For those staying in the cabins, please call 1-800-282-7275 to pay for your lodging in advance. We have until 8/20 to pay the cabins in full. The fee will be $29.00 per person for each night. That will take care of the taxes and other fees charged. The cabins will be assigned to the group a week or two before the meet and they said they would try their best to have them close together. You can decide on the assignments when you arrive so you can decide whom you want to stay with. Those that need a room together (couples or friends) will be able to do so, there are enough rooms.


Friday evening:

We will meet at the lodge at 6:00 PM for dinner. We will either eat at the lodge or drive into Oxford where there is a choice of a few restaurants. It will give us a chance to start to get to know each other. There are some pinball games and other things to do in the lodge. Later we will have a nice fire going in one of the cabins to socialize. I will be arriving in the early afternoon to make sure things are ready and to get the cabin keys.

Saturday morning:

I will be the breakfast cook for those that want to eat (I promise my cooking won’t kill you). I’ll whip up some pancakes and bacon and sausage or you can have eggs and toast. Coffee, tea and juice will be available.

Saturday afternoon:

We will meet at the lodge at 12:00 for lunch with the competitions to follow. Please park in the very top of the lodge parking lot. They are allowing us to have our sound competitions there. There are plenty of prizes for the winners. We will have one for the best sound, best professional install, best amateur install, distance award, oldest and newest vehicles with an empeg installed, EQ competition and of course the trivia contest. We will have a drawing for the tuner that Rob is donating, only those that don’t have one already are allowed to enter (that excludes me).


Saturday evening:

We will meet in the campgrounds around 6:00 PM (we will have two sites next to each other) for the dinner cookout, which will include brats and burgers and all of the fixings to go with them. We will stay there after dinner for the bonfire and marshmallow roasting until we get kicked out at which time we can go back to the cabins.

Sunday morning and afternoon:

We can meet for breakfast at the lodge around 9:00 AM if you are awake and hungry. Around 11:00 we will be going on a road trip to Brookville Lake (about an hour drive and worth the trip), so be packed and ready to go, where we will cook lunch on the beach and watch the boats go by. There are trails and woods nearby to explore for the adventurous.



There will be some free time to do what you want and time for some bike riding if you bring them. If you need arrangements to be picked up at an airport let me know and I’ll find someone to fetch you.

I’ll be figuring out a cost for the meals a couple of weeks before the meet and give you a chance to send a check to me so I can go buy the food. I’ll try to keep the cost down. Please bring your own drinks and snacks that you want to have. There is a camp store nearby and also some stores in Oxford for beer runs. I would also bring folding chairs if you can.

I haven't heard anything back on a rock climbing trip in Kentucky yet.

Hmmm... Maybe I will be able to get there for Friday evening. I would have to blow-off work, but that doesn't bother me that much.

Go ahead, I am blowing off Monday as well. Really I'm taking 2 days of vacation. The cabins have dial-up connections available if you change your mind about staying in one Rob.

I forgot to add that when you call the phone number, tell them you are with the empeg group. That way they will know where the money goes. Kind of an important thing to have forgotten

Thanks for all your work so far Laura...I'm really looking forward to it.

You're welcome. I don't mind, it's giving me something to do besides playing Yahtzee in my spare time. I'm going to have as much fun as everybody else.

*laughs* ok, Laura I will contact you about the climbing trip. Afterwards, I will post an itenerary and details here in this thread.

Oh cool. I wasn't sure if it would happen or not.

Hopefully some people will attend this. I'm working on upper body strength at the gym in hopes that it might help if I get up the courage to attempt it.

Looking foward to it... I'll bring the yahtzee.

< runs away >

Please leave it at home thank you very much. But if anybody has a good set of lawn darts they can bring them, I can't find mine.

Just remember...lawn darts and drinking don't mix

Ha ha...What she said...

Post deleted by cushman

But you didn't give the option for Monday only which would happen if we leave Sunday evening for KY. Also on the camping, are we talking Class A sites with showers and stuff avalible or primitive sites with a hole in the ground

Would we need special shoes? Mark had mentioned having some extras to borrow if he comes.

