Had a great time, except...

[BMWBagby]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who put the Gillette, WY rally together! My friends and I generally had a great time!

The folks at the hotel (Days Inn) were great and we got a good room at a good price (we booked it in 2007!) The vendors who kept taking our money gave us some very good deals on the stuff we needed, and some stuff we didn't need but hey, they're good salesmen (and women)... The LD Comfort folks even sold a pair of their shorts to my buddy in the hotel parking lot after the rally was over - funny!!! I'm just (sorta') happy the vendors underestimated the turn out, didn't bring enough product, and sold out of stuff early! The fellow riders we met were all great and we enjoyed our many conversations with them. After all, that is what the rally is all about, right?

Our only "issue" was at "the best place to eat" where we ordered our food and then waited for over 1 1/2 hours for it to arrive, the food was either over-cooked or cold, and the service was terrible! We thought we were just "unlucky" that night but after talking to others who went on different nights and at different times, that was the trend with The Prime Rib - I definitely would not recommend it to anyone!

Despite that, we had a great time and are looking forward to next year, though not happy about riding across Kansas in July!!

Thanks again to everyone involved with the 2008 Rally!!!

and a special thanks to the Santa Cruz BMW folks for allowing me to make a trade on a closeout at the end of the rally - I greatly appreciate it!!!!!

[Rod]

Don't feel like you were the only one with food problems . The food stands ran out of everything . We had a shower that was 2 miles away and the hay rack to get you there was a joke, it never came.

[montanasilver]

The rally was fun, my first.
I took photos for four days and I am sure when Paul gets home we will see many.
The wagons to the north forty seemed to run all day had no problem with the showers they were at three sites. Not enough food vender's but some added
BBQ S and that helped. The New Riders were great and the beer flowed just fine.
Thanks to all the volunteers for there help without them it never could have happened. Just too much fun met many great people.
Thanks for the great time, Bruce, AKA Willie

[MikesK12GT]

This rally was terrible! Plain and simple. The location for one was worse than I thought it could be. No shade, no trees, lots of wind. Booo! The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally? Shouldn't this be held where there is good riding?? What gives? The showers were a 1/2 mile away. There were very few food venders. What food they had wasn't that good. The music was terrible. It was putting us to sleep. How about some Rock & Roll? And the closing ceremony....1 1/2 hours of worthless contest winners. Who Cares?! Could you put the "stage" any farther away from the stands? Very unimpressive for a national rally. Plus or minus 5,000 people? Doesn't sound like a very good turn out to me.

[Greenwald]

This rally was terrible! Plain and simple. The location for one was worse than I thought it could be. No shade, no trees, lots of wind. Booo! The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally? Shouldn't this be held where there is good riding?? What gives? The showers were a 1/2 mile away. There were very few food venders. What food they had wasn't that good. The music was terrible. It was putting us to sleep. How about some Rock & Roll? And the closing ceremony....1 1/2 hours of worthless contest winners. Who Cares?! Could you put the "stage" any farther away from the stands? Very unimpressive for a national rally. Plus or minus 5,000 people? Doesn't sound like a very good turn out to me.

Not quite willing to label it "Terrible," but it did have some obvious deficiencies that many of us foretold within days after it's WY location was first announced back in 2007.

The negative baggage that comes with the remoteness of the location cannot be denied. Like the old adage "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

This in no way disparages the individuals who worked very hard to make it the best it could be....it just fell short of West Bend in so many areas, it was disappointing.

Weather? No one's control, but hey....it's not like the ferocious reputation of the open plains was a well kept secret. I personally was slapped into a ditch by a micro-burst (70 MPH winds!) near Spearfish, SD on Wednesday evening while enroute. Minor bike damge - minor injuries. It was the 2nd time that day I tangled with South Dakota weather, only to be followed by the six-hour thunderstorm at the Cam-Plex Thursday night.

Vendors? Noticed less retail vendors and certainly less food choices. A reflection of location and the cost of vendors driving there for dubious profits.

Biggest disappoiontment? Sturgis BMW dealer. I had lost all forward illumination (low beams / high beam / PIAA's) just shy of visiting Mt. Rushmore and hustled back to the only BMW dealership within several states for assistance with this CANbus fault indication. Upon getting there Friday afternoon, I received zero consideration for being an 'in-transit' rider trying to get back home (1,000+ miles away), and was told they were too busy to assist me - how about coming back on Monday?! I ended up limping back to WI (daylight hours only) with flashlights duct taped beneath my oil cooler as token headlamps.

Last year, Nick's BMW (DePere), Mischlers BMW (Beaver Dam) and Milwaukee BMW all informed their regular customers in advance that routine service was being limited or suspended to accomodate any traveling BMW riders with problems. Too bad Sturgis didn't get the memo.

In conclusion, the ultimate culprit was not any individual or streak of bad luck, but rather LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Every problem after that was just 'food of the poisoness tree.' I hold greater hope for TN in '09.

I brought my 'good attitude,' as I was admonished to do so in advance, along with a spirit of adventure and wads of cash. But in the end, I guess I just should have packed more tubes of lipstick.

[Burnszilla]

The light show the storm provided was quite entertaining from inside the tent. An evening I'll never forget.

[GrafikFeat]

This rally was terrible! Plain and simple. The location for one was worse than I thought it could be. No shade, no trees, lots of wind. Booo! The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally? Shouldn't this be held where there is good riding?? What gives? The showers were a 1/2 mile away. There were very few food venders. What food they had wasn't that good. The music was terrible. It was putting us to sleep. How about some Rock & Roll? And the closing ceremony....1 1/2 hours of worthless contest winners. Who Cares?! Could you put the "stage" any farther away from the stands? Very unimpressive for a national rally. Plus or minus 5,000 people? Doesn't sound like a very good turn out to me.

Dude. 2 posts and they both bitch about something you had control over?

When i saw the site location I did a little homework...
"Google" if you will, and saw what the conditions could be. "No Trees". High Plains. JULY. Hmmmm... Gas is how much? Some vendors? Bad Food?
Location Location Location.

I posted all over here a few times why I wasn't going. But to go and then admonish thoughs who volunteer to aid your comfort.

Baaaad Karma.

My favorite bemoaning is: "The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally?"
HAHAHAHAAHA! Dude. Make some new friends and go for a ride.
120 miles? Sheee-it... I do that for a service!

I would suggest next year go to Disney World.
Just don't complain that "Sleeping" Beauty "wouldn't" and Goofy "would"! :brow

[Raceydog]

Oh my god. You Harley guys sure do complain a lot. We BMW riders would have enjoyed the rally for no other reason than the ride to Wyoming. Too bad they took away all of the trees before you all got there. Perhaps the short ride over to the Black Hills would have made it better had you gone. :stick

[Raceydog]

Oh yeah. If ya'll didn't like the band, why would you want the stands closer to the stage?:violin

[Rapid_Roy]

Not quite willing to label it "Terrible," but it did have some obvious deficiencies that many of us foretold within days after it's WY location was first announced back in 2007.

The negative baggage that comes with the remoteness of the location cannot be denied. Like the old adage "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

This in no way disparages the individuals who worked very hard to make it the best it could be....it just fell short of West Bend in so many areas, it was disappointing.

Weather? No one's control, but hey....it's not like the ferocious reputation of the open plains was a well kept secret. I personally was slapped into a ditch by a micro-burst (70 MPH winds!) near Spearfish, SD on Wednesday evening while enroute. Minor bike damge - minor injuries. It was the 2nd time that day I tangled with South Dakota weather, only to be followed by the six-hour thunderstorm at the Cam-Plex Thursday night.

Sorry you had problems, my biggest pain was gas punching me in the wallet. So you wouldn't be for a rally in the Black Hills because of weather?

[GSfornow]

Oh my god. You Harley guys sure do complain a lot. We BMW riders would have enjoyed the rally for no other reason than the ride to Wyoming. Too bad they took away all of the trees before you all got there. Perhaps the short ride over to the Black Hills would have made it better had you gone. :stick

I think there is a pretty popular Harley (mostly) ralley in the area already and is very well attended.... I think it is in Stugis :stick

[From MARS]

Were we at the same rally?

My ride over was GREAT! The weather was cool, the wind minimal (but, I'm from Kansas), and I slept through the little shower we had Thursday night.

If I was to bitch about anything it would be the volume of the band; when they were playing, conversation outside the beer tent was hard. But then, I am not a fan of loud music or pipes, so it may have been fine for many others.

I'm glad I went even though I had to leave Friday.

Tom

[mrich12000]

Glad you all made it safe home, sorry about the storm. :stick Next year we will request it to go to the Sturgis area..


So Now you can all come to Trenton,Ontario for our annual rally "Return to Trenton" Lots of time to plan for one of southern Ontario's best BMW getogethers
I have had this in my sig line. You won't be disapointed, it realy is a great one and the Steaks that we make for you will nock ya of you feet and into a frogy chair :buds Great local winery's around the Prince Edward County and the Trenton airbase the home of Wing 8,with a masive aircraft display,Free or donations. Great accomidations and lots of free stuff we at the Loonie-tics give out. All year preps, with pride we present this Rally..Michael
Thanks for reading,:clap :gerg :ca :ca :ca :bikes


Map of Trenton,Ontario

http://maps.google.ca/maps?amp%3Bhl=en&%3Bie=UTF-8&%3Brlz=1T4DBCA_en-GBCA246CA246&hl=en&tab=wl

[DarrylRi]

Whine, whine, whine. Why not just get a motorhome and be done with it?

I had a great time, and that includes riding across Nevada and Utah on I-80. (I found a great restaurant in Elko, NV.)

During the rally, I rode out to the Devil's Tower, then on out to Rushmore, and had some really great riding there. (Hint: US-16 Alt.)

I don't like fast food, so I don't usually patronize the onsite vendors. We went into town for food each day and, with a little sleuthing, discovered some really good restaurants. (If you didn't go to Pokey's BBQ, you missed out -- relatively inexpensive, good portions, great food.)

The weather was extremely accommodating, with temperatures only in the 80s and sunshine every day. The rain and wind were at night, when I was asleep, which is about as perfect as it can be.

We were able to choose a camping site, based on viewing where sunrise and sunset were, that kept our tents shaded by a building. Besides, how much time do you spend in your tent during the day? Go riding or go shopping. In fact, we were able to surf the web from our tents in the evening.

I didn't have to wait one minute for the showers, with plenty of hot water. I chose to take the shuttle out to the North 40. I walked up to the stop, which was at the edge of the field where I was camped, the shuttle arrived, and it dropped me right next to two shower buildings. What was not to like about that?

Wyoming is generally a state I find myself riding through to get somewhere else. It was nice to stop and look around a bit, and the rally made that easy to do.

The volunteers were wonderful and the whole thing ran like a well oiled machine. If you've been to previous Nationals, you know that compressing the awards ceremony into an hour and a half is nothing short of miraculous! To add to that the fact that everyone got to sit in the shade the whole time was an added bonus.

[Greenwald]

Sorry you had problems, my biggest pain was gas punching me in the wallet. So you wouldn't be for a rally in the Black Hills because of weather?

Basically....correct, Roy. While weather is no one's fault, choosing to ride thru the weather of SD and eastern WY again would be MY fault. As for gas bills, I'm afraid to tally up my pump charge slips.

Storms in this region of the country seem to attack with a vengeance!

I hope to visit WY again some day on a bike (I spent several afternoon hours riding WY HWY 59 north from Gillette to the Montana border and back, and found it to be a picturesque and very enjoyable cruise - saw numerous antelope and mule deer - should have been a 'suggested' ride in the Handbook), to see Yellowstone, but South Dakota? Been there, done that, and probably won't be back....sorry.

Hope your rally experience didn't have quite all the pitfalls mine did. Like I said....nothing that happened to me was anyone's fault at MOA.

But with Colorado as a neighbor to the south, I just can't help thinking.....Location, Location, Location!

[Rapid_Roy]

Basically....correct, Roy. While weather is no one's fault, choosing to ride thru the weather of SD and eastern WY again would be MY fault. As for gas bills, I'm afraid to tally up my pump charge slips.

Storms in this region of the country seem to attack with a vengeance!
Yes, gas was an ouch.:) The rain at the rally was all at night, but my tent stayed dry. I was lucky.


I hope to visit WY again some day on a bike (I spent several afternoon hours riding WY HWY 59 north from Gillette to the Montana border and back, and found it to be a picturesque and very enjoyable cruise - saw numerous antelope and mule deer - should have been a 'suggested' ride in the Handbook), to see Yellowstone, but South Dakota? Been there, done that, and probably won't be back....sorry.

Hope your rally experience didn't have quite all the pitfalls mine did. Like I said....nothing that happened to me was anyone's fault at MOA.

