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Wyoming yes, but Gillette???

as Grant, aaaaaa and others have said, we too will be consuming many miles getting there and coming back. Lots to see. Our plan is to take in Nashville, Austin, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, Cal #1, Vancouver Is. , Calgary, Gillette, and whatever after that. We look forward to getting to the rally and be surrounded by a diverse assembly of folks who have a 'common thread' of interest, lots of beer (is Bud really a beer??), good music, lots to learn in seminars, lots of stuff to buy +++ Why would I spend that time riding around the place?? Our only time in the Gillette area was when we overlooked getting gas there and almost running out in Crazy Woman Creek. (another story) Anyway, we, like many many others, will be there as we have previously. See you there. -Bob
 
I hope to tie in Top of the Rockies the weekend after (i think). I tend to agree that riding at the rally is not the draw. I plan the drive there and back to be FUN. The time there is to enjoy the beer, attend a seminar or two, and did I say enjoy a beer!
 
I hope to tie in Top of the Rockies the weekend after (i think). I tend to agree that riding at the rally is not the draw. I plan the drive there and back to be FUN. The time there is to enjoy the beer, attend a seminar or two, and did I say enjoy a beer!
And volunteer some? That's fun, too!

Muriel
 
First off, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to Friedle for volunteering your time to plan the upcoming rally. As a former chairperson for a major local event, I know first hand that you will have plenty of critics and nay-sayers. Unfortunately, it's it too few who take the time to say thanks for your efforts.

To those critics and nay-sayers, what have you done to assist in this process? I'm sure there is plenty of room for more volunteers so jump in and get involved!

We all have a choice - attend the rally, or don't. Whether it's for the roads to ride on or the opportunity to be amongst friends, we all have our reasons for wanting to be there. If it's about the journey, just pick another route or another rally.

Unfortunately I will not be there. Not because of the location but a lack of vacation time. Having only been to one MOA rally, I can say that if I had more time, I'd be there regardless of where it is held.
 
I Probably Can't Go

I've been to dozens of local-ish rallies, but West Bend was my first national.

I volunteered, met friends, did a bit of riding, ate great food, partied, and just generally had a blast. I would go to next year's rally if it were in hell.

The folks planning this (and past rallies) are trying to please thousands of people which, as Friedle points out, is a thankless enterprise. At least until you get to the rally and see so many smiling faces walking around and greeting old friends that they've never met.

I have family coming from Australia next summer, and their visit will almost certainly coincide with the rally dates. I'm severely bummed, especially with the rally being so near. Our last nearby rally was Washington.

For those that think there's a vast NorthEast rally conspiracy, check out How We Choose a Rally Site to see that it's all on the up and up.
 
Gillette

First off, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to Friedle for volunteering your time to plan the upcoming rally. As a former chairperson for a major local event, I know first hand that you will have plenty of critics and nay-sayers. Unfortunately, it's it too few who take the time to say thanks for your efforts.

To those critics and nay-sayers, what have you done to assist in this process? I'm sure there is plenty of room for more volunteers so jump in and get involved!

We all have a choice - attend the rally, or don't. Whether it's for the roads to ride on or the opportunity to be amongst friends, we all have our reasons for wanting to be there. If it's about the journey, just pick another route or another rally.

Unfortunately I will not be there. Not because of the location but a lack of vacation time. Having only been to one MOA rally, I can say that if I had more time, I'd be there regardless of where it is held.

Let me be clear that I am not planning the Gillette Rally. The Rally chairs for this year are Deb Lower and Karol Patzer. I am a current Board of Directors member and have planned three past Nationals; might be making plans for another in the future; helping develop plans for other MOA marketing events; planning local rallies for MOA chartered clubs; all of which keeps me busy enough. I am making suggestions and contacts/contracts for killer entertainment for Gillette, but the final say on who will ultimately perform there resides with the Rally Chairs, not me.

If you're not in Gillette for the National Rally, you will miss the party and maybe even miss seeing some friends who will be there. Of course, there is always next year and attendence is not mandatory, nor taken, like middle school homeroom.

