Wed Camping

I read the post about camping on Wed. I think this is a little unfair. I have signed up for the Experienced Rider Course that starts a 7:00 am Thurs morning. It seems to me that provisions should be made for those that have paid their money for an event that starts this early in the events schedule.

If I arrive on Wed and do agree to help, do I get to register then or do I wait till Thur?

Thanks, Dave

Wed camping

If you arrive on Wed and agree to help, you can camp out on Wed night with no problem. Registration for volunteer workers should be open by 1400 on Wednesday. Getting the registration packets assembled and the Registration area organized will be one of the tasks the early arrival "volunteers" will be helping to accomplish. If you arrive to the event early, you will be expected to help with the set up of the event. I think this is very fair.

What is unfair is to arrive early and expect everyone else to cater to your needs. If you want to arrive early to be well rested for your ERC, but don't want to help set up the Rally, then you always have the option to stay in a motel Wed night or stay at one of the private or State campgrounds around the Charleston area.

The problem with early arrivals just showing up and seting up their tents on what they think is a good spot, is that spot may be the location of something other than their private camping spot. Example, your tent is set up on the very spot wherre the Beer Garden tent is supposed to be erected. You are out riding around the area and won't be back until the tent company has left, unable to erect the Beer Tent. Should we just dismantle your tent in your absence or should we just not have a Beer Tent this year?
Answer, we make you responsible for making sure no one sets up a tent in that area or we just throw your tent in the Kanawha River and claim we don't know what happened to it.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. If you arrive early, just expect to help out in some respect with the set up of the Rally.

Being a volunteer

I found out long ago that the best part in being a volunteer Rally staff member is the joy in feeling involved IN the Rally! You end up with a sense of personal connection to the Rally--you feel like it is "YOUR Rally". You can experience the joys and the frustrations of putting on a huge event like a National, and you can completely understand all the work that running a National Rally entails. You will meet the people that make the MOA work, and you will be able to appreciate the wide range of humanity that makes up the BMW family. After the Rally, you will see it in a different light compared to the other motorcycle events that you have attended. You can have a similar experience if you help to put on a local club event/rally, but in the end, the MOA(& RA) Nationals are the real "major leagues" of motorcycle rallys!

Of course,getting in before the Thursday land rush is a good benefit as well......

PS:Like Michael said; pleeze check out where things are going before you stake out your campsite--just ask around and see if you planning to camp in a bad place. It's better to find out earlier than later.

Re: Wed camping

Michael Friedle said:

What is unfair is to arrive early and expect everyone else to cater to your needs. If you want to arrive early to be well rested for your ERC, but don't want to help set up the Rally, then you always have the option to stay in a motel Wed night or stay at one of the private or State campgrounds around the Charleston area.

Click to expand...

While I think it's great to volunteer and if I was in this gentleman's situation it would be what I would do but, I can certainly see his point. He signed up to participate in an "official" activity first thing Thursday morning. I'm sure there are not hundreds doing so and of those that are probably more than half plan on staying in a motel anyway. The accomidating thing to do would be to allow those enrolled in the course to arrive Wednesday night, early or late, and point them to some out of the way place to camp. I don't think this gentleman expected anyone to "cater" to his needs and that sounded unkind.

MarkF

Michael, I do intend to arrive on Wednesday and am happy to volunteer. Please tell me more about where i should go first. Sure I'd like to stake out some real estate as early as possible and I'd like that to influence any volunteer choice I could make (That'd be within stumbling distance of the beer garden). But, I'll do whatever i can to help.

Looking forward to seeing a big crowd.

bobo

Wed camping

Registration for volunteers willopen at about 1400 on Wednesday. If you arrive earlier than that you can go to a campground, but you might be sent to the Civic Center to help assemble the registration material or do some other job. Don't count on just setting up your tent and hanging out at the campground you set your tent up at.

We need help far more than we need squatters or land grabbers.

See you in Charleston

Was planning on rolling in late Wed (probably past 7:00pm) Would love to camp there and am available to volunteer the next time. Does this fly? What time do you need me and where? Small price that I am glad to pay.

Regards,
Dr. Raoul Duke