Road Meetin'

 

Today is the actual reason we're in Buffalo.

It's the Buffalo, NY Road & Travel Enthusiasts Meeting. Sean and I will meet up with friends from near and far and tour some of what Buffalo has to see.

Buffalo was a big draw for me when I saw that this would be the site for the annual big get-together. Simply put: I've never been here. 

There are several road meets scheduled throughout the year and anyone can host one so long as they can organize a day that's good for all.

This is the third time I've attended a road meet, along with one based around Milford, PA, Port Jervis, NY, and along the Delaware River in 2009 and the Philadelphia meet last year (which also had much to do with the Delaware River). 

This time, it's all about Buffalo.

I'm here because I like the people and am happy to have found this community. I grew up loving roads as a kid, especially on our long drives to and from Florida where my parents would beg me to take a nap.

Instead, I'd be watching out the car window along U.S. 301, Interstate 95, and whatever else we traveled on. I'd have stacks of maps I'd be consuming in the process.

I still have many of those maps, tucked away in bins in the attic.

As the interwebs became a real thing in the late 90s I discovered that there were people like me. Heck, in 2023, does any of that sound familiar? Finding that you're not alone in something -- hobby, lifestyle, preference -- that might get you mocked and even bullied?

No, I never felt my interest in roads was a topic for bullies but, at the same time, I'm sure I downplayed it a bit. Yet, much like my brain for sports, I became a bit of a hit at parties with my deep knowledge of some road facts.

The people I'll be with today way surpass me. They know how to build them and get downright pedantic over little things like "control cities" (those are the cities listed on the big green overhead signs). 

Benson, NC, I see you. I get it. But wow. Buckle up on that stuff in the road community.

Benson is where Interstates 40 and 95 meet and, well, using that on big overhead signs bothers some. Incidentally, we'll be around Benson in a few days but I digress.

But I found that there were all kinds of websites dedicated to the history of roads. When I saw a breakdown of the backstory of the Taconic State Parkway, I knew I had found a home and it was a home I could contribute to.

Oh, and that's not only how we'll spend the day. There's also a baseball game tonight, which has become a standard post-meet gathering. The Buffalo Bisons are hosting the Scranton Wilkes Barre Railriders tonight not far from our hotel. We have a suite at Sahlen Field and Sean and I are looking forward to that.

Roads. Baseball. Even food.

Yes. This will do quite nicely (despite some questionable weather).

There's a place for all of us, friends. Always know that. Always know there are people with similar interests. You're really not alone.

Special thanks to Dan Murphy, who set this all up and even came up here a few weeks back to plot the whole day. He also diligently set up the baseball game and food at the ballpark, then patiently waited for deadbeats (like me, I say sheepishly) to Venmo him money.

He's a good guy. Looking forward to seeing him later.

But also thanks to the many knowledgable and good people we'll catch up later (too many to name but Steve Alpert will probably be bothered if I don't give him a shout-out -- kidding!). And Doug Kerr and myriad others, many of whom read "Exit 55."

Thanks to them for their knowledge and wisdom.

OK, time to get ready.

And, with this written, I don't have to worry about hustling back to the hotel to write a post or even writing it on my phone from the ballpark.