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Sanitary Concerns

amiles

New member
It seems that my rally experiences usually include frustration with the sanitary facilities. My concerns are:

Since I plan to Camp

Long Long lines

lack of maintenance (Cleaning)

I'm sure that the shower trailers are expensive to rent, thus there is never a surplus of them. At a rally last year that I attended, they were placed along a dirt/dust road. It was near impossible NOT to track dirt inside and the showers were quite a mess. With no way to tidy up after yourself it was impossible to be a "good citizen"
I also ended up with a cold shower brr and there was no one on site that I knew of to report the problem to.

Hopefully arrangements can be/have been made that the facilities will be kept tidy at all reasonable times particularly early in the morning.

This would go a long way in improving my experience.
 
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The shower facilities at the Westbend national were in fine shape. As for lines, I suggest you shower off peak, i.e. not between 7:30-9:30 am. Showering in the evening is a good strategy, too; you'll have the showers to yourself and you won't dirty up your sleeping bag.
 
All the rallies I've attended, those that had trailer/showers, have been good sanitary experiences. There seems to be a cleaning attendant on site at all times. YMMV, but you have reason to be optimistic about Gillette.
 
Me too;

My past rallies have been up and down, with so many in past years without proper numbers of shower facilities and some real poor ones too! Its getting better and West Bend was an improvement indeed. I think I heard Gillette is to have 4 truck shower rigs on site and this is even getting better:). Some years had school facilities available, but the truck shower rigs are more a private shower affair for those wanting some basic privacy and are fairly well kept, with staff on hand running it. Gillette should do well, if 4 rigs get in there and one picks his/her hours right for showering. DO remember this, however as the shower rigs have hours of operation(not 24 hours) and one should look closely at the operating hours for these. The hours are usually day long, closing late at night and open around 5-6AM. My experience anyhow:). Happy Trails, Randy13233:thumb :usa
 
It seems that my rally experiences usually include frustration with the sanitary facilities. My concerns are:

Since I plan to Camp

Long Long lines

lack of maintenance (Cleaning)

I'm sure that the shower trailers are expensive to rent, thus there is never a surplus of them. At a rally last year that I attended, they were placed along a dirt/dust road. It was near impossible to track dirt inside and the showers were quite a mess. With no way to tidy up after yourself it was impossible to be a "good citizen"
I also ended up with a cold shower brr and there was no one on site that I knew of to report the problem to.

Hopefully arrangements can be/have been made that the facilities will be kept tidy at all reasonable times particularly early in the morning.

This would go a long way in improving my experience.

I suspect we were at the same rally. My riding buddy bathed in the nearby river and I used my travel trailer.
 
Here's the secret to having a great shower experience at any rally.

Wake up in the morning and go riding. Don't shower, but brush your teeth.

When you get back in the afternoon, but before dinner, take a shower. You'll be clean and refreshed after your day and ready for an evening of socializing.

Tina and I call it "rally shower schedule". Last year, I never waited in line and had the entire shower trailer to myself every time.
 
Here's the secret to having a great shower experience at any rally.

Wake up in the morning and go riding. Don't shower, but brush your teeth.

When you get back in the afternoon, but before dinner, take a shower. You'll be clean and refreshed after your day and ready for an evening of socializing.

Tina and I call it "rally shower schedule". Last year, I never waited in line and had the entire shower trailer to myself every time.

2am fits this requirement quite well.:thumb
 
At a rally last year that I attended, they were placed along a dirt/dust road. It was near impossible to track dirt inside and the showers were quite a mess. With no way to tidy up after yourself it was impossible to be a "good citizen"
I also ended up with a cold shower brr and there was no one on site that I knew of to report the problem to.


Lemme guess...Ashville?

My shower was not only cold, it was dark. The generator kicked off and we had no light. That was only one issue that prompted us to move to the Holiday Inn.

I'll stick to credit card camping from now on.
 
I suspect we were at the same rally. My riding buddy bathed in the nearby river and I used my travel trailer.

Like Newstar mentioned as well, this had to be Asheville. The first day I had an icy cold shower (which ultimately was probably good since I was burning up after setting my tent up). The second day on, I used the biohazard showers. Absolutely terrible. There were also a few issues with the portable toilets not being emptied/cleaned frequently. I hear the Biltmore people had never done an event like that, and were overwhelmed with the crowd. As for the MOA rallies I've been to, the shower trailers have always been in good condition and well kept.
 
