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Yeah, I guess I'm an incurable planner as well as a glutton for punishment. Here I haven't recovered yet and I'm already brainstorming for what we should do next. But Kama Con was just so much fun!
I don't know if people would actually be willing to commit to a get together where they'd have to take 5 days off, but we could try to do it over a holiday weekend like the 4th of July where we'd already have 3 days and then just tacking an extra day or two on either end.
I think we could find some place with camping and cabins in the mountains somewhere and make it a crystal city even if it only lasts for a couple of days.
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hmm, I wonder how much more expensive CA would be than Chicago. If we camped at the beach rather than doing a hotel, it would be pretty cheap, and I've got access to lots of camping equipment out there.
The problem with me and California is that I have gazillions of friends out there and I'd never get to see them all and they would be mad if I didn't visit especially if I went out there for "internet friends".
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The other problem is that we would need enough people with enough camping equipment that were able to drive, to accomodate people that would be flying in. Though if we could find a place with cheap cabins it might help. And the airport runs for camping would be far more difficult I think. Or the flying people would just have to allow a lot of leeway on either side of their trip.
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We have cabins and suchlike out here too, I hear. But someone else is probably better to plan it than me, anyway, if we go this route. The closest to camping I've been was summer camp when I was a teen.
If we do this, I would come (and I think I probably really could manage it). Most likely with the kids.
4th of July weekend is when my son's Cub Scout troop has their annual campout, though.
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However, what you propose is interesting. My wife (and Thomas) love camping, so it would be a pretty easy sell. Hmm....
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There is a place I was thinking of rivka that is owned by the forest service in the San Jacinto Mts, that I stayed in once with a church function. It was like a huge hunting lodge but without the hunting a humongus great room and smaller rooms off to the side. I think there was a kitchen. Don't think it was that expensive, but I suspect we went in the off season from whatever their tourist season was.
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Neither am I, Suneun, but I'm willing to go anyway. I would hope lots of "not-outdoorsy" people would come, so I won't be so outnumbered! Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Oooh, Catskills! How big a cabin, Paul? And any rentable other ones adjacent?
If we did the Catskills, I could squeeze in a trip to NYC (and NJ, and Monsey, and . . . ) before and/or after.
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I can handle the dirt and no-showers-esque things okay, it's the bugs that make me go all haywire.
It's too hard to try and plan this for late Sept/early Oct, isn't it? Still nice weather in lots of areas.
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I think she's originally thinking of 2005 (next year). And I would imagine we would have to plan it for the time of year when university is not in session....
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I need showers. I counted, and in the course of four days of KamaCon, I took seven showers. Every time we went into the city or wandered around outside, I took a shower.
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hhmmm *gears in brain spinning* (you might be able to see the smoke coming out of my ears).
I don't know what "clump" I'm in anymore. The Indiana clump has grown huge and it seems like there is starting to be an Ohio clump.
There are enough of us midwesterners that it might be easier to try the camping as a "test run" before doing the logistics for 40-50 people. And then we could be more flexible. Plus it would give us an excuse to get together before next year.
Don't get me wrong I would love to see EVERYBODY again, and if someone really wanted to fly in I'm sure we could work something out. But it is a matter of scale too. The more informal get togethers of the Wisconsin-Illinois people have always been fun and the Cincinatti signing trip last year, was far more painless as far as planning goes than this was. It really helps when people have their own vehicles.
The Californians have a strong enough clump that I think they could pull off a large gathering if they pulled together, but one of the problems is getting people to come. They are geographically isolated from everyone east of the Rockies. This means the train and greyhound options far more limiting and plane tickets in general more expensive. Unfortunately, none of us have millions to give away, so money is always going to be one of the major limiting factors.
AJ
(Though between Tom and I we did make $20 on Kama Con which went to Kama for spending money)
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quote:I need showers. I counted, and in the course of four days of KamaCon, I took seven showers. Every time we went into the city or wandered around outside, I took a shower.
