Post by bravo12 on Oct 19, 2008 21:54:28 GMT -5
I was just gonna ask when we're planning the scouting run, but didn't know what thread to put it in. Then I figured we'd need a separate thread to plan it in anyway.
So, when is the scouting run? I'm assuming that since we're obviously not doing SOA and the other stops, we can check out the roads and towns along the way in a regular weekend. Maybe meet up very early Saturday morning, shoot right up to Burlington (since the route up to there is already familiar and will be mostly highway), maybe stay in Lake George area Saturday night, and be home by Sunday afternoon?
Or, if we need to cover more ground in one weekend, we can break up into smaller groups (or even single cars) and each take a section of the route? For example, one group/car scout around SDC and up towards Burlington, at least to where we'd be on the highway the rest of the way. Someone from farther north shoot right up to Burlington and check the route from there to LG (might be a full weekend there). And someone shoot right up I-87 to LG and trace the path back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton dinner spot. I would like to do a small group run, but we could spend more time investigating rest/fuel spots and local areas if we split up and concentrate on a specific leg of the run. Or, we can run together and split up to check alternative routes that are not finalized yet.
We might also want to make a list of exactly what we're looking for along the way. E.g., large fuel stop every 200-220 miles (with bathrooms, food, and maybe a place nearby to group-up again), twisty alternative backroads that don't add much time to the trip, small crowded towns to avoid stopping in, construction areas that might still be in effect in January, and speed traps. I'm sure Mike and Ted already have a good feel for what we need to look for.
Are we going to give local law enforcement a heads-up in certain towns that we will be stopping/staying? I know last year it was decided that it was probably a better idea not to give them a heads-up in case they decided to make some money on us by setting up speed traps or shaking us down. I don't mind running near the back of the pack in case we get another trooper that writes tickets to girls on a charity run. I'll give everybody a card with my number to get ahold of me during the run; I don't know what pull my badge will have, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
Has anyone finalized the overall route yet? I would imagine this is the most important part of the scouting mission, as one weekend isn't enough time to check several route options for a 3-day drive (unless we split up, as previously suggested).
Anyway, I'm in. I'm hoping for one weekend in November, before I start spending on Christmas shopping. (Aw, who am I kidding? I won't start X-mas shopping until around Dec 21st.) Who else is up for a weekend of scouting?
So, when is the scouting run? I'm assuming that since we're obviously not doing SOA and the other stops, we can check out the roads and towns along the way in a regular weekend. Maybe meet up very early Saturday morning, shoot right up to Burlington (since the route up to there is already familiar and will be mostly highway), maybe stay in Lake George area Saturday night, and be home by Sunday afternoon?
Or, if we need to cover more ground in one weekend, we can break up into smaller groups (or even single cars) and each take a section of the route? For example, one group/car scout around SDC and up towards Burlington, at least to where we'd be on the highway the rest of the way. Someone from farther north shoot right up to Burlington and check the route from there to LG (might be a full weekend there). And someone shoot right up I-87 to LG and trace the path back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton dinner spot. I would like to do a small group run, but we could spend more time investigating rest/fuel spots and local areas if we split up and concentrate on a specific leg of the run. Or, we can run together and split up to check alternative routes that are not finalized yet.
We might also want to make a list of exactly what we're looking for along the way. E.g., large fuel stop every 200-220 miles (with bathrooms, food, and maybe a place nearby to group-up again), twisty alternative backroads that don't add much time to the trip, small crowded towns to avoid stopping in, construction areas that might still be in effect in January, and speed traps. I'm sure Mike and Ted already have a good feel for what we need to look for.
Are we going to give local law enforcement a heads-up in certain towns that we will be stopping/staying? I know last year it was decided that it was probably a better idea not to give them a heads-up in case they decided to make some money on us by setting up speed traps or shaking us down. I don't mind running near the back of the pack in case we get another trooper that writes tickets to girls on a charity run. I'll give everybody a card with my number to get ahold of me during the run; I don't know what pull my badge will have, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
Has anyone finalized the overall route yet? I would imagine this is the most important part of the scouting mission, as one weekend isn't enough time to check several route options for a 3-day drive (unless we split up, as previously suggested).
Anyway, I'm in. I'm hoping for one weekend in November, before I start spending on Christmas shopping. (Aw, who am I kidding? I won't start X-mas shopping until around Dec 21st.) Who else is up for a weekend of scouting?