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Rally location suggestion

We ride the most adventurous bikes on the planet, carry the most expensive/best gear along with us and ride further and places most bikers never dream about. Weather? I don't care that much:). A rally, lets get r done anywhere, is what its all about. I've been riding in every state many times over and one can find great and really bad days to ride in about any of them. You take your chances every time, on every trip and thank goodness, most work out fine. We sure have had a share of good storms brew over us at many rallies in recent memory and most come out with a story to tell for another days riding. Nobody said biking was ever to be perfect days, temperature wise and we or at least "I" will always come along, hot,cold,rain or sun and camp my rear off until I'm too old to get r done anymore. Not soon:).....Don't go too soft on me, fellow BMW Folks. Pick new sites always and enjoy all the wonderful sites N.America is so blessed with. Leave no corner unturned:) Stamp it BMW..... Randy:usa :ca

Atta Boy, Randy! May I ride, camp and live till my grandchildren take the keys away!:bikes :thumb
 
HEY! There was a similar concern (heat, rain and mosquitos) for West Bend....turned out to be Eden for four days.

Besides....after being blown into a ditch by a micro-burst near Spearfish, SD and thrashed by one hell-of-a storm Friday night at the campground in Gillette, you can't scare me.


Well if that dosen't scare you, how about 100,000 gathered under the Arch to hear campaign rhetoric? That ought to do it. :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh
 
The view is worth a thousand words!

I can't quite see Russia from my house
So I have to guess; maybe I'm not worthy!
 
You're from Wisconson, my friend. You can't fully appreciate the hell that is the heat and humidity of July in the southeast :help
I've been to the EAA convention in Oshkosh several times as well as the fantastic Rally we had in West Bend and can say from those five experiences of camping in WI in July that your summer temps, humidity and cool evenings in July are to be envied.

Now, lets not talk about December through April ...... :bolt

Ohio was pretty miserable for camping comfort. I skipped this years Rally because I went through Gillette in July 07 and found the location to be miserable at that time. All reports I have heard indicate that the temps were not an issue this year. So what's the point? ....... I don't know. What's the question?:doh

Absolutely correct. Unless you like to Nordic (Cross-country) ski, December - April in WI is one big yawn.

You also heard right.....temps in Gillette this year during the Rally were not an issue. Actually quite pleasant when I was there. Now, location, vendors and storms? Best discussed between us alone over coffee some time.

Being from 'out East,' can you tell me what I can anticipate for camping weather in TN in July?
 
Being from 'out East,' can you tell me what I can anticipate for camping weather in TN in July?

I live about 60 miles from the rally location and my daughter lives about 10 miles from there. I find the daytime highs in July to be in the low to mid 80s. Night time lows are in the low 60s. Humidity is not high here in the mountains (I live at 2,500 feet but Johnson City/Gray is between 1500 and 1600 feet). Temperatures at night is normally very comfortable for camping and there will be a heavy dew almost every morning.

Ken
 
I live about 60 miles from the rally location and my daughter lives about 10 miles from there. I find the daytime highs in July to be in the low to mid 80s. Night time lows are in the low 60s. Humidity is not high here in the mountains (I live at 2,500 feet but Johnson City/Gray is between 1500 and 1600 feet). Temperatures at night is normally very comfortable for camping and there will be a heavy dew almost every morning.

Ken

Sounds quite doable.

Thanks!
 
There seems to be a belief that this is the BMWMO of usA club, as opposed to the BMWMO of America club. (Check the club crest).

i.e. You've forgotten the other two countries in North America.

Unless my memory is faulty, the rally in Canada was well attended and enjoyed by members. I think that's why it's called the INTERNATIONAL Rally, so that we can go to other countries and see something different than our own country.

How about a rally in the southern most country in North America?

Regards, Rod.
 
So - bottom line - other than it's a lot of work for the volunteers who do it - what precisely is wrong with the current method of selecting rally sites?

Other than simply spewing my opinions,I can't solve a problem until the specific problem is defined and examined.

