A few of us were discussing a meet in the Majic Shoutout thread, so I'm making a new thread for the exposure and a place to store all the details. Truth be told, right now I have none other than the location and potential date assuming everyone can make it. This will be my first E meet, plus I'm new to Alabama and all my camping gear is in Ohio so I have very little to offer other than my presence.

October 13th is a Monday and happens to be Columbus Day, so if you're a banker, government worker, student, or someone who can come up with a convincing argument to your boss for celebrating this controversial holiday, hooray for an extended weekend!!

BigAl was the one who suggested Oak Mountain State Park; looking at the website (http://www.alapark.com/OakMountain/) and video (http://www.outdooralabama.com/videos/index.cfm?movie=OakMountain.flv), I'd have to agree. Day use and camping fees don't look that bad either, plus we get to see all the leaves in Autumn!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/112/289534991_a48ecd4895_o.jpg



So, are you in??

I'm BigAl and I approve this message :D


I would like to extend the invitation to everyone in the EOC. This will be our first meet, and I would like for it to be a good one :cool:

hmmmm....

Maybe. :neutral:

If I can work a couple of things out.

Looks like a fun trip.

hmmmm....

Maybe. :neutral:

If I can work a couple of things out.

Looks like a fun trip.
It would be great to see you again, Benny.

...well not necessarily seeing you, but talking to you :evil:

It would be great to see you again, Benny.

...well not necessarily seeing you, but talking to you :evil:

oh wait, you're going to be there? :rolleyes:

I'm in, but will only be able to make it on the 11th. Will be in Atlanta that Sunday for a Bears/Falcons game!

Alright, not as much of a response as I hoped for, but I'm still in regardless.

I called the park service and they said that there are still plenty of spots open, however unlike Ohio parks they are unable to reserve specific sites... so there's no way to guarantee that we all get a contiguous block of sites other than showing up around the same time and hoping for the best. I doubt this will be a serious issue considering that the busy summer season is over. I also informed the ranger that not all of us may have tents and might sleep in the car (I am, the tent's in Ohio along with the rest of my gear :sad:), and he said it'd still be permissible to use a tent site for that. Oak Mountain opens at 9am on Friday (I have work but may show up late afternoon), and 8am on Saturday. From the sound of it I don't think there is an after-hours check-in, but there may be, I just forgot to ask.

Now typically the primitive tent sites are separated from the RV sites, however in the off-chance that we get some that aren't, lights and noise from the RVs should still not be an issue because there is an enforced Quiet Hours curfew starting at 10p. Campfires are still okay, just keep the volume down and dim the lanterns.

Now because all my gear is in Ohio (picking it up this Winter) and we're supposed to be doing this meet as a group, not everyone coincidentally showing up :twisted:, I figured we'd put together a todo list to see what needs to be done so volunteers can step in. So if you have one and don't mind sharing, sound off! :D

Food - Sanitary cooker. A campfire ring is provided with a grate, but the rangers strongly recommend bringing either a separate grate or a portable stove. (I normally use a dual burner Coleman stove).
Food - Cooler. Keeps cold stuff cold. Drinks, meat, sandviches.
Food - Skills. Who is THE GRILLMASTER? :evil: I can do this if someone provides the tongs and such.
Accessories - Folding chairs. Each campsite is provided a picnic table, but I was thinking along the lines of sitting by the fire or lake.
Accessories - Lanterns. Flashlights are good and you should bring one of your own, but a nice lantern is perfect for cooking and starting a fire after dusk. One or two should suffice.
Accessories - Canopy. Had a cheapo Ozark Trail canopy last time I went camping that we set up above the picnic table that provided decent shelter from the rain and also acted as a nice place to hang the lantern from.
Fire - I'll handle this; the firewood's on me.
Activities - What do you guys like to do? Hiking, fishing, boating... this place has a lot to offer. Anyone got horseshoes, bagtoss or badmitton?


There's a Wal-Mart Supercenter nearby for supplies, and we could all pitch in on the foodstuffs. An alternative to cooking (besides the obligatory roasted mallows) is local eating. Google Earth shows an IHOP, Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, several delis and cafes as well as the usual variety of fast food located nearby, although I'd still recommend making some sandviches for a backpack lunch.