But with Colorado as a neighbor to the south, I just can't help thinking.....Location, Location, Location!
Actually, I even really enjoyed riding across Iowa and South Dakota (more so on the way there), and we had great weather all the way there and back. I had a great time at the rally, and met many forum members. I missed the forum frenzy due to a geographical timing error.:blush

[Mudbug]

Biggest disappoiontment? Sturgis BMW dealer. I had lost all forward illumination (low beams / high beam / PIAA's) just shy of visiting Mt. Rushmore and hustled back to the only BMW dealership within several states for assistance with this CANbus fault indication. Upon getting there Friday afternoon, I received zero consideration for being an 'in-transit' rider trying to get back home (1,000+ miles away), and was told they were too busy to assist me - how about coming back on Monday?! I ended up limping back to WI (daylight hours only) with flashlights duct taped beneath my oil cooler as token headlamps.

Last year, Nick's BMW (DePere), Mischlers BMW (Beaver Dam) and Milwaukee BMW all informed their regular customers in advance that routine service was being limited or suspended to accomodate any traveling BMW riders with problems. Too bad Sturgis didn't get the memo.

Sturgis BMW is multi-brand dealership that is very small. Since the Black Hills BMW Stampede, Monday, July 14, they were overwhelmed. They had no idea how many demands for service goes along with the hundreds then thousands of BMW riders in the area. My experience is that during Sturgis, they do not get that much business. Nick's BMW, Mischlers BMW and Milwaukee BMW are all much, much larger and equipped and able to assist travelling riders with problems.

[bloodhound]

As this was my first MOA Rally, I will say I enjoyed the ride to Wyoming and back, but I did think the rally lacked in something. I know others say this is whining, but I guess I was expecting something different. I will say that the sites one travel to and experince was great. I do look forward to next years even though it will be closer to home.

[jgifford]

Good grief, I can't believe I'm about to feed the troll but I feel I must...

The location for one was worse than I thought it could be. No shade, no trees, lots of wind. Booo! The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally? Shouldn't this be held where there is good riding?? What gives?

It's about the Journey, NOT the Destination.

And the closing ceremony....1 1/2 hours of worthless contest winners. Who Cares?!

Did you volunteer for Awards & Tallies? No you didn't. Did you volunteer to co-chair Awards & Tallies. No you didn't. If you don't like something, then do something to change it.

Besides, how often do you see a couple who are 91 and 88 ride two up for over 500 miles? Folks who sign up for awards and win deserve the recognition for accomplishments. If that were you on stage, you'd be glad to get the applause as well as the recognition for your accomplishment and be inspiration to others. I only hope I can make it to 91 and still be riding a motorcycle to MOA rallies.

If you don't like the closing ceremonies, don't come. They'll call you to pick up the prizes that you need not be present to win.

[osbornk]

This rally was terrible! Plain and simple. The location for one was worse than I thought it could be. No shade, no trees, lots of wind. Booo! The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally? Shouldn't this be held where there is good riding?? What gives? The showers were a 1/2 mile away. There were very few food venders. What food they had wasn't that good. The music was terrible. It was putting us to sleep. How about some Rock & Roll? And the closing ceremony....1 1/2 hours of worthless contest winners. Who Cares?! Could you put the "stage" any farther away from the stands? Very unimpressive for a national rally. Plus or minus 5,000 people? Doesn't sound like a very good turn out to me.

If you followed the forums and did a little investigation, everything you complained about would have been known and expected. After I did my research, I decided the rally was not for me. I talked with friends who went and the weather was apparetly much cooler than expected and they enjoyed themselves.

[jeffburns]

Food available at rally site - Hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, sometimes BBQ, popcorn, ice cream, beer.

Town involvement - zippo (This IS something the MOA could have and should have done something about, both during the selection process and as the event neared)

Vendor Exhibits - Closing at 6:00 pm was special. It's only three days long - knock yourself out!!!

Closing ceremonies - In the shade (good) but too long and too far away. Long walk for the winners took a LOT of time.

Proximity to good riding - POOR. Two hours away which means four hours of highway driving to get there and back on any given day. This is particularly disappointing since we could have held it somewhere in the Black Hills or closer to Yellowstone (such as the spectacular town of Cody, WY)

Volunteers - All good and much appreciated. It's the site selection and subsequent planning that fell short.

Some of us have been spoiled by the Top-of-the-Rockies Rally in Paonia, Colorado, where bike viewing meeting new friends is much easier, where the town's folks show up on mass and support the rally, where camping is in the shade and breakfast-lunch-dinner can be purchased without having to leave the site, and where pointing your bike in any direction finds great riding roads. I found the Gillette rally underwhelming at best. If it weren't for the factory BMW participation and the stunt riding events, I could have skipped it. Sorry, but it was not a good first time MOA rally experience.

[mikeod]

We did have a good dinner at the Prime Rib. But we were wise enough to make reservations ahead of time. Walked right in and had a great meal. Having said that, I'm disappointed in the rally. It was my first and unless it's held at a more desirable location, it'll be my last. If it wasn't for the company of friends, I'd classify this rally as a major disappointment (for me).

First the good:

Rally vendors. It was great to see so many vendors in a central location. Good to be able to converse with them one-on-one.

Both clean and hot bathroom facilities (I have to agree with MikesK12GT - With Campex so large, why weren't the showers located near the center of MOST of the campers? Unless you were camped in the 'North 40' you had to have a GS to navigate the mud on the race track to get to the showers).

The REALLY BAD:

Food vendors just stunk. Plain and simple. There were two of them in the facility. Two... I paid $7.50 for a handful of raviolis served by a junior high kid. Saturday morning we were looking for breakfast. Same lousy two food vendors were now 20 people stacked deep waiting for sweet rolls or a scrambled odd looking egg combo. We waited and gave up. I ended up eating Pizza... for breakfast. Didn't it dawn on anyone in the MOA to let the local Chamber of Commerce know we were coming? 5000 people likely waiting to pay for anything edible and we get two small vendors selling poor quality food. Somehow Pizza and Dippin' Dots aren't what I called quality food.

The closing ceremony was WAYYYYYY to long. And during the dinner hour no less. How many awards could there possibly be for "Traveling the furthest wearing blue socks on an air head from Arkansas"? I'd like to admire this as much as the next person, but for gawds sake put them all on the stage at the same time and say THANKS and move on. Did we really need to acknowledge the second and third place finishers as well? Here's a suggestion: Start the Closing Ceremony at 430p like is done do at Top of the Rockies, and cut the time in HALF.

As the previous poster mentioned (MikesK12GT) Gillette Wy was a LOUSY choice for riding. 100+ miles from ANY good riding is accurate ("It's about the Journey, NOT the Destination." - Right, keep telling yourself that. Hwy 59 North to Gillette with all the coal trains was very entertaining). What with many better choices in the Rocky Mountain Region (can you say Gunnison, Co?) it's a wonder 5100 attendees showed up at all. Me? I camped. I was one of the unfortunate folks that didn't get one of 12 camp sites with a 6' tree. (yes I knew this ahead of time. But when the majority of attendees camp, wouldn't it make sense to choose a site that is 'camper comfort friendly'? I wasn't the only one who noted that the chair for the 2009 MOA Rally (in Tn.) said "We've got trees and grass too!" We got what we asked for: camping on ground previously stomped on by horses and cattle.

There are three things that make any rally successful and popular: Location, Food and Weather (lest we forget about the staff that puts on the rally as well). BMW MOA (or anyone for that matter) can't do anything about the weather, but there is a lot of room for improvement on the first two. Show up at Top of The Rockies for an example of how a rally can be organized (there's trees in the Rockies along with great riding roads and food too!).

You can't put enough lipstick on this pig. What a disappointment. Lucky the guy "Traveling the furthest wearing blue socks on an air head from Arkansas" got a plaque for their effort. They won't have to ride as far next year and will arrive at a location with trees, riding roads, and (hopefully) food.

Mike O

P.S. No, I haven't posted much either, but I'd hope that wouldn't devalue the feedback... Slamming the previous poster doesn't change the fact the rally was subpar at best.

[beharmes]

I have rally experinece and everything that has been said on this forum to date is typical of veterans, newby's, wants, don't wants, likes and dislikes. Maybe we should follow the lead of the Olypics and have an opening ceremony and all participants could parade throuh a crowd. Unforunately no crowds would show up. The rally is truely experienced only by the participants. I liked some things about this rally and somethings, well, they just stunk. To all those that are whinning about those that offered some CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISIM, grow up! How can you experinece a sunny day if you have never been rained on. How can you improve a poor performance if all you here is applause. Participants on this site have as much experience as you. Sure, it takes volunteers! Thank you for the great work. It also take foresight and vision to bring (and keep) new & old membership to "OUR RALLY". Some folks travel millions of miles to attend the event and don't want to leave to find food, shelter and a shower. Some stay other places and only attend the rally to meet new people, old people, the same people, see events and vendors and just have a good time. We are looking forward to MOA 2009 in TN and have thought of possibly towing my hot dog cart behind my bike for the 1400 mile journey to the rally.

We rode safely to the rally and rode safely home. Sure it was hot but we experienced four wonderfull days that would have never occured had the rally never taken place.

Hey, you have a booger in your nose!

[DarrylRi]

I am just waiting to see all these folks at work on the new Rally Selection Committee and running for the Board of Directors and participating in the club elections.

[Sue]

As a volunteer, I can tell you how discouraging it is to read the criticisms. They are rarely deserved.

For instance - how do you know that Karol and Deb didn't beat all of the bushes, trying to find food vendors? :stick

Since we have no control over who will make arrangements to work our event, sometimes the toughest battles are the ones we lose. I know this because last year, I was in a panic trying to get food vendors to West Bend. At the last minute I got lucky. (WHEW!)

Many times, food vendors have a summer schedule of regular events that they are familiar with, year after year. Because our rally was a one-shot deal for Gillette, it's less likely that the local rolling food vendors were ready to give up their routine.

So don't be so quick to criticize, my friends. There are many behind-the-scenes discussions involved with putting on events like this. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you need to step back and punt.

[tommcgee]

As a volunteer, I can tell you how discouraging it is to read the criticisms. They are rarely deserved.

This group is a tough crowd from what I can see -- at least the online contingent. Demanding and not particularly friendly.

[Greenwald]

I am just waiting to see all these folks at work on the new Rally Selection Committee and running for the Board of Directors and participating in the club elections.

Careful, Darryl. With 40,000+ members, there are not enough 'positions of responsibility' to accomodate everyone who finds disfavor or room for improvement at a Rally.

You risk opening old wounds.....MANY see our current template for selecting a rally site as a flawed process, and said so, only to be shouted down by the faithful core.

If circumstances, personality or motivation does not lend itself to running for office or serving on a committee, an individual member still has as much a voice in the MOA as you, I or any BoD position.

[Greenwald]

As a volunteer, I can tell you how discouraging it is to read the criticisms. They are rarely deserved.

For instance - how do you know that Karol and Deb didn't beat all of the bushes, trying to find food vendors? :stick

Since we have no control over who will make arrangements to work our event, sometimes the toughest battles are the ones we lose. I know this because last year, I was in a panic trying to get food vendors to West Bend. At the last minute I got lucky. (WHEW!)

Many times, food vendors have a summer schedule of regular events that they are familiar with, year after year. Because our rally was a one-shot deal for Gillette, it's less likely that the local rolling food vendors were ready to give up their routine.

So don't be so quick to criticize, my friends. There are many behind-the-scenes discussions involved with putting on events like this. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you need to step back and punt.

I had to smile, Sue. EVERYTHING you just said makes perfect sense.

But it is also one of the most compelling arguements to have not inked a deal with Gillette in the first place.

[k75karol]

This group is a tough crowd from what I can see -- at least the online contingent. Demanding and not particularly friendly.

Just for clarification.....there were 13 food vendors (not 2). They were spread out. 1 full service in the North Forty. 1) in Energy Hall and 1) in East/Central. The rest were specialty foods and were scattered around.

Sue is correct....there were several events in Cheyenne and Cody competing for the vendors.

The 1 vendor we were counting on feeding alot of folks actually had a "domestic dispute", and lost his help. (wife and kids).
Suggestions are always welcome, but as Sue said, there are a lot of things beyond control, and for those that are disappointed.....I hope you at least met some great people, made some new friends, learned some stuff at the seminars, bought some neat stuff from the vendors, and rode some great rides to or from.

Volunteer to chair a committee (or a rally), volunteer to help all those hard-working folks that were begging for volunteers. Perhaps you would have had more fun!

