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The Rally Sucked

The only disappointment was going to the water jugs and finding they were out of paper cups. That only happened on the last day.

Y'know, along with your pin and patch you get a nice big plastic mug...good for water around the site, as well as for reducing waste in the Beer Garden.
 
topography rules

Camping: having been to many large camp-type gatherings, I have seen what is called camp etiquette. There was a distinct lack of it at the rally. One basic guideline is not to walk through other people's campsites. This was thoroughly ignored as people were walking through our campsite like it was the front gate. Have some courtesy people.

:laugh
When I pitched camp on Wednesday it looked like this . . .
599190994_XwNgG-S.jpg


then a day later like this . . .
599169839_GxnJs-S.jpg


finally like this . . .
599189992_3gYmS-S.jpg


not only were people walking through other's campsites . . . they would stop and pitch their tents if there was clear space on a somewhat flat :laugh

love your neighbors ;)
 
Y'know, along with your pin and patch you get a nice big plastic mug...good for water around the site, as well as for reducing waste in the Beer Garden.
Believe me when I tell you my mug got plenty of use. :drink

There was a sign on the water jugs to use only the paper cups. They didn't want people emptying the jugs with their 24oz Nalgene bottles.

Another cudos for the rally vendors. All water bottles were $1 anywhere in the facility. I heard a story about rally vendors selling water for $4 on really hot days (several years ago).
 
I like music

I would have liked to have more music around at all times of day. The blue grass trio by the outside vendors was good but not enough. Maybe members, kids, with skill, should be encouraged to play. They could donate some of the kitty jar etc.

Traffic flow Had you seen the site at the planning stage, many options were discussed. The exit to the east, was very dangerous. Blind hill with 45+ mph traffic, uphill, side camber etc. Not good for an exit place. The traffic flow was the best the site conditions could allow. Congradulations Mark/Roc and crew.

Vendor locations. Working at receiving, we had dozens per hour looking for their favorite vendor. We could not get a useful vendor list/map (ie sorted by vendor). We have not provided this info for my four previous rallys. There must be a way to do this, recognizing there there are last minute changes in vendor attendance and location. To enjoy the vendor experience, this is important. I saw several attendees with actual shopping lists. (you know who u are)

Each rally has improved, the challenge at one location always challenges our ability to create the best at he next location, and we have collectively done a good job.

Ben
 
In all the comments about the #1 rally pin, I didn't see mention of the the other "gift". There was a table by the registration exit where displaying the pin would get you two tokens, each for a free drink at the beer tent. If only I had known all those pins were being discarded!

I wondered how the other newbies got their tokens, we didn't :doh Oh well, we were working the beer tent Saturday night anyway, no time to drink ;)
 
...After unloading, an overzealous security person ...

Maybe he was the same guy blocking the door to one of the vendor areas after they closed. It would have been simple enough to just cordon it off, or close a door maybe, but the guy guarding it had a major paramilitary attitude. I do understand it can be tough to be a volunteer, but that doesn't excuse everything. Maybe the solution is to not have a person there as the first line of defense (if you need to think of it that way).

This based on my observation of his encounter with an attendee, not me personally. There are probably details I forgot.
 
Tennesee Fun

Thanks to all who worked so hard. Had a great time.I understand the size of the venue made parking an issue but it was ok. Could have used some places to sit and snack. All in all these are not complaints as it was a lot of fun.;)
 
And yet more $.02 worth

Overall, a great time. My second MOA rally.

- showers were good. More is always better and could have alleviated the wait at peak times. That is a point I learned at Lima. You will wait in line if you insist on showering first thing in the AM, like at home. Hey, its field living. I used the alternate hour plan, later in the evening (like 9 or 10pm) and never waited more than 5-10 minutes.

- Portojohns: clean. Could use more, but understand they must be placed where a truck can service them, often not where we camped. Hand wash stations at every Johnnie cluster is mandatory.

- food was diverse and not bad priced. Food vendors were keeping their inventory low, though and often ran out of high demand items early. Warn them beforehand that 9-10k people consume alot of chow, and often.

- vendor maps at every vendor barn would have been helpful.

- GS Challenge: what a blast. Ian, keep doing it, Keep Mer (sp?) Ray and the guys from the Performance Center included. Should advertise it more as gaining confidence for street-bound GS riders as well as the rally-moto wannabe. This might shake more shiny GSs from the treeline. BUT IT WAS GREAT!

