Countdown to Origins 2012

[Black Jack Rackham]

And now the countdown to Origins begins...5...

[cpugs]

Let's see, how may hours is it until I make it to your house Mark....
ORIGINS!!!!!!!!!!!

[cpugs]

That would be approximately 83.5 hours until departure!!!!
OOOOORRRRRIIIIGGGGGIIIIINNNNNSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Black Jack Rackham]

...4...

[salamanca]

Ok, stuff is dead crazy here this weekend. Enough that I think it would be easier to drive to Mark's house and ride in with him.

Keep in mind, it's only about a 3 hour drive for me normally....

[Black Jack Rackham]

We do have enough room in the van for another if you wanna carpool

[salamanca]

Do i get Aunt Edna's seat on the roof?

And suddenly, Mark has been replaced by Chevy Chase and the Van is a station wagon.

[Black Jack Rackham]

Mark: [talking about Dave] He can't weigh more than 200 pounds.
Laura: Oh, no. You can't just put him on the roof.
Eric and Charlie (in unison): Yes, he can!
Mark: You want me to strap him to the hood? He'll be fine. It's not as if it's going to rain or something.

[salamanca]

I'm really only worried you will forget I'm up there when you pull into the parking garage...

"Thud"

what was that?

did you hit something?

No, I think he hit the ceiling.

....

Dave!!!! Dave, you up there? Dave?

Laura, looks like you will need to run a couple sessions.

No wait, he's moving, can't speak or see but he's moving, it should be fine. His players will never notice the difference.

[salamanca]

By the way, long range forecast for Columbus is low 90's for Monday and tuesday then dropping into the upper 70's and lower 80's through the end of the week. I would not trust any rain forecast that far out but it is not looking probable.

[cpugs]

Please God, I would love to spend the drive to Origins with Dave, Mark, Laura, and Eric. We would not stop laughing until the middle of the following week!!!!

[salamanca]

Actually, we just need a Winnebago and we can omit the Convention entirely.

[Rebecca Iavelli]

Well, you know that if anything should happen to Dave, tied up on the roof of the van, as we pull into the parking lot, we will have to roll a D20 to see who gives him mouth to mouth resuscitation, since I'm just one of the "guys". Then of course it will take us a while to get that done, because none of us will have one, and we will have to wait for the convention dealers room to open to get one.

But then again, Dave would rise from the grave to smite us, should we even try using a D20.

[spizio]

Who has the best wits first aid pool?

[Black Jack Rackham]

Well I was an EMT and a First Aid Instructor...

[Rebecca Iavelli]

Sorry Mark, but the answer to that question is: Dave.

Don't you know that it is always the person that gets hurt that has the healing ability, and they always get taken down first.

[salamanca]

I'm rooming with a nurse and you all are contemplating who is gonna treat me?. I bring my own team. But I nominate Eric as I believe we have not met face to face. That will make it more awkward when I regale future players with "how we met" stories

[spizio]

I notice you are all arguing first aid skills. Don't you want to have a battle of wits?

[Black Jack Rackham]

...3...

[salamanca]

They all know I cheat. I already did a walkthrough of that and planned ahead.

[cpugs]

This link is for the coupons forthe food court in the convention center, stores in the convention center, etc:

http://www.columbusconventions.com/down ... oupons.pdf

[Black Jack Rackham]

Cool Charlie! Thanks!

Oh for those of you driving in (like me) I've been looking for a way to determine traffic congestion. So here are a couple of things you could look into. First, Google Maps actually has real-time traffic congestion and construction reports (just make sure the Traffic tab is checked on the upper righthand corner of the map). they're all clickable so you can read what kind of traffic problem it is (and how long it's going to stay there).

The other helpful thing is 511. When you dial with a cell phone, the system automatically figures out what state you're in and beings telling you all the construction going on in your area.

See you all real soon!

[salamanca]

Easier method we locals use... You are entering Ohio, your route will have at least 3 construction zones. One will have an actual crew and the rest will just have lanes closed. I will try and dig around tomorrow and see what is tied up on the freeways for you all.

[Black Jack Rackham]

...2...

[salamanca]

ok, road projects:

For those travelling from upper New York, and Penn areas via route 90 to route 271 and route 71: Route 90 has some lane closures for resurfacing. work is done at night and delays are minimal unless you hit the drive time traffic. It's a 10 mile stretch in Lake county about 50 miles from the state line. There is also bridgework being done for about 6 miles right near the state line but they are maintaining 2 lanes of traffic.

271 looks clear.

route 71 has resurfacing being done in Morrow county (around Ashland) I would expect a slight slow down but no real tie ups there unless you hit a rush hour time.

Route 90 in downtown Cleveland is a mess due to rebuilding the innerbelt bridges. use the routes that skirt the city (271 and 480 and avoid going there.


For those travelling from a little south of that and coming across routes 76 or 80:

Route 76 will have construction in Akron that will reduce lanes and tie up traffic at one of the busier spots on that route. (the 277/224 interchange)

route 80 (the toll road) has some bridgework being done but maintained traffic.

For those coming from Toledo/Michigan and upper routes of Indiana/ Illinois:

475 and 75 are a mess around Toledo. single lanes and resurfacing. I was travelling through there the last time they did this and it was chaos. If you can work around it, do so.

In fact route 75 is being worked on in every other county all the way to Cincinnati. most resurfacing will be done overnight but expect some traffic snags all over.

Same story for those going west on route 70 from southern Penn, W. Virginia and other areas beyond. bridges and resurfacing mostly in Guernsey county and Belmont.

not to be left out, route 270 has a 7 mile stretch of resurfacing in Franklin county.


Now the big problem: They are rebuilding the 71/670 interchange and the ramps that are used on 670.

It's a huge project about a mile from the convention center. If you are coming from the south, you may be able to zip in your normal way but depending on time of day, you may find either route closed and detoured somewhere else. check a map of the area before you leave and look at where there are nearby exits for alternate routes like route 315 and exits off of 71.

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/71670/Pages/Upcoming-Work-on-Columbus-Crossroads.aspx that links to the traffic update site for 670.