h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We could try to arrange an NYC meet-up for the time you'll be in this neck of the woods!

The Northeast US Researchers are also tentatively planning a Washington D.C. meetup for the summer ... something to keep in mind!

YESSS!

We have been mentioning your name to each other, but neither of us was actually organised enough to come over and bang on your U-Space and say 'Hi - can we come play?'

We are very close to having the itinerary outlined. GTB is your man for that. I don't want to say we will have anything as definite as dates for a while, but once we have a route, we can have a rough idea of which week at least we will be in which place. And then it is a matter of finessing and re-finessing.

We DEFINTITELY wanted to see you, and of course the other NY researchers. And if we have to go to NYC - well - I guess we have to go to NYC!

Anyway - GTB will almost certainly drop by here later on today. I am off to bed now! Doncha love these time-slips?

Take care

Ben

It's almost unusual to be here at the same time as someone you're having a conversation with!

I know you're hitting New England, but not too sure where you're heading after that. I'll wait until you guys have more of an idea of what you're doing when. When you get a better idea, I'll post at the NE US Researchers page to let everyone know what's up.

At the moment it is Georgia - Massachussets - Vermont - Quebec, but I know there is a much more detailed itinterary which GTB and I are working on. He'll post it up on the page, and we'll let you know.



Ben

Ooops, I lied.


Georgia
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
District of Columbia
Maryland
Delaware
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Vermont
Quebec

It makes me feel tired and scared just looking at it!

Ben

Not a problem! Driving straight through would only take a couple of days!

Now if that Northeast US meet-up involved a camping trip to somewhere nice just across the Quebec or New Brunswick border, say around the weekend of July 26-27 or Aug 9-10, I'd be happy to join you.
I'll be in Trois Rivieres (Quebec) for auto races July 28 thru Aug 3rd. Course you could join me there if you're into fast cars, French culture, Canadian beer, campfire cooking and soggy sleeping bags.

~jwf~

Ben - like Shea sez, all those states are pretty small, compared to Texas. (Of course, everything's small compared to Texas!) The drive up should be pretty quick - I can guarantee the most driving time you'll spend in one state will be Texas! (Well, depends upon which way you go - east or west.)

You guys should really take a day off and go through the Smithsonian, since you're going to be in Washington D.C. Don't try to rush through it, because it's too big - you'll be overwhelmed. And don't try to do anything else that day!

The only thing I'm worried about is if the vehicle has any trouble...
You guys will have my number in Texas, so if you really need it, I can wire you some money. Chances are a researcher or two will be within driving distance, so really you won't be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Hey... just had this great idea. What you guys need is a webcam. With wireless remote access on a laptop, a webcam pointed at the inside of the van, and a website linked from h2g2, we can all keep track of where you guys are and what's going on at the time.

Well, maybe it's not such a good idea. Introducing technology to the situation means it's one more thing to break or go wrong, and this sounds like a fun, hippie-correct sort of event. It should be as stress-free as possible.

Sigh... I'm envious. This sounds like a lot of fun.

- Lentilla

Soggy sleeping bags? You make it sound so inviting!

I love the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. also. I still haven't gotten around to seeing most of the Smithsonian!

Right, hello!

Ben's been asleep for a few hours, so that wasn't quite a clean hand-off, but what does time mean online?

Shea, it's great to hear from you. I'll add you to the list of people we're planning to run into. Soon, the list of states here on the page will evolve into a more specific itinerary. We still haven't quite sorted out what to do with the Deep South, or between Michigan and Manitoba, or exactly how the timing will work in California. I suppose the Mid-Atlantic is also still a bit of a blank, though I'm thinking of someone in North Carolina, and Ben has non-h2 friends in Delaware.....

Anyway, watch this space to see the plans take shape.

I've never been to NY - it should be exciting!


GTB

Well, hate to break it to you, jwf, but I'm hoping that they'll be over in California the weekend fo July 25-27... *is vacillating between certainty that labor will start at the church picnic, and thus early enough to make the meet she's been organizing, and certainty that that's when PaperBaby will show up--the day of the meet.... Whichever's most inconvenient, I'm sure)

At the moment and INCREDIBLY TENTATIVELY, it looks as if we will be arriving in Montreal on Sunday 29th June and leaving on Tuesday 1st July. This brings us around to Gilroy in time for the 25th July, the god of Ford Vans permitting.

As I said - this is very very tentative.

B

*very very tentative yyyyyyyaaaaaayyyyyy*

You've got to meet Tac and decide if he's right about that yyyyyyaaaayyyyy of his, or if everyone else is

Everyone else ... just trust me on this.

Well, yes, of course...

But then, I'm part of 'everyone else' on this

It's an odd feeling, isn't it?

Ok - we have finally got dates, still subject to change, and all sorts of other disclaimers, but at the moment our dates for NYC are:

Arrive Tuesday 22nd July
Leave Friday 25th July

Hope we can meet as many New York researchers as possible, even though they are week-days.


Ben