Mmm, so excited for this. I just bought the Reflectix for keeping my E nice and cozy at night. Will be my 2nd mod.



Oh, and a fair warning to any 1st time campers that aren't sleeping in the Element... make sure you have a sleeping bag AND some form of insulation/padding between you and the ground. Air beds, thermarests, self-inflating pads and the cheap foam pads that you can buy for <$10 work fine. Also setup your tent a few days before you leave to make sure it has everything and so you can seal the seams!

Wish it were a few weeks later & I might have joined. I've camped at Oak Mtn 12-15 times. Love the MTB trail there. It's a great park, great spot for the fall foliage. IIRC, there's some tent spots w/water & no power. Last time I E-camped there on my way to N.C. I found a nice flat spot to park for camping in the E. It was towards the back of the rt loop where the tent spots are up the hill and there's a big parking area for 4-5 ten spots that can fit 6-8 cars. Hill blocked much of the rv noise.

Yes, there's about a dozen + places to eat in about 2 miles including grandpa's favorite cracker barrel up by the interstate on Hwy 119. If you go west on 119 there's a big grocery store at the T intersection.

Drive up the mtn towards the peavine falls parking lot. About 2/3 of the way up you'll see where everyone parks on a ridge near a gated fire road. The fireroad becomes part of the trails system so you can park there and walk for some really great views. Have some pics from there I may be able to find at home.

So Alabama, are the dates 11-13 of Oct. definite? I might be able to drive up from Louisiana for a long weekend. How many E's are gonna be there?

Dates: AFAIC yes the dates are definite... a free 3 day weekend is too good to pass up. :-P

Attendance: from the looks of it... myself, BigAl, bh241 (maybe), johnnystiletto (saturday only), and possibly you, so 3-5 Elements total for right now?

I have obtained a medium sized cooler, good for about 2 people and I may be able to get one more that's a bit larger as well if the guy's cool about it. I'm actually going up there this weekend just to check the place out. Won a free Wal-Mart card to help with the gear shopping. :)

I've requested to be off that weekend, so I'll be there. As stated before, the entrance to the park is located on a road with all kinds of restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores and a Walmart, so even if we forget something, everything's within spittin' distance. Unfortunately, nobody's performing at the amphitheater that weekend. The Allman Brothers concert is on the 7th and Stone Temple Pilots on the 31st.

Hmmm, i might be able to make the 13th. :cool:

No promises, but i might be able to come hang out the on the 11th and 12th. I need to see if I can alter the schedule at work.

OK road trip time :)

Androktasie
BigAl
bh241 (maybe)
johnnystiletto (Saturday)
MORGANMAN (Saturday and Sunday, maybe)
BAT E (Monday, maybe)
tribalelement

List keeps growing :)

This is looking more and more like it can be done. I'm still going to have to be in the 'maybe' category till at least the 4th though, keep your fingers crossed. :)

I will be good to see something come together for this area - even if BigAl is there... :razz:

Honestly, it will be good to see you again Al.

Androktasie
BigAl
bh241 (maybe)
johnnystiletto (Saturday)
MORGANMAN (Saturday and Sunday, maybe)
BAT E (Monday, maybe)
tribalelement

List keeps growing :)

This list may scare big al LOL:lol::lol:

This list may scare big al LOL:lol::lol:
If tribal shows up, I will be scared;-)

PS...that's a long trip from Cali just for a weekend of camping

Well I just got back from my minitrip and have the following to report:

Decent trails (at least the ones i took)
Beautiful fishing lakes, and one smaller mosquito lake near the yellow trail.
Fishing poles available for rent by the hour... just buy one elsewhere. Bait sold here, and at Walmart.
Canoes/paddleboats rented by the hour
2 man fishing boats w/o motor $15/day
With one cul-de-sac exception, campsites are generally across the road from the RV sites, although at least this time the light and noise wasn't an issue.
Tent sites are generally located inside the woods, a short walk from the car park (read: no SUV tents). Scope out your site before booking it though because some aren't far back enough into the woods IMO. Again, reservations are accepted but not for specific sites.
The tent site is flat, and is mostly small gravel so you'll need padding.
They do sell firewood, burns great but BE CAREFUL OF BLACK WIDOWS.
Up to 8 people per campsite, but only two cars and one tent (unless there are children)... so if tent sharing (multi-room or otherwise) or car camping is used then more money saved. Also, getting 6 contiguous tent sites may be a problem but only 3 or so shouldn't.
If you're sleeping in the Element, you can crack the windows without worrying about bugs. I was only nibbled on twice, both times on the trail.
The trails are nice and long. Bring a backpack with water or a camelbak.
A car or bicycle is recommend to get from the campsite to the good fishing spots, wildlife center etc.
The local wal-mart's outdoor selection stinks. Try to remember to bring everything because they're most likely they're out of stock. They do sell bait though.
They have a WHATABURGER!
The gates close after a certain hour, I forget when, so count on an early dinner if we are eating out instead of at the site.
Seriously, someone bring a grill so I can COOK! :evil:

