I do miss those 'early days'. I was mostly a fly on the wall, but learned a great deal. I do wish the Dans, Hugh, and the like would drop by more frequently.
I still find folks willing to help here. A terrific range of talents really. Yes, there's the occasional Grumpy Gus, but that's anywhere. I think the larger influence is the one SparW pointed to earlier, which is that there just are not as many folks attempting wind. If you're a wind enthusiast you're still here, but if you are just looking to eek out a few Ahs or kWhs solar is much less challenging for most. And, the cost is making the spread more pronounced.
~kitestrings