I regretfully left saturday just before the evening get together  My wife and daughter convinced me that avoiding the forcasted heavy fog on I39 was a wize move. Non the less,I do wish I'd been able to talk more with "ya'll". I could'nt hear due to a sinus/ear condition anyway,but I enjoyed  reading lips (pretty frustrated,actually)with both the Spartens,Phoenix and his wife,NC Ben,and being able to say hello to the rest of you guys. I really do draw inspiration from hearing about your trips. I got to meet Harlen,and Stu,and Bill Ostrum,Darryl Blazino ,and some really cute Canadian girls! I believe I rubbed elboes with Martin for a brief moment in the book stall,but he dashed off before I could talk to him.  ...wished I could have talked a lot more to all of you. ...maybe next year.

Did not make it this year but the one time i went, as everyone says, meeting the "faces behind the keystrokes" at the QJ lunch was by far the best part.

As others have so eloquently stated, this years Copia was a real treat. I really enjoyed it. It was great to meet some new faces, and catch up with old friends. I think Wally 13 and I will be friends for life.

My favorite presentation was the previously mentioned Blazino production. As Jimbo mentioned, we were able to have a productive planning session Friday, over some great Texas BBQ. It is possible that a few QJers will present on a variety of topics next year.

Thanks to MuleLars and Kingfisher for organizing the lunch & dinner. Those ARE the highlights for me. If you've considered attending in the past, put it on your calendar for next year. As Snowdog stated, bring your maps, and you will likely find someone or several who can help you out on your trip. Of course be prepared to share your info with others. All in all, a great weekend.

Hey all,

I agree with on the highlights of the show, putting names and faces together with everyone at the QJ lunch and dinner.  My thanks also to ML and KF for putting them together.  Much knowledge and many good stories were exchanged!
The show itself I found was a bit underwhelming, as there did not seem to be much new in the way of camping or Canoe gear.  As my previous gear posts suggest, I was hoping to find some variety of portage boots, but all I found were the Chotas.  It may be that like most of us, I really have all the gear I need already.  It was worthwhile to get there when the doors had just opened on Sat. morning to avoid the crunch.

Did you bring the door prize to the Sat. dinner db?  It looks just like a prize that I last saw heading to Denton, Texas.........

quentin

I missed the show on Saturday but attended Sunday. I had no real problem fighting the crowds that day, but there was some decent foot traffic.

I heard Kevin Callan, Stu Ostoff/Rob Kesselring, and a photo presentation. All of them were worth it and I was able to take some notes that I'll use (loved the thermo-reflective tape on the underside of the blue barrel lid idea to keep the contents cool).

Great to meet everyone, and got to spend the most time talking to Snow Dog, Kingfisher, and Marten. Everyone was very generous with advice and info, and it's neat to put faces with names. Still don't know how our waitress remembered all of our orders everytime!

Bought a few odds and ends (things like a new widemouth Nalgene jar to keep our ghee in), some Cache Lake food, and some tarp cord from CCS. Booked the trip with Harlan and shot the breeze with Stu a bit, so it was fruitful. Also spent some time with Bruce from Wabakimi and Shannon Walshe. Nice people and got me thinking about trying that park sometime.

More than anything, it really got me thinking about getting back outside and on the water. Wish our June trip was a bit closer...