IF i dont have a new grandson by the 11th, that may be a better date for me....

I might just have to ride by & say hi. I might even have an E by then :) If not i'll be in my lifted 4runner.
Anyway I live about 11 miles from Oak Mt. so if any of you guys have questions about the area give me a yell.

I'm still planning on coming; what time is everyone getting there and where in Oak Mtn? The BF may be coming along, IF he doesn't have to replace the valve lifters in his POS Cherokee ;-)

I won't be camping or anything, since I live about 5 miles from Oak Mtn. Hopefully the weather will be ok!

I've never camped there, so I'm not sure where the campgrounds are. I can only be around Saturday thru Sunday. Maybe we could meet up to eat before we enter the park.

Good idea. Breakfast at IHOP followed by a quick food/supply run at Wal-Mart? Any time works for me.

NOAA says the weather is supposed to be mostly sunny throughout the weekend :D



Again since two vehicles are allowed per campsite, who has a tent and is only bringing one car - do you care to split the $10ish fee, me sleeping in the Element?



Also, what activities are you all up for? I'm up for anything, particularly hiking and fishing (possibly renting a boat since they're so cheap). If we're going to be doing any biking I'd need to know in advance so I can arrange to rent a bike from Maxwell. (They have both roadside biking and a loop trail that's maintained by BUMP.org).

So what are your preferences??

Let's meet at IHOP at 9 AM.
I don't have a tent so I was going to either sleep in my E or drive home.
As far as activities...big guy here, nothing too extreme :-|

I feared it wouldn't work out for us and I was right. Al - I hate that it's just not in the cards to get together this weekend - maybe we can before too long.

Guys, I hope you have a great weekend, please take bunches of pictures and post for those of us who just can't get there this weekend.

@ ihop; just big al and myself so far

now @ walmart

Seems we didn't get here fast enough. They're out of tent sites so the plan is to just crash at Al's place. Right now I'm just fishing by the far lake if anyone still wants to drop by and say hi. ^_^

I tease.....
j.

Zelda's waiting for you.

1-3 Androktasie cleans a huge catfish he caught
4 "Dear Lord, thank you for this bountiful feast."
5 Even lizzurd stopped in :razz:

Somebody call the authorities! Big Al's ultimate bachelor pad is being invaded by Kiwi...

I'm still out here fishing. More pics to come later

Somebody call the authorities! Big Al's ultimate bachelor pad is being invaded by Kiwi...

looks to me like there's plenty of room for more E's in that driveway... :-)

You should throw together a BBQ for the E-ple in the spring time. :wink:

Well guys as you can see, I was not able to get off work this weekend, infact i had to work extra shifts. I hope to make it to the next one.

Love the zombie shirt!

BigAL, ya gotta watch having all those E's in your driveway, your neighbors will start thinking your wierd, like mine do.:rolleyes:

I started to Photoshop a bunch of E's in my driveway, but I'm too lazy :-|

http://lh6.ggpht.com/TheTwig/SP0AzUdrw1I/AAAAAAAAAKE/DVvIZZfzHzw/s288/IMG_3383.JPG
SLIDESHOW! (http://picasaweb.google.com/TheTwig/ElementMeetColumbusDay08#slideshow)

Nice slide show,
good photos (well not the bloody fish...yuk!),
beautiful lake (wish I was there).

-g

Nice slide show,
good photos (well not the bloody fish...yuk!),
beautiful lake (wish I was there).

-g

Thank you, but I believe you are mistaken.








































It was a very tasty fish. :D