ok, a little lookie at the stats and this is what i've come up with. in order to keep the trip down to a managable length (i.e., no more than ONE cheek goes completely to sleep in the seat), here are some possibilities:

New England: MA 8 folks so this would give 19 people a chance to get together. my CT 1 folke suggestion would be to go to the LiMBO Buses by the Rock RI 1 folke or something like that ... which would be many more buses. NJ 3 folks they meet up around Plymouth Rock. that wouldn't be toooo NY 6 folks far (except for the upstate and western new yorkers)

Midwest-Canada: Ontario 7 folks maybe meet somewhere around Erie, PA? that seems to OH 6 folks be about equidistant for all those concerned. ?? PA 9 folks that would be 28 folks, if everyone showed up. NY 6 folks (?)

Southeast: OH 6 folks this would be the biggest area covered, putting 32 folks KY 1 folke within reach of a get-together, perhaps in the east-TN AL 1 folke border with VA/NC/SC ... which sounds to me like the MD 4 folks Blue Ridge Parkway or Smokey Mountain Nat'l Park. or some VA 3 folks other place of note (like Boone, NC or maybe even Blowing NC 11 folks Rock, NC. :) <not REAL suggestions, by the way!> SC 1 folke GA 5 folks DC 1 folke

now, afore anybody gets all ruffled cause they got left out, i omitted several states on the edges of those areas because of the miles and the season. i just figured that the PA folks probably wouldn't want to drive that far, and the FL folks wouldn't either. it MIGHT be close enough, but then it might not.

about 8 hours is the max for anyone to drive to something like this ... leave early and get there before sunset. now, figure an average of 50 mph and that puts you at 400 miles. so AL ain't gonna make it to southern Ontario nor to Plymouth Rock, and i don't think anyone from MA is gonna come all the way down to VA or NC.

just rambling, actually. :)

joel