notes at the restaurant.

[Dougtone]

And we have a meet photo...



Full size photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/8935004981/

I forgot to name names...

From left to right: Anthony Costanzo, Chris Commans, Bob Malme, Steve Timmins (crouching), Carl Tessier (kneeling), H.B. Elkins, Zack Lewis, John Housty, Mike Tantillo, Mike Pruett, Adam Jensen (sp?), Laura Bianca, Patrick Zilliacus, Eric Bryant, Doug Kerr (holding his head) and Oscar Voss

[Dr Frankenstein]

Back home (and currently at work) after taking what now seems to be the longest possible way to do Portland-Montreal; yup, I ended up doing it.

Pros: I will no longer have to worry about clinching the northern part of I-95 as well as all of the main TCH in Québec. I also beat my single-day mileage record by a significant proportion and went out of the Eastern time zone for the first time in 10 years.

Con: I'm still sleep deprived and my head hurts. I kinda underestimated the time it would take, and got further slowed down by the weather, which was especially bad between Hartland and Edmundston, with some reduced visibility remaining until Kamouraska. I left Portland around 10 AM and passed the door into my house at 12:30 AM this morning.

Full writeup to come tonight, hopefully. Until then, visit my Facebook and Foursquare profiles for a rough timeline.

[CanesFan27]

Nice to see this photo of Doug be forever immortalized:


It's Doug being Doug by Adam's Journey, on Flickr

[hbelkins]

And we have a meet photo...



Full size photo at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/8935004981/

I forgot to name names...

From left to right: Anthony Costanzo, Chris Commans, Bob Malme, Steve Timmins (crouching), Carl Tessier (kneeling), H.B. Elkins, Zack Lewis, John Housty, Mike Tantillo, Mike Pruett, Adam Jensen (sp?), Laura Bianca, Patrick Zilliacus, Eric Bryant, Doug Kerr (holding his head) and Oscar Voss

It's Adam Jackson. He's the guy from Tom Tom. Somehow I missed meeting him or talking to him at all at the meet. Right after this photo was taken was when I started getting light-headed and nauseated, and I sat down and missed being in the rest of the photos that everyone else took.

Nice to see this photo of Doug be forever immortalized:


It's Doug being Doug by Adam's Journey, on Flickr

I'm surprised there's not a "Doug Kerr's Fathead" Facebook page yet.

[oscar]

Here's a bonus meet photo, of Laura Bianca holding some of the Route 11 potato chips I brought up from Virginia.  They're made in Mt. Jackson, Virginia, near U.S. 11, and I bought them at an Italian grocery store in Arlington.

Val, sorry you couldn't make it to the meet, to snag some bags to take home.  We had to eat all the chips ourselves. 



BTW, I'm in Halifax at the moment, about halfway through my post-meet trip through Maine and the Maritimes. 

[Dougtone]

There is information about ordering a shipment of Route 11 Potato Chips, as well as a store locator that shows people where they can pick up Route 11 Potato Chips at a store.

[hbelkins]

I've seen the Route 11 chips at several Cracker Barrels.