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Not quite that bad but I get the point. But compared to Bloomsburg or even SLC it would be a big improvement. I have only missed one national in 32 years. Voni has missed none. I have done seminars for going on 20 years. But from here on out I will be selective. If the Board approves dumb choices I won't be there. There are too many good choices to put up with any more Bloomsburgs. Not ever.I cannot see how this could make the final cut and would hope the selection committee would reach out to the members in any proposed area for their input. From my local perspective living in Iowa and the Des Moines area and in Nebraska in the Omaha area for the past 16 years, there are much better options in the mid-west. There is a reason why even2-Day weekend rides are done out of state. It is an area great for farmers of corn and wind but not 2-wheeled happiness or adventures.
Here are my initial Pro’s & Con’s which I cutoff to keep from rambling …..
Pro’s
- The Iowa State Fair grounds in Des Moines are what help make it the one of the best state fairs in the country, great facilities
- Small city, light traffic, great people
- Downtown Des Moines has great places to eat and some outstanding brew pubs & tap rooms
- The Loess Hills on the Western border offer some minor elevation changes and a few turns both on and off pavement, to include some minimum maintenance (no-gravel) B-Level roads
Con’s
- Located in the center of the mid-west, if anyone didn’t notice the plains are FLAT and the roads are straight
- There are NO twisties in the state, a few areas with sweepers but those are short lived and along the border river areas
- Lack of elevation changes, the glaciers of the ice age did a rather effective job of flattening the land.
- There is a reason Butler Maps doesn’t have a map for Iowa
- No National forests to ride in period
- No of State forests with trails to ride
- State parks do NOT allow motorized vehicles
- State is NOT a supporter of the power sports industry, riders are restricted to small patches of state riding parks or private club lands
- Nothing worthwhile is within walking distance of the fairgrounds as it is in the older side of town near an industrial area
- After riding in 36 states and 3 Canadian provinces, Iowa is by far the buggiest, better bring plenty of your favorite visor cleaner and bug repellant
- Thousands of miles of crushed limestone gravel roads through cornfields do not make an adventure ride
- The Loess Hills (depending on point) are two hours to the West and only offer about two hours worth of riding interesting riding requiring another two hours of flat, straight road to return to Des Moines.
Although the state is bordered by two large rivers there are no scenic river roads that follow these rivers due to the geographic area (flood plains) along them. The best Mississippi river riding in along the Wisconsin side.
With that said the best prospect for the GS Giants is to head south down to the Mark Twain National Forest area in MO for the round up as there is at least some good on/off pavement riding down south.
Not quite that bad but I get the point. But compared to Bloomsburg or even SLC it would be a big improvement.
The appeal of SLC to me is the riding I can do on the way there: Colorado and Utah, and maybe swing up to the Tetons before heading east and home. Like they say, it isn't the destination, it's the journey.
Harry
I cannot see how this could make the final cut and would hope the selection committee would reach out to the members in any proposed area for their input. From my local perspective living in Iowa and the Des Moines area and in Nebraska in the Omaha area for the past 16 years, there are much better options in the mid-west. There is a reason why even2-Day weekend rides are done out of state. It is an area great for farmers of corn and wind but not 2-wheeled happiness or adventures.
Here are my initial Pro’s & Con’s which I cutoff to keep from rambling …..
Pro’s
- The Iowa State Fair grounds in Des Moines are what help make it the one of the best state fairs in the country, great facilities
- Small city, light traffic, great people
- Downtown Des Moines has great places to eat and some outstanding brew pubs & tap rooms
- The Loess Hills on the Western border offer some minor elevation changes and a few turns both on and off pavement, to include some minimum maintenance (no-gravel) B-Level roads
Con’s
- Located in the center of the mid-west, if anyone didn’t notice the plains are FLAT and the roads are straight
- There are NO twisties in the state, a few areas with sweepers but those are short lived and along the border river areas
- Lack of elevation changes, the glaciers of the ice age did a rather effective job of flattening the land.
- There is a reason Butler Maps doesn’t have a map for Iowa
- No National forests to ride in period
- No of State forests with trails to ride
- State parks do NOT allow motorized vehicles
- State is NOT a supporter of the power sports industry, riders are restricted to small patches of state riding parks or private club lands
- Nothing worthwhile is within walking distance of the fairgrounds as it is in the older side of town near an industrial area
- After riding in 36 states and 3 Canadian provinces, Iowa is by far the buggiest, better bring plenty of your favorite visor cleaner and bug repellant
- Thousands of miles of crushed limestone gravel roads through cornfields do not make an adventure ride
- The Loess Hills (depending on point) are two hours to the West and only offer about two hours worth of riding interesting riding requiring another two hours of flat, straight road to return to Des Moines.
Although the state is bordered by two large rivers there are no scenic river roads that follow these rivers due to the geographic area (flood plains) along them. The best Mississippi river riding in along the Wisconsin side.
With that said the best prospect for the GS Giants is to head south down to the Mark Twain National Forest area in MO for the round up as there is at least some good on/off pavement riding down south.
Not quite that bad but I get the point. But compared to Bloomsburg or even SLC it would be a big improvement. I have only missed one national in 32 years. Voni has missed none. I have done seminars for going on 20 years. But from here on out I will be selective. If the Board approves dumb choices I won't be there. There are too many good choices to put up with any more Bloomsburgs. Not ever.
Now Paul,
You're one of the last people I'd expect to finger Bloomsburg as a poor choice! Nobody expected the weather to be that bad! The area has a lot of great roads and things to see. If the weather had been more cooperative, Bloomsburg would have gone down as one of the best!
As far as SLC, I wouldn't want to pass judgement before the fact. There's some good riding to be had there too.
The necessary criteria for locating a National Rally site eliminates a lot of terrific locations. You can't always get what you want.
Bloomsburg also had new management that broke promises made when the Board selected the place.
Des Moines, eh? Maybe it will be time to ride the Slash Five to a national rally, and leave the big, fast, newer one at home. Frankly, I've never missed one since 1987 and next year won't be any different, regardless of the location.
A rally is as good - or as bad - as you make it.
I always choose to make it GREAT!
Des Moines.....It's Flat
Vermont......It's Not Flat !
Might be time to consider returning to a proven winner ?
Friedle
The Rally Site Zone Rotation Map shows 2020 before the National returns to the Eastern states.
http://www.bmwmoa.org/?page=siteselection
A plan invented by Douglas Corrigan, an early MOA member, no doubt!