PlanoEvo

iTrader: (2)

Self Serve E85!

PlanoEvo

iTrader: (2)

Going to upload Video later as I don't have a Youtube account yet

gforced

Had a blast. The drive was great, especially after lunch. Dinner was hilarious and afterward in the casino was fun too (from what I remember...damn margaritas).

PS- No GTR's for us....looks like no one won the big one.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

1. I went back three times, the third time they were closed but I made my way past the security guards and the bartender still served me!
2. I'm going all-in on green next time, it has to work!

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

Ideally, I would like to do two of the destination cruises per year. Ideas for the next location?

Supraboy1

I own property in Branson we could go there and stay, there are shows, fishing, boating, swimming.

www.branson.com

We could drive out west towards Big Bend park and do a camping trip.

We could go to Padre Island or Galveston.

We could go to New Orleans

These are all 2 or three day weekend trips

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

I'm not sure what Kracka has in mind for NTEC, but the cruises he puts together for the MN guys are Saturday/Sunday events. For the most part, people are already off Saturday and Sunday so it makes for a good choice. I think that for a good turnout, we'd probably need to stick to a weekend overnight cruise leaving Saturday morning. Leaving Friday afternoon would help get to further locations, but again, most of that driving is after a day of work where the last thing you want to do is drive for 3+ hours. I know I wouldn't. If we get a group consensus for leaving Friday night, then it can happen. I just think that if we're going to get a good turnout, it's going to have to be a Saturday/Sunday trip.

Having said that, there's quite a few places around here that can work.

I know Kracka recently went down to San Antonio and took some back roads to get there. The Riverwalk is always a nice place to go and hang out.

Galveston and South Padre Island can be good locations as well.

Corpus Christi might not be a bad location either.

We could always make it a BBQ cruise and head down to Austin and hit up the surrounding area for that awesome BBQ that everyone says is delicious.

I don't know if there is anything up in Oklahoma besides the couple of casinos.

Another area of Shreveport perhaps? New Orleans is quite a bit further but should be doable.

I think we have quite a bit of places we can cruise to. Just need to see what people would like to do.

More driving = further places we could go to
Less driving = closer but would need to find a place with lots to do or at least a good night life

Can't wait for the next cruise!

Bullett

If the departure is on a Saturday, and I'm off that weekend, I can probably make it. Friday departures don't work for me because I am either on my last night of work before my weekend off, or I'm on my last night off before I work that weekend.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

We'll be sticking to the Saturday/Sunday format for now since it's proven very effective for the cruises I put together in Minnesota for MitsuStyle. A single night away is easy enough for most people to afford and for people with kids to find a grandparent or sitter for the night.

I'm definitely loving all these ideas being posted, thanks!

gforced

Corpus Christi is cool. Susie and I took an extended weekend trip there. Couple of cool pubs and restaurants. The drive is boring though. LONG, straight (no giggles) road down from San Antonio.

Going to San Antonio or Austin sounds good because of the back roads we could take.

The main part of the cruise should be the drive.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

I agree - fun/scenic roads will remain the focus.

Supraboy1

As long as we are having some spirited driving.

Going 60 in the slow lane is not fun. Of course effective Sept 1st 85 will be the limit on many highways.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

Cruises are not races, if we're in traffic the first priority is to safely keep the group together, not weave in and out going 20 over the flow of traffic causing people to struggle to keep up. We did plenty of spirited driving when the conditions allowed it. People have always had fun on the cruises I've organized (10+), plus I've yet to have a single participant ever get a traffic citation or have an accident.

When leading the group a few responsibilities must be remembered, you're responsible for the group following you, meaning drive at a pace that allows others to at least keep you within eye sight, it can take quite a while for a group of 10+ cars to pass slower moving traffic on single lane roads, especially when they're twisty and hilly, and stick to the predetermined route since that is what everyone else has a copy of and will be following if they get separated from the leader.

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

^All of that becomes much more important as we get more and more people to attend. When I was up in MN for the MitsuStyle Spring cruise this year, there were probably 20-30 cars in the group. Proper coordination is REQUIRED at that point. Some of the pack got separated through the back roads but thanks to the map packet, the group was able to regroup at spots.

We only had 10 cars on this cruise and it was good for the trip. However as we get more and more cars coming, being able to stick together and not lose anyone becomes more crucial, especially in the small towns at stop lights or whatever.

As I said at the beginning of the cruise, we're on public roads. So other cars will be on the road with us. As long as we remember to be careful around others, then we shouldn't have any issues on future cruises (not that we had issues this cruise).

Supraboy1

Yeah I agree Chris. 100%

We did stop often on the sides of ramps or roads to allow folks to catch up from lights and fuel stops.

Out fo the top 10 reasons for accidents per the Texas highway Patrol.

Speeding is 7th on the list.

Going to slow is number 2 right behide driing while drunk/under some influence.

I think everyone did really well. All were safe, I saw no bald tires or unsafe cars