Has anyone here been to the original Woodstock? I always wished I could have made that one, but I was to young at the time. :hug
 
Has anyone here been to the original Woodstock? I always wished I could have made that one, but I was to young at the time. :hug

they had showers at Woodstock???

Oh, yeah, Rain Showers

and showers of mud!:laugh

but everyone was too stoned to notice.....:lol

RM
 
Like Newstar mentioned as well, this had to be Asheville. The first day I had an icy cold shower (which ultimately was probably good since I was burning up after setting my tent up). The second day on, I used the biohazard showers. Absolutely terrible. There were also a few issues with the portable toilets not being emptied/cleaned frequently. I hear the Biltmore people had never done an event like that, and were overwhelmed with the crowd. As for the MOA rallies I've been to, the shower trailers have always been in good condition and well kept.

I think both the RA and the Biltmore were overwhelmed with the number of people that showed up. It was my 4th. RA rally and the number of people that attended was at least twice as large as the others I have been to. Of the four people with my group, I was the only one who pre-registered. One was a Honda rider who just wanted to go because it was at the Biltmore.

Can you imagine the chaos there would be at a MOA rally if the attendance was double the number planned for?
 
I really didn't want to single out the Biltmore RA rally. I only wanted to use it as an example. My thought at the time was that the Rally authorities had paid good money to have the facilities via our rally fees, and that the contractor had not provided the services paid for.

I am sure that the volunteers that put on rallys like this have a million details to drive them crazy prior to during and after the rally. It just seems a shame that something that should be able to be left in the competent hands of a paid contractor was less than satisfactory.

Those of us that choose to camp rather than R/V or moteling are at the mercy of the facility's facilities. A clean hot shower is a wonderful thing
 

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Just to clarify, I wasn't trashing the RA Rally or the Biltmore. I know their attendance was way more than anticipated and I'm guilty because I would not have gone if it was anywhere else.

I thought the Biltmore staff did a fantastic job and thank them for allowing us to be there. I'm sure the RA staff worked equally hard. It was just unfortunate that they were in the middle of a drought and parked in a dust bowl at 95+ degrees.

Loved being there tho!
 
Just to clarify, I wasn't trashing the RA Rally or the Biltmore. I know their attendance was way more than anticipated and I'm guilty because I would not have gone if it was anywhere else.

I thought the Biltmore staff did a fantastic job and thank them for allowing us to be there. I'm sure the RA staff worked equally hard. It was just unfortunate that they were in the middle of a drought and parked in a dust bowl at 95+ degrees.

Loved being there tho!

I live two and a half hours away and it was by far the hottest and driest for the time of year I ever remember (and I'm 60). Normal June weather would have resulted in lush green camping area with warm days and cool nights.
 
At West Bend the shower and porta facacilities were excellent. Especially the portas. There were hundreds of them (maybe thousands) and I think they were all brand new, and always clean.

John
 
Gillette crowded?

I don't think we're going to see a record breaking attendee rally in Gillette, however good I feel Wyoming is. I like Wyoming a lot, but do not see it going over the top in #'s, regarding attendees. Hope I'm wrong:). Showers with 4 rigs should be a no brainer for most, Like KBasa says. Pick your times wisely...Don't let my statement dampen anybodies spirit to get to Wyoming this year. COME....Just most western rallies seem to shrink the size of the rallies just a little. Randy13233:thumb :usa
 
Exceeds Standards

The number of showers and toilet facilities at Gillette will exceed both FIM standards and the recommendation of the Cam-Plex for the number of people expected. They have been well maintained at all the Nationals I have attended, and I will be checking the women's facilities frequently to make sure our high standards are upheld. Somebody else gets to check out the men's. :brow

Holly
 
Here's the secret to having a great shower experience at any rally.

Wake up in the morning and go riding. Don't shower, but brush your teeth.

When you get back in the afternoon, but before dinner, take a shower. You'll be clean and refreshed after your day and ready for an evening of socializing.

Tina and I call it "rally shower schedule". Last year, I never waited in line and had the entire shower trailer to myself every time.

When you tell your secret and it is a good idea, you have friends to talk to while you stand in line.
 
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