The idea: on a map, place dots at locations where forumites are either willing to host gatherings, or can point to good public land/cheap campsites for gatherings. Host sites wouldn't necessarily be open all the time, of course - hosts would establish their own rules for when available. Could be seasonal, could be specific Event only.
In between the dots are a variety of options for travel: biking, driving, hitching, trains and busses, long distance walking, etc.
Perhaps once a year we organize a long Road Trip. People join and peel off when they like, travel how they like. We gather at host sites per a schedule or drop-in, per the host's rules. The more we do this, the more experience and information we gather on resources along the routes.
The First Trail Road Trip could be this year, between only one other node and Quail Haven for fest24. The annual Trip could evolve from there.
People could also travel the Trail solo or in small groups whenever they like. The Knowledge of the Trail could be a sort of group shared experience that we build over time.
(Splitting off from the ERE City thread, see here for reference.)
QH is one such node (the southern tip of the Sierra Nevadas). Current status: generally available to any forumite, but contact me ahead of time.
Post ideas, post nodes, post route information here.
The Great North American ERE Trail
Re: The Great North American ERE Trail
Great insight, thanks. That makes sense that if it's going to happen, at bare minimum it's going to be one unit (a person or a couple or a few bffs) who push it through. What looks like emergence from the outside always looks like one or two people obsessed with making a thing happen from the inside. (If it's to be, it's up to me...)Ego wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 3:31 pmIt is useful to find examples that have worked in the past and replicate.
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Escapees RV Club and Vagabundos del Mar Baja Travel Club are two clubs that have done something similar.
I knew the managers of the Vagabundos, Fred and Gloria Jones, quite well back in the late 90s. Back then the club was flourishing. They were a couple with complimentary skills that allowed them ensure the club's success for more than thirty years. They would lead caravans of RVs with boats down to Cabo San Lucas where the Vagabundos owned an RV park. Many club members caravaned down to Cabo in the fall and then caravaned back north in the spring.
Fred was a dynamic guy who had previously run the Game Management division of the Department of Fish & Wildlife for the State of California back in the 80s. He was an expert at striking a balance between fostering a buddy system and discouraging anyone from exploiting it too much.
The club was founded in the late sixties before the road ran the full length of Baja. Most of the early members were rugged individuals who solved problems on their own and were willing to lend a hand to others. As the years passed, the rugged individuals were less inclined to help with the same problems again and again. As a result the Jones's did a lot of hand holding and very basic instruction for newbies. Gloria was very good at that.
The Jones's had retired relatively early. Back then I sought out anyone who had advice about living an adventurous early retirement as we were planning to cut ties with the full-time working world. They were both free with their time whenever they passed through town and we had some wonderful, meandering conversations.
Not sure where I am going with this other than the fact that it would take someone like the Jones's to make this happen and there needs to be a reason, like access to the club RV park in Cabo, for the more experienced hands to stick around.