The drive from Fairmont to the con hotel in Novi (western Detroit suburb) took almost exactly 12 hours. I stopped for gas twice, in Waterloo, Iowa and Joliet, Illinois. I had a few conversations on the radio, one on HF with a guy in Lithuania and one on 2 meters with a guy who drove up next to me. I also had one guy honk a call at me, but he couldn't get his radio on the air because a passenger was sitting where it would normally go.

When I got here, a couple of guys pulled into the parking spot next to me and said they figured I was wardriving with a setup like the one I had...we talked for a while. They hadn't heard about the con, so I pointed them at the website.

It was a long drive. I got unpacked, then took a nap that lasted from 5 to 10:30 PM. After hearing that Cathy Raymond didn't need a ride from the airport, I went back to sleep for another several hours.

I'm still working on the project, but the end is definitely in sight.