Caravan Leaving From Baltimore Friday 8:30AM

[SVTWEB]

Being there is a large Contingent from the Baltimore-Washington and surrounding area, A caravan to the fest is in order.

THE PLACE
Maryland House Rest Stop on I-95 North

THE TIME
08:30 (8:30am for all you civilians)

Reply if you want to meet us there. So far we have:

SVTWeb
Tongsli

 

[Leo819]

Are you going over the Commodore Berry Bridge, or the Del memorial bridge? I would like to hook up with you, I am in the philly burbs.

 

[tomo366]

I'm leaving from Kensington MD around 6:00 AM

 

[tongsli]

Tom, will you be meeting with us? Eric, we need to stay away from I-95 near New York.

L

 

[Leo819]

maybe take the tappen zee bridge? I have taken that up to Rhode Island.

 

[jettafock]

I still don't know if I'm going to leave Thursday after work or Friday morning. I might be going to Shine in boston to have them put on my rear sway bar. If I don't do that. I will join the caravan. If we run into cones on the road. I say we start weaving in and out of them like the vortex gassers did going to waterfest.

 

[tomo366]

Probably not. Eric is too deliberate for me.....

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

Can you post the exact location of the "Maryland House Rest Stop?" Perhaps a mile marker or something? I'd like to MapQuest it and see if I can make this meet.

Take Care,

Scott

 

[SVTWEB]

Maryland house is on 95 North about 24 Miles north of Baltimore City in Harford County.

Current POA is 95N to Deleware Memorial bridge to NJ Turnpike to Garden State Parkway to Tapenzee Bridge back to 95 North to Boston....

Tomo.... Join us.. or don't you like soot?

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

I think I've found it's proximity... near Aberdeen? If so, it'll be really tough to make that time. According to TripMaker, I'd have to leave at 4:30am to get there in time. Traveling with a kid, a little lady at that, I have no expectation of getting out of here that early.

Plus, I'm sure our pit stops would not gel. But I'll see what I can work out.

Take Care,

Scott

 

[tomo366]

I don't want you to get the Passat class show

winner dirty.......

 

[Leo819]

Ok I will try to hook up with you around this Service Area on the NJ turnpike. around 10-10:30am
Woodrow Wilson Service Area

Located between Interchanges 7 and 7A northbound (6N)
Milepost 58.7
Hamilton Township, Mercer County

 

[tongsli]

Unless everyone has ezpass, we will loose each other at all of the Garden State Parkway tolls

The other alternative is to go right up the gut...

NJ turnpike to GWB
I-87 north to I-287

Only two payments, at the end of the turnpike and at the GWB. I've got EZpass so I'll be fine

Whatever we do is fine by me.

L

 

[SSTDI]

I'll already be in CT but I'd love to tag along with my DC/Baltimore peeps! I'll plan to connect with the caravan around 1pm in Bridgeport, CT.

My 2cents about which route through NYC: 95 to Geo. Wash. Bridge is most direct (maybe best for a caravan) but traffic usually makes it worth taking Garden State to Tappan Zee back to 95. I listen to 1010am on the 1's and 880am on the 8's for traffic reports and make the decision as I am approaching the Garden State exit 11?
(ok, so that was more like my 12cents) :-D

 

[tdipoet]

what time can we expect you caravaners?

 

[tongsli]

Dinner time?

 

[NewJettaGuy]

Being there is a large Contingent from the Baltimore-Washington and surrounding area, A caravan to the fest is in order.

THE PLACE
Maryland House Rest Stop on I-95 North

THE TIME
08:30 (8:30am for all you civilians)

Reply if you want to meet us there. So far we have:

SVTWeb
Tongsli

Add me to the list

 

[NewJettaGuy]

Unless everyone has ezpass, we will loose each other at all of the Garden State Parkway tolls

The other alternative is to go right up the gut...

NJ turnpike to GWB
I-87 north to I-287

Only two payments, at the end of the turnpike and at the GWB. I've got EZpass so I'll be fine

Whatever we do is fine by me.

L

As long as we hang close and don't let other cars between us if the EZPass holders use the an EZPass/Cash lane there should not be too many problems with non-EZPass caravaners being left behind...

 

[paramedick]

We may catch up with y'all on the road. Not sure where we will be spending Thursday night. Gonna break trip up into two segments, and drive Thursday until we don't wanna drive anymore!

 

[tdipoet]

hope you guys will arrive in time for the open house tours at bentley publishers, from 3-7.

