Quake on the Lake 2015 is here!  It’s time for the group to vote on a rental property for the week.  According to the poll results from last year, the main criteria for choosing a house came down to time of year and price.  Of course, a decent internet connection and a comfortable environment are important as well.  With that in mind, Tim, Jo, Adam, Alison and I have narrowed our potential locations down to three.  Now it’s your turn to vote and decide which house(s) you’d like to stay at this year.  The winning house will host QotL 2015!

The least expensive option this year is a return to the Poconos area near Wilkes-Barre, PA.  We stayed in a similar house for our first event, but for 2015 we would be renting the biggest house the owner offers.  It offers the typical amenities like washer/dryer, pool table, hot tub (indoor).  It has 6 bedrooms, so some people might end up on a sofa or air mattress.  Internet is the same provider as 2013.  Staying here would be much like the first year in terms of attractions.  You’d have golf, shooting, hiking, paintball, the water park etc, but not as much a touristy city like Gatlinburg was.  The price per person for the week here would be $275.  You can view the Poconos house here:  Poconos House

In terms of price, the “Stately Bowes Manor” comes in the middle, but offers a lot in terms of attractions.  Located in Bethesda, MD (is it a sign?), it’s only a few minutes away from the DC Metro Line which can take you downtown to the nation’s capital.  Lots to do around here like spend the week in the Smithsonian or memorials, or throw your shoe at the President (no refunds).  The house is a little on the small side, but still offers 6 bedrooms.  Only 3.5 bathrooms (one is the master).  The LAN would be in the basement area and leave the rest of the house pretty much open for the kids/others.  Again, we’d probably have a few people on a couch or air mattress.  No hot tub here, but the outside yard is private.  Also, being Maryland/DC we’re not sure about gun laws interfering with the shooting event.  Internet is 29/6 confirmed with a speedtest.net report.  Price per person at this location would be $325.  View the Stately Bowes Manor at:  Stately Bowes Link

Finally we have the Blue Ridge Mtns House near Boone, NC.  It’s in a similar location to the Gatlinburg house, but on the east side of the mountains/national park.  This is the largest house and is a ski house like the Poconos and Gatlinburg events.  Basically, it’s what we had last year.  9 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms make it more comfortable than squeezing into the DC house but the tradeoff is that there’s not much around and the drive to get here is longer and more expensive (from Ohio).  Like Poconos, we’d have the typical shooting and golf events and otherwise pretty much just LAN the whole time.  Pictures do show a media area, hot tub, and horseback riding.  They said they had AT&T Uverse “Highest speed available” which we are guessing is in the 18/2 area considering where the house is.  We are looking into getting a more accurate report.  Assuming we don’t lose the (rather high) security deposit, we can offer this house for $350 a person.  You can see pictures here:  Blue Ridge Mtn Link

All prices include 6 nights at Quake on the Lake, most meals, and a t-shirt.  Tentative event dates are Aug 16-22 2015.  Voting will take place over the weekend on our Facebook group.  We would like to have a result by Monday.  If you are thinking about attending, please head over to Quake on The Lake on Facebook.

Questions about Quake on the Lake?  Learn more at http://www.dgslan.net/qotl/

For those interested in the week-long August LAN, the frequently asked questions have been posted in the QotL section of the website.  Please join our facebook group to get the latest info!  Look forward to more info here in the future.