The Saint Louis meet was definitely the best one that I have attended, and from what I've heard about some of the others, it was the greatest of all time. It had a little bit of everything, and the fun didn't end when the sun went down. It was a once in a lifetime experience that sadly probably won't ever be repeated.
I can see how a lot of folks would say St. Louis, but to a guy who missed Friday night, went to bed before Saturday night really got fun, and never got over the frustration of the downtown traffic... it would have to be Ashland 2013. Beautiful country, perfect weather, well organized, nobody got lost, no real traffic, good variety of old and new sights, made 4 great new friends there, tons of fun Saturday night with no hangover, free Ale-8-One, and county clinching that was somehow not tedious. Makes me want to live in Kentucky, which would incidentally result in my significant other killing me.
Best there-and-back (as in, no hotel stay) was my first meet, Lansing 2008. Felt like I was finally home with my people, and again, huge diversity in content - it's not for everyone, but I liked that there was not-strictly-road stuff interspersed, like the Bath School Disaster site and a county tripoint. Most old maps I've ever seen at a lunch, too.
I started to make a list of honorable mentions, until it turned into almost half of my meets. But Flint 2013 does get an honorable mention for being the best meet I've attended with no host and no agenda! :spin: (Seriously, it was a blast.)
Was it a bunker blast?
For those further east, it's hard to top Baltimore or Raleigh...
Yeah but those were regional meets. The St Louis meet was the first truly national meet.
Tell that to Jeff Kitsko...
Quote from: froggie on March 19, 2014, 07:59:35 AM
Tell that to Jeff Kitsko...
Or Dan, who hosted the 2008 Chicago national meet.
But I'm not sure either Jeff's or Dan's meets had attendees coming in from the Pacific or Mountain time zones, as did St. Louis (corco, and Steve Riner and his wife).
You could argue that any meet that I attended, or any meet that Dr. Frank attends was an international meet, by that logic.
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on March 19, 2014, 08:25:28 AM
You could argue that any meet that I attended, or any meet that Dr. Frank attends was an international meet, by that logic.
Yeah, but you're both Eastern Time Zone, and fairly close to the U.S. border, so you're not expanding the geographic coverage as much as attendees from the western states/provinces.
The St. Louis meet tops 'em all. But the ones in Ashland and Cincinnati last year were amazing too.
The Cincinnati meet had very good planning.
It's just too bad that Chris Bessert, H.B. Elkins, and the Sesame Street Krew missed the mini-meet in Michigan's Thumb back in 2003.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2014, 11:37:17 AM
It's just too bad that Chris Bessert, H.B. Elkins, and the Sesame Street Krew missed the mini-meet in Michigan's Thumb back in 2003.
Too bad I missed that meet.
Most all of the meets themselves I've been to have been pretty good, with a couple of exceptions. Offhand, though, I'd rank the Atlanta meet in 2008 as one that seemed to be the most fun and light-hearted. Steve Williams (The Georgia Road Geek) did a video of the meet that captured a lot of the activity.
And for personal reasons, the Akron/Canton meet in 2010 stands out as well. The weather was awful, but the meet was the day after my dad's funeral and going to the meet helped provide a diversion when I really needed it.
All of the trips for the meets provided opportunities to visit new counties and, for the most part, drive on new roads, so viewed in those lights, there hasn't been a bad meet. I could have done without getting sick when I went to New Hampshire last year and the car trouble when I went to Kansas, however.
I would have to say the best meets I have been too would be Atlanta in 2008, Hartford, CT in 2008 because this was just days after my father in laws funeral and was a nice "escape" during a sad 2 weeks in central PA, also I would say the 2010 Baltimore meet is high on this list and is the largest in the terms of attendees for any meet I have been too. Overall St. Louis was a fun meet, pretty much every meet I have been to has been fun, I would say the worst was Chattanooga last July and thats mainly because it rained heavy the entire day.
nothing compares to the time I took Lou Corsaro to Tijuana.
(Scott Onson has a general idea about how my Mexico tours go down, but Scott didn't have the entire "holy shit!" reaction that Lou did.)
Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 19, 2014, 04:12:22 PM
nothing compares to the time I took Lou Corsaro to Tijuana.
(Scott Onson has a general idea about how my Mexico tours go down, but Scott didn't have the entire "holy shit!" reaction that Lou did.)
A caprine stripper?
Quote from: NE2 on March 19, 2014, 04:25:06 PM
A caprine stripper?
almost.
there, it is considered titillating to put pants
onto the performer.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2014, 11:37:17 AM
...the Sesame Street Krew
Sesame Street Krew? LOL
Quote from: bandit957 on March 19, 2014, 11:37:17 AM
mini-meet in Michigan's Thumb back in 2003.
