Natterings From Nepantla

It's St. Valentine's Day Massacre time again. Last night I did leg 2, most of which was in southern Nevada. I was amused that that included a couple passes through Tonopah, which happens to be where Westercon is this year.

My map and instruction book for the 2021 St. Valentine's Day Massacre arrived yesterday. What is that, you ask, because there's no point in me making this post if you don't?

It's a map rally. Every contestant gets the latest Rand McNally road atlas for North America (yes, they do still make physical ones) and a list of instructions to plot out a course on the map. Questions are asked periodically about whether you "see" (go within 1/4" of) certain things to check if you're following the course correctly. Along the way you meet an assortment of odd characters and learn an interesting bit or two of local trivia.

I first discovered this sometime in my teens, tried it a few times alone and with family members, and then only have tried it a couple times since moving out. It's one more thing I never quite found time for, which means it's one more thing I have more time for now that I have no commute. Plus, vicarious travel is just the thing I need right now.

If this sounds at all interesting, here's the official page. There is no way to sign up electronically; you have to send a physical check to the address at the bottom of the page. The deadline to enter is Valentine's Day, and the deadline for sending your answers in is March 8.

I get the impression from reading a couple of recent articles about it that its lack of embrace of the Internet is due to an expectation that it is on its way out anyway. I have a feeling that it may be gaining attendance this year, though.