Dave makes sure he drives the farthest by passing Carlisle on his way down from Canada to Florida and then driving back to Carlisle and calling that his first leg. To be fair, it's the only way to defeat Jack Crosby.
FWIW to you-all, it's helpful to me to know who thinks they're likely to make the trip in 2023. The more people who make it, the less it costs per-person.
Some background:
It's no secret that Alan and Connie Merklin have been the mainspring of Carlisle planning for many years, handling the hotel reservations and some significant portion of the meal plans and excursions. Last year Alan announced he would not be volunteering this year. There was an attempt to palm Alan's role off on David Kumpf but David (being smarter than he looks) was non-committal.
That leaves me with the keys to the event—these being a series of lists and spreadsheets, contacts, notes on side-trips taken in years past and a small cache of, well, cash that Bruce Stumpp built up in his years as MC and passed to Jenni and Cory Drake, who bequeathed it to me three years ago. Money to buy name tags, awards, snax, party favors and suchlike, plus reserve tents, chairs, banquet rooms & etc. as needed, to be replenished by participants via our traditional raffle.
I'm pleased to say that, despite our species' recent experience with the Very Unpleasant Global Event That Shall Not Be Discussed, that cache abides. It is equal today to what it was when Cory forked it over.
I have enjoyed Carlisle every year since 2011 including the recent Tuner Years. I like walking the show field and watching the silly stuff people do with their cars, checking the swap meet venders and talking to the car guys—especially the ones who show up with something unique and home built. I've done the autocross and the "low car limbo." Probably not going to participate in any of the drifting events but they are a spectacle.
As for side trips...I am contemplating an excursion to the Hershey Chocolate Factory, for no other reason than that I have never been there. It's about 45 minutes from the fairgrounds, 25 from our usual hotel.
As you all know, nice roads can be found to the north and west. I'm eyeing some roads we've not traveled that could make a nice cruise.
FWIW I'd like for the group to have a spring meet and would hope for it to be within driving range to me.
If it's not Carlisle then another place could work as well. If not in May maybe in April or June or even July. I'd love to hit the Pittsburgh VGP again despite the swelter of its scheduled dates.
But I can't pretend to know what would turn all y'all's keys.
It has been suggested to me (by men of clear vision and long experience) that a poll, or any attempt to seek consensus, on the board or elsewhere, is doomed to failure for the usual and general group dynamics reasons.
Perhaps the time has come to prove the wise men wrong.
Whatever is decided, I can also be counted on to help, as time permits. My job is full-time, but not more than that.
If anyone wants to take on some of the organizational effort PM me and we'll divvy up the chores.