 

[SSTDI]

I'll be heading to fest earlier in the day, I want to catch the Sam Adams tour at 2pm, think they'll give out free samples?

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

Although I'd have to get up and leave at 0'Dark-Thirty, I like the idea of reaching Braintree nice and early. I'd like to try and make this Caravan. I have a couple of questions:

Can the carvan organizer e-mail his/her cellphone number. I don't like to be waited on. If I'm going to be late or not make it, I'd like to be able to call and let someone know.

Have you considered carrying FRS radios for this caravan? NorCalVW uses them on all group drives. They're great! Not only would they give us a way to BS while driving down the road (or stuck in traffic), but we could let one another know if we're held up at a toll booth (I don't have EZ Pass). The use of "sub channels" ensures a quiet, noise-free radio between transmissions (especially over a busy weekend like Labor Day Weekend). So, if you're buying a new set, go for one with sub channels. What do you think? BTW, I monitor VHF and CB as well.

Take Care,

Scott

 

[tongsli]

I have a CB, Tomo has some radios(not sure he'll be joining us) I'll pm you my cell number.

L

 

[tomo366]

I am probably not joining as I would like to get there earlier in the day than your leaving time will.
Yes I do have several FRS radios

 

[Leo819]

I have a pair of FRS radios. I will bring.

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

By my estimates, this rest area is VERY close to exit #85. If someone could confirm that, I can plan my arrival time better. Anyway, I'll be taking US17 and 301 up to Baltimore. I don't plan on speeding up to that point. I'll top off when I arrive. I'd like to see what kind of mileage I'm getting with new mods.

Tripmaker estimates exactly four hours for this trip.

I have a few FRS radios I'll bring. If all goes smoothly, I should be able to get on the road right at 4:30am... perhaps earlier (I'm going to pack the car the night before).

See you soon!

 

[Ledo123]

Stealth - Just an FYI that you might want to leave a touch earlier to get through DC traffic before 6:30. It can be a real pain driving up 95 from Fredericksburg to the beltway.

 

[NewJettaGuy]

Not sure of Scott's family composition, but if he has 3 or more peeps in his car, he can use the HOV lanes...

If not enough peeps in his car, slugs looking for a ride to the Pentagon or 14st Street in DC would be the answer. I may do to the slug route and cut through DC to the BW Parkway or over to 95N

 

[jpltdi]

Stealth - Just an FYI that you might want to leave a touch earlier to get through DC traffic before 6:30. It can be a real pain driving up 95 from Fredericksburg to the beltway.

Coming from the South, I recommend using 301 -> 3 -> 97 to bypass DC at that time of day.

 

[JettaJake]

I'm in Cincinnati....any ideas. Thanks Tim Collins

Cincy to DC, then Beantown? hmmmm, pretty circuitous! Might be more judicious to try hooking up mid-route or even better with some of the Michigan (and points West) TDI'ers. The mid-Central folks are likely to head over on I-90 which IMNSHO is a 10x better drive than I-80, so if you're dieselling, consider the "northern route" w/ GeWilli and the gang. Just east of Buffalo seems like a decent bivouac area....road trips are such fun and double so in a TDI

Hey now, no one asked

but for the DC area folks, I can recommend the GWB then jogging north right after you cross it to pick-up the Hutchinson River/Merritt Parkways -- take either the Bronx River Parkway or I-87 north for about ~5? 10 miles?...check a decent map, you'll see.

Yes, the GWB can get ugly but the I-95 corridor into/thru CT can be absolutely abysmal...best to avoid it like the plague and the detour to the Tapenzee is just too indirect.

The real bonus is that the Hutch/Merritt (aka Rt15 in CT) is restricted to non-commercial vehicles and is really quite scenic (actually it was the first 4 lane divided highway in the US -- a forebearer of our Interstate system.....check out the artsy overpass designs

). It's also the most direct route and you get to skip all but a couple miles of I-95 and most of I-91.

OK, all done navigating

but if possible, what I'd really like is to join your caravan right after it gets to I-84 (East Hartford - right about 2 hrs outta Boston). Based on an 8:30AM departure, your ETA into Hartford would be about 2PM (that's 1400 hours for you military brats

), traffic notwithstanding.

Could/would the DC-TDI'ers please post the intended route with some estimated ETAs along the way once it's all firmed up? I'll bet more than a couple CT/NY/NJ TDI'ers that would join in with your troops....I can even see it snowballing into a full-scale TDI-CONVOY! Breaker, Breaker!