- ERC: great instruction. Good location. Keep that effort going. Well done Foundation.

Beer tent: get some food nearby. It was a slog with a plate of food to make it down for dinner and a cold beverage of my choice. Oh, the beer was good, across the board. Access to download sites (portajohns). Recommend having some johns closer to the access point or even some inside.

Another poster mentioned other music - BYOM (bring your own music) that the MP-3 and IPOD capability can well support. All you need is a "DJ" and a speaker system and some jacks. Concur with the expand the music demographic for the younger crowd. And the band can play a bit lower. The sound system was so loud, it made beer tent ( all of them) conversation difficult. This is not a "turn that d*** music down" comment. But lots came to shoot the breeze and have 1 or 7 beers with their mates and if was harder.

Volunteers: I did security (great fun, thanks Tom and Lou) and helped Ian with the GS Challenge. Great way to meet rally mates. Virgins, I highly encourage you to try it out. If you want to meet people, Security is a blast and you get to drive the latest in Authority gear, a bitchin' golf cart. But it is fun and you do meet lots of people.

Camping: Read much about it. We perched up on the hill overlooking the GS crs. It was crowded Weds and packed by Thurs. Campers- remember to establish "lanes" so you can move your bikes around. It is a bummer to wake up in the am to go ride and find a late comer trapped your bike with a tent. Some camping areas had colored tape to indicate the parking lanes and the living lanes. We were more bohemian but still managed to organize. Meet your neighbors, they are all interesting folks, from all over. Folks who set up the big awnings. You can be intimidating to solo neighbors - invite loners in. They may be ok, hey, they may not. Nothing lost but opportunity. Loners - walk up to people. Rally camping still is better and more comfortable than a month in the desert living out of your HMMWV and you get to ride everyday and have a beer. Rallys rock?

Summary: Committee Chairs - great job. it is hard and there are many variables and popups that keep you hopping. I had a blast.

Oh, and the guys with the orange ADVRIDER shirts are inmates, but they do not empty the trash cans. That cracked me up. Maybe just an inside joke.....whatever.

Hope to you some/all/most of you on the road.

semper fi

Mark

-
 
This was my first Rally, and the first time I have ever camped. I used Sherpa, and I have nothing but good things to tell about them. I was so scared of finding bugs and/or other creatures inside my tent, so the first day I think I spent 1 hour inspecting every inch of my tent. Luckly I found none!:doh

So here are my only complaints:

The portable WC's near the tent city were disgusting! I could not use them at all. I spent the entire weekend using the building's bathrooms.​

I rode alone from NJ, and I felt like an outsider, even with my "1" pin. I did try to talk to to some people, but I wasn't very successful. I think I look normal! :laugh

I rode most days, and I was surprised that the vendors were closed after 6pm. It would have been great if they were open in the evening.​

Will I do it again? DEFINITLY!! I love my BMW, and although I couldn't spend money on farkles as much as I wanted, I enjoyed the Rally.

Paul
 
Roman,
I've got the booklet in my hand, pages 46 - 53 contain the entire rally schedule, seminars included.

When I worked registration Saturday AM I took the time to show people the map and explain traffic flow and parking on the site. I sometimes mentioned that the schedule and seminar descriptions were also in the book. I'll try to be more diligent about that second part next year. My job at registration is to get folks off to a good start and pointing out stuff like that (I hope!) makes a difference. During peak registration when the lines grow, I suppose it cold be difficult to take the time to do this properly.

As for the rally itself, SWMBO and I had a blast once again. We hope to make the one in Oregon next year.

If I were to choose an area for improvement, it would be servicing the porta-potties and getting enough toilet paper. Every morning we were out (in the campgrounds near the Airhead tent) and every morning I was told that they were about the problem. I'm surprised no solution could be found. At the RA rally they left extra rolls in the Porta-potties. Problem Solved! I saw someone mention that they always bring their own TP to MOA rallies so I guess this is an ongoing problem, though I have no recollection of that at Gillette, West Bend, Lima or Charleston.