Between 1984 and 2004 when I retired, I was employed full time and had limited vacation time and still managed to attend every BMW MOA International Rally except Moodus, CT in 1993 when I had just (weeks before) changed employers and had zero accumulated vacation. Priorities!! Montana, California, Florida, Texas, Vermont, Canada, and every one at locations in between. Since I retired in '04 I've also made them all - but since I'm retired that's almost too easy.

Some sites were better than others. None were horrible. Some sites handled weather problems better than others - which is a factor. My days doing seminars in sheep sheds with 100 degree heat and 100 db exhaust fans were a lot less fun than air conditioned seminar rooms. "Swimming" in the cattle troughs in 102 degree heat at York, PA was memorable but not as much fun as sitting in 85 degree shade in Texas.

In years past I put a priority on nice soft shady camping spots. Today I may well prefer nice, inexpensive motel rooms as a priority. But others will not have the same likes and dislikes that I do, at the micro level.

But back to the original question - what is the problem we are trying to solve?
 
So - bottom line - other than it's a lot of work for the volunteers who do it - what precisely is wrong with the current method of selecting rally sites?

Other than simply spewing my opinions,I can't solve a problem until the specific problem is defined and examined.

Between 1984 and 2004 when I retired, I was employed full time and had limited vacation time and still managed to attend every BMW MOA International Rally except Moodus, CT in 1993 when I had just (weeks before) changed employers and had zero accumulated vacation. Priorities!! Montana, California, Florida, Texas, Vermont, Canada, and every one at locations in between. Since I retired in '04 I've also made them all - but since I'm retired that's almost too easy.

Some sites were better than others. None were horrible. Some sites handled weather problems better than others - which is a factor. My days doing seminars in sheep sheds with 100 degree heat and 100 db exhaust fans were a lot less fun than air conditioned seminar rooms. "Swimming" in the cattle troughs in 102 degree heat at York, PA was memorable but not as much fun as sitting in 85 degree shade in Texas.

In years past I put a priority on nice soft shady camping spots. Today I may well prefer nice, inexpensive motel rooms as a priority. But others will not have the same likes and dislikes that I do, at the micro level.

But back to the original question - what is the problem we are trying to solve?

Simplicity.

In the world of logistics (or mechanics!), simplicity is its own reward.

If one always waits for something to be 'broken' before we fix it, we risk much.

Dividing the US into three unifrom geographical areas simplifies the site selection rotation and process, provides a larger pool of resources per region, and expands the number of potential sites-per-region to investigage and select.

It allows for predictability of which year rallies will fall in which regions and still doesn't deprive us of one single acre of Americana to explore.

For me, this is the appeal of the original poster's concept.

As for what else could be fixed, that would open the 'alcohol sales' can of worms along with the arguement for greater rideability (scenery, challenging roads, tourism) at a selected site, vendor attractiveness, a 'consumer-advocacy tent' (including collecting signatures on petitions to BMW NA), etc.

It's a conceptual suggestion that deserves a second look before being too quickly dismissed by the BoD...........I hope.
 
Well - unless it has drastically changed in the past few years - the continent is already divided into regions - 5 or 6 - and the rally is rotated between them. Each region has a "target year" - which gets out of whack occasionally when a site can't be found/booked in its proper sequence.

As for finding three venues and then going back - not a bad idea but maybe not the best idea either. It certainly has pluses, but I'd think maybe a rotation among 5 or 6 sites would serve more members better. And that has the added plus that since major venues book 3 to 5 years (or more) out, booking for a 5 site or 6 site rotation would work better. The downside to the membership is that you go back, but miss other good venues/locations.
 
And that has the added plus that since major venues book 3 to 5 years (or more) out, booking for a 5 site or 6 site rotation would work better. The downside to the membership is that you go back, but miss other good venues/locations.

I think if we had a 5 or 6 site rotation, many would do the rotation once and stop. Rather than spend the dollars and time to ride several thousand miles (round trip) to go to a place that was visited 5 or 6 years ago, many of us would choose a regional or local rally instead. We would save a lot of money and see new things. Many go for the fellowship but I make friends and meet nice people at any rally I attend.
 
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