Friedle
 
Let me be clear that I am not planning the Gillette Rally. The Rally chairs for this year are Deb Lower and Karol Patzer. I am a current Board of Directors member and have planned three past Nationals; might be making plans for another in the future; helping develop plans for other MOA marketing events; planning local rallies for MOA chartered clubs; all of which keeps me busy enough. I am making suggestions and contacts/contracts for killer entertainment for Gillette, but the final say on who will ultimately perform there resides with the Rally Chairs, not me.

If you're not in Gillette for the National Rally, you will miss the party and maybe even miss seeing some friends who will be there. Of course, there is always next year and attendence is not mandatory, nor taken, like middle school homeroom.

Friedle

Let me guess...you planned the guys in lederhosen and the polka band at West Bend. I have to admit, after several beers, even the 70 year old lead singer was looking good.
 
Two points to add to FriedleÔÇÖs list.
1. If a site meets the requirements the next question is it available at the desired time?

2. If the site meets the requirements does it want to bid to host the event? Not every community wants to host any kind of motorcycle rally even if it is capable of meeting all of the requirements and the space is open.
 
Two points to add to Friedle’s list.
1. If a site meets the requirements the next question is it available at the desired time?

2. If the site meets the requirements does it want to bid to host the event? Not every community wants to host any kind of motorcycle rally even if it is capable of meeting all of the requirements and the space is open.

Now this is blinding flash of the obvious! There are plenty of locations that would love to host a rally with folks meeting the demographics of MOA. We need to get away from selecting sites that nobody else wants and go to places our members always wanted to see. Example....one of my favorite towns.. Jasper, Alberta - located on the north end of the Ice fields. Then again...going north to Canada may detour vendors. We can't have that. How about Moab, Utah? How about Kalispell or Whitefish, MT? How about Jackson Hole? Our members have limited vacation time. Maybe if we provided a location they want to see, more than 25% will attend.
 
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... criteria:

at least 100+ acres of camping space
70,000-100,000 sq ft of indoor commercial vendor space
approx 40,000 sq ft of indoor seminar space
grandstand capable of seating at least 3,500 people
at least 3,000 motel rooms within a 20 mile radius
available on site MOA exclusive beer sales
availability of sufficent showers and restrooms on site or nearby

and those are just the major starting qualifiers to ante up for consideration as a host site!

I think we need to re-think what meets the criteria.

Each year a simple marina in Norwalk, CT transforms inself into the International In Water Boat Show. The show is an annual success, yet they don't have most of what is required to host one of the largest boat shows in the nation. What they do have is WATER!

So how do they do it?

Lots of huge circus-style tents, portable toilets/showers, temporary power facilites, and lots of good old Yankee ingenuity.

The parallel here is: WATER is essential to an in-water boat show; RIDING-ROADS are essential to a motorcycle rally -- everything else is negotiable, portable, temporary, optional, or superfluous!!!
 
The parallel here is: WATER is essential to an in-water boat show; RIDING-ROADS are essential to a motorcycle rally -- everything else is negotiable, portable, temporary, optional, or superfluous!!!,IMO
Fixed. :)

I don't feel they are essential in the way that water is for boats. I feel they are a plus.
 
Fixed. :)

I don't feel they are essential in the way that water is for boats. I feel they are a plus.

I guess I don't understand this logic: riding-roads are not essential, just a plus???

This is a MOTORCYCLE RALLY site, not some kind of internment camp, right?

To me the attraction to the sport of motorcycling is in the actual RIDING -- particularly, riding in an area blessed with a variety of scenic and challenging roads.

To be hunkered down, going nowhere for three days at a motorcycle rally is worse than pointless. I don't care how great the showers are. It's torture.
 
I guess I don't understand this logic: riding-roads are not essential, just a plus???

This is a MOTORCYCLE RALLY site, not some kind of internment camp, right?

To me the attraction to the sport of motorcycling is in the actual RIDING -- particularly, riding in an area blessed with a variety of scenic and challenging roads.

