Camping: OK BMWMOA, I Can Take a Hint...

Camping and Showers

Sorry you didn't have a good time. BUT....(you knew it was coming) Camping space was plentiful in the Loud Camping area and I can assure you it wasn't any louder than the "Quite" camping, especially if you wore earplugs (I have to because I wake myself up snoring). They also opened up another area for camping that wasn't very full.

There were plenty of showers, some lines, but I think mostly because people didn't look at the map and see all the available shower areas. I went to the one on Main and had a line, then went to the one by the Beer Garden and walked right in.

Anyway, not to preach, but It is what you make of it and I will hopefully see you in VT next year.

BradfordBenn said:

I think that part of the problem is that everyone tried to get into the same area for camping, and that some of the other areas were relatively empty. When I did the run on Saturday morning... I saw that there were open spots. But I agree it was tighter.

Also there is nothing anyone can do about the temperature.

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An event of this magnitude requires a large venue, such as a fairgrounds. Being a fairgrounds, there are limitations as to how many wooded areas are available due to considerations for having space for many events. And under a tree is not a great spot to be in a thunderstorm. There was a large camping area just west of the quiet camping that was used by less than 20 people. And one on the east side by racetrack that was vastly unused. Sorry you had a bad experience but we volunteers tried our hardest to accomodate everyone's needs and desires. Sure we made some mistakes but after all we are AMATUERS and don't do this for a living. Try Vermont and I pray you have a better time. At least meeting "Family" makes any inconviences bearable.IMHO I made friends with riders from Canada and Germany, couldn't do that at a local gathering!!! There's good and bad to everything except Heaven.

Kudos

What an absolute blast!
My hat's off to Sue and all of the people that took time to chair and organize. The volunteers were great and the cost was great.
I enjoyed meeting people and using the time to bond with my son. The clean up crew did such a good job that I feel certain that the grounds looked better after the Rally than when we got there.
The only way that VT can be better is if GearHeadGrrrl chairs the Rally.

Thanks again BMW MOA

It was a blast either way

It's All In The Rationale

BubbaZanetti said:

1. get there earlier if possible, i still saw many good sites available on friday
2. i showered at midnight 3 nights and 9:30am one day and didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes. its a 9000 person rally, what did you expect???
3. blame the nothern hemisphere's relation to the sun from may till september, not the rally...............
its all what you make of it, i had a blast, and i left with a sunburn, 4 hrs of sleep and about 15 nasty spider bites

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Sounds too much like boot camp to me.
du

Had a great time

This was my first national rally and I had a great time. Maybe part of it is because I backpack and have worked with one of the national BBQ circuits I accept that climate is what you expect and weather is what you get. The entire mid-west is having a heat wave and any large event must go on as scheduled, you make the best of it and the weak/unadaptable find holes to hide in.

We arrived about noon on Thursday and found a place to pitch tents in about 20 minutes after leaving the registration tent. (Hawk and Main, 1 minute to restrooms, 2 minutes to showers, 30 seconds to beer garden.) I showered between 8 and 9:30 all three mornings and spent exactly 0 minutes standing in line.

More food vendors would have been nice, but I waited in line longer at a restaurant on the way home than at at any of the stands at the rally.

If you can not accept that compromise is a part of life at any large gathering, you need to find a more solitary form of entertainment.

glinm said:

If you can not accept that compromise is a part of life at any large gathering, you need to find a more solitary form of entertainment.

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There ya go gearheadgrrrl

Camping services were available this year. They got there on Tuesday and had a nice site close to showers, etc. Tent was waiting complete with air mattress, sleeping bag, pillow and chair (lots less to pack!). Services also included coffee in the morning, fresh clean towels for showers, ice water during the day and two large coolers packed with ice for the campers using this service.

If you had trouble with camping this year, you might consider using a service next year (I'd post the link, but not sure if it's allowed here).

Couldn't get a shower?

We didn't have any problem taking a shower at any time of day. I think most people only thought that showers were available in the one "shower trailer" but I think showers were in most permanent bathrooms. If you went into one of the permanent bathrooms then you should have seen the showers. We were over near the end of Main St and had showers as well as a nice concrete pad to park our bike on the other side of the building. Other than the heat and the storm Thursday night it was great. We are already making plans for next year.

