36654
New member
Honestly, I was greatly surprised by the facilities at Hamburg. Outside of the metro areas, Bloomsburg was as good as you're going to find in most of the rural East or Midwest.
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2018 Site Contender
- Thread starter RadioFlyer
- Start date
Honestly, I was greatly surprised by the facilities at Hamburg. Outside of the metro areas, Bloomsburg was as good as you're going to find in most of the rural East or Midwest.
Sue
Friend of the Marque
Actually, Kevin, I could deny that. We all have perceptions of the local geography of certain areas. By way of example, here are two destinations that had me wondering what the board was thinking:
Flagstaff - in July? or, Fredericksburg, TX ... in the summertime? And yet, they were both wonderful rallies and I learned that Flagstaff is up in the mountains and gets cold at night - and the hill country of Texas is a gift to motorcyclists.
So yes - I love the diversity of our rally locations and have learned to not cast aspersions on any location. Keep an open mind and you will be pleased with what you find.
weschmann
Kawa Afterthought
Actually, Kevin, I could deny that. We all have perceptions of the local geography of certain areas. By way of example, here are two destinations that had me wondering what the board was thinking:
Flagstaff - in July? or, Fredericksburg, TX ... in the summertime? And yet, they were both wonderful rallies and I learned that Flagstaff is up in the mountains and gets cold at night - and the hill country of Texas is a gift to motorcyclists.
So yes - I love the diversity of our rally locations and have learned to not cast aspersions on any location. Keep an open mind and you will be pleased with what you find.
Two thumbs up.
greenwald
New member
Actually, Kevin, I could deny that. We all have perceptions of the local geography of certain areas. By way of example, here are two destinations that had me wondering what the board was thinking:
Flagstaff - in July? or, Fredericksburg, TX ... in the summertime? And yet, they were both wonderful rallies and I learned that Flagstaff is up in the mountains and gets cold at night - and the hill country of Texas is a gift to motorcyclists.
So yes - I love the diversity of our rally locations and have learned to not cast aspersions on any location. Keep an open mind and you will be pleased with what you find.
Well Sue, just as you embrace "the diversity of rally locations," I know you also embrace the diversity of opinions. So we'll leave it at that.
You do the Ambassador Program proud.
mika
Still Wondering
Is the problem with site selection good/great roads around the rally site, or that you are bored with what goes on at the site.
If motorcycling is something we do alone - together, as MOA members; then, rallies seem to be things we ride to alone but do together.
Obviously I am not a rally rat, having attended only two in my years of membership. If am able to be on the road at rally time I have found myself going in the opposite direction. This has been more by chance because the opportunities to ride showed up at the late.
I am curious at the emphasis on roads around the rally location versus the facilities and what happens there. In that spirit I rode to the rallies by the most interesting, at least to me, route. Once at the rally I volunteered, walked around looking at vendors and attendees’ rides, attended the BoD meeting, spent hours at campfires talking, and went to seminars. The former activities have been great but the later not so much.
The seminars at my first rally were vintage BMW MOA affairs Paul has often described. I am certain the information was great and well presented. The people close seemed to think so. The rest of us could not get into the cattle stall to properly hear and see the presentations. I gave up on seminars and added more time to the other rally site activities.
The second had great facilities for seminars. Scheduling conflicts were my major problem. There were too many seminars I wanted to attend. I was able to hear and see everything and learned a lot in the process.
The SLC area is a part of my trip planning, but not for the rally. It will be two more riding seasons before I get back to that area.
From Casa Mika, Des Moines is less than a Roadster tank and three hours on the slab. It is part of an Iowa run I make, by car,every other month and boring as heck. The only real turn I make is pulling into an Official Fly-Over-Land Coffee Shop for no-doze-fluids. I can take the Roadster and do the same thing or turn it into a thousand mile day each way, have a ton of fun, not cover the same ground nor need a coffee break. The route is up to me.
What will make me do some route planning is what will be going on at the rally. I am looking forward to hear what plans will develop to draw me there. Obviously our mileage does vary, I am just curious about your seminar interests and the other site events.
If motorcycling is something we do alone - together, as MOA members; then, rallies seem to be things we ride to alone but do together.
Obviously I am not a rally rat, having attended only two in my years of membership. If am able to be on the road at rally time I have found myself going in the opposite direction. This has been more by chance because the opportunities to ride showed up at the late.
I am curious at the emphasis on roads around the rally location versus the facilities and what happens there. In that spirit I rode to the rallies by the most interesting, at least to me, route. Once at the rally I volunteered, walked around looking at vendors and attendees’ rides, attended the BoD meeting, spent hours at campfires talking, and went to seminars. The former activities have been great but the later not so much.
The seminars at my first rally were vintage BMW MOA affairs Paul has often described. I am certain the information was great and well presented. The people close seemed to think so. The rest of us could not get into the cattle stall to properly hear and see the presentations. I gave up on seminars and added more time to the other rally site activities.
The second had great facilities for seminars. Scheduling conflicts were my major problem. There were too many seminars I wanted to attend. I was able to hear and see everything and learned a lot in the process.