Sorry you didn't enjoy our party.....maybe next time

[mikeod]

I am just waiting to see all these folks at work on the new Rally Selection Committee and running for the Board of Directors and participating in the club elections.Darryl,

I'd be happy to offer my opinion on Rally sites and for the record I've voted as well. I certainly hope you're not suggesting that folks aren't allowed to complain/express opinions/offer suggestions until they fill a committee seat or sit on the board. That is a recipe for a declining membership base. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time (or energy) to participate at the levels you're suggesting (I applaud those that do). And those that can't, should NOT be stifled as a result.

Let's not be ostriches here. The rally had some real warts and not talking about them won't make them disappear.

Mike O

[2whelman]

The only problems I had at the rally was that I didnt get to see everybody I wanted to, or get to attend all of the great seminars, or have enough time to ride all of the great roads in the area that are there if you look for them.

As far as the food goes, it could have been better but I didnt go hungry, and the beer was cold. Thats enough for me.

I had fun, would go back again and want to thank all of the members who put this on.

For those with complaints, step up to the plate.

Looking forward to Tennessee next year.

[2002redrider]

I had a pretty good time at Gillette, all things considered but that was in spite of the location, not because of it. The organizers, and workers did a great job with what they had to deal with and I thank you all for that but as many have said in this forum, the location was lacking. A camp ground without shade trees is indefensible, plain and simple. As is a motorcycle rally a hundred miles or more from good roads.

When Gillette was announced last year, there was a huge uproar over the location. I think the low attendence this year means that the objection was valid.

[rinty]

Regardless of the location of the National, or the protocol of the site selection process, (about which I express no opinion) every year we have a whole lot of grousing about this or that.

I sympathize with the volunteers who put in long hours in organizing the event, and who no doubt experience some degree of stress in doing so.

But it appears from the attendance numbers that thousands of members are still showing up each year.

Rinty

[37071]

We had fun in Gillette. The lack of shade in the campground was not a problem. I was not in my tent in daylight hours. I was VERY grateful that my tent held together in Thursday nights storm. The showers and bathrooms in the North 40 were great. OK - the food onsite wasn't as good as I would have liked, but I did manage to sustain myself. The ale in the Saloon was wonderful:buds
Did anyone but me catch a cold?

[jdmetzger]

I didn't make it to this rally. Had my work and other schedules lined up, I would have gone. Some of the complaints I see for this site are the same as I have seen for other sites. For example:

Trees. I didn't see too many of those in Wisconsin last year. There were a few trees in Vermont (and you could camp along the fence in areas to be NEAR (not under) trees. Shade is nice, but I've found it in short supply everywhere. Even the RA rally at the Biltmore had everyone setting up in a hilly, rough-ground open field with very limited coverage.

Food. Food on the rally site in VT was a bit pricey, and probably had the same number of options that it sounds like Gillette had. As for Wisconsin, if you weren't looking for a brat, good luck. :) Really, I found ONE vendor who sold cups of fresh fruit, but it wasn't cheap. No big deal; I left the rally site and found food elsewhere. I even met a bunch of cool forum folks by going to dinner with them to a really great Cuban restaurant in Milwaukee. I also had a meal courtesy of the MOA for being an ON contributer. That's a good way to get some great free food. :D

Showers. VT: kind of crowded at times. WI: not so crowded. I had to walk a bit to get to the showers in WI, but I could make the walk in 5 minutes. The exercise did me good. I was probably the same distance away in VT. There were MANY who had further to walk in VT. I had friends who were camped WAY out. Be happy the water was hot. RA rally at the Bilmore gave me an ICE ICE ICE cold shower the day I arrived. Thankfully it was pretty hot outside, but it was cold enough to give me a headache. I had hot water on other nights, but the showers were REALLY nasty dirty, and bathroom facilities were also not good. I believe the Biltmore was taking care of showers and not the RA (I'm not trying to knock the RA down. I'm just comparing).

Closing ceremony. It was long the past two years. It RAINED in VT. Sit with friends, have a beer, sit way out and don't pay much attention until they draw names for prizes. I did a fair bit of socializing between awards, last year.

The only way you're going to get gourmet meals, shade, and a shower close by is if you stay in a hotel. I'm sure we could also arrange something if they raised the rally fee to $200. I've seen photos of things like the Sturgis "rally" - their campgrounds look far worse (dirty, loud, muddy, and possibly no on-site food) than anything I've seen at an MOA rally. From what I've seen of the rally site this year, it looked like it was pretty well done. As for the location, it's not like you didn't know where you were going when you left home. :stick :p

[BMWBagby]

WOW!! I did not mean to open Pandora's Box! I simply wanted to thank EVERYONE who worked so hard putting the rally together!

I had a good time, my friends all had a good time, and everyone we spoke to during the rally appeared to have been having a good time. Sure, there were some "issues" at the rally but that can be expected at every rally (i.e. too hot, too cold, too windy, too humid, too dry,...) Everyone can find something to complain about.

We just have to remember there were many folks who put a lot of their time and energy into making the rally the best they could, and THEY DID A GREAT JOB!! So again, to all of them, THANK YOU!!!

[snoone]

I am envious of all the folks that had a great time at the rally.. I know I missed seeing many old friends and lost the opportunity to experience some great adventure.. My schedule this year just didn't allow me the time to attend.
Congrats and thanks to all the rally chairs and volunteers..:clap Those of us that know what you do really do appreciate your efforts.. Bah Humbug to the glass half full crowd.:nono . I guarantee no matter where, or whatever the location might be, these events are what you make them to be... they are not about others creating an experience for you..

I hope to see everyone next year at the national a little closer to my home base... I can't wait... and bring on the Big Gig...

[MontanaGSA]

The best part of the rally was leaving Friday morning. I combined the Bighorns, Chief Joseph and Beartooth passes (AWESOME) in one magnficent ride before pulling into Red Lodge, Montana where there was a regional Harley rally just starting with over 18,000 registrants! Imagine that small hog get together against the measly 5-6K Beemers that showed up in Gillette. Knock them if you will, but they know how to party!

All in all, happy I went. Did one 600 mile day and NEVER LEFT MONTANA! Devil's Tower is worth the ride in itself (for me at least), and the ride back through the Beartooth was memorable. 1700 miles in 4 days and the wife was not too grouchy when I got back!

[revkev]

After reading this I am glad I couldn't make it this year...but then, beauty is in the eyes of the BMW holder.

My son, his wife, and I hope to go to Tennessee next year for our first rally on a 2008 1200GS and, hopefully if it arrives, a 2009 800GS. My wife will have to get a better attitude if she is invited. She is concerned about burning fossil fuels.

Not sure if we will tent or not. I like motels myself, having been in the Army for 22 years of that already.

I like the TN location and haven't been in that exact part of the country before, close it however.

I am hoping for some good and safe riding and fried catfish, okra, and grits. Having lived in Arkansas and born and raised in Iowa, I miss those foods living here in Wisconsin.

Peace...

BTW...having lived in Montana and driving there a couple of times from Iowa, Gillette was a stop for gas in the midst of not much else. But, perhaps it has changed a great deal since my last trip through.

[ARValkguy]

As many of you already know I am stuck over here in Iraq. I was unable to attend the rally in WY. I understand it might not have been all sunshine and rainbows. But let me say this one thing. Before you think or feel that it was so "terrible" please take just a moment to remember where you are. I am surrounded by an entire generation of people that have no concept of understanding what it is to have the freedom "We" take for granted every facit of our daily lives. We as Americans can gripe, bitch and complain about almost everything, and many of us do just that. I would just ask that you temper your emotions for just a moment and enjoy the ride. or don't.

Kelly

ps. See you all in TN.

[GeoffMiller]

I SUNBURNED my head!!!!I mean, WHAT'S UP WITH THAT!!!!??? How come the sunblock committee didn't come around and slather up my noggin?? Worse yet, by brother SNORED IN HIS TENT!!!!!!!! Sounded like a dang moose!!! Somebody should do something!!:nyah

Seriously, we had a great time. This was the first chance that I have had in many years to go west and I loved it. We camped in the North 40, 50 feet from a hot shower. Our tent site had power and running water in it. The beer hall was fun and we met a whole bunch of nice people. Special hello to Greg from Chicago. The riding and scenery were great. Thanks to all who put in such hard work to make it all happen! If you didn't have fun, well, I guess somethin' jus' ain't right about cha!:D Can I take my rally virgin pin off now?

[IndyGT]

I've attended 17 of the last 22 BMW MOA rallies, starting with Laguna Seca in 1986 and I would rank Gillette as one of the best.
The only sour note for me and my Indianapolis BMW Club friends came Saturday night when we called Papa John's Pizza at 9:08 p.m. and ordered three pizzas to be delivered to the entrance of the quiet camping area.
The girl who took the order told me the delivery girl would call my cell phone as she approached for precise directions in about 45 minutes.
Ninety minutes later, she called but her call rolled over to voicemail without ringing my phone. She left a message saying she couldn't find us - we were standing at the entrance the whole time and never saw her - and that she was returning to the pizza joint with our pizzas.
I immediately called Papa John's and asked the order-taker to call the delivery girl and send her back.
She never showed up and we all went to bed without dinner.
On the flipside, we had excellent service the next morning at the Perkins restaurant on Highway 59 south.

[k75karol]

As many of you already know I am stuck over here in Iraq. I was unable to attend the rally in WY. I understand it might not have been all sunshine and rainbows. But let me say this one thing. Before you think or feel that it was so "terrible" please take just a moment to remember where you are. I am surrounded by an entire generation of people that have no concept of understanding what it is to have the freedom "We" take for granted every facit of our daily lives. We as Americans can gripe, bitch and complain about almost everything, and many of us do just that. I would just ask that you temper your emotions for just a moment and enjoy the ride. or don't.
ps. See you all in TN.

Kelly-

Thanks for the wake up call, and more importantly.....thanks for what you're doing.:usa

See you in TN in '09

[memphiscb]

Well sir, this was our 1st moa for me and the squeeeez. Can't beleive I'm read'n about sooo much win'n from the participants. I guess it's because of the advanced age of so many of the members. Personaly I spent all my hot daylite hours inside listening to some great seminars/speakers, or perusing the vendors and their wares. Who hangs-out all day in their tent anyway? I found the showers in the back fourty to be clean and accessible during my 3 visits without any wait what-so-ever. The community "blue houses" were also surprising clean and fresh each day; except for the morons who couldn't hit the spot or remember to drop the lid on exit. As far as the camping conditions: if u need the shade, get a hotel room; if u need a shower, camp closer; want some silence, camp farther away; don't like the food, go to town- it was very close and accessible. Many thanks to all the great volunteers who helped us find our way. U WERE GREAT! Special thanks to the weather commitee for the exceptional light show, the cooling showers which thin'd out the shallow end of the gene pool, and the refreshing breeze each night. I promise to make up for only ridn'n 1200 miles to attend 08'; as I'll see u next year in TN.
Stop whin'n and start rid'n or buy a HARLEY.:heart :clap :buds

[DarrylRi]

Careful, Darryl. With 40,000+ members, there are not enough 'positions of responsibility' to accomodate everyone who finds disfavor or room for improvement at a Rally.

You risk opening old wounds.....MANY see our current template for selecting a rally site as a flawed process, and said so, only to be shouted down by the faithful core.

If circumstances, personality or motivation does not lend itself to running for office or serving on a committee, an individual member still has as much a voice in the MOA as you, I or any BoD position.

If you and your fellows cannot dig up a slate of candidates, nor present a coherent plan before the board for change, then all you're doing is whining and trying to ruin the party for everyone else who can have a good time even with a few extremely minor inconveniences.

Instead of using the electrons here to whine about it, use them to build a better plan.

[dlowry]

This was our second rally and we had some fun. Since we were traveling over 2,500 km to the rally, we took our time, saw parts of the country we hadn't seen before and spent time riding in the Blackhills before the rally. When we got to the rally we pretty much parked the bikes, other than to get something installed by one of the many vendors who did come to the rally. I was sorry that a couple of them only brought a limited amount of supply to the rally and didn't replenish when it was obvious there were more people there than they expected.

We chatted with all sorts of folks who traveled from near and far. We ran in to people we met last year and this year out on the road in places. As for the weather, I could only dream it was as nice as it was. It was warm in the day, but the evening and overnight were near perfect. There were just as many trees this year as in West Bend last year so it was perfect in our mind.

Our only gripe was the food service. On site was only OK, and on Saturday it seemed so congested in the rally grounds we ventured in to town. We did find a nice restaurant that wasn't lined up out the door like many were, and while they were slightly overwhelmed, they were pleasant and very hospitable to us.

Whether in town or on the rally site, we found all of the people we encountered to be be wonderful, pleasant people who were always interested in where we were from.