Glen Ellen? We're practically neighbors (if we ignore Wheaton. ;) )

-hank
 
Howdy Neighbor! :wave
Yup, I live in beautiful land locked Glen Ellyn. Sure has grown up around us in the last 20 years or so but we have nowhere to expand here in GE, which is a good thing.
I saw a nice R75/6 yesterday on Hill Ave on my way to Cab's, (I run Hill to Finley then flip over to Crescent and back into town) this rider took the same route so I got a good boo at his bike. Was in real nice shape but I've never seen him before. He turned into Glenbard West and I continued on into the village.

Looks like we (BMW riders) are everywhere, keep your eyes peeled!

Sorry for the hijack, now back to our show.
 
This was my first Rally, and the first time I have ever camped. I used Sherpa....I rode alone from NJ, and I felt like an outsider,

Geez I feel bad. It was my first rally too, and I'm from not too far away. Should have arranged at least to ride down with you. Sorry Paul. :blush

You still have that Rockster? PM me sometime, here or at the R1150R board.

John
 
In all accounts after a few weeks, my opinion has not changed much. I did enjoy reading all the comments and love the different perspectives. I know you can't please everybody, nobody can control the weather and for that matter nobody can control the volunteers. I have volunteered before, but not at this rally. It amazes me that some people are not able to "think outside the box", not just at the rally but in general. But some of folks that were directing traffic were dense and rude.
I do agree with one of the comments made about the size of the rally and how big we really want it. The larger the rally the less personal it will get, the larger the site itself, and the more spread out it needs to be. But this is a National Rally, for smaller rallies we have the local rallies. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
The showers and toilets were nasty this year and anybody that does not agree with that, must not have used them. They should be cleaned twice a day at least and so should the trash pick up.
I also believe that the one-way traffic was a good idea, but it did not work out the way it was intented. Due to Gestapo methods of the traffic directions, it also put extra people into area's that they did not want to go to. This frustrates people.
Should I feel bad about the vendor's being tired at 6 pm? Well, they make a "killing" as far as I can tell. I think it sucks that they have to get a license, charge taxes and obey by the laws to close at 6 pm. You know how much stuff they sell after the beer tent is open for a while? At 10 pm they more than likely would have sold a ton of stuff to the folks that rode during the day, then drank beer and ate and then went shopping. Give me a break, I work 6 days a week plus 4 nights a week. I essentially have 2 full time jobs....; I think it should be left up to the vendor.

Will I attend another National Rally. I am sure I will. Will I volunteer. I might do that again (it depends on time). This is all constructive critizism. Overall it was a success. It was a ton of work for a lot of people and it is a huge undertaking. I appreciate it. However, some things could have been better and were better at other rallies. That has nothing to do with how many people attended.

See you on the road.
 
IÔÇÖm Lou Church, Security Co-Chair.
I make NO apologies for the actions or demeanor of my volunteers. I thank them for the donation of their time, I am immensely pleased with their performance, and I am proud of each and every one of them.
 
Excellent thread

I'm lurking and will post later. I just didn't want anyone to think no one from next year's rally was paying attention.

My only rally sucky part was some camper trailer trash neighbors with stinkin' stogies. Oh yeah, he started this thread. :laugh:laugh:laugh :wave
 
I'm going to put in my two cents for what it is worth, two cents maybe? I was only there for Friday because I was on my way to other destinations. What I saw I thought was very well ran, it amazed me how smoothly traffic flowed, or at least while I was there, I was surprised to see so many bikes coming and going in the vendors areas though but do realize that was to do with the tire garage etc. I would think for vendors that are going to work on/service peoples machines they could be put on the side lines so the bikes don't have to go through the crowds. The thing that surprised me the most, and I know I will catch stick for this, is cigar and pipe smoking was allowed in the beer tent. Cigarette smoke I can handle, one expects that, but not cigar and pipes. That is my only complaint, a great rally otherwise, where else can you have that many bikes and still be able to hear the person next to you??;)
 
OK, I've been back from the rally for a couple weeks now and am out west on another ride. Just plugged in the lap top and read all your flowery responses to the rally. I realize that the first person that really bitches on this forum gets to do the whole thing himself next year, so let me first say that's not going to happen. So, here is my opinion. I'm still pissed. There was NO parking for us who chose to hotel it. I drove around the fairgrounds twice before I realized that someone overlooked this very important item. Other than that, I enjoyed myself and plan to attend the Redmond rally next year. Let's see if we can get this right by then.
 
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