Quote :

chatrbug wrote : pays to live in PA Quote : Showers are over rated Yah well.. we are talking about June and July... and 10 days out and about. Not all in period clothing, but since we are going to play tourist during the week, I figured a shower might be good.

There are ponds at some of the campsites.    

--Last edited by flattop32355 on 2008-01-15 23:55:26 --

I feel your pain!  It is going to be 2818 miles round trip to Gettysburg for me hauling horses this summer.  Not sure what the price of diesel will be.  I was hoping to be able to include both events but not enough members wanted to do it.  It would have really made the trip great for us!  Our unit does both types but with the travel time required, we had to choose.  You can not just drive straight through when you haul horses, they have to have time out of the trailers.  I have family in Lancaster County so I wanted to lay over but ride with both and squeeze in a visit at the same time.  Since the guys want numbers, we are doing the GAC.  I may come out early without the horses and just the family to see AHT.  I just cannot afford to haul on my own.  They will bring my horses.

Last year we went to Tennessee twice.  Once for a reenactment, once for a LH/SCV grave dedication for members of Terry's Texas Rangers.  That was expensive.  TX/OK/AK is big enough that we cannot afford to do more than one big event a year.  Heck, some of what we consider local events are eight hours away!  

--Last edited by barry smithson on 2008-01-16 00:02:10 --

Quote :

There are ponds at some of the campsites.

Tsk tsk Mr. Bernard... for men that may be a bit easier... Im afraid as a woman, I may just draw a crowdn Perhaps I could charge? lol.  

Bill

We haven't met to decide our schedule yet, but I think we may experience a similiar issue as you did.  With people may not want to travel too far because of gas prices.

Usually I travel to an event with a friend or 2, so we are able to split the gas/food costs pretty evenly.  

My take on this;
I always enter these discussions late.
I live below Tampa, Florida. Just doing an event in Georgia, can cost some serious pesos now because of gasoline. I am forced to really sit down and choose. My unit does not always vote on the high quality events, ie Picketts Mill, etc, but in the past you would always find members of my unit at  better events further north like, Perryville, Recon, Burkettsville and a few others. And to be quite honest because of family obligations and personal finances, and work,  my attendance  has gone way down.
I am envious of those who can take the time to attend the quality events and the mega events coming up.
Grumpy Dave have a safe trip up there! I do wish I was going to Winter '64, as that is an awsome liivng history scenario I have yet to experience.
Kindest Regards;

It's snowing that wet and sticky kind of snow right now, and I'm heading to an event this weekend in the hill country of Pennsylvania.

Retail diesel fuel was $3.39 per gallon this past week, and will probably be there for a while. Gasoline prices are hovering around $3.00, give or take a few cents.  Motor fuel, and, as Grumpy mentioned, home heating oil prices, are causing folks to make a this-or-that decision, and the current recession isn't helping matters much.

In 2007, and previous years, most of the long distance events saw the benefit of the carpool, which cuts down costs. What was 2 guys in a truck has expanded to 6 guys in a mini-van, so the costs haven't really gone up that much per individual when everything is spread out amongst friends. Sometimes, it's the return trip that gets you down when the discussion turns to what everyone would have been doing had they not spent a Friday through Monday weekend on the road attending an event, and then the general critique as to whether or not the event met their expectations.  

That would be expectations, managed or otherwise.

The most expensive CW event in recent years was the last Winter 1864 event, and it came in at right around $3,200 when all was said and done. This time around, the event won't be nearly as costly in terms of dollars, but the amount of time spent preparing for this rendition is more than or equal to the last time. The least expensive event has to be the semi-annual Hoke Brigade marker clean ups at G'burg, and that's just the cost of fuel and a celebratory trip to Gen. Piglet's buffet.

The 2008 season sees a few long distance trips on the schedule, but most of the events I'll attend are well within a 10-hour travel range. Living in Maryland, there isn't much in the Mid-Atlantic region that I haven't done, or did and didn't care for that much, but I'll hit a few odds and ends this year. Maybe.

Grumpy, are you ready for a couple of central PA events with those nice people from Shippensburg?    