To be hunkered down, going nowhere for three days at a motorcycle rally is worse than pointless. I don't care how great the showers are. It's torture.
No logic was used whatsoever. Like yours, it is neither, right or wrong, it's an opinion.
You started the sentence with To ME. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to mine. Some people might like boating because of the boat shows, others might like it because they like being on the water. Is one's opinion worth less than the other?
To you it is about the roads. To me, it is seeing new places and meeting old friends.
Who said I wasn't going anywhere for 3 days? I plan on going to Devil's Tower, Custer, the Needles Highway, Mount Rushmore and maybe more. Then a shower, then Beer tent. :thumb
I guess I won't see you in Gillette then. Have a nice ride. :thumb
 
There ya go. I won't go if it is in Canada, and I haven't gone, when it was in Canada. Before any Canadians get upset, I have my reasons, and it has to do with crossing the Border. I guess it really is hard to please all the people all the time. That must be why that saying was invented.

If you had problems before, imagine what the problems will with the new requirements for passports and homeland security inspections. I can just see fully packed motorcycles with everything on them spread out for inspection and the riders spending considerable time repacking their bikes.
 
...

To me the attraction to the sport of motorcycling is in the actual RIDING -- particularly, riding in an area blessed with a variety of scenic and challenging roads.

To be hunkered down, going nowhere for three days at a motorcycle rally is worse than pointless. I don't care how great the showers are. It's torture.

I think this is a position held by many people who choose not to attend rallys, because a rally can be so much hunkering down - thus the vendors, entertainment and seminars. Others use the rally as a base point to ride the area.

If the rally is not for you...it's not for you. We all enjoy our bikes in different ways and for different reasons.

No one needs to be offended, we all choose our own ride. :)
 
I think understanding both Rapid Roy and gulfcoastbeenerÔÇÖs comments.

I went to last yearÔÇÖs rally with plans to ride in the area. I had done a good bit of research and was looking forward to exploring the area using the rally as a base. With volunteering, seminars and meeting people I didnÔÇÖt get off the site much. I am an introverted rider preferring to ride alone, so, frankly when I did get out and ride the area sharing the roads with 7,000 of my fellow riders did not exactly trip my trigger when I did. However; those riders I did see seemed to be having fun in their groups.

I did plan fun rides to and from the rally just as I have been planning fun for the trip to Gillette and back. I am planning on volunteering again and seeing people. When I do go for a ride I plan on trying not to fall over in the dirt on my Roadster. :)
 
I have had a great time at the Nat'ls when they were in areas with great roads.
I have had a great time at Nat'ls where the roads were not "technically challenging."
I must be odd. I will definitely skew the survey. :laugh

I have only gone to 15 though.
I have to get a few more under my belt to determine if I will stop going or not.
 
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I plan on going to Devil's Tower, Custer, the Needles Highway, Mount Rushmore and maybe more.

Last year, my wife and I spent several days camped in Hill City, SD, from which we visited the infamous Wall Drug (don't bother), the Bad Lands, Needles Highway, Sturgis, Deadwood, Spearfish, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer, etc.

Hill City is a great starting point from which to visit these places. No matter which way you go, it's about five hours from Gillette, WY to Hill City, SD and back.

On our way to Red Lodge, MT and Beartooth Pass we stopped for fuel in Gillette, WY at the Flying-J. I remember grain elevators, railroad siding, a water tower, and an absense of trees. It's hard to judge a town from a truck stop on the interstate; however, coming into Gillette the surrounding terrain seemed genuinely unremarkable -- pretty much prairie. In the middle of July it was over a 100 degrees, dusty and windy.

Have any favorite rides in the Gillette, WY area?

At the Cam-Plex web site they have this photo. Does anybody know where this was taken? I would be pleasantly surprised to learn this is anywhere near the CAM-PLEX.

FLASH: I performed a Google search for the credited photographer, Angela Rath, and found the scene in the below promotional Gillette Cam-Plex photo is a little further away from Gillette than I bargained for -- it's actually Maloja Pass, Switzerland. "Motorcycle Nirvana!", Photo submitted by Angela Rath #53326

How about a little truth in advertising!

BMW-pic.gif
 
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