The weather doesn't always play-ball, but I'm sure you'll find somewhere for the snaps...Besides, it's the family that need to take the lime light. Some fall colours would have been nice though...There's always next year but by then E will be different so, get it done now! Lol.
The cell service was a bit dodgy out there; Two people standing side by side may have different coverage altogether. Quite strange, but it's a ways off the main highway and they tend to produce signal in corridors rather than in a wholesale way. The stations (farms) tend to pull it in with big-ass anntena's usually...It leaves the scrubbers like me scrambling down the side of a mountain to find service. But I like remote areas, and am usually pretty comfortable without phone service.
Just on the third place thing...Over the course of each shooting stage it becomes very clear who is a top of the field shooter and who is not. The field of just over 100 may not have seen the results including me and a couple of other organisers, but it tends to get out and become general knowledge. So, people know.
I don't care though to be honest, I have nothing to prove to them, or anyone. I had fun and that's what I was there for, outside of my official duties. I don't mind competing and do a lot of it, but I never make it about winning.