Hi.
I want to make something perfectly clear right up front: I have nothing to do with planning the Gathering. Yes, Eva talks to me for advice sometimes, and yes, once the Gathering starts, I'm the man in charge, but until then, I'm just some guy like the rest of everyone else. I'm not a member of the Planning Committee.
That out of the way, I think there are some very serious problems with this planned fact-finding trip. Not only don't I think the trip is necessary, but I think it might also be counterproductive. I'll take the points in that order.
There's nothing that can be done by taking a trip up there that can't be done better with a phone call or some time spent online. I've talked with Bob Hayes on the phone on a number of occassions, and he's a very nice, very informative man who has no problems helping people out if they have questions. He lives in the area, he's very knowledgeable, very helpful. If we want to know where the hospital is, I guarantee that he's not only been there and knows exactly where it is, but that he's got their phone number at his desk. If we want to know where the nearest liquor store is, he'll know, and he'll also know where the /best/ liquor store is, which is likely run by someone he's on a first-name basis with. You get the point.
For damn sure, Bob knows the condition of his cabins and the kitchen they have and the quality of the bathrooms. He knows how much the boat rentals are [US$550 for a pontoon boat for a week], how big the lake is [2,600 acres or 4 square miles], and what's going on the week we're there [the annual Corn Roast, god help us]. See, not only does /he/ know that stuff, but /I/ know that stuff.
The only things we can't know are the subjective things, like the quality of the cabins. But, please, god, tell me, what are we going to do? For one thing, there is no way in hell these cabins are in a condition that will be unacceptable. This is a /major/ complex of cabins on a fairly major lake. We had to book nearly a year in advance to secure these cabins, and we /still/ got beat on our first choice. Do you seriously think the paint's peeling or the windows are cracked? And if it is, what are we going to do about it? Not stay there?
I don't know how many of you travel extensively. Personally, I don't. But I've talked to people who do, people who stay in cabins and at resorts, and I'm assured that going to a cabin so you can verify its quality is simply not done. And I'll tell you, if I owned a 13-cabin complex with a bar, a restaurant, air conditioning, and free 14' bass boats with every cabin rented, I'd be pretty put off by a group of people showing up with a camera taking pictures and making sure the place is okay. Not to mention I think Bob's starting to get a little confused about the plethora of people he's had to deal with so far. Would /you/ want to talk to Thorn and Caz and I over the phone?
Moo's right. If the showers don't have pressure, there's nothing we can do about it. And don't you think the Planning Committee took some pains to make sure that we're not staying at Skank Cabins, Incorporated?
There's nothing we can learn there that we can't learn better from here. And the things we can learn there accomplish nothing about which we can do anything. I don't think a trip there is necessary, and I /do/ think it's undesirable.
I'm sure this post has come off as being a lot more strongly worded than I meant it, but I've been kind of standing on the sidelines while all of this is going on, saying to myself, "What the heck are we
doing here?" And so I decided to finally speak, and I'm sure I spoke more strongly than I should have. I am certain that there were good reasons for this in the beginning, but at this point, I just don't think it's a good idea, and I
know it isn't necessary. I'm holding the Big Damned Guide to Fox Lake in my hands right now - well, it's in my lap, because I'm typing
- and everything we need to know is either in my hands - my lap - or a phone call away.
If questions need answered, ask them, and I can answer. If I don't know, I can find out. If I can't find out, hell, let the Planning Committee handle it. Trust them; they're good people. If you don't trust them for this, I've got bad news for you: they planned the whole Gathering. If they're really not trustworthy - Thorn, Eva, Instant Cash - the pressure of the showers is the least of our worries. And if I can't tell you where the nearest hospital is - Beaver Dam and Waupun are both about 10 miles away - then my research skills are /really/ slipping.
My thing is this: trust me, and trust the Committee. There's no need to go bug the nice Mr. Hayes - who's already going to have his patience stretched enough when we get there
- for information that isn't going to help or that we already have.
Hey, thanks for listening. You've been a great audience. Please don't forget to tip your waitresses.