The SLC area is a part of my trip planning, but not for the rally. It will be two more riding seasons before I get back to that area.
From Casa Mika, Des Moines is less than a Roadster tank and three hours on the slab. It is part of an Iowa run I make, by car,every other month and boring as heck. The only real turn I make is pulling into an Official Fly-Over-Land Coffee Shop for no-doze-fluids. I can take the Roadster and do the same thing or turn it into a thousand mile day each way, have a ton of fun, not cover the same ground nor need a coffee break. The route is up to me.
What will make me do some route planning is what will be going on at the rally. I am looking forward to hear what plans will develop to draw me there. Obviously our mileage does vary, I am just curious about your seminar interests and the other site events.
pglaves
#13338
Voni has attended every rally since Missoula 1 in 1984. So have I except for Moodus in 1993. Also now, for a number of years we have participated as instructors or mentors at Camp Gears the two days preceeding the rally. Voni has done or participated in seminars for several years and prior to that sponsored Kid's Events for a few years. I have presented from two to four seminars each year for 15 years.
For the most part once we arrive at the rally site we are sufficiently busy we seldom leave the rally site. At some rallies if we do leave it is to walk to a nearby restaurant or grocery store. For us the "ride" has been the trip to and from the rally. Thus, for us the glorious riding at Hamburg and the Buffalo metropolitan area was our trip on backroads via New Mexico, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania before we reached Jamestown, New York.
So to answer one of mika's questions for us it is what goes on at the rally that we are involved in and not the local riding area. At Hamburg we parked the bikes on Monday and only rode them once, to get food, until we left on Sunday. Then we rode through Canada to Michigan and the UP, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, etc to get home.
I less than fondly recall attempting to present a seminar in a tin-roofed sheep barn at some non-descript fairgrounds in high 90s or triple digit temperatures. The choices were to either roast under the tin roof or to turn on the 5 foot exhaust fans and have the attendees unable to hear a word that was said. Contrast that with a nice air conditioned conference room in an exhibition hall and you can get the picture. Also contrast vendors in an inside exhibition hall vs outside in the dust, wind, and maybe rain.
Which is to say that for me the facility is crucial. We have had a handful that were dismal. Most have been OK. A few have been absolutely outstanding. We need more of those.
For the most part once we arrive at the rally site we are sufficiently busy we seldom leave the rally site. At some rallies if we do leave it is to walk to a nearby restaurant or grocery store. For us the "ride" has been the trip to and from the rally. Thus, for us the glorious riding at Hamburg and the Buffalo metropolitan area was our trip on backroads via New Mexico, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania before we reached Jamestown, New York.
So to answer one of mika's questions for us it is what goes on at the rally that we are involved in and not the local riding area. At Hamburg we parked the bikes on Monday and only rode them once, to get food, until we left on Sunday. Then we rode through Canada to Michigan and the UP, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, etc to get home.
I less than fondly recall attempting to present a seminar in a tin-roofed sheep barn at some non-descript fairgrounds in high 90s or triple digit temperatures. The choices were to either roast under the tin roof or to turn on the 5 foot exhaust fans and have the attendees unable to hear a word that was said. Contrast that with a nice air conditioned conference room in an exhibition hall and you can get the picture. Also contrast vendors in an inside exhibition hall vs outside in the dust, wind, and maybe rain.
Which is to say that for me the facility is crucial. We have had a handful that were dismal. Most have been OK. A few have been absolutely outstanding. We need more of those.
KenDittrick
Rocky Bow BMW Riders #197
Personally, I would like to hear from everyone which sites of the past have been outstanding per Paul's insights above. Redmond in 2010 was a favorite of mine.
36654
New member
Midland MI in 2000 was a favorite for me because we could tent in the super-clean cattle stalls (I learned the beauty of a hammock) and the cattle show wash/prep area was available for showers. Best rally camping experience, I ever had.
I have no clue what the seminar facilities were....
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beemerron
New member
DuQuoin had plenty of shade and nice grounds.
lisa_st
New member
RadioFlyer
Right2Repair
calefinn
'02 R1150R
Des Moines NOT a good choice
160860 had it right. As a 40 year central Iowa resident, I can say with confidence that the membership would not be happy with Des Moines as the rally choice. Although the fairgrounds would be suitsble, there is very little business/restaurants on that side of town of interest to BMW riders, even less accomodations, and downtown (although only 4 or so miles away) has serious parking problems on the weekends due to the great work that's been done to revitalize that area. And the riding is simply awful. In central iowa, most roads are grid like snd there really isn't a lot of destinations to ride to unless you get to NE Iowa or the Loess Hills on the west border of the state. The sole BMW dealer in the area (10 miles away-multi-line), doesnt have a great reputation among many BMW riders. I could go on. Don't get me wrong, DSM is a great place to live, but it doesn't hold much attraction for motorcycling.
