Hi, I see this is listed in the members benefits, but couldn't find a section to add my name and address to the list. Is this still active?
We haven't printed one in a few years. It is very expensive to print and distribute. We are looking at alternative ways that bring us into the 21st century. And personally speaking, those books made a lot of sense when no one ever heard of BMW and you were traveling cross country. But now with the internet, smartphones and cellphones, I just don't see a need.
Why not stick something in the Roundel (quarter or eigth page notice, or the same letter to the editor for 2-3 months running in case anyone interested might miss it in a single issue) soliciting club members to vote in an online poll setup here or elsewhere, to indicate if other members share your opinion or not, &/or would be willing to assume some or all of the expense of it's production & printing, &tc. However slightly remote, believe it or not, there is _still_ the possibility of a club member being stranded someplace in Far Bupkus Noweheresville, Nocellonlylandlinesylvania where there ain't no cell service & no way fer a smart fone to be of any help whatsoever, but a functional land-line phone and printed-on-paper-&-tucked-in-the-glovebox-reference-source just might be the ticket in a scenario where other technology comes up short-to-non-existent. There also may be just the wee slightest chance that not every club member has or uses some super-duper-zippy-nifty everything-including-the-kitchen-sink cell phone. I know what I'm gonna do - I'm just gonna call you at the office and ask you to look up any far-flung emergency member contact I need! Uh, well - at least if it's during office hours, Eastern time....
Those who labeled the Titanic "unsinkable" apparently were not proponents of 'Murphy's Law', either. The larger point is there's no harm in asking club members what they may want. and, yes - no cell coverage; the green & light green is no coverage!
Well, it also depends on the cost. It's very expensive. In the past we did not charge members for the printing or postage. I'd rather have my dues pay for other things. But that's me.
There's one at the Crystal Mt. Ski area (in WA State). Doesn't work, however. No Sprint service there, BTW. Might be nice to have a Twitter account, hashtag. However those things work (don't ask me!)
Or maybe, just set up a directory off of this forum (since it is already just for members), which let's people fill in for themselves what sorts or aid and support they are willing to give fellow members in need. It would be available via the web, which can be accessed in almost any town or hamlet on a smartphone (think WiFi). I really like that old book and I think many would lend their support to an online version. Sounds like the cost of printing and distribution was the thing that caused it to die. A sort of "pay it forward" page for spreading good "carma", if you will...
Now that's thinkin' - there is no reason whatsoever that it can't be incorporated into the website & online, and additionally in a .pdf, that we can print ourselves, either in whole or in part, as needed. Cost to the club for printing & mailing: $0.00.
