ORIGINAL: calpher
Unless we change the day of the meeting or locations I will not be coming to them. I know I am just one person and majority rules, but I'm sure everyone knows how bad traffic is traveling from the Dallas side over to the Ft. Worth side Friday at 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
I hear ya, man. The very first meeting we had in April, 2000 was in south Arlington since 2 out of the 3 members that showed up lived in that area (I was the other 3rd that lived in Dallas County). If I'm lucky, I average one meeting a year - ha!
If you look at the history of the TX4WD state hub (back when it was part of the TX4x4 nomenclature), the greater Houston area had multiple chapters within that area due to the very reason you mentioned. Kind of hard logistically to have one big chapter serving members throughout such a wide geographical area. I mean, let's face it. We live in TX, where most everything is spread out anyways, but nowhere else is the spread so pronounced as it is in the DFW area in my opinion. You go to the greater LA, San Diego, Miami, Boston areas, for instance, and everything is much more densely compacted within a much narrower geographic area.
Because of this, there was talk a long time ago, back when it was just the Arlington Chapter (and before it morphed into the DFW Chapter), of adding a separate Dallas Chapter, a Ft. Worth Chapter, etc. As you can see, none of those chapters were ever added. Instead, the "Arlington" Chapter chose to rename itself and incorporate members from throughout the metroplex area. This was sometime after the "civil war" (as I like to call it) ensued within the club when almost half the membership split off to form their own, much more "hardcore/extreme" club. I never found out what happened to go those guys or their club after that, though, but I digress. Since most of the "Arlington" chapter members knew and liked each other, no one really wanted to split up into different geographical chapters like some had done in the greater Houston area (i.e., Dallas Chapter, Denton Chapter, etc.), and instead we all decided to stay together, despite the distances.
By saying all this, I'm certainly not advocating those of us outside Tarrant County split off and form our own geographically respective chapters. Heck, there are only 6 of us so far in the poll anyway - not much for any of us to form our own Dallas Chapter. Despite the distance for me from a majority of the club meetings, I still find the club to be made up of some of the friendliest, most down-to-earth and family-friendly off-roaders I've met and want to continue to be associated with them as long as they'll still have me. But a few of us have on occasion met on our own closer to home. So if you want, pipe up about having lunch in the Dallas area for anyone nearby that wants to show up and talk shop and gawk at each other's respective rigs. I'm still too far south from you, but maybe if we decide to have lunch closer to the downtown Dallas area I could meet up with you and anyone else that wants to meet up just so we could still have some personal, face-to-face meeting within club parameters so to speak. Just a thought!
P.S. Is it me, or does your voice sound alot like Terry's voice on the Lex and Terry morning show on 97.1 the Eagle? Not that I listen to them much, but I was switching through channels one morning and as soon as I heard his voice it kind of sounded a bit like yours - well to me at least! Later amigo!