Yesterday I did a 9+ hour drive from Keith Elder’s house in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to Northwest Arkansas for the TechFest today. It was a long haul, and not the last one either.
The event was a good one, and I spoke on “Practical TDD with Visual Studio 2010” to approximately 20-30 people. I also got to hang out with some friends I don’t see very often including Randy Walker, Zain Naboulsi, Chris Koenig, and others.
Afterwards a good number of folks headed out for dinner and drinks to a local sports bar. If you run a user group or community event, always have a get-together afterwards. It’s a great time to network and engage with local community folks in a casual environment. As well, it is a great way to identify those in the community that are more passionate and may be future leaders.
Then there was the after after party. Randy and some friends and I went down to Dixon, AR to see the local college scene. While it wasn’t Bourbon Street, it was a typical college scene complete with drinks, dancing, and cops.
Big thanks to Randy for putting me up for a couple nights.
I’ve recently confirmed Dallas, Texas for July 12 and San Francisco for July 27. I’m still trying to find hosts in Wichita, KS for July 16 and Los Angeles for July 26. Any help contacting user group leaders in those cities would be appreciated.
Trip Log:
| Miles: |
553 |
Total Miles: |
2,587 |
| Time: |
9:20 h |
Total Time: |
49:57 h |
| Avg Speed: |
60 mph |
Total Avg Speed: |
52 mph |
| Avg Fuel Efficiency: |
30.3 mpg |
Total Avg Fuel Efficiency: |
29.6 mpg |
States Driven: PA, MD, WV, VA, TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, AR
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