You are right, I've added that option into the poll:

---Original Post---

Well, I've been thinking about the Climbing trip, and we have a few decisions to make. The destination for the climbing trip is the Red River Gorge, a first class rock climbing destination.

First is when we should leave for the Red. I will be taking the next Monday off to climb, but it is always nice to climb for more than one day. I know that if someone goes to the meet and really wants to climb some cool stuff (Mark Lord) then I would even extend my vacation out a day or so to Tuesday or Wed. Back to the original question though: we could either leave Sunday around noon or Sunday night. Either way we will be camping Sun. night in tents/sleeping bags that you will have to provide if you would like to go. If that is objectionable, I could try to find some cabins to rent, but I would rather camp (better experiance).

If we leave on Sunday morning/noontime we could climb on Sunday. If we leave Sunday night it will have to be on Monday (it is a 2 hour drive to the Red from Cinci). I would like to get some numbers as to who is coming, so here is a little poll:



Q: Is it safe?
A: Yes, it is very safe. The type of climbing you will be doing is toproping (after the climb has been lead by me), which is very foolproof. Think of raising a weight using a pully system. Let's just say your chances of being injured are greater hiking or driving your car.

Q: Do I need upper body strength?
A: No. Climbing should be 75% with your legs and 25% with your arms. The idea is to push yourself up with your legs while using your arms to hold your body close to the rock. My wife cannot do more than 1 pullup and she climbs as well as I do.

I'm looking forward to your feedback. If you have any comments or questions feel free to ask away!

For the camping sites, we would have choices. There is a place where most climbers hang out called Miguel's that has a shower and a bathroom. Many of the other camping areas in the Red have no facilities or hole toilets only.

Climbing shoes are helpful, but not 100% needed. I also have some extras that I could bring. Renting is also an option. I have extra harnesses and 2 ropes that we can use that weekend. Hiking boots or sneakers are acceptable, especially for the hike up to the climbs.

I guess we'll have to see how much interest there is in this. So far you got a Monday only (my vote) and a who the f wants to.

As long as there is a real bathroom near by I don't mind camping.

Just for the record, I am not the "who the f cares." I didn't vote since I will be leaving early Sunday.

And to think I thought it was you

I'd rather climb a rock than to jump out of a perfectly good airplane like some people do, they're the ones who are nuts.

I have never done either of those things, but the airplane is the most appealing to me.... well, from the ground at least.

I'd personally love to go climbing (and jumping out of a plane ) but I'm doing the trip as just a quick weekend stop, so I don't think I'll make it for that. I am planning on coming in Friday, and leaving sometime Sunday right now (still need to actually buy the plane tickets out there).

Oh, so you are coming! I wasn't sure. Excellent. Let me know if you need a pickup. I anticipate arriving around 5PM Friday.

I'd love to go climbing, but I'll have to pass since I'm riding with the Reverend who needs to be back Sunday morning, so we'll be driving all night Sat night.

The joys on an all night commute...

The joys on an all night commute...
My empeg and my current sleep schedule would make that rather enjoyable.

I agree... the only problem is I'll have to share air time with Meatballman....I'm not sure about anyone who doesn't like CCR.

Well you could always make a playlist of:

Stairway to Heaven
Freebird

and random shuffle repeat... Maybe he'd change his mind...
That should make an enjoyable roadtrip...

Glad to hear this is all coming together. I didn’t vote on the climb either, but won’t be able to go because of work and school for my kid. I’ve paid up a cabin for the family and we are looking forward to a good escape from the norm ( and some empeg socialization for me. )

My hat goes off to Laura for all the work she is putting into this! …Mark

If the pinball in the lodge is a bust and all else fails ... I'll bring some cards for euchre.

However with all that Laura has planned I'm sure they won't be needed.

I was informed that someone had problems when calling the 800#, that they wanted a group #. The group # is 011074 if you are asked. Also the deadline for the reservation is 8/20, we must have the rentals paid in full by then or we will either lose the cabins or I'll have to foot the bill and only one person has paid as of this date. So please call them by that date with your share of the money needed.