There was once a meet in Michigan's Thumb? Who all was there and remembers it? I'm intrigued.
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on March 19, 2014, 05:45:56 PM
There was once a meet in Michigan's Thumb? Who all was there and remembers it? I'm intrigued.
It was a mini-meet attended only by myself and a family member.
I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2014, 06:17:26 PM
I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.
Was there a Fart Smock?
Quote from: NE2 on March 19, 2014, 06:19:55 PM
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2014, 06:17:26 PM
I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.
Was there a Fart Smock?
There was, and it didn't keep the bunks away.
Also, if you come to the NYC meet, it will be the greatest ever.
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2014, 06:24:43 PM
There was, and it didn't keep the bunks away.
If I ever come to a roadmeet, I'd just like to warn everybody that I suffer from...indigestion problems that lead to a frequent expulsion of (sometimes rotten smelling) gas. In case you wanted to know, my current record of bunker blasts in one day is 73 times. An average human is 14.
So, if I'm there, bring lots of fart smocks. Whatever the hell those are anyway.
Quote from: Alps on March 19, 2014, 06:17:26 PM
I think the Monday Tulsa meet was one of the greatest ever.
That was a pretty fucking awesome meet
Nothing really stands for me. The fact that I went from one extreme, all the way to the east with totally random drives (Providence), to the other, outside my apartment door (Dubuque and LA US 99) pretty much puts them in perspective. Note: I put together the Dubuque meet. It was the only one I didn't have to stay in a hotel or drive far for. (The LA one doesn't count because it was 2000+ miles and a temporary home).
What I liked about Providence weekend was that the side trips I took had much focus on Boston, I think I spent too much time in the big dig.
Quote from: SSOWorld on March 19, 2014, 08:04:21 PM
Note: I put together the Dubuque meet. It was the only one I didn't have to stay in a hotel or drive far for.
Wait, who planned Wausau in 2011? Didn't think it was a Koerner meet.
Quote from: getemngo on March 19, 2014, 08:16:15 PM
Quote from: SSOWorld on March 19, 2014, 08:04:21 PM
Note: I put together the Dubuque meet. It was the only one I didn't have to stay in a hotel or drive far for.
Wait, who planned Wausau in 2011? Didn't think it was a Koerner meet.
Actually that was me as well.
Too many good ones to count. Too few disappointments to remember. But .... a few stand out.
The National Meet in Pittsburgh hosted by Jeff Kitsko was outstanding.
A half-dozen or so hosted by H.B. deserve Honorable Mention - Ashland, Somerset, the first Pikesville, and probably a few that I missed.
I agree with Sam - Lansing, Ashland, Flint, all very different, all good memorable times.
Atlanta, Baltimore, Nashville, St. Louis, how am I supposed to choose one?
I noticed a sub-theme in this thread: some have mentioned geekmeets and road trips as therapy for a major personal loss. Yes, I can relate. The first St.Louis meet (2008?) was very shortly after my brother died. I used the many hours of solitude and silence to process that.
My very first road enthusiast meet was about 12 years ago or so, in Toledo. In attendance (that I can remember), Adam Prince, Jeff Kitsko, Pete Jenior, Adrian, Dyche, Sean Lyons, several others. Sean took us on a walking tour of the proposed (at that time) new Maumee River crossing. He did his best to convey in words and gestures what this major public work would look like. Several years later, I ran into Sean at the big event (walk, jog, bike, run) in advance of the opening.
You never forget your first.
My top three:
1) Montreal, 2011
2) Ottawa, 2012
3) Rochester, 2012
These meets all had two key things in common: one, they were small (8, 5, and 6 people, respectively). I usually prefer this to the larger crowds that most meets draw, it's difficult to really interact with everyone in those cases. Two, since they weren't day trips I was spending the night in the area and was able to attend pre- and post-meet activities. So they were broader experiences than just showing up in time for lunch and bouncing after the tour wraps up (which is usually typical for me).
Quote from: Duke87 on March 20, 2014, 12:45:19 AMMy top three:
1) Montreal, 2011
I'm honoured.
The Upper-Middle St. Lawrence mini-meet from last summer was a blast too!
That said, I'm not sure which meet would be my favourite. Newark NJ (2011), Lebanon NH (2013) and Sarnia-Port Huron (2012) do bring a lot of good memories. Rochester (2012) was fun too! I don't think I can name one particular meet that was undeniablely the "greatest", though.