As someone said earlier, it's not the destination, it's the journey, and for Cheryl and myself, what a wonderful journey it was, and the destination was pretty good as well. I hope we see everyone next year, and the year after, and the year after, and, well, I hope you get the idea.

A big thanks to everyone who helped put on this rally. I'm glad you were there to do all the dirty work. I only got to work in the beer garden fetching beer for fellow members, but it was fun and something I will do again. Thanks to the fellow from Texas who told me about the stick-on reading bifocals so I could read my maps on the way home with my sun glasses on. A big shout out to all the fellow Sherpa campers and to Ted for conversations and the accommodations!

Cheers!

[Greenwald]

WOW!! I did not mean to open Pandora's Box! I simply wanted to thank EVERYONE who worked so hard putting the rally together!

I had a good time, my friends all had a good time, and everyone we spoke to during the rally appeared to have been having a good time. Sure, there were some "issues" at the rally but that can be expected at every rally (i.e. too hot, too cold, too windy, too humid, too dry,...) Everyone can find something to complain about.

We just have to remember there were many folks who put a lot of their time and energy into making the rally the best they could, and THEY DID A GREAT JOB!! So again, to all of them, THANK YOU!!!

Relax. You didn't open Pandora's Box.

But you did point out that 'elephant in the room' that many of us noticed, but no one wanted to be the first to mention!

I have yet to read a single complaint being leveled at a specific member, nor do I think I will see one. Individual effort is the glue to holds a rally together and this year was no exception.

What is being pointed out by some members now is a healthy review of what went well and what could certainly be done better or different in the future. That is how an organization grows and improves.

Let us hope that as a national club, we have the maturity to admit our shortcomings, learn from them, and each year, build a better mousetrap.

A friend of mine once quipped "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got."

Used to think it was corny (not to mention, poor grammar), but I see some wisdom in such sage advice.

[MikesK12GT]

Good grief, I can't believe I'm about to feed the troll but I feel I must...



It's about the Journey, NOT the Destination.



Did you volunteer for Awards & Tallies? No you didn't. Did you volunteer to co-chair Awards & Tallies. No you didn't. If you don't like something, then do something to change it.

Besides, how often do you see a couple who are 91 and 88 ride two up for over 500 miles? Folks who sign up for awards and win deserve the recognition for accomplishments. If that were you on stage, you'd be glad to get the applause as well as the recognition for your accomplishment and be inspiration to others. I only hope I can make it to 91 and still be riding a motorcycle to MOA rallies.

If you don't like the closing ceremonies, don't come. They'll call you to pick up the prizes that you need not be present to win.

Ok John, thanks for your comments. But before you get to worked up, please note that I did not get personal in my comments. I simply stated my opinion of the rally. Your little insult is far worse IMHO. Don't worry, you didn't hurt my feelings that bad.
I can tell by your web site, you are quite the volunteer. Good for you. Just because some of us don't have the ambition you do, doesn't mean we don't have a say in things or can't be allowed to speak.

Rather than make personal attacks at me, why don't you and the MOA take note of my comments and others and prove me wrong with the next event.

[osbornk]

Complaints about this rally will make the MOA able to make future rallies better. They will give the committee an opportunity to address potential problems before they happen. Regardless of how good the next rally is planned and executed, there will be problems unique to the location and we will hear complaints about this time next year. I expect we will have some complaints about Gray being a "hick town" full of hillbillies, etc. I am one and proud of it. I live a little over a gallon of gas away and don't want to live anywhere else.

As long as I have food, shelter and good riding, I can work around the rest of the situation and have a good time.

[lagator]

Don't know what everyone is complaining about. You can find fault with anything if you try. The rally staff did an excellent job in putting together a very good rally. As for not having any shade, I don't recall having any shade in West Bend or in Burlington and the weather was a lot cooler in Gillette than both of those. In Wisconson and Vermont I arrived several days before the rally and did most of my touring before going to the rally site. We did the same this year. We left on the 11th and rode up through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, then on in to Wyoming. Before arriving at the rally We rode to Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Cody, and the Big Horn range, all fantastic riding. We also did Devil's Tower from the rally. On the way home we did Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood, Mt. Rushmore, and the Bad Lands. Added all up I had a great time and wouldn't have changed a thing. If your only memories of the trip or rally are of the lack of shade, the weather, and the food at whatever place you chose to eat, maybe you should have gone to Disneyworld. Thanks to the rally staff and the many volunteers for a great rally. Looking forward to Tennessee in 09. Remember it's the ride that makes the adventure, not the destination

[72598]

A few things:

Most of my complaints are things that Karol and the others had NO control over. (most things that they did have control over ran like a Swiss watch) Was Karol actually everywhere at the rally? Or does she have a clone? GREAT JOB

Wind, Rain and lack of Shade-------well this is Wyoming!!

I would have liked to have seen more vendors. I only saw two, (Flea Market) and one of them (Matt) was from home. It would also be nice to have someone carry tune up parts at rally. (no one had any points, Bob's is offering free shipping but said they didn't have enough room for more parts) I was also disappointed that many vendors that I knew from previous rallies were not here.

My biggest disappointment was that due to a breakdown on the way (in the exciting town of Bill, Wy) I missed the New Riders. (the first song I hear when I got home on Pandora was Somebody Robbed the Glendale Train)

As for food:
1) It was a lot more affordable to eat in town than at Redman and that was 8 years ago
2) If you think that food was expensive here, Go to Sturgis next month!

Gas: I had to run ETHANOL in Denver and bike ran like crap (and hot) until next fill up in Wyoming (same problem on return trip again Denver's crappy gas)

There are always complaints, but overall this was a great rally.

I would like to thank all those who put this on.

I would like to thank Karol and the two first aide guys, and my neighbor at rally. (I was unable at time to catch names, but I knew Karol from previous rallies) who helped me when I had de-hydration.

I would also like to thank the BMW MOA member in Douglas, Wy that gave me a place to stay and a charge when having electrical problems. (since I contacted you from the Annomous Book I will not publish name)

And to the guy that said this should have been in Gunnison,Co: It would have been impossible this year due to Cattleman's days, Auto Show, and a Regional CMA Rally this month there. (the best places are often already booked for other events, sometimes even other MC events)

[MrZip]

All in all pretty good time - Our group actually had the most fun at the "Black Hills Stampede" in spearfish. That was really the best way to enjoy the national. chris' campground was nice and shaded, good showers and a nice pool!! best of all it's located in the prime "Black Hills" riding area. As you all know the MOA is mostly a BIG disappointment to me - so no need to rehash that. Lets just say I don't expect much at a National rally and usually that's what I get - "NOT MUCH"

The national rally is just a big "vendor" fair anyway so if you don't need anything from a vendor (which I don't) it's a pretty useless rally.

Our group camped in the north 40, which was a great location - we were close to the showers, had a decent food vendor close by - and the shuttle made it simple to get around - I couldn't figure out why everyone was crammed up at the main complex - the north 40 was pretty good especially if you brought some shade with you! (In this area it was better then expected)

I didn't get a rally shirt because for the past few years all they are is a shirt with a big rubber patch on the back - most of the time you can't even tell if the shirt has anything to do with motorcycling. Anyway I'm not buying a hot rubber patch shirt!

I left the rally early Friday morning (two days is plenty & why on earth would you stay for the awards ceremony) it was pretty funny to meet several riders on the road who were still trying to get to the rally.

Next year in TN. If you like 95 degree heat and 95% humidity go for it - I won't!!

[Mike M]

I am a 10 year member of the MOA and this was my first National. I am from Denver and due to my work schedule I haven't been able to make the journey to Wisconsin, Vermont or even Spokane. When I saw this years rally was in Wyoming, I was pleased that I was going to be able to attend a National for the first time.

As far as rides were concerned, I planned my trip so I could visit the Flaming Gorge, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP and Cody on my way to Gillette. They may have been the best consecutive riding days of my career. I spent the last couple of days of my trip at the rally and had a great time.

I hope people keep in mind that the MOA has members from all over the country and many cannot take the time to travel long distances to get to a rally. I am confident that the lower attendance was due to easterners not making the trek...just like many westerners that didn't make the trek to Lima.

Isn't that why the MOA chooses locations around the country? So every member has a chance to attend one (or more)?

Good on you, organizers and keep up the good work!:clap

http://BlackGS.smugmug.com/photos/335325265_349kq-M.jpg

[PGlaves]

I have presented 5 to 8 hours of seminars every year for at least ten years. And, I've got to say that the seminar facilities at this rally were superb. Last year I was in an open shed, divided from another seminar by a tarp, and trying to talk over the Oom Pa Pa band about 90 feet away. One year I was in a sheep shed that was so warm we turned the 5 foot livestock fans on. Then nobody could hear anything.

This year, air conditioned room, good seating, good sound system, etc.

Every rally has pluses and minuses. This one was mostly pluses.

I camped by Camp Gears. When the reefer trucks set up for beer and ice we moved. Grass, shade, water, toilets nearby. Showers a bit of a walk but not bad.

The elevated shots Voni took from the top of Energy Hall make it clear the site was not crowded.

We came to Gillette from the west. US 14 and US 14A, as well as US 16 through either Tensleep Canyon or Shell Canyon are world class motorcycle roads. We watched hang gliding from the turnout just east of Burgess Junction. And then there was Yellowstone and the Tetons. And Lolo Pass on US 12.

If you had time there were plenty of good roads to ride.

From the east there was the Black Hills. And lots of the plains. Flooding in Iowa. You could almost plan your adventure.

I predicted 5,200 attendance. So 5,103 wasn't far off in my mind.

Lots of folks like to travel 300 to 350 or so miles a day. That takes lots of days from New England or the mid south. That thing called work does interfere. When we lived in Kansas anyplace in the 48 contiguous states was 2 days away (for us). Now retired, we live in about as remote a place as there is in the 48 states near Big Bend National Park - but we've got lots of days off :) We rode to Gillette from Texas, by way of Alaska and took 3 months.

[TOTOLee]

Verna and I rolled in on Monday and left on Sunday. We volunteer to help out, see old friends and meet new ones. I don't ride to the rally to ride. I do my riding on the way there and back. You sure don't have to have a rally some where to ride some place. The rally was good and we had fun, but we do every year where ever the rally is.

[Sue]

Verna and I rolled in on Monday and left on Sunday. We volunteer to help out, see old friends and meet new ones. I don't ride to the rally to ride. I do my riding on the way there and back. You sure don't have to have a rally some where to ride some place. The rally was good and we had fun, but we do every year where ever the rally is.

Hats Off to you and Verna, Leland and Slina, and Bob & Mary.... The Gofers are some of the hardest working people at the rally!

:clap

[clowry]

The backrest blew off my R1200CL somewhere along I-80 in Iowa on the way home! Talked to the dealer this morning, and they figure it'll be about $250 by the time they get it here from Germany. Off to the Boneyard I go...

The rally itself was great! Could have had a few more places to eat, but we managed. We also could have brought our camp stove, but opted not to this time. No big deal. We reconnected with some folks we met last year, and met a bunch more; shared stories, knowledge and the fellowship of the road; added a few farkles to the bikes; enjoyed some fine microbrews in the Saloon; took in the Thursday night light show with some fellow campers in Ted's fine Sherpa Village AND had an amazing ride both to and from Gillette. Couldn't get much better, IMHO!

[knary]

Whine, whine, whine. Why not just get a motorhome and be done with it?

I had a great time, and that includes riding across Nevada and Utah on I-80. (I found a great restaurant in Elko, NV.)

During the rally, I rode out to the Devil's Tower, then on out to Rushmore, and had some really great riding there. (Hint: US-16 Alt.)

I don't like fast food, so I don't usually patronize the onsite vendors. We went into town for food each day and, with a little sleuthing, discovered some really good restaurants. (If you didn't go to Pokey's BBQ, you missed out -- relatively inexpensive, good portions, great food.)

The weather was extremely accommodating, with temperatures only in the 80s and sunshine every day. The rain and wind were at night, when I was asleep, which is about as perfect as it can be.

We were able to choose a camping site, based on viewing where sunrise and sunset were, that kept our tents shaded by a building. Besides, how much time do you spend in your tent during the day? Go riding or go shopping. In fact, we were able to surf the web from our tents in the evening.

I didn't have to wait one minute for the showers, with plenty of hot water. I chose to take the shuttle out to the North 40. I walked up to the stop, which was at the edge of the field where I was camped, the shuttle arrived, and it dropped me right next to two shower buildings. What was not to like about that?

Wyoming is generally a state I find myself riding through to get somewhere else. It was nice to stop and look around a bit, and the rally made that easy to do.