Someone earlier mentioned that this event was put together by volunteers. This is a great point and it also means that anyone who had problems with this year's rally can volunteer for next year and keep those problems from happening again.

Chill

Nothing like extreme heat stress to make people cranky.
I suspect all of the other shortcomings could have been taken in stride if we'd been fortunate enough to have mild weather.
The one thing the 'MOA had no control over is causing people to focus on weak areas where the organizers might have done a little better.
I don't know about all of you, but I feel like I got my $35 worth between noon Thursday and the time I left at 4 p.m. Friday.

When you consider that....

when planning the event, no one knows what the weather will be...

no one knows how many people will show up....many do not preregister..

and I'm sure that the organizers have to deal with many, mnay last minute happenings where thing don't go as planned....

It's sort of a miracle that things at a rally go as well as they do...probably because a dedicated group of folks really care and work their butts off....

so, here is my advice...if you want to have a good time at a rally,

1) make it an adventure...the rally itself is an unknown puzzle where you have to firgure out how to thrive, not just survive...

or, 2) make it a real adventure and volunteer to participate...you will get to meet a bunch of great people...and you won't be the least bit bored with your spare time....and you will sleep better...you will be exhausted...

and 3) always just roll with the punches....it will be different from the last one, it will require you to be flexible, and if you want, it will be a chance to meet some pretty neat folks from all over the place.....

rally's are just great....but onlyif you go with the right attitude....

A great rally!

Was it a perfect rally? No, but "perfect" is an unobtainable absolute.

Comments:
I agree that for future events the male vs. female shower ratio should reflect actual attendance, instead of a 50/50 split. So, the shower trailer could have been designated male-only, with very little inconvenience to the ladies.

Volunteering is a great way to meet people and, yes, it promotes sleep! I agree with the "it's a miracle that it works as well as it does" idea about a volunteer rally. A lot of people, at all levels, worked VERY hard. To quote ManicMechanic..."walk up to a volunteer and THANK THEM."

There were a few food vendors on-site, but the fare was good and there were tons of restaurants nearby, also. And, standing in line is yet another great way to meet people.

I hope everyone can focus on the positives and realize what a great gathering we had, and what a great organization we have.

I'll be in Vermont for '06...EVERYONE is WELCOME...(whiners can stay home, though, and save more campsites for the MAJORITY of people, whom I'm sure had a GREAT time.

Ok, it is time for me to chime in. I have read enough bitchin' and moanin' about the percieved lack of attention that the MOA gave to this Rally.

First, I will recognize that there were some issues that could have been handled a bit better. Signage leading into the rally could have been larger and easier to read. Yes there could have been more shower trailers brought in to accomadate the crowd. Yes, the lines to the food vendors got a little long. SO WHAT!!

Have you never been to a large festival? How about a sporting event or a rock concert? Now tell me you haven't waited in line to get food or to go to the b-room. When you have crowds of this size, it is time to take a chill pill and just go with the flow. Bitchin' and moanin' only serves to aggravate yourself and those around you. This was a MOTORCYLCE event run by volunteers. It was not intended to be Club Med! Have some patience for crying out loud, especially if you did not volunteer.

Now the good. Registration went smoothly considering the lines. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. My girlfriend and I found a camping space under a tree in the main area Thursday around 4:30 pm. Yes we were rain fly to rain fly, but so what! The food vendors served decent food at good prices (compared to most large events that I have attended). No price gouging! We made some new friends and ran into old ones. We were not disturbed by any too roudy behavior. George rocked as did the other local bands. When we got too hot, we walked over to Wally World to enjoy the AC. We had a blast!

If you did not enjoy yourselves at this well run event, perhaps you are becoming as stuffy as our BMW Automobile brothers who don't know the difference between Beemers and Bimmers.

This was my 2nd National, with Charleston being the first. I had a blast at that one as well. I have also been to several regional rallies and am involved with running my local club rally. I know how hard it is to please everyone. It just can't be done. Some folks are happier being unhappy. But if you can please 90% or more, I think you have done a great job. For the record, you guys in Lima did an outstanding job! Hope to see you in Vermont!