Yep, Baltimore was my first, and ties with St. Louis in my mind (but that's because I really can't pick a meet without Mike as my top). You never forget your first ;)
iPhone
Having been to many meets in a period over 10 years, I would have to say that many of the meets were great affairs. I'm not going to single out a greatest meet of them all, but plenty of meets do stand out from the rest. The 2006 Pittsburgh National Meet, Buffalo in 2004, Joliet in 2012, the recent meet in St. Louis and the road meet in Bennington come to mind.
SCH-I545
Quote from: brianreynolds on March 19, 2014, 11:50:49 PM
Too many good ones to count. Too few disappointments to remember. But .... a few stand out.
The National Meet in Pittsburgh hosted by Jeff Kitsko was outstanding.
I concur. This was the first multi-day meet that I ever attended. There was a good assortment of road-related stuff along with the ancillary attractions. The first-day trip out to the Flight 93 memorial and the Q Creek mine rescue site was enjoyable. There was time for some personal exploration built into that one, and the boat ride to see the bridges was fun. I didn't stick around for the Pirates game on Saturday night, but going to Primanti's more than made up for that.
QuoteA half-dozen or so hosted by H.B. deserve Honorable Mention - Ashland, Somerset, the first Pikesville, and probably a few that I missed.
Thank you, sir. I tried really hard to put on quality meets. Charleston, WV is the other one. I did.
Quote
You never forget your first.
My first meet was the one Sherman Cahal did in, I think, 2002, involving the construction of the Industrial Parkway (KY 67) in northeastern Kentucky. There were only three of us there (Pete Jenior was the other one). The first trip I took to attend a meet was Charlotte in 2003 or '04. I didn't stay for the tour, but I drove down for the lunch and back. For a long time, I didn't participate in the tours unless the meet was fairly close to me and I could make the drive home easily, and sometimes even then (the first Cincinnati meet that Pete Jenior did and the first Nashville meet I attended which was at that German restaurant pretty much underneath I-24) I didn't tour. Once I started spending the nights on meet trips, I started participating in the tours.
A few have alluded to bad meets. I wouldn't single out any meet or organizer by name, but some of them have been hampered by poor planning. During a few of them, the tours have gone on a little longer than I would have preferred (and I am still kicking myself for underestimating how long last fall's Pikeville meet tour would last). Anything much longer than three hours and I start to get a little restless.
Weather has been a factor in a few meets, but that can't be blamed on the meet organizer. Rain at Chattanooga last summer, as someone else mentioned, and even snow at some of them. I have to say, though, that there couldn't have been a more perfect meet day than Ashland last year. It was a perfect spring day.
The weather was actually decent at the 3 meets I've been to.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 20, 2014, 01:19:41 PM
The weather was actually decent at the 3 meets I've been to.
In the 4 meets I attended, there were no real weather issues as well other than Portsmouth, NH being a tad hot (for early June); a short, minor flurry at Monticello, NY; and a brief shower at Brick/Wall, NJ (while checking out the NJ 18 stub at NJ 138).
Quote from: bandit957 on March 20, 2014, 01:19:41 PM
The weather was actually decent at the 3 meets I've been to.
Most of the ones I've been to have been as well, except the 2012 Port Huron-Sarnia meet. We had a rather substantial amount of rain for that one. Luckily, I carry umbrellas and towels in the car. The Hitchhiker's Guide is absolutely right - don't forget to bring your towel.
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 20, 2014, 01:30:48 PMBrick/Wall
can someone explain the name of this meet? I've seen it referred to before, but have not been able to figure it out from context.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 20, 2014, 02:16:29 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on March 20, 2014, 01:30:48 PMBrick/Wall
can someone explain the name of this meet? I've seen it referred to before, but have not been able to figure it out from context.
Two different New Jersey townships: Brick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Township,_New_Jersey) and Wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall,_New_Jersey).
Quote from: Brandon on March 20, 2014, 02:19:30 PM
Two different New Jersey townships: Brick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Township,_New_Jersey) and Wall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall,_New_Jersey).
ha. that's simple enough.
at least one isn't Brick and the other Bruck, like with Florida and its Breeeeeeeward and its Broooooooward counties.
The weather was HORRIBLE at the OKC meet.
In my defense, when is the weather not horrible in Oklahoma City? :P There's really no good time to do one...if you shoot for the milder springtime, you risk the possibility of severe weather (while the meet being interrupted due to a tornado would be a notable first, it's not exactly one that most people would be all too happy to participate in). Too late in the summer and you get the certainty of 100+ highs. Good luck predicting when "fall" will be–any given date in October could be a continuation of the 100+ highs or full-on winter. In the winter there's always a small, but present, chance of snow, and greater chances of winter weather further north keeping people from making it down to the meet.
