Michigan -Camping- Meetup

May 29, 2005 8:36 AM

Michigan MeFi Camping Trip. I know there's only six or seven of us, but I was wonderin' if there was any interest. I got some great land in Mancelona (4 1/2 hrs from detroit, 3 from G.R.), we could drink beer and shoot some guns and catch some fish. more fun than hanging out at some fruity sushi bar and showin' off our fancy pants leather jackets.
posted by Baby_Balrog to MetaFilter Gatherings at 8:36 AM (60 comments total)

Holy giant space under my post, Batman. Can someone fix that?
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:36 AM on May 29, 2005

correct link?
sounds awful.
posted by andrew cooke at 8:46 AM on May 29, 2005

mancelona bass queen. now there's something to aspire to.
posted by quonsar at 8:48 AM on May 29, 2005

*twirls baton*
posted by quonsar at 8:48 AM on May 29, 2005

Bwa! I'm not advocating attending the Bass Festival. That's coming up real quick. I'm talking about...camping and...tents...guns... Most of you people live in cities, don't you? This was probably an exercise in futility.
probably wouldn't know a kayak from a kangaroo.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 8:51 AM on May 29, 2005

i know i know. a kayak lays eggs, right?
posted by andrew cooke at 8:54 AM on May 29, 2005

THAT'S IT! I'M CANCELING THIS MEETUP!!!
posted by found missing at 8:58 AM on May 29, 2005

This is the first meetup notice where I've actually thought, "Man, I wish I could go".

It sounds rocking, and anyone in Michigan who turns this down needs to recalibrate.
posted by Bugbread at 9:04 AM on May 29, 2005

bugbread: Yeah. This sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I lived nearby.
posted by Captaintripps at 9:16 AM on May 29, 2005

the national forests, they DO have wireless internet access, no?
posted by quonsar at 9:17 AM on May 29, 2005

cellphones only, quonsar. And it's not national forest, it's a private lake. So we can blow up old cars and fish with dynamite.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:25 AM on May 29, 2005

I'm jealous. Oh, well. I'll be camping at Promised Land State Park Tu-Th this week if anyone wants to join me.

Hooray for meetups outdoors! I hope there are lots more of these!
posted by Eideteker at 9:33 AM on May 29, 2005

fancy pants? : P
posted by amberglow at 9:39 AM on May 29, 2005

That is one swell jacket.
posted by hototogisu at 11:00 AM on May 29, 2005

It is, but what is he doing? Is he crushing someone's head?

BTW, this is a plan that I could agree with. Anybody in, around or looking to travel to central Wisconsin? I've got a line on some campground. (and some guns)
posted by greasy_skillet at 11:27 AM on May 29, 2005

Can I use this FPP as the the premise for my next script? I see online communities getting together to camp/fish/shoot as the next generation of Sleepaway Camp / Friday the 13th / adventure gona awry flicks.
posted by dobbs at 11:31 AM on May 29, 2005

You own a lake?
posted by graventy at 11:33 AM on May 29, 2005

Apparently, Michigan is the land of a thousand lakes. It's not unheard of for some of its residents to own a lake.
posted by Rothko at 12:02 PM on May 29, 2005

Camping? Fishing? When will you have time to sit at a bar and write names on pieces of paper?

Seriously, this sounds like a meetup worth attending. Pictures of this would be worth posting.
posted by justgary at 12:08 PM on May 29, 2005

[fixed link, very very sorry I'll miss this meetup]
posted by jessamyn at 12:59 PM on May 29, 2005

We need to find a way to combine sushi bars, fancy leather jackets, shoutouts, fishing with dynamite, camping, drinking, and shooting.

This could be a revolutionary new meetup paradigm on par with flash mobbing, only infinitely more substantial.
posted by Ryvar at 1:26 PM on May 29, 2005

don't forget blowing up old cars.
posted by quonsar at 1:35 PM on May 29, 2005

I, too, am sorry I'll miss this meetup.
posted by box at 1:49 PM on May 29, 2005

Ryvar suggests:

We need to find a way to combine sushi bars, fancy leather jackets, shoutouts, fishing with dynamite, camping, drinking, and shooting.

This could be a revolutionary new meetup paradigm on par with flash mobbing, only infinitely more substantial.

And quonsar adds:

don't forget blowing up old cars.

Well, is there a sushi bar in downtown Detroit, maybe along Cass Corridor?
posted by substrate at 2:45 PM on May 29, 2005

So is anybody in? termite? Quonsar? HuronBob?
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:53 PM on May 29, 2005

Mefites with guns? Oh my.