Rick Gzesh
2005 Four Winds President

Vegas! Baby! It was 110 degrees there last week! It's a dry heat!

Unregistered said:

Vegas! Baby! It was 110 degrees there last week! It's a dry heat!

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Dry heat? So is my oven.

jeez, all the bitching about the weather and the showers. like going three days without bathing is a big deal when you are.....CAMPING? camping isnt about showering, it's about being outside, being dirty, being exposed to the elements like your ancestors, getting smelly, and ENJOYING it. it's about bug bites and bug spray, burned burgers and burned noses, drinking beer and telling lies.

you folks were at a MOTORCYCLE RALLY not a freakin' CONVENTION. you were in a small town at a fairgrounds in ohio, not the waldorf astoria.

bubba zanetti's got the proper attitude to fit the circumstances, and he had a blast. you were all at the same place, the only difference is in your expectations and your ability to cope with standing in a few lines and sweating.

i must say, all the rounders are representin' and not complaining about the heat. go rounders!

IndyGT said:

Nothing like extreme heat stress to make people cranky.
I suspect all of the other shortcomings could have been taken in stride if we'd been fortunate enough to have mild weather.
The one thing the 'MOA had no control over is causing people to focus on weak areas where the organizers might have done a little better.
I don't know about all of you, but I feel like I got my $35 worth between noon Thursday and the time I left at 4 p.m. Friday.

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The rally was well worth the $35 bucks, but I think some of you folks are awful quick to defend with notions of "because that's how it is" or "if you think you can do it better step up". That is a retarded argument. No one seems to read the rest of the posts that state compromises and suggestions for improvement. Take them with a grain of salt and learn to accept criticism and maybe retention rates will increase. My 2 cents.

Ol'Salt said:

An event of this magnitude requires a large venue, such as a fairgrounds. Being a fairgrounds, there are limitations as to how many wooded areas are available due to considerations for having space for many events. And under a tree is not a great spot to be in a thunderstorm. There was a large camping area just west of the quiet camping that was used by less than 20 people. And one on the east side by racetrack that was vastly unused. Sorry you had a bad experience but we volunteers tried our hardest to accomodate everyone's needs and desires. Sure we made some mistakes but after all we are AMATUERS and don't do this for a living. Try Vermont and I pray you have a better time. At least meeting "Family" makes any inconviences bearable.IMHO I made friends with riders from Canada and Germany, couldn't do that at a local gathering!!! There's good and bad to everything except Heaven.

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Well said!!! Absolutely FANTASTIC rally! I saw no downfalls, even the hot weather didn't bother me. I made so many new friends, who have sooo much in common with me - that's more than I could have asked for, but I got soooo much more than that, and soooo cheaply. I thought all the volunteers did an EXCELLENT job and everyone should give them kudos, instead of complaints!!!!

By the way, Ol' Salt, YOU ROCK!!!

Another good one

I had a great time & can't think of much to whine about except for.......

The speeding ticket I got 1/2 hour before arriving!
I didn't win anything!.... Again
They didn't empty the garbage cans where I was camped!
It was hot, but you could find shade & cold drinks in a jiffy!
None of the young woman asked me to dance!
Some of you people should enter a snoring contest!

to all the people that made it possible & a great job done by all the volunteers! Can't wait till next year!

I'd also like to thank Budweiser & earplugs for the restfull nights!

Unregistered said:

The rally was well worth the $35 bucks, but I think some of you folks are awful quick to defend with notions of "because that's how it is" or "if you think you can do it better step up". That is a retarded argument. No one seems to read the rest of the posts that state compromises and suggestions for improvement. Take them with a grain of salt and learn to accept criticism and maybe retention rates will increase. My 2 cents.

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What is retarded is to expect to be taken seriously lurking under the cover of a guest login.
Constructive comments are being read...even saw a thank you for them. Roll with the punches is excellent advice.

Imagine the numbers that will show for a venue as good as Burlington, VT! Set up you tent today!