I went with June hoping that it would dodge severe weather but be early enough in the summer that it wouldn't be too hot. Unfortunately, it got hot. At least it gave the attendees from out of state an idea of what Oklahoma summers are like.
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2014, 04:22:26 PM
In my defense, when is the weather not horrible in Oklahoma City? :P There's really no good time to do one...if you shoot for the milder springtime, you risk the possibility of severe weather (while the meet being interrupted due to a tornado would be a notable first, it's not exactly one that most people would be all too happy to participate in). Too late in the summer and you get the certainty of 100+ highs. Good luck predicting when "fall" will be–any given date in October could be a continuation of the 100+ highs or full-on winter. In the winter there's always a small, but present, chance of snow, and greater chances of winter weather further north keeping people from making it down to the meet.
I went with June hoping that it would dodge severe weather but be early enough in the summer that it wouldn't be too hot. Unfortunately, it got hot. At least it gave the attendees from out of state an idea of what Oklahoma summers are like.
what day did we do our OK/TX county run? it was like late October. I remember that the morning was a bit foggy; the day was gray but ideal for driving and walking around... in the evening it started to rain.
overall I consider that a success.
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2014, 04:22:26 PM(while the meet being interrupted due to a tornado would be a notable first, it's not exactly one that most people would be all too happy to participate in).
I'd be up for a storm chase meet!!! :clap:
I hate hot weather, and I didn't really mind either OKC or Wichita last year. The extreme heat in New Hampshire last year, coupled with me not feeling well, was something I could have done without, however.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 20, 2014, 05:07:12 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on March 20, 2014, 04:22:26 PM(while the meet being interrupted due to a tornado would be a notable first, it's not exactly one that most people would be all too happy to participate in).
I'd be up for a storm chase meet!!! :clap:
Well, we do have one coming up in the Illinois Valley (Starved Rock SP) on May 17th. Severe weather, May, and northern Illinois go together. There is a tornado memorial to tornado victims across the river in Utica (April 2004), and my brother's may graduation from high school in May 2003 was interrupted by tornado sirens.
Who knows what the weather will bring.
Though not directly impacted by it, I once held a meet right before a hurricane (New Orleans/Slidell 2008, just before Hurricane Gustav hit).
After reading about all these meets, I decided to make a list of all the road meets I've attended to think about which ones were best among them. Here's my list in case anyone is curious:
Grand Rapids, MI (just a gathering at a restaurant with no tour afterwards) — April 2004
Ann Arbor/Saline, MI — October 2004
Northern Detroit suburbs, MI — December 2004
MDOT public meeting (Grand Rapids area, MI - a few roadgeeks got together one weeknight for the public meeting and a late dinner afterwards - no tour) - January 2005
Hastings, MI (a map-gawking gathering at Brian Reynolds' place of business with no tour afterwards) — March 2005
Downriver Detroit suburbs, MI — November 2005
Brighton area, MI — November 2006
Toledo, OH — September 2007
Chicago/Milwaukee — June 2008
Lansing, MI — December 2008
Indianapolis — July 2009
Grand Rapids, MI — September 2009
Fort-to-Port (Fort Wayne, IN to Toledo, OH) — November 2009
Baltimore — April 2010
Canton/Akron, OH — May 2010
Marquette, MI (mini-meet) — September 2010
Rochester, NY — September 2010
Saginaw/Midland, MI — November 2010
Grand Rapids, MI — April 2011
Columbus, OH — May 2011
Morgantown, WV — June 2011
Wausau, WI — October 2011
Wheeling, WV — October 2011
Kalamazoo, MI — October 2011
Joliet, IL — April 2012
Memphis, TN — April 2012
Dayton, OH — June 2012
Port Huron, MI/Sarnia, ON — August 2012
Ashland, KY — April 2013
Dubuque, IA — May 2013
Flint, MI — August 2013
Cincinnati, OH — October 2013
St. Louis - March 2014
That's 33 meets in ten years for me. Wow... where has the time gone?
I can't say that I've ever attended a bad meet. Some have been better than others. I can evaluate all these meets based on different factors: the two biggest factors would be 1) the organizational aspects (how much ground was covered, how efficient it was, how much interesting infrastructure we saw, etc.) and 2) the social aspects and bonding time among friends. I honestly don't care as much about #1 as I do about #2.
It's extremely hard for me to pick which of these have been my favorites. I really liked Chicago/Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Marquette, Rochester, Morgantown, Wausau, Wheeling, Memphis, Port Huron/Sarnia, Ashland, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. This does not mean I didn't like all the others; it's just that those are the ones that stand out to me as being the most memorable.