The volunteers were wonderful and the whole thing ran like a well oiled machine. If you've been to previous Nationals, you know that compressing the awards ceremony into an hour and a half is nothing short of miraculous! To add to that the fact that everyone got to sit in the shade the whole time was an added bonus.

:thumb

The food was less than impressive and ... that's my only real complaint.

What I saw most of all was people out riding to and from the rally and talking about riding. Everyone was grinning stupid grins as they talked about the passes they ridden to get there and how much fun the trips had been - and how much they were looking forward to riding those mountains again to get home. "Which way did you come over the Big Horns? Damn that road was a AMAZING." and so forth.

BMW had a great presence between the demo fleet, sample bikes, their staff, the stunt riders and more. If you ever have any doubt about this being a group of motorheads, just get a guy out doing wheelies and stoppies and other such fun. The crowd immediately swarmed to watch.

But, yeah, just like every other rally in recent memory there wasn't much shade and the vendors after 8 hours of dealing with people called it a day. How dare they!

The highlight for me was probably playing out on the motocross track. For those GS riders out there that didn't, you missed out on some GREAT fun.

While it was a quiet rally, if you didn't have fun, that was a choice you made.

[MikesK12GT]

Oh my god. You Harley guys sure do complain a lot. We BMW riders would have enjoyed the rally for no other reason than the ride to Wyoming. Too bad they took away all of the trees before you all got there. Perhaps the short ride over to the Black Hills would have made it better had you gone. :stick

Raceydog, I'm not sure why you ASSumed I had a Harley? I don't but there's nothing wrong with owning one. If you know anything about the region, you would know that the Black Hills are a much nicer place to ride than the plains of Wyoming. Custer State park, Needles Highway, 385, 16 and 16a.

[UncleHowie]

This was my first National. Overall, I had a great time.

Pluses:
-I registered at 12:15 on Wednesday- went in planning to use the toilet and get some A/C, and they scooted me right through Registration- before it was officially open!
-North 40 campground- camped 50 yards from the shower, 100 yards from the shuttle stop. LOTS of room, throughout the rally.
-Volunteering at Registration on Thursday allowed me to meet a lot of new folks.
-Excellent tech seminars taught me a ton of stuff, including why I was getting oil seepage from the oil filler on my R1150GS (Thanks, Paul Glaves!). I picked up the parts I need to fix my seepage (plus some extras) for a whopping $5 in the flea market.
-Vendors were ready to sell me almost everything on my long-term farkle list, all in one weekend! Unfortunately, these cost a little more than the above-mentioned $5...:D
-The beer was cold, and there was FREE WATER WIDELY AVAILABLE! Made it easy to stay hydrated.
-Thousands of fellow BMW enthusiasts, the majority of which are very easy to strike up a conversation with!:bikes

Negatives: (mostly tongue in cheek...)
-I never attained rally "Virgin" status, instead being referred to as a lowly "Greenhorn." How humiliating...
-I chose my campsite carefully, so I don't get to bitch about that.
-I got conned into wearing my Greenhorn "1" pin around the grounds all weekend, and didn't even get close to winning a random T-shirt.
-There were some other issues- all of which have been sufficiently groused about. Not everything can be perfect. None of these issues were going to keep me from having a good time. If these are the worst things I've got to deal with, I lead a charmed life!:D

I met a lot of new friends, and caught up with a couple of folks I met earlier this year. I now have great contacts in Wyoming, Florida, and California. That's what it's all about for me!

See you in Tennessee!

[Slablog]

I just rolled in this afternoon from my four day ride home to Atlanta. My worst experience of this rally was when I ran over my prescription bifocals 45 miles from Gillette on Wednesday afternoon.
All in all a nice time. Too windy for me, but I expected it. The vendor food seemed to get better as the days progressed. Maybe I just got hungrier!
My favorite line spoken at the rally: "A non-denominational religious service will be held tomorrow morning in the saloon."

Now I gotta go nurse my sore butt, from riding 3,900 + miles on a F650GS. (Paul and Voni. Don't say it!)

[Visian]

What is being pointed out by some members now is a healthy review of what went well and what could certainly be done better or different in the future. That is how an organization grows and improves.

Let us hope that as a national club, we have the maturity to admit our shortcomings, learn from them, and each year, build a better mousetrap.


fwiw, this has been S.O.P. in the 12 years that i have been volunteering for rally support. each committee chair gets the opportunity to do exactly what you suggest.

if you're talking about examining/changing rally site selection criteria, the best approach is to get a spot on the agenda at a board meeting and state your case. i bet you could do this by phone if it's not possible to travel and attend in person.

ian

(on the road to paonia. i had a kick ASS time riding to and camping at the rally, riding through wyoming, montana, utah, colorado and new mexico. there was plenty of good riding related to this rally, imo.)

[j-budimlya]

This was a very good rally....it was a bit remote....and therefore I had the opportunity to ride through some new places on the way there and the way back....afterall, it's all about the ride, right?

The facility was very nice....lot's of camping space....lot's of parking space....great meeting rooms....and very nice local people.....I had local folks asking if I was lost when I stopped 20 miles from the site to just take a look at some horses :) this is a good sign....

I thought that the vendors were great....and the vendor areas were also great....and every time I turned around, I saw another food vendor....and the typical line waiting to buy something.....now, the food,.....well, it was "rally" food.....but after looking for a while, I found a vendor with a chicken salad to make up for the pizza the day before, and even though I had to wait....the BBQ was OK....a bit fatty...but tasty none the less.....

All and all it was a very good rally.....I volunteered for two assignments, and both times when I arrived they dd not neeed me.....there were too many helpers already.....but every time a volunteer helped me with something....I thanked them for volunteering....without them there would be no rally...

The highlight of the rally for me was Thursday night at 2 AM when out of my tent under the front entrance of the main building watching a nasty storm pour down on us....I was there with two other folks, one was the volunteer guard in from the weather....and I all I could think aobut was any rider "out there" somewhere caught in the storm, when a rider appeared in the middle of the worst of it.....we flagged him to the front door out of the weather.....he had just arrived form Boston....not an insignificant ride......on a BMW Crusier....he was starry eyed,,but smiling to be finally there....he said his clothes were dry.....the rainsuit had worked......it's one of those moments when a trip to the MOA is captured in the riders eyes.....memorable....... :heart

Now, who wants to comment about a little wind or sun? Or maybe some rally food?

BTW, had a great ride back over Beartooth, camped a night in Yellowstone....and rode back a 1,050 mile day from Yellowstone to SoCal .... great rally

Thanks to all that made it possilbe....

[Warthog]

Jim, I was one of your shelter mates under the overhang of the Heritage Center during the storm. I remember watching the almost horizontal rain and thinking to myself -- boy I'm glad I'm riding in that.....then at the end of the main entrance I spy a lone headlight turning into the complex and think he/she must be soaked. It was about 1:30pm I think. Yes, he was from Beantown and his first gear rain suit had kept him dry. I'm pretty sure the security guy got a picture of him.

[Warthog]

To: 72598

I would like to thank Karol and the two first aide guys, and my neighbor at rally. (I was unable at time to catch names, but I knew Karol from previous rallies) who helped me when I had de-hydration.

Glad to hear you made it home OK. Its OK about the names you did not look the best and we just wanted make sure you got hydrated.

[smammon]

I want to say thank you to Deb and Karol! I was personally amazed at the organization and the level of detail in everything.

Registration took about 2 minutes including standing in line. The seminar rooms were fantastic. The beemer saloon was perfect. Everything but hard liquor and it was air conditioned! When the band played you could sit under the tent or go inside the building for conversation. The shuttle seemed to run every 5 minutes instead of the 15 they advertised. Handling the line Thursday morning for pins/patches and tickets was as elegant and logical as I have ever seen. The moment I truly realized the level of detail you went to was when I fired up my computer on a whim and discovered WIFI in the north 40! Not just bleeding over but actual AP's clear out there!

Yes there were warts but I've yet to see an event that didn't have them. For example, just try to predict where people will camp ahead of time... I guarantee you will place the showers in the wrong spot.

You guys did an awesome job organizing this thing!:clap

[118078]

My second national rally, and my wife's first. We both had a great time and she says she wants to do it again.

We both signed up for volunteer work, and met some great people.

Loved the seminars, saw all three of Helga's in the big theatre.

I was disapointed in the food choices, but I never went hungry. Beer was cheap and plentiful.

We did great roads thru WA, ID, MO, and WY. Glacier Park, back roads in both MO and WY, Beartooth, Cheif Joseph, and the Big Horn mountains, riding doesn't get better than this.

I never waited for a hot shower, and the showers were clean, short wait for the shuttle.

We had a great time coming and going, and all thru the event.

My only complaint is I didn't win a bike!!!!!!

[ben721364]

I left home early and reached Gillette early. The ride was spectacular and I couldn't have asked for better riding weather, except for the strong headwind that I bucked for 100 miles or so in the TX Panhandle. I looked around Gillette on arrival, rode by the rally site then headed out to my motel in Buffalo (60 miles). En route I decided that to me the rally was less important than the opportunity to ride in the mountains. I headed west and South the next morning and missed the whole rally. Attendance reported above confirmed my suspicions. I didn't think I was meeting as many BMWs as usual.

It sounds like an awful lot of hard work went into this rally and for that I am appreciative, though I elected to miss it. I did thoroughly enjoy the ride.

[RJM2096]

While I had a great ride to and from, and loved the rally, The lack of vendors and food stands really left a lot to be desired.

I cringe just thinking about a breakdown on the eastward stretch of I-90. Getting gas could be tricky out on that stretch if you went past one station too many.

But all in all, a rally is people and what we make of it, and while us BMW riders are somewhat excentric we are great people who can count on each other.

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh310/RJM2096/ReadyToRide.jpg

[gulfcoastbeemer]

The best part of the rally was leaving Friday morning. I combined the Bighorns, Chief Joseph and Beartooth passes (AWESOME) in one magnficent ride before pulling into Red Lodge, Montana where there was a regional Harley rally just starting with over 18,000 registrants! Imagine that small hog get together against the measly 5-6K Beemers that showed up in Gillette. Knock them if you will, but they know how to party!

All in all, happy I went. Did one 600 mile day and NEVER LEFT MONTANA! Devil's Tower is worth the ride in itself (for me at least), and the ride back through the Beartooth was memorable. 1700 miles in 4 days and the wife was not too grouchy when I got back!

I didn't attend the rally primarily because I had passed through Gillette several years ago and thought it a rather dreary location for a meth lab much less a BMW MOA National Rally.

On the other hand, I did spend a week in Red Lodge, Montana and never tired of the place, the people or the scenic roads in the immediate vicinity -- particularly the Beartooth Pass. It's a puzzlement to me how Red Lodge can host the very successful and rather large mid-July Beartooth (Harley) Rally, yet fail the BMW MOA National Rally site selection muster.

[PGlaves]

I didn't attend the rally primarily because I had passed through Gillette several years ago and thought it a rather dreary location for a meth lab much less a BMW MOA National Rally.

On the other hand, I did spend a week in Red Lodge, Montana and never tired of the place, the people or the scenic roads in the immediate vicinity -- particularly the Beartooth Pass. It's a puzzlement to me how Red Lodge can host the very successful and rather large mid-July Beartooth (Harley) Rally, yet fail the BMW MOA National Rally site selection muster.

I was there - Red Lodge - during this year's Harley something or another in July. There was no visible central point of it all - just lots of bikes at lots of hotels, and bars. I saw one small vendor display at one motel. I think it's an apples and oranges situation.

Quite frankly, after about an hour there I was eager to get out of town. Partly the cacopheny of the bikes running up and down the street, and partly the Gatlinburg character of the town. Apologies to all fans of certified tourist towns. It's not my cup of tea!

[KGT1200]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gulfcoastbeemer
I didn't attend the rally primarily because I had passed through Gillette several years ago and thought it a rather dreary location for a meth lab much less a BMW MOA National Rally.

On the other hand, I did spend a week in Red Lodge, Montana and never tired of the place, the people or the scenic roads in the immediate vicinity -- particularly the Beartooth Pass. It's a puzzlement to me how Red Lodge can host the very successful and rather large mid-July Beartooth (Harley) Rally, yet fail the BMW MOA National Rally site selection muster.


I was there - Red Lodge - during this year's Harley something or another in July. There was no visible central point of it all - just lots of bikes at lots of hotels, and bars. I saw one small vendor display at one motel. I think it's an apples and oranges situation.

Quite frankly, after about an hour there I was eager to get out of town. Partly the cacopheny of the bikes running up and down the street, and partly the Gatlinburg character of the town. Apologies to all fans of certified tourist towns. It's not my cup of tea!


Immediately after the rally, I spent Monday-Wednesday in Montana, fished, hiked, and rode to my hearts content. The only thing that was missing was Disneyland! Darn it!