(By the way, I do like the "CALLING ALL QUEENS! Please join us!" notice on the Mancelona page.)
posted by taz at 2:54 PM on May 29, 2005

and Mancelona sounds like a gay resort. ; >
posted by amberglow at 3:15 PM on May 29, 2005

and Mancelona sounds like a gay resort. ; >

I can't remember the last time I actually laughed out loud at something written on a website. Thanks, amberglow.
posted by Ryvar at 3:39 PM on May 29, 2005

you people live in cities, don't you

this confirms (i think) my pet theory that it's exactly those people that think this kind of thing is fun. if you grew up in the countryside then you've probably had enough of the "great outdoors" to last a lifetime. it's the people who've spent all their lives in cities that think it's somehow fun to be in the middle of nowhere, hours from a decent expresso, cinquecento masterpiece, bookshop, or 802.11g AP. makes me wonder what we did all that evolving for.
posted by andrew cooke at 3:39 PM on May 29, 2005

quick, somebody start playing the banjo song from Deliverance!
posted by taz at 3:47 PM on May 29, 2005

Now this sounds like fun. I wish I could come, not having fired a gun or blown anything up since I got all growed up and stuff.

andrew cooke, I am as much a fan of civilised life as anyone, but getting away from it for a while is a good "reset" mechanism and really does make that double-shot cappuccino taste even better when you get back.

*looks nervously over shoulder as "dueling banjos" starts to play in the distance somewhere*
posted by dg at 4:02 PM on May 29, 2005

if you grew up in the countryside then you've probably had enough of the "great outdoors" to last a lifetime.

I wonder if that's true for the UK and the US? I grew up in the country, and live in the country, and the reason this sounds appealing to me is that finding people who are interested in both beer/guns/fishing and wifi/blogs/tech is near impossible. Also, I can shoot a gun off my back porch where I live, but it's more fun to blow stuff up with other people. I have some couches in my side yard that need destroying.....
posted by jessamyn at 4:04 PM on May 29, 2005

andrew cooke : "it's the people who've spent all their lives in cities that think it's somehow fun to be in the middle of nowhere, hours from a decent expresso, cinquecento masterpiece, bookshop, or 802.11g AP."

Well, it is fun to be there, just not to live there. Like bed: Nice to be in at night, but being bedridden sucks.
posted by Bugbread at 4:22 PM on May 29, 2005

Do you know what's gonna be here? Right here? A lake. As far as the eyes can see. Hundreds of feet deep. Hundreds of feet deep. Did you ever look out over a lake and think of somethin' buried underneath it? Buried underneath it! Well man, that's just about as buried as you can get.

* * *

Where you goin' city boy?
posted by languagehat at 5:27 PM on May 29, 2005

Also, I can shoot a gun off my back porch where I live, but it's more fun to blow stuff up with other people.

Skeet shooting meet-up!
posted by mlis at 6:32 PM on May 29, 2005

Mancelona's also only 3 hours from Ovid ...
posted by rfs at 8:28 PM on May 29, 2005

If it happens in June, before I move, I'll be there. Assuming n00bs who don't post very often are invited. For what it's worth, I like guns, explosions, and fishing.
posted by PhatLobley at 9:50 PM on May 29, 2005

this confirms (i think) my pet theory that it's exactly those people that think this kind of thing is fun. if you grew up in the countryside then you've probably had enough of the "great outdoors" to last a lifetime.

Nope. I wish I could go off and live in a cabin by a lake somewhere, and I grew up in the boonies. 'course, the cabin'd have to have broadband...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:51 PM on May 29, 2005

I'd like to go but Michigan is a little far. What would be great is if the MeFites in Japan would pool some money and then buy a lake and some dynamite. Who's in?
posted by mexican at 11:10 PM on May 29, 2005

Psha. Real mefites don't need guns to take potshots.
posted by ori at 1:24 AM on May 30, 2005

So, we just need to find a place that allows for guns, explosions, fishing, alcohol and that has broadband and we have everyone covered.

Oh, and an expresso machine for andrew cooke.

Anyone know a place like that?
posted by dg at 4:37 AM on May 30, 2005

What the hell is going on? Am I lost in the Twilight Zone?
posted by Witty at 5:54 AM on May 30, 2005

mexican : "I'd like to go but Michigan is a little far. What would be great is if the MeFites in Japan would pool some money and then buy a lake and some dynamite. Who's in?"

Yeah, sure, I've got a few million dollars to burn.
posted by Bugbread at 6:13 AM on May 30, 2005

ok, i guess i need to get out more. i'm clearly missing something here....
posted by andrew cooke at 6:27 AM on May 30, 2005

Am I lost in the Twilight Zone?

you just noticing?
posted by quonsar at 7:57 AM on May 30, 2005

Yow! Sounds like a hoot! When??
I grew up 130 miles south of Mancelona, I still have family in that neck'o'de woods. Just a short ferry ride across the lake and I'm there, although it's kind of close to Gaylord for my taste....
posted by Floydd at 8:00 AM on May 30, 2005

Mancelona, Gaylord...maybe i should come too? ; >
posted by amberglow at 8:50 AM on May 30, 2005

The adventures of Gay Man & Lord Celona would be fun to draw.
posted by spaghetti at 9:01 AM on May 30, 2005

This sounds rocking. Let's see. If we'd schedule this thing for a long weekend I could leave my place Wednesday after work, drive straight thru, have four days of blowin' stuff up and still make it back to work for next Wednesday having only used three vacation days.

