My kind of town, Chicago is...

Sounds like a good time to me! Too damn long since I seen JPB's smiling face and I think I might owe Izzie a hug! Anyone considering it should try real hard because all the Chicago peeps are as cool as they come... even if you do have to traverse a highway system that would tempt a train to back up and take a dirt road. I'm awefully busy these days so I can't give a firm commitment yet, but you can consider me a probable. Would love to see you all again!

no, not yet.

Hey Hey

Heck - it'll be great to meet anyone and everyone. ((((Bill)))) - if there was a sky dive in Chi-town that weekend - I WOULD do it! HA! That's on the "my life" to-do list - tho I reckon I'd have to go tandem!

Ci,Mis,Swimpy,SheW et al - would be wonderful to meet with you all - but know it's not that easy co-ordinating it, leave alone funding it. (SheW - check ya PM gal re Dallas )

JPB - haven't sent out any PM's as yet - you know how organised I am a? HA!

E-tickets arrived today, been and got $'s - no shoes yet, but 2 out of 3 'aint bad!

S-boy and I will go whatever is good for everyone else - we'll just be happy to be there.

no worries - I contacted all four folks mentioned previously. Bill, Alex, and dev have all responded with interest. No plans or commitments yet.

mis -- it would be great if it works out but don't stress too much. Three young boys, second week back in school, re-establishing routines and all that... your dilemma is completely understandable.

Izzie, Have you met any a2kers in the UK? How far or close to you live from London?

Hey ci

A2Kers - yep, FQsis (FlavourQueen) is my best friend since ... we were born! Tulip (Annis) lives just a few miles away - we are very close - our kids are best buddies - in fact her son is sitting beside me right now.

BarryTheMod lives in London (200 miles away from Devon) - have been and stayed at his place and met his daughter, Small on A2K, at Hard Rock Calling a few weeks back. BTM and I talk on the phone all the time. Hoping to meet McT and F at some stage and any other UKers around. Also met Steve4100 and MrsStevie last year. Have talked with Pentacle Queen on the phone when TKO was over - will meet up with her hopefully next time I take a trip up to the BigCity. Talk to other A2Kers dotted around the world on the phone regularly - that's so great - SKYPE is wonderful!

There's a lovely French fella that I hope to meet too someday soon - and can't wait to meet up with folk in the US. Have stayed with Rockhead and JPB last year and met up with Eva and Son of Eva too. This is such a great community to be part of - so very close to the Yabber Crew. I hope to visit the New Yorkers and Bahstonians and would love to meet up with New Mexico-ers and Tranna Pack. One day... one day! Feel very blessed.

Izzie, Spot on! I feel the same about akers, and also feel blessed to know so many of them. That French fellow, Francis, is a cool fellow who seems to have seen more of the world than all of us travelers on a2k put together!

He even showed up at our San Francisco meet a couple of years ago.

We're having an abbreviated one in late September when we have a visitor from Chicago (joe), and another in early September in Austin where we will probably have at least a half dozen show up.

McT and Fiona visited us last year in California, so we had the opportunity to spend some time together.

Our lives are much richer for knowing so many good folks from a2k.

Happy memories of our time in California, and we also visited Bernie and Lola in Oregon. Hi, Tak!

That reminds me I must give Steve a call and find out where he's up to.

btw there was a thread, some time ago, asking folks to post a list of fellow A2Kers they had met. Maybe it's a bit out of date now.

And- how could I forget?- one memorable evening (and on FionaB's birthday, too) we also met that force of nature called georgeob. And George arranged the birthday cake.

Does anyone in the Chicago area know of a good spot w/in 3/4 hours of Chicago for a 20-30 mile backpacking trip?

I'd like something heavily forested with water sources of course. Any ideas?

3/4 hours won't even get you out of Chicago. LOL You must look at the parks on both the north and south sides. Lincoln Park is a good start.

I live 50 miles north of Chicago...so I'm already a ways out. 4 hours will get me at least 130 miles out of Chicago.

I need something much bigger than Lincoln Park.

I'd look North...

When we lived in Naperville, we drove up to Lake Geneva, but I can't recall how long it took.

I thought you meant 45-minutes.

Starved Rock? Galena? I don't know, I have never backpacked and I don't much like the outdoors. Check out some of the Illinois state parks.

Okay, I'll just talk to myself then. I don't care.

Looks like Georgeob is hogging the wine.

I believe he wanted the bottle(s) near him, so that he could more easily replenish our glasses like the model host he is.

rjb, Actually, georgeob is a gracious and generous host, and nobody would ever think he's hoared the wine.