But in all seriousness, we know that Disneyland can be no where near Beartooth Pass, or chief Joe highway. The west is big, and the rally organisers knew that they were plunking the 08 Rally down in an area that was HUGE in beauty, and HUGE in geographic location, but not necessarily real close to anything; other than many of your friends, and soon to become friends in the BMWMOA.

Paul is correct, Red Lodge would of been overwhelmed by the sheer size and volume of the BMWMOA; no way would it of worked because of that problem! What, we would have had to rent out the whole town, but where to put the people!?

You had to make an effort to ride to the towers, to the pass, to the many other wonders this area had to offer. If it was a moped rally, this location would of never worked, but a BMW Motorcycle Rally? Comeon, get real. you ride a machine that was designed for distance, so the fact that it was a few miles to see all the wonderments of Wyoming/Montana should be expected! You ride a BMW for goodness sake!

[Mika]

It was not the best of rallies.
It was not the worst of rallies.
It was what I made it and I had a good time.

I saw a couple people who I have come to really value as friends. Put faces with screen names and made new friends. Looked up some friends I have not seen in years in Rapid City and near Devils Tower.

Selected my camp site and set up my tent with a little care. As a result was high, dry and smug after the light show and rain.

Had a bunch of marginal food and one of the best camp meals ever served up by a new, young, very excited member I met from Denver.

Darn vendors! Once agian they took my money. Have they no mercy?

Closing cerimonies are what they are. To be frank I would have prefered to listen to an audio tape of it rather than the live XXX rated audio served up in a tent near mine during the night. Ahhh love or at least ardent lust. :D

As to crossing the Great Plains, do it quickly if you don't like them. In the process do it quietly as to not disturb those of us that find a subtle beauty in them. No I do not desire to live there full time. I do love my visits. Wild flowers, fields, open range and birds soaring in endless blue skies.

Thanks to all who worked to make it happen.

Tennesse next year. What good or bad can I say about that??? I have left it. :stick

[Rich]

I'm just going to go on record as saying I had a great time at the National. Yep, the location maybe left something to be desired, but so what, it's all what you make it.

And who said there were no trees?

My camp: :nyah

http://www.rp.smugmug.com/photos/336042527_TmFHL-L.jpg

Ok, so I got a little lucky!

[knary]

I saw a couple people who I have come to really value as friends.

:hide

[Greenwald]

While I had a great ride to and from, and loved the rally, The lack of vendors and food stands really left a lot to be desired.

I cringe just thinking about a breakdown on the eastward stretch of I-90. Getting gas could be tricky out on that stretch if you went past one station too many.

But all in all, a rally is people and what we make of it, and while us BMW riders are somewhat excentric we are great people who can count on each other.

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh310/RJM2096/ReadyToRide.jpg

Oddly, my experience was a mirror opposite of yours. My rides to and from Gillette were not without great difficulty, so Rally Central represented a chance to 'stand down' and relax, and I found a stretch of WY HWY 59 north to Montana that was a gem for scenery.

As for rally personnel and volunteers, found them friendly, dedicated and deserving a symbolic pat on the back. It wasn't their fault that we ended up in Gillette - that decision came from higher up.

As for problems on that eastern stretch of I-90, tell me about it! I lost all power to forward illumination on my R1200RT (turned out to be a faulty modulator unit from Kisan - replacement currently under negotiation), and had to travel home nearly a 1,000 miles from Sturgis, SD to eastern WI without headlights. Oncoming cagers pulling out to pass because they did not see me created the greatest adrenaline rush - bad weather and darkness were just icing on the cake.

Sturgis BMW was of NO HELP, and I have spoken at length with BMW NA about their lackluster attention - they will be lucky to keep their franchise. Arriving back in a more populated area of the states occurred on a Sunday, so other BMW dealers were not available either - not the adventure I had hoped for, and you're right - managing one's fuel status between stops needed particular attention across South Dakota.

I'm glad I went (earned an Iron Butt Saddlesore 1000 on the way there, despite problems with severe storms) and made the best of the rally. The people there are never the 'weakest link' and I appreciate their efforts.

All that energy and enthusiasm deserved better than Gillette.

[Rapid_Roy]

It was not the best of rallies.
It was not the worst of rallies.
It was what I made it and I had a good time.

I saw a couple people who I have come to really value as friends. Put faces with screen names and made new friends. Looked up some friends I have not seen in years in Rapid City and near Devils Tower.

Selected my camp site and set up my tent with a little care. As a result was high, dry and smug after the light show and rain.

Had a bunch of marginal food and one of the best camp meals ever served up by a new, young, very excited member I met from Denver.

Darn vendors! Once agian they took my money. Have they no mercy?

Closing ceremonies are what they are. To be frank I would have prefered to listen to an audio tape of it rather than the live XXX rated audio served up in a tent near mine during the night. Ahhh love or at least ardent lust. :D

As to crossing the Great Plains, do it quickly if you don't like them. In the process do it quietly as to not disturb those of us that find a subtle beauty in them. No I do not desire to live there full time. I do love my visits. Wild flowers, fields, open range and birds soaring in endless blue skies.

Thanks to all who worked to make it happen.

Tennesse next year. What good or bad can I say about that??? I have left it. :stick

Hi John. :wave I had a blast talking with you and Scott Hi Scott! :wave It was nice meeting you.

[knary]

All that energy and enthusiasm deserved better than Gillette.

:lol3

Better than what?
Better than hanging out with their friends?
Better than getting to ride some GREAT roads?
Better than the flat dullness of the midwest? (sorry, I had to ride it last year, this time you have to :deal)
Better than what?

Was it perfect? Hell, no. It never is. It was, however, great fun. I wish more people could have gone or would have chosen to go. THAT would be the one important thing that would have made it better.

Thank you to everyone that made it happen. :clap

[rinty]

I enjoyed both Nationals I attended, Missoula and Redmond. No, the food isn't cordon bleu, and the weather can be interesting, but they were worthwhile.

And I can get cordon bleu anytime, and stay at home or drive my cage when the weather is bad.

Rinty

[KGT1200]

Nice to meet you, Scott! And John! And as usual, Roy!

And the entire Amish Motorcycle gang! No better neighbors!


I grew up whetting my teeth on the likes of Trail Ridge Road and Independence Pass (actually came down on the Aspen side on a 1970s version skateboard a few dozen times)

But let me tell you, I hit Bear tooth at 8:00 PM, No rain, No clouds, no cages, just a sunset I will never forget (and will post as soon as I get it off my camera!) scenery, what a road! Wow!

48 hours of vacation, one weekend and was more than worth it. it was a trip I will never forget (even the vastness of North Dakota and the bad lands of North Dakota, thanks to that suggestion from Kenk that it was worth a stop!

Gillette was a super rally for me! Hope it was for all of you who could make it. Se you FOR SURE in Tennessee!


Red


Ps, I will volunteer to help in the food selection/vendor committee! Sign me up, somebody! And where o where was the fat tire? Some kind of cruel joke on the beer drinkers?

[cptss67]

I logged 2,200 miles to attend my first BMW rally and was glad I went. The only really pretty part of the ride was next door in SD, around Mt Rushmore.
Friday evening, leaving Gillette for Moorcroft was the WINDIEST ride I ever been on. The gusts were so strong, I'm sure I could NOT have held my bike upright had I tried stopping.
Next year Tenn will be closer to me and I will plan on going.

[Brckridnbob]

This was my second rally after attending Wisconsin last year. In my opinion West Bend set the bar pretty high as a venue, but Gillette was still plenty fun.

Its all about the ride - North Cascades, Bighorns, Bear tooth, Lolo Pass, Devils Tower - if you didnt do any of these then yes you would be disappointed.

I thought the New Riders rocked! :groovy

[bobs98]

about the Rally in Wyoming was that I could not attend.

I'm looking forward to seeing all my friends, old and new, in TN in '09.

And at the BigGIG 3, which happens to be in '09 as well.

[Fridy]

I had a great ride , :bikes 4482 miles , Bear tooth pass was awesome 41 degrees windy a mixture of rain , sleet , and snow , but a ride That I will always remember . St.Joseph highway is a must ride also . Coming home all the fellow BMW riders that I met and talked with at rest areas , gas stops or resturants , the common complaint was a disapointment with a lack of food vendors and a lot of the regular venders were absent . A lot of us like to stay at the raylle site and visit , it seems that you could require proper feeding at the sites . I do not think that would be asking to much from the host site . Just my feelings . Charles

[bubbagazoo]

I had a GREAT time at the Gillette Rally. It was my first and probably only for a long time for no other reason than most locations for rallies are too far for me to get to. I wasn't at West Bend nor Vermont and I won't be in Tennessee either. Just too far to go for a guy who does 6 hours max of riding per day and only has two weeks available in the summer.

Gas prices -- I paid less for premium in the US than we pay for regular in Canada. I did some price conversions and where I pay $1.34/litre in Canada for mid-grade, the most I paid for premium was $1.19/litre in the US. The least expensive fuel I purchased was in Gillette at $1.04/litre (just multiply that by 3.83 to get the price per gallon).

Food at the rally -- it was food at a big event. I didn't go hungry. I ate something different every meal. Breakfast was at the restaurant at the National 9 Inn.

Riding -- the only day trip I made was out to Devil's Tower on Saturday. I had fun getting there and back. I made a point of riding on roads that I had never been on getting to and from the rally. Coming south through Montana from Havre to Roundup was a hoot. Was the road twisty - nope. Was the scenery worth the ride - you bet your sweet bippy. From Roundup to Gillette, I chose to stay on I-90 from Billings on in. Again, while the road itself is not a challenging ride, I saw sites that made me go "WOW!" On the way home, I took highway 59/US 16 from Gillette to Sheridan. I thought the landscapes 15 miles north of town were great. Then, I was going to go the "back" way into Billings by riding the Bighorn Pass and then go up through Warren and other small towns. When I realized my route was going to take me onto a dirt road, I just did the Bighorn Pass in reverse and carried on from there. I had fun. Probably the most "boring" riding was on Monday when I went from Billings to Lethbridge, Alberta. MT Route 3 to Great Falls and then I-15/Alberta 4 to Lethbridge is not a scenery filled route. But when you think about it, flat high prairie is beautiful in its own way. Tuesday, from Lethbridge to Edmonton on the back highways was a perfect way to end the trip.

Experience -- Dave Swider asked me after the closing ceremonies if the rally was what I expected it to be. I told him that I would be telling a lie if I said it was because I honestly did not know what to expect. But I have to applaud Deb and Karol and all of the volunteers who made this experience a good one. I met great people (hi everybody (too many to list)). I had a thoroughly enjoyable time and will attend the next rally that is close enough for me to get to in a (what I consider) reasonable amount of time.

My only disappointment was the amount of money I paid for the quality of hotel room in Gillette. I did tell the management what I thought of their facility when I left. And this is nothing the organizers of the rally have any control over.

[Greenwald]

:lol3

Better than what?
Better than hanging out with their friends?
Better than getting to ride some GREAT roads?
Better than the flat dullness of the midwest? (sorry, I had to ride it last year, this time you have to :deal)
Better than what?

Was it perfect? Hell, no. It never is. It was, however, great fun. I wish more people could have gone or would have chosen to go. THAT would be the one important thing that would have made it better.

Thank you to everyone that made it happen. :clap

Same rhetoric....different location.

We can't pronounce every rally a rousing success, simply because we ran into old friends on bikes.......the Harley crowd experiences that every weekend at the corner bar.

Yes - I appreciated the efforts of those who ran the rally.
Yes - I made some new friends (Greg from MI comes to mind...my tenting neighbor!).
Yes - I ran into old friends from West Bend.
Yes - I managed to find a scenic road that wasn't more than a parsec from rally central.

But in my opinion, we compromized way too much to make a square Gillette fit into a round (el) hole.

If you think last week is as good as it gets, so be it. Like many on this forum have mused - our template is in need of an overhaul, and that won't ever happen if we're tripping over each other in a rush to back slap, high five and touch knuckles till we drop.

I enjoy our rallies - let's make them progressively better.

[bmwbikertaz]

I enjoyed the rally, especially the ride to Gillette. I didn't spend a lot of time on the rally grounds, prefering to ride and explore roads in the area. Cheif Joseph was great, in both directions! It's suprising that you can have so much fun riding a fully loaded K12 thru those curves. My riding buddies and I took the "scenic" route to Gillette by way of the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Cody, the aforementioned Chief Joseph hwy. Also ran the Beartooth pass, and Hwy 14/14a. Missed out on Mount Rushmore due to a mishap with my prescription glasses. I had the privilege of spending Friday afternoon at Lenscrafters in Rapid City. Also rode Spearfish canyon.