LOL. I'm particular about trying to get clean also, but I won't do more than a shower/bath a day unless I do something drastic that requires it. I would definitely be in at least a trailer or cabin, as I don't like sleeping on the ground.
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The cabin can sleep six privately, and another 4 in publicish areas ( 3 bedrooms, and a living room with 2 beds and a fold out couch). It also has a small, not very functional kitchen, and there is a campground 5 minute drive away (ok, 10, because it takes 5 minutes to go up the driveway at our cabin).
With ANY luck, next year we would open up the pool at the cabin, though this may not happen as the place is currently somewhat out of use, since my grandmother died and my grandfather no long is capable of taking care of it. Me and my brother will inherit when he dies, but neither of us has the economic capability of caring for the place yet, so its been somewhat out of use the last 4 years.
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rivka, the San Jacinto Mountains are the mountains across the Palm Springs Valley from the San Bernadinos. Read The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour and you will have a much better appreciation for the area.
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if you want to have an indiana, ohio, kentucky, illinois camping experience you should come down near bloomington. We have lots of cheap campgrounds around the lake or at brown county state park. Plus both of those are close enough to bloomington, with stores and hotels if needed. I am sure stryker could give you some more info about local camping.
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Hmmm. Paul, would there be room to pitch tents outside at the cabin itself. If we did this as a test run, I'm guessing there would be more than 10 people. The people who absolutely abhor sleeping on the ground could take the inside slots and the rest of us could be outside. Is there a firepit on the property or not?
How far of a drive is it from Chicago to the Catskills anyway?
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oh thanks for reminding me, I need a better air mattress. I have a camping air pad but it's too thin to be comfortable (I can still feel all the rocks). I think it's only .75 inches thick. They're like $50 though.
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breyerchic, how flat is the bloomington area. For being in the outdoors my minimum requirement is rolling hills or bluffs that I can at least pretend are mountains.
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not flat at all, I don't know elevations or anything, but fairly decent woody hills, certain places are deffinatly better than others, I would reccomend Lake Monroe (most of the camp grounds are about 15 minutes from down town, or IU campus) or Brown County State Park (about a half hour away from same places). Just no skinny dipping in the lake, or the DNR guys will get you (ask stryker and allegra about that one)
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Turkey Run State Park, in central western Indiana, is also pretty decent and has some cool, wooded ravines.
Again, though, while the hiking is nice and relatively hilly, we're not talking actual mountain thingies. When someone from Indiana says "relatively hilly," what they mean is that a ball, when dropped, will roll a bit. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I'm so up for this. Pitching a tent outside too will probably be a real luxury for me by then. Because it will be green. Under 100 degrees F. And there will be plenty of water around. Showers every day. No sand fleas or sandstorms. Sounds like the Ritz Carlton to me!
If there's any way I can get home for this one I absolutely will. I can't bear being apart from you guys that much longer! Posts: 2843 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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hmm the St Louis area has what I would formerly have called foothills, but are definitely taller than "might roll a bit". Where are the nearest mountains? Canada?
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There are some hills/valleys not far from me. It ends up being centrally located to most NE and Central jatraqueros...which is to say none of them other than the Tick clan are very close. It's also chock full of wineries for those so inclined.
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Brown Co. and Turkey Run State Parks are great. However, I'm not quite sure how I feel about camping with an infant. I might be persuaded, though *grin* I love to camp. The Dells, actually, are great, too. i'm pretty partial to Devil's Lake State Park.
Geez, typing with one hand is too slow for y'all! Tom beat me to it!
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they are real hills. there is a bike race in october(?) called the hilly hundred held here.
these are according to Mapquest so I don't garuntee them Chicago IL to Bloomington IN 4 hours ten minutes St Louis MO to Bloomington IN 3 hours 59 minutes Louisville KY to Bloomington IN 2 hours 2 minutes It is also about an hour from Indianapolis. so pretty centrally located to the centrally located. But I would love to go other places that I didn't have to fly to go to.
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But someone else is probably better to plan it than me, anyway, if we go this route. The closest to camping I've been was summer camp when I was a teen.![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
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