I need get you to come out for a certain G'burg NPS LH or two this year. I may take the mess kettles out of retirement for one of them.

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : I need get you to come out for a certain G'burg NPS LH or two this year. I may take the mess kettles out of retirement for one of them.

Charles,

Let me know about these as I may be interested in attending, if the dates are good for me. Snowing in West Chester also. have fun in NY.

You betcha' I'ver gotten an invite from the RP post sitter, and I know Art and the boys wouldn't mind having me around. Shippensburg, maybe as long as there's no "Rebel Yell." That stuff would be better served in a coal oil lamp.

Charles.. the good news is that gas is dropping.. its down to $2.99 here.

Marc,

Two of the benefits of being a member in an organized group is a newsletter now and then, and a whacky mid-month update to stir the pot.

I know you have a lot going on between the rowing (cool hobby) and such, but the door is always open.  It pained me greatly to watch the death throes of the 83rd PVI over the past three or four years, but I am glad several of the fellows who desired to remain active in the hobby were able to find good homes within the battalion.

By the way, if you want to break out that dormant USSS impression for Glendale, Bill Skillman is going great guns with coordinating that aspect of the event. I'm not sure about the Vermont accent, but yours is probably better than mine.

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : The most expensive CW event in recent years was the last Winter 1864 event, and it came in at right around $3,200 when all was said and done. This time around, the event won't be nearly as costly in terms of dollars, but the amount of time spent preparing for this rendition is more than or equal to the last time.

Charles

Is the 3200$, your out of pocket expense for attending the event?

I think I recall the article in the CWH about this event last year and you were the sutler there.  Was this a new impression for you and that explains the cost or were you able to recoup any of it through items sold at the event?

That seems like an expensive weekend and was just curious what caused that.

Thanks

Greg,

That was the out of pocket, and probably didn't account for everything, but was a pretty close. Like many of the cooking gigs, I only ask for a token reimbursement.

A heck of a lot of fellows were curious as to what went into it, and the article printed in the newsletter was rather detailed, and went beyond what was in the CWH article. Was it worth it? Heck, yeah. Like this cycle's impression, it was a one time thing...although we did use some of the leftover items at the 2nd Bull Run NPS LH just to get rid of them.

I'm not sure the three of us are going to be able to pull off the impression we have planned this time around, and of the three, I'm pretty much the weak link, as I have about a year invested in this, where they have decades of experience.  This ought to be interesting, to say the least.  

We could have easily spent as much or more money this time around, but there's no need to go overboard this year. Two things I regret is being very cautious about  bringing up a certain oddball (and large enough to be horse drawn) piece of equipment documented to the impression, but it's the only one left in the world, and I'd be real upset if it was destroyed in use or in transit. The other is one of the fellows who has a spot on speciality impression that would definitely compliment our efforts is grievously ill.

Have fun at Romney. I imagine they received a little snow, too. I'd like to make that walk some year.

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : Greg, That was the out of pocket, and probably didn't account for everything, but was a pretty close. Like many of the cooking gigs, I only ask for a token reimbursement. A heck of a lot of fellows were curious as to what went into it, and the article printed in the newsletter was rather detailed, and went beyond what was in the CWH article. Was it worth it? Heck, yeah. Like this cycle's impression, it was a one time thing...although we did use some of the leftover items at the 2nd Bull Run NPS LH just to get rid of them. I'm not sure the three of us are going to be able to pull off the impression we have planned this time around, and of the three, I'm pretty much the weak link, as I have about a year invested in this, where they have decades of experience.  This ought to be interesting, to say the least.   We could have easily spent as much or more money this time around, but there's no need to go overboard this year. Two things I regret is being very cautious about  bringing up a certain oddball (and large enough to be horse drawn) piece of equipment documented to the impression, but it's the only one left in the world, and I'd be real upset if it was destroyed in use or in transit. The other is one of the fellows who has a spot on speciality impression that would definitely compliment our efforts is grievously ill. Have fun at Romney. I imagine they received a little snow, too. I'd like to make that walk some year.

Charles

Thanks for the explaination.