160860 had it right. As a 40 year central Iowa resident, I can say with confidence that the membership would not be happy with Des Moines as the rally choice. Although the fairgrounds would be suitsble, there is very little business/restaurants on that side of town of interest to BMW riders, even less accomodations, and downtown (although only 4 or so miles away) has serious parking problems on the weekends due to the great work that's been done to revitalize that area. And the riding is simply awful. In central iowa, most roads are grid like snd there really isn't a lot of destinations to ride to unless you get to NE Iowa or the Loess Hills on the west border of the state. The sole BMW dealer in the area (10 miles away-multi-line), doesnt have a great reputation among many BMW riders. I could go on. Don't get me wrong, DSM is a great place to live, but it doesn't hold much attraction for motorcycling.
Darryl Cainey
Sir Darby
Sue is right! We have only missed 4 MOA Rallies since 1987, some facilities were better than others.
It's people that make the difference!!!
I choose to make them the best they can be!
It's people that make the difference!!!
I choose to make them the best they can be!
greenwald
New member
So, let's have a rally in downtown Detroit .................. and we'll make it a great one?!
Sometimes, enthusiasm has to yield to logic.
Location, location, location.
2018
So, let's have a rally in downtown Detroit .................. and we'll make it a great one?!
Why not Washington DC? Trump could be the Rally Chair. "Make the MOA Rally great again"
Friedle
Visian
look out!!!
I've had a great time at every one of your rallies, Michael. Each was special in its own way.
The microburst taking out the beer garden was especially special.....
greenwald
New member
So, let's have a rally in downtown Detroit .................. and we'll make it a great one?!
Why not Washington DC? Trump could be the Rally Chair. "Make the MOA Rally great again"
Friedle
I like it!
glenfiddich
TravelsWithBarley.com
The challenge in picking rally locations is that not everyone likes the same things. Some want shaded camping; others insist on many hotel options. Some want fantastic riding right outside the grounds, while others look at the route there and back. I think most would appreciate modern, air conditioned spaces for the vendors and seminars. And I think there are many, like myself, for whom the chance to reconnect with old friends and to meet new friends is a huge part of the attraction.
The past three rallies I've been unable to attend seminars I really wanted to see, as the available room simply filled up too fast. At Hamburg I saw only one of the four I'd hoped to attend simply because folks were spilling out into the hallways by the time I arrived 20-30 minutes early. Larger rooms are not always an option, but it does seem like the more popular topics could be offered multiple times.
In looking at the selection criteria, though, it seems to me that trying to please everybody every year is narrowing the field to the point where attendance will start falling. I know for some it's important to claim they have never missed a rally, but is that truly important to the majority of us? And is it really necessary that the hotels be within a short distance of the rally site? The heat at Sedalia was so tough on Barley that I had to find a hotel room with AC. I found it in Warsaw MO, 40 miles away. Having ridden 2000 miles to reach the rally I thought nothing of making the 35 minute commute to and from the rally each day.
It seems to me trying to please the most picky is a losing proposition. Those who look forward to the rallies (for whatever the reason) will always find an excuse to go, be it friends, vendors, seminars, local rides, or simply an interesting route there and back.
Pete and Tulliver
The past three rallies I've been unable to attend seminars I really wanted to see, as the available room simply filled up too fast. At Hamburg I saw only one of the four I'd hoped to attend simply because folks were spilling out into the hallways by the time I arrived 20-30 minutes early. Larger rooms are not always an option, but it does seem like the more popular topics could be offered multiple times.
In looking at the selection criteria, though, it seems to me that trying to please everybody every year is narrowing the field to the point where attendance will start falling. I know for some it's important to claim they have never missed a rally, but is that truly important to the majority of us? And is it really necessary that the hotels be within a short distance of the rally site? The heat at Sedalia was so tough on Barley that I had to find a hotel room with AC. I found it in Warsaw MO, 40 miles away. Having ridden 2000 miles to reach the rally I thought nothing of making the 35 minute commute to and from the rally each day.
It seems to me trying to please the most picky is a losing proposition. Those who look forward to the rallies (for whatever the reason) will always find an excuse to go, be it friends, vendors, seminars, local rides, or simply an interesting route there and back.
Pete and Tulliver
pglaves
#13338
That is as sensible a description of some of the issues as I have ever read. The Board already knows, I suspect, that "going back" to some sites is becoming preferable to finding some other regional site with less desirable attributes. When I started at rallies camping was crucial - only a few stayed at motels. Now I suspect it may be 50-50, and headed to majority motel very soon.
calefinn
'02 R1150R
Good Discussion
To the posters citing old/new friends, seminars, space, and air conditioning as the most important attributes to a successful rally, I couldn't agree more. But I think any rally location (including downtown Detroit
) is going to contain those important aspects. My comments were focusing on those features unique to any specific location. To be honest, if I were making the decision, regardless of region I'd go as far north as possible.
To the posters citing old/new friends, seminars, space, and air conditioning as the most important attributes to a successful rally, I couldn't agree more. But I think any rally location (including downtown Detroit
) is going to contain those important aspects. My comments were focusing on those features unique to any specific location. To be honest, if I were making the decision, regardless of region I'd go as far north as possible.Similar threads
