@nuflark
That's awesome, and sounds like a lot of fun!!
I have just recently learned about Meshtastic too, I would love to get a little neighborhood network going. From ebay I picked up some LoRa devices (CircuitMess Chatter) that I have working but I haven't tested them out for distance around trees and houses and such.
I do need to look into the GMRS test and see about that (is that the same thing as "digital"?) - might work better for neighborhood or special event radios than just FRS walkie talkies.