Camp Ramblewood is the closest thing to West Chester, PA, home of Max and the Mudcat server. Near Philadelphia. Also close to Washington, DC, which is probably the biggest conglomeration of Mudcatters. Third weekend in October! Fall colors are incredible then. (You'll invade the FSGW Getaway.) It'll cost somewhere between $130 and $150 per person for the weekend, including all meals and a bed in a group cabin. (Your travel expenses are extra, but nearby Baltimore has cheap flights to many places.) Camp's overnight capacity is almost 500, and with daytrippers, the numbers can go into the thousands. (They're planning a BIG folk festival there next May.)

You can practice by coming next year and the year after, if you can afford it, or save up your travel dough for 2006.

--Charlie Baum