I'd love to see the discussion with the the customs agent:

CA: Purpose of your visit?
Me: Shootin' cars and blowin' stuff up with dynamite with a bunch of guys I met on the internet.
CA: Please exit your vehicle and follow me to this little room sir. [Snap]
posted by Mitheral at 2:49 PM on May 30, 2005

bugbread: anyone in Michigan who turns this down needs to recalibrate.

I guess that means me. :) sorry guys. I already go to a desolate wasteland to primitive camp, blow stuff up, and geek with online friends. Mancelona isn't desolate enough for what we do. (Our current altitude record for a bowling ball is 2500 feet, iirc.)

Mitheral: A friend of ours comes over from England every year to help us blow stuff up. Fortunately, he's always been able to get the explosives residue out of his boots before he tries to fly home....
posted by jlkr at 8:38 PM on May 30, 2005

ah, fart. I'm a Michigander, but i'm relocated to our nation's capital. I enjoy nothing better than time "up north" Just promise you'll all pour out a Stroh's for me
posted by indiebass at 7:56 AM on May 31, 2005

Let's say June 24/25/26.
I think there should be more than two of us...otherwise it might get...awkward.
If you're in say, "I'm in." or something to that effect. Or email me.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:24 AM on May 31, 2005

Despite my enthusiasm Baby_Balrog I'm sorry to say I can't make it. Please let us know if you are successful, I love to hold a similiar meetup up here. Well, without the dynamite. What kind of license do you need to buy dynamite anyways?
posted by Mitheral at 10:54 AM on May 31, 2005

Great idea, Baby_Balrog, but I'll have to pass this time (Detroiter here). Got too many house repairs to do this summer, and I'm leery of meeting folks I haven't met face to face in a neutral, public area first.

Yes, I'm paranoid. That is why I've lived to be the ancient, decrepit mess that I am.
posted by QIbHom at 1:41 PM on May 31, 2005

You have any decent bike trails nearby? My wife and I are trying to hit as many as we can on weekends this summer. We're in Lansing, so not too far of a drive, although (as I'm trying desperately to finish my thesis in the next two months) we're more limited to day trips than weekends...

Also not so sure how she feels about the internet geekery aspect. If I mention the guns and the blowing up things she may feel less put off by it all. Her dad has a small arsenal himself...
posted by caution live frogs at 1:58 PM on May 31, 2005

If you don't mind me asking, Baby_Balrog, but what lake do you stay at?

Oh man, the memories that stupid Bass Festival page is bringing back. Two of the past queens are the mom and sister of a very good friend of mine. A very tragic story that family is.
I remember the carnival quite well. It was mainly rides that spin very fast, so there was a lot of cotton candy/popcorn/pop barf everywhere. We got soooo excited when the carnival came to town. Not only was it something to do, but it also meant that there was only a week or two of school left.

Have fun in the Mancetucky area.
Get lots of beer; lots of ditch weed; build dangerously large bonfires; listen to AC/DC and Led Zeppelin; talk about hunting, girls and cars and you'll fit right in with the locals. Bonus points for driving around in a rusty 1972 Monte Carlo, jacked up a bit with shiny Crager SS rims. Oh, and the car stereo cannot have any bass. It's gotta be all treble, my friends.
posted by NoMich at 2:17 PM on May 31, 2005

Heeoooooodog. Yep. You sound like a local.
It's the second of the Tilly lakes. Not much more than a big pond, now, but it just means the perch are concentrated. You can catch 'em with an angry glance. And great beaver watching, too. There's two active beaver dens on the lake, and a good sized dam. Not much in the way of....bike trails....there's a great service road back bout a mile by the powerlines, though. We go there to get black raspberries. It goes forever.

I used to go up to Mancelona during the summer (grew up in GR) and fall in love with the local girls. They'd always take me home to meet their dads and he'd show me his breedin' dogs and where he was digging to put the pool. Then I'd go back to Caledonia and feel sad about not living up by Cadillac.

Now I just go up to the lake so I can hang out with my kind buds, drink beers and go fishing, sometimes we go up during the winter to crosscountry ski and snowshoe. I miss it, though, and I'm always looking to take some new friends. Ah well. Maybe I'll shoot for the Chicago meetup. But that definitely means no dynamite.

Hey, NoMich, is that a "No U of M" thing? Not that I care, I'm a bronco *hic* so I don't watch much *hic* football since I gradgi'ated.*hic*
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:25 PM on May 31, 2005

you guys better take tons of pics (and i want a shoutout composed of empty beer cans or dead fish)
posted by amberglow at 6:46 PM on May 31, 2005

Wish I could come up guys, but my camping allotment is filled for the summer. As for the mountain biking, you can hop on the North Country trail and take it quite a ways near Alba, MI. Mountain Biking Michigan (Fanning and Radwanski) says trailhead is 2 miles south of C 42 on Cinder Hill Road. Never been on that part of NCT, but the part near Irons in the Manistee forest is awesome.
posted by Roger Dodger at 11:42 AM on June 1, 2005

Argh. That's the weekend I move. I will do my best to blow up something in Ann Arbor before I leave though.
posted by PhatLobley at 12:09 PM on June 3, 2005