Due to my work schedule, I had to cover over 1600 miles in two days on the return trip. I missed out on my first 1000 mile day on Sunday by 3 miles. If I had only known at the time, I'd have gone out and rode around the block to get those extra miles.

This was my second national, Lima Ohio being my first. The riding was much better in Gillette than in Ohio, much more fun and scenic.

Thanks to all the volunteers who put on this rally.

[knary]

Same rhetoric....different location.

Exactly my point.:brow

Considering that the rally just finished less than a week ago, it's pretty damn reasonable to congratulate those that put it together rather than talk about how a rally you never wanted to like didn't thrill you.

[knary]

I enjoyed the rally, especially the ride to Gillette. I didn't spend a lot of time on the rally grounds, prefering to ride and explore roads in the area. Cheif Joseph was great, in both directions! It's suprising that you can have so much fun riding a fully loaded K12 thru those curves. My riding buddies and I took the "scenic" route to Gillette by way of the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Cody, the aforementioned Chief Joseph hwy. Also ran the Beartooth pass, and Hwy 14/14a. Missed out on Mount Rushmore due to a mishap with my prescription glasses. I had the privilege of spending Friday afternoon at Lenscrafters in Rapid City. Also rode Spearfish canyon.

Due to my work schedule, I had to cover over 1600 miles in two days on the return trip. I missed out on my first 1000 mile day on Sunday by 3 miles. If I had only known at the time, I'd have gone out and rode around the block to get those extra miles.

This was my second national, Lima Ohio being my first. The riding was much better in Gillette than in Ohio, much more fun and scenic.

Thanks to all the volunteers who put on this rally.

:clap

So which did you prefer? 14 or 14a? :D

[Holly]

How did I miss running into so many of you at the rally? Is it because I'm so short you didn't see me? I'll have to try harder to meet you f2f next year.

I rode over 6,500 km round trip and had a wonderful time. Yes, the prairie winds were a bit exciting considering the fact that I was riding an overloaded 250 Virago, but nothing I couldn't handle. Totally loved the Badlands, rode through them both ways, did Devil's tower etc. Great riding.

Having checked the forum well before I went for the best place to camp, I set up beside a tree in the North 40 not far from the showers, which were superb--no line ups and really hot water. The cool nights were delightful for sleeping. In fact the weather was great all round. Sadly I slept through the light show Thursday night and missed all the excitement. Not that I was tired or anything...

Great talking to those of you I did meet. The rest of you, remember to look down next year in Tennessee. Short people...:D

Holly

[rinty]

Probably the most boring part of the ride was....Billings to Lethbridge...BubbaGazoo

Robert:

Next time, from Billings, try highways 3, 12, 89, 17, 6, and 22 to home. This way you also miss the horrendous Sweetgrass/Coutts border crossing. And you can stay at Bob's Motel in Neihart, where they have a bar in the basement, and the owner will let you park under the stairs, out of the rain.

But you probably know this route, it looks like you were doing a sprint home.

I'm never going to cross at Sweetgrass, ever, ever, again. I spent a miserable 3 hours there a few months ago, importing my new car.

Sounds like you had a great time!

Rinty

[Munchy]

...we're tripping over each other in a rush to back slap, high five and touch knuckles till we drop.

I enjoy our rallies - let's make them progressively better.

Geez, I thought a simple thank you for all the VOLUNTEER effort was just polite.... I haven't had to step over anybody who has "dropped" yet from that simple act.

[Rapid_Roy]

How did I miss running into so many of you at the rally? Is it because I'm so short you didn't see me? I'll have to try harder to meet you f2f next year.

I rode over 6,500 km round trip and had a wonderful time. Yes, the prairie winds were a bit exciting considering the fact that I was riding an overloaded 250 Virago, but nothing I couldn't handle. Totally loved the Badlands, rode through them both ways, did Devil's tower etc. Great riding.

Having checked the forum well before I went for the best place to camp, I set up beside a tree in the North 40 not far from the showers, which were superb--no line ups and really hot water. The cool nights were delightful for sleeping. In fact the weather was great all round. Sadly I slept through the light show Thursday night and missed all the excitement. Not that I was tired or anything...

Great talking to those of you I did meet. The rest of you, remember to look down next year in Tennessee. Short people...:D

Holly
Hi Holly, I am sorry I missed you. I am glad you had a nice trip. I hit the southern Badlands on the way in, aren't they great?:nod

[KGT1200]

Geez, I thought a simple thank you for all the VOLUNTEER effort was just polite.... I haven't had to step over anybody who has "dropped" yet from that simple act.


Your right! "Thank You" to all those out there who volunteered their time to make Gillette a success!

It was my first year in helping out, and plan on doing it in 09. What a great group of people! Thanks for the opportunity!


Dale

[Holly]

Definitely going to catch you in Tennessee next year, Roy. I had so much fun riding to Gillette, I'm already busy planning the next one.

Holly

[KGT1200]

Definitely going to catch you in Tennessee next year, Roy. I had so much fun riding to Gillette, I'm already busy planning the next one.

Holly


An effort was made to get all the Forum folks together at 3:30 in the beer tent, but somehow it didnt work. Maybe we should put together a bit more effort and see if we can get everyone together! I had wanted to meet you as well.

I spent a few hours on the way home in the badlands of North Dakota. What a trip! Sort of like South Dakota's badlands, but less structured and greener? Verrrry cool. I found an abandoned 2 room school house out in the middle of South Dakota on the way out, took a tour, it felt like I was reading a history book by the papers strewn across the floor. I have some pics I am going to post one my high speed is fixed; right now doing the web via 28K modem, so uploading is nary impossible.

See you next year Holly! I am trying to find a route that will take my by Roy's house on my way to TN next year. Who knows? Maybe a line from there to Canada is a straight line?

Dale

[Holly]

I was in the saloon at 3:30 Friday and met several forum members. I couldn't stay for the forum shift since I had volunteered to help the 8K fun run organize itself when the committee chairs were unable to make it to Gillette. Those people are amazing. They get up at a godawful hour to run and were really good about helping to organize it.

Holly

[Holly]

See you next year Holly! I am trying to find a route that will take my by Roy's house on my way to TN next year. Who knows? Maybe a line from there to Canada is a straight line?

Dale

Let's meet at Roy's and I'll find a curvy line to take you to Canada. :D

Holly

[chilei]

This rally was terrible! Plain and simple. The location for one was worse than I thought it could be. No shade, no trees, lots of wind. Booo! The black hills were over 120 miles away. Isn't this a motorcycle rally? Shouldn't this be held where there is good riding?? What gives? The showers were a 1/2 mile away. There were very few food venders. What food they had wasn't that good. The music was terrible. It was putting us to sleep. How about some Rock & Roll? And the closing ceremony....1 1/2 hours of worthless contest winners. Who Cares?! Could you put the "stage" any farther away from the stands? Very unimpressive for a national rally. Plus or minus 5,000 people? Doesn't sound like a very good turn out to me.I guess I am an optimist...

1. 120 miles to Mount Rushmore? I went to a motorcycle Rally to ride... I did that and a good 350 mile day makes me very happy... great roads with little traffic too!

2. Showers... I NEVER waited in a line, I simply went, showered, and left... actually took less time to shower than it would if they were right there in the middle of everyone.

3. I don't go for music but NRPS were great! I like R&R too, but prefer to socialize and talk... but there were two areas for the beer, one inside and one out, inside it was possible to have a discussion.

4. I agree with the closing ceremonies though... by that time people were just wanting to get some miles done on the way home before dark yet had to stick around simply because they may win something that they have to be present for.

5. It wasn't very windy at all there... you obviously haven't spent much time in WY.

6. Weather was good.

7. I made several great seminars.

8. Riding was good, the LEO's were very reasonable, I for one know I was clocked nearly doubling the speed limit and when I started to pull over the officer just waved at me... great sweepers, great roads, cheaper gas prices than many areas.

9. No traffic, in and out of Gillette and onto quality roads in no time.

I thought the organizers did a great job on this. When I first heard it was in Gillette I was suprised but found it to be a well done Rally. I went to VT and found that Gillette did have fewer people and fewer vendors but I thought this one was on par.

[Greenwald]

Geez, I thought a simple thank you for all the VOLUNTEER effort was just polite.... I haven't had to step over anybody who has "dropped" yet from that simple act.

You know, when you only grab a 'snipet' of someone's post, it's easy to 'selectively quote' that individual, and alter the intention of the author - Journalism 101.

I never exclude any part of a quote, for to do so is to edit someone's comments to fit my needs.

In the future, if you wish to ridicule my comments, please ridicule ALL of them as a unit ....Thank You.

I personally went up to several volunteers at the Rally in Gillette and thanked them for their efforts, rather than simply post a generic "Good Job" here on the forum - did you?!

But turning a blind eye towards shortcomings at Gillette serves no useful purpose for bettering ourselves and our rallies.

Now.....not 8 months from now, is the time to critique all that went well, and all that could go better and tweak our rally operating matrix.

[Tominator]

Few of my friends returned...they said the Food venders where few and far between, not as many vendors as rallies on the east coast. Took 60 mile to ride somewhere worth riding (Nice Roads) I had to cancel my trip and I was really looking forward to this years adventure.

Im sure next years event will be better!

Even this years Rally shirts...who picked the baby blue color? Lat years shirts were Wicked! And this years where terrible.

Tomas

[k75karol]

Few of my friends returned...they said the Food venders where few and far between, not as many vendors as rallies on the east coast. Took 60 mile to ride somewhere worth riding (Nice Roads) I had to cancel my trip and I was really looking forward to this years adventure.

Im sure next years event will be better!

Even this years Rally shirts...who picked the baby blue color? Lat years shirts were Wicked! And this years where terrible.


Evidentally your friend picked that baby blue shirt. They could have chosen red or white.

Constructive suggestions/comments are always welcome but to complain about the color of a rally shirt for an event you chose not to attend is a bit much!:stick

[kbasa]

I dunno about the rest of you, but I had a great time, not only at the rally, but on the way to and from the rally. Tina and I covered about 3700 miles of territory, saw some amazing stuff and had a wonderful terminus in Gillette to hang with our friends.

I should probably get my photos loaded, huh?

[Ironguy]

My turn.
I had a truly great time in old "Razor City". The Rally Chairs did a fine job and deserve a boatload of thanks.
I camped in the north forty and had unlimited shower access and the shuttle service was always available.
The folks who might have found the weather a bit unpalatable could possibly have done a bit of homework prior to attending. Wyoming is a hight plains state and yes the wind does blow. Although I will have to say that what you experienced was pretty much average summer conditions. I venture to say that anyplace in these great United States the wind can blow and the skies can open up, sometimes for days on end. At least that didn't happen.
Many of us live in Wyoming by choice and that includes the vagaries of weather and the lack of people. We work hard and are proud of our state, even the less scenic parts of it.
I met some fine folks from around the country and plan to see them next year in Johnson City.
Thanks again for a fun time.
Welcome to Wyoming, frankly I don't care how you do it back home.

[kjax909]

Well, no matter what, some people are going to complain. Something as complex as a national rally isn't likely to be perfect in every regard (I want the best riding in the world! Food at my beck and call! Imported 100 ft oak trees! Someone to carry me to the showers!, etc., etc., etc.). That's really an unreasonable expectation. What is reasonable, is that if you chose to go (something of your own doing), then you were also fully in control of whether you had a good time. So, in my view your lack of a good time says more about you than it does about the organizers or the organization. A few specifics I would like to mention:

- The amount of air conditioned space available was fantastic. I always had a place to go to escape the mid-day sun (although the lack of chaise lounges in the seminars is pretty unforgivable).

- I went to registration 9:00am Thursday--prime time. Maybe took me 10 minutes start to finish (not pre-registered). You nailed that one.

- Maybe it's just me, but the seminars seemed to be more varied and wider reaching this year. I went to some good ones.

- I had some great rides and didn't have to go the Black Hills or the Tetons to do it.

So, my cowboy hat off to Deb, Karol and all of MOA's staff and rally volunteers. Keep in mind folks, these are your motorcycling friends and family and they all work very hard.

[SIBUD]

I sure missed not being able to attend. I have read all the posts and heard all of the differing viewpoints about what was good, bad and ugly about Gillette.

But most of all I was touched by Roy's Ride Report (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27985).

Thanks Roy for taking the time to share your experience with the rest of us.:clap

[Rapid_Roy]

I sure missed not being able to attend. I have read all the posts and heard all of the differing viewpoints about what was good, bad and ugly about Gillette.

But most of all I was touched by Roy's Ride Report (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27985).

Thanks Roy for taking the time to share your experience with the rest of us.:clap
Thank you,and you are welcome. It was my pleasure.:wave
I am almost ready to do monday, the last stage of my journey.
My wife keeps mentioning chores, even though I am trying to tell her this is important. :laugh

[kgadley01]

This was my first BMW Rally, and I had a great time. yea the food venders were few. also not as many inside venders as I expected. I knew in advance there would not be much good riding close to the Rally site. BUT!!! the volunteers worked their butts off. the beer was ice cold, and I got to meet lots of great Beemer people. I just got home about two hours ago. 7/27/08 I visited 19 states and logged 5,520 miles on my trusty RT. Hope to see all of you next year in Tenn.

Kenny Gadley
Coward, S.C.

[knary]

I think the rally needs another day to fit all the seminars and stuff. :D

not kidding

[knary]

Statdawg :wave

Good to see you again. :nod

[Greg_K]

We had a good time. This was my second National and my girlfriend's first. I attended the entire rally last year, but we only were at Gillette from Wed to Friday afternoon so that we could make it to Boise ID to see her new grandchild.

Yes, the food sucked - not that good and not enough of it. I think that an open letter to the local Chamber of Commerce and an add in the local paper a few months before the rally would have brought in quite a few food vendors. The few that were there were certainly not prepaired for the crowds. Luckily, there were plenty of choices outside the rally.

I thought the seminars that we attended were great and the lack of shade wasn't really an issue unless you were planning on napping during the day instead of riding, attending seminars or visiting the vendors.

I am suprised nobody has complained yet about the tire vendor. They did a good job but were obviously overwhelmed as well. This wasn't an issue for me since when I realized they were backed up, I grabbed the Anonymous book, called up BigTwin BMW in Boise and set up an appointment there (great service, by the way!)

For us, the Rally is a destination and a chance to absorb the atmosphere that the MOA provides. The 5,000 miles that we traveled over the past two weeks was what we took vacation from our jobs for. The Black Hills, the Badlands, Devil's tower, BearTooth Pass, YellowStone Park and Bear Lake (in Utah) were fantastic (although I could have done without the hailstorm we hit in Montanna!).

[Rich]

I am suprised nobody has complained yet about the tire vendor. They did a good job but were obviously overwhelmed as well.

All you had to do was purchase a tire and carry your wheel and new tire over to the NoMar Tire Changer display, they mounted new tires for free just to demonstrate their equipment, which was quite impressive. I believe they even balanced for free too.

I want one.

[KGT1200]

I think the rally needs another day to fit all the seminars and stuff. :D

not kidding

West Bend had this German Theme thing going down, but that theme thing fell in line with German food Best Brats, Great/Fantastic vending food (burp). The local flavor was exellent repast.

Wyomingers are notably the best free style cooks of anything that runs real fast and potatoes, So I guess the "theme thing" would of been hard to do:p As much as my dear old mom(who was born in rock springs) was a great cook, all meals contained somthing killed with her or pa's own hands...

Now Tennenesse food, whats that like? In Gillette, the BBQ was in high demand, high in expense, and every time I tried it was all most gone, and the cook ol boy was starting to act like Seinfeilds' "Soup Nazi" "no more beans fuuuur you!!!".

An idea out there is maybe in 09 we get somebody to kill, cook all whole damn cow saturday night, along with huge stainless tubs of fixins, then charge ahead a time for Saturday night Tennesse feed.....In other words if the verndors can't keep up, change the focus of venders at least for one night to a catered affair by the ticket so you know how big of cow to kill:heart yum! Just an idea, anyways!

[Visian]

An idea out there is maybe in 09 we get somebody to kill, cook all whole damn cow saturday night, along with huge stainless tubs of fixins, then charge ahead a time for Saturday night Tennesse feed.....In other words if the verndors can't keep up, change the focus of venders at least for one night to a catered affair by the ticket so you know how big of cow to kill:heart yum! Just an idea, anyways!

that's a good idea.

in TN, it would probably be more than a few hogs, and they would be BBQ'd.

dunno what it is with the west, but those people out there don't know how to barbeque. (although the BBQ nazi did have it going on.... just not on a big enough scale.)

and then, of course, there is always the 24-hour/day chicken idea. (swiped from the Alabama rally, from whence next year's rally chair hails....)

:eat

ian

[alabeemer]

that's a good idea.

in TN, it would probably be more than a few hogs, and they would be BBQ'd.

dunno what it is with the west, but those people out there don't know how to barbeque. (although the BBQ nazi did have it going on.... just not on a big enough scale.)

and then, of course, there is always the 24-hour/day chicken idea. (swiped from the Alabama rally, from whence next year's rally chair hails....)

:eat

ian

Next year chair here. I have been reading with great interest the comments posted here. I have attended Nationals since 2003 as an attendee. This year however I attended as a volunteer. Arrived on Monday and stayed until the last call Sunday morning.

For those who have never volunteered at a national you cannot possibly understand what it takes to plan and execute one of these. Of course neither do I but you will not find that out until next year's rally! Back to my point, the volunteer spirit is alive in this organization and it truly does take volunteers to make this thing work. I am convinced you couldn't pay people enough to provide what your volunteers provide each year for very little praise and a great deal of criticism!

The MOA staff is a group of dedicated folks that do more than you can imagine on a daily basis to pull all this together. Couple that with all the committee chairs and their volunteers that run each of their committees with a passion you would have to see to believe (And this year I did). Again, this dedication cannot be bought at any price IMO. Thanks Deb and Karol for your hard work and the education this year!

Obviously food is important. There are approximately 12 on site vendors in JC with established "store fronts" and we are working on others as well. However, remember it is up to each of these vendors whether to participate or not. Food variety and availability commands greater attention than ever considering the size of the crowd I expect will be in attendance. I promise it will get this attention!

Shade is usually the first thing folks ask about. However please remember that facilities of the size to handle 5000-10000 attendees cannot by design look like the city park in Paonia! Nice and shady for sure but not a place that could handle 5000 or more rally attendees. So the nationals by their shear size require large "open" spaces. The early arrivals get the best camping spots. Always been that way and Tennessee will be no different. The camping areas will be plentiful and there will be a lot of "preferred" areas but again...be early to get the best ones!

I hope those that attended Gillette had a chance to visit our 09 booth. As the majority of my time was spent there, I am pleased to report there is much excitement about this location. The management at the fair grounds as well as the Convention and Visitors Board are very excited about us coming to town.

As your rally chair I will do whatever I can to work with the MOA staff and the hundreds of volunteers that will be required to plan and execute this party. Will it be perfect? Certainly not. However it will not be because we didn't try..and try in earnest.

For those familiar with the Chicken Rally, I must tell you that I have been contacted by the kitchen crew from the Alabama club with whom I have worked side by side with for the last several years with but one request...NO SMOKED CHICKEN! So if it is chicken you want, you will have to join us Memorial Day weekend in Huntsville. You may want chicken again sometime but I am quite sure it won't be until after July 18th!

Hang in there everyone. Your MOA staff and all the dedicated volunteers are already working on next years rally. In fact, I got to go...Hmm what color T-shirts next year? :p

Vance Harrelson
2009 Rally Chair

[eljeffe]

We ran into a lot of Gillette attendees at Paonia. The general consensus was that the rally was good; however, it was plagued with a lot of little nit-pick problems and only one BIG problem -- FOOD.

I think the one comment that stuck out was that by Wednesday afternoon, there were more food vendors at Paonia than all of the rally at Gillette.

Not every rally can be perfect, so you end up making it a good or bad experience by how you deal with it.

One other comment that I heard was that the vendors were very limited this year. I wasn't there, so I couldn't judge. Based on the conversations I had with several vendors at Paonia, gas prices are just killing the traditional rally vendors. While we've all been hit with a blow to the wallet, rally vendors are even more effected. They are slaves to the rally schedule and location, making it an exercise in travel optimization. One week, you might have a rally in Tennessee, and the next, one on Idaho. It makes it very tough and expensive for the vendors to make it to every event. The only way we can get vendors to these event is if the attendees buy their products. So, whenever you attend an event like the MOA Rally, you might make an effort to visit vendors, and consider getting that farkle or apparel item you've been wanting. Even if you know you might find it a couple bucks cheaper online, try taking into consideration the convenience the rally vendor brings by giving you the opportunity to try on that jacket, or get that instant gratification by purchasing or having it installed while at the event.

[Delphicorc]

Well it's clear that the food was not great and not exactly plentiful, but the location in the north central part of the continent was good for us Canadian members and many did take advantage by attending. I just can't understand why with some 6-7,000 attendes that profit motive alone wouldn't have encouraged more food concessions to set up shop - the ones that did, did very well indeed.

[The_Veg]

It's about the Journey, NOT the Destination.

+ A million!

Lima was a lot farther from good riding than was Gillete, but nobody griped then. And the way I see it, the ways to Gillette from most of the country provided something interesting SOMEWHERE along the way. Hell, I had 500-odd miles of boring-ass TexSux to cross before I even got to the interesting part!

I'm happy that I can come and hang out with so many friends in one place. To me the rally is an amazing experience and one that I won't miss without compelling reason.

[GlennB]

Well, it really is all about the journey.

http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/articles/2008/07/29/news/friday/news07.txt

Let this be a lesson to those who complain about trying to get a bite at the rally.
:bolt

[SHAG]

I just got home today. I spent $532.23 on gas & enjoyed all 3 rallies!

[Greenwald]

Hang in there everyone. Your MOA staff and all the dedicated volunteers are already working on next years rally. In fact, I got to go...Hmm what color T-shirts next year? Vanmar 27



ANYTHING but Baby Blue!

I bought one in Gillette and I wear it with pride, but my riding buddies make fun of me, and that's very emotional.

Must go eat worms now.:bolt

P.S.: Looking forward to Johnson City! You have excellent riding in the area, as I have ridden down there from WI each of the past several years.

Now, about the weather?!:clap

[alabeemer]

Now, about the weather?!:clap[/QUOTE]


Being from the south I suppose we "get used to it" if there is such a thing. as long as I can remember the heat in the "west" has been described as a "dry heat". Well, if it is a dry heat in the west....I suppose it is a "wet heat" in the south! Don't worry though...you are going to be riding most of time anyway! :D

[kgadley01]

I would like to propose that next year everyone wear a name tag with their screen name used on this Forum. I was looking forward to meeting all of the people who post here. I only met one. Just a thought... Kenny...:clap

[jlsquier]

Vance
This was the first year I donated a day of my rally time to help and meet people, I enjoyed this very much and look forward to doing the same in JC..... Will Tallie be there:heart

Jerry

[k75karol]

Hang in there everyone. Your MOA staff and all the dedicated volunteers are already working on next years rally. In fact, I got to go...Hmm what color T-shirts next year? Vanmar 27

ANYTHING but Baby Blue!

I bought one in Gillette and I wear it with pride, but my riding buddies make fun of me, and that's very emotional.



How about hot pink??? :hide

[gmiller410]

Just wanted to say a BIG THANKS to all the folks that worked on the Gillette Rally. I HAD A BLAST!!!

1. I got out of going to work for four days,
2. had a great ride out and back,
3. met & rode with a bunch of great folks while there,
4. my tent didn't leak,
5. I didn't gain any weight,
6. and my bike didn't die.

Okay, I didn't get any smarter or better looking, but what else could I ask for?

As for the nay sayers? (Reminds me of a song lyric by Spider John Koerner, "Don't let the b#st#rds get you down, don't let them hassle you to a frazzle, 'cuz they're all full of beans anway, don't ya know". It's real easy to sit on the sidelines and complain about things that other folks pour their heart and soul into. It's another story to push the keyboard away and actually do something to make things better.

Was the rally perfect? No. Are my Airheads perfect? No. (Okay, I'll clean 'em when there's a foot of snow on the ground!) Is life perfect? Heck no! Perfection is boring. What makes life - and motorcycling - fun is that you've got to roll with the punches. (That's also why they make Heli-Coils!!) You need to start with a plan and see where it takes you. That's how rallies are suppossed to be, imperfect. The fun lies in dealing with that imperfection.

I guess its true. Some folks like watching and critiquing movies. Others like to star in them. Ride safe brothers & sisters! See you in Tennessee!

Greg

[zzkvsl]

this was only my forth rally ( Trenton, Lima and Burlington) I couldn't wait to have an excuses to ride out west. ended up making the trip alone ( without the wife) but met lots of nice people and seen a lot of sights I may have never had the change to see from the seat of my bike without the rally to drag me out there. I didn’t have that big of a deal with the food , Town was real close and the ribs at the rally were real good after a long day of riding. I think I road dang near ever road in the black hill and even made it to the Grand Tetons one day. saw two moose ( a male and cