Here’s a few things to consider and discuss here and during our first meet up:
Do we want to meet on weekends or during a weekday? I initially thought weekends, but it was mentioned to me in a private chat that while this might seem ideal at first, many people are just too busy on the weekends to make it.
Do we want to meet at a restaurant where we go in to eat, or do we prefer to meet in an area such as a parking lot where we talk about our rigs? For the first gathering we picked Uncle Buck’s which is a restaurant, but I just assumed we start off in the parking lot talking before going in. However, once we go in, people who run late might feel odd approaching a table of strangers.
To me, an ideal meeting place would be someone’s private land where we can setup camp, cook out, and enjoy a few beers, but getting access to someone’s private land is a bit tricky.
I actually own 65 acres in East Texas (near Henderson), which would be perfect for this but it’s a 3-hour drive away. I’m totally fine hosting gatherings there but for most people (even some Overlanders) a 3-hour drive for a meetup is too far away. Perhaps, after more discussion, we can find an acceptable time and place in the DFW area and I could still host a few overnight camp outs on my land from time-to-time, so people can get out and put their equipment to some use between overlanding trips.
Anyway, these are some things to consider between now and the first meet up.