The road meets keep getting better and better over the years. :)
Quote from: froggie on March 20, 2014, 05:52:38 PM
Though not directly impacted by it, I once held a meet right before a hurricane (New Orleans/Slidell 2008, just before Hurricane Gustav hit).
I remember that, Steph and I were there :-) Still a fun meet since that was our first time in New Orleans and the weather the day before the meet was nice, and of course humid but still sunny and we were able to spend alot of time downtown.
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on March 20, 2014, 10:00:27 AM
The Upper-Middle St. Lawrence mini-meet from last summer was a blast too!
Heh. That weekend was nuts. The fact that it had about five minutes of pre-planning and then snowballed from "let's clinch the new A-30" to "let's clinch all of A-30" to "let's go to Trois-Rivieres" to "let's go to Shawinigan!" makes it the best kind of random fun. It wasn't organized, it just happened. Also, 2/5ths of the attendees were not roadgeeks, and neither of those were parents, significant others, or children of roadgeeks. That has to be some sort of record. :P
Quote from: Laura on March 20, 2014, 12:01:05 PM
I really can't pick a meet without Mike as my top
Giggity!
Quote from: Duke87 on March 20, 2014, 11:10:51 PM
Heh. That weekend was nuts. The fact that it had about five minutes of pre-planning and then snowballed from "let's clinch the new A-30" to "let's clinch all of A-30" to "let's go to Trois-Rivieres" to "let's go to Shawinigan!" makes it the best kind of random fun. It wasn't organized, it just happened.
That's more or less what happened with Flint last year too. It's so much fun if you're with the right people (and a group that can fit into one or two cars).
Quote from: Laura on March 20, 2014, 12:01:05 PM
I really can't pick a meet without Mike as my top
Didn't know you were into that ;)
Quote from: vdeane on March 21, 2014, 04:21:11 PM
Quote from: Laura on March 20, 2014, 12:01:05 PM
I really can't pick a meet without Mike as my top
Didn't know you were into that ;)
Well they
are married ;)
I had you pegged (no pun intended) as a power bottom.
Quote from: bugo on March 21, 2014, 11:33:41 PM
I had you pegged (no pun intended) as a power bottom.
Haha! I am definitely a power bottom.
iPhone
Quote from: Laura on March 22, 2014, 02:55:55 AM
Quote from: bugo on March 21, 2014, 11:33:41 PM
I had you pegged (no pun intended) as a power bottom.
Haha! I am definitely a power bottom.
iPhone
Frank Reynolds: You don't look like a gay guy.
Dennis Reynolds: That's because he's a bear.
Mac: What?
Dennis Reynolds: He's a bear. You see, some gay guys are twinks and other are bears. This gay guy's a bear. By the way, we are totally cool with that. To each his own.
Frank Reynolds: Wait, I'm a little confused here. What's a twink?
Dennis Reynolds: A twink is small and slender, like mac.
Mac: Oh, no, I'm too muscular. I would be a bear.
Dennis Reynolds: Uh, don't think so, bro. Not hairy enough.
Frank Reynolds: Smooth. Now, I would be a bear.
Dennis Reynolds: No, no. See, I don't think you'd be a bear either. As a matter of fact, I don't know what you'd be. You're definitely not a twink.
Frank Reynolds: I'd be a top, that's for sure.
Mac: Can a twink be a top or is that reserved for bears?
Dennis Reynolds: I'm sure there's a great deal of switching back and forth but I think more often then not bears are tops, unless they happen to be power bottoms.
Frank Reynolds: What's a power bottom?
Mac: A power bottom is a bottom that is capable of receiving an enormous amount of power.
Dennis Reynolds: Actually Mac, you've got it backwards. You see, the power bottom is actually generating the power by doing most of the work.
Frank Reynolds: Does power have to do with size or strength of the bottom?
Mac: Now Dennis, I heard speed has something to do with it.
Dennis Reynolds: Speed has everything to do with it! You see, the speed of the bottom informs the top how much pressure he's supposed to apply. Speed's the name of the game.
Quote from: SSOWorld on March 21, 2014, 10:51:33 PM
Quote from: vdeane on March 21, 2014, 04:21:11 PM
Quote from: Laura on March 20, 2014, 12:01:05 PM
I really can't pick a meet without Mike as my top
Didn't know you were into that ;)
Well they are married ;)
You didn't read as much into the innuendo as I did, clearly. :whip:
I appreciate the fact that Cincy 2013 ended up on AJ's list. That was the one I hosted. It wasn't without its problems, but I certainly gave it my damnedest shot.
I'd love to host another here in 2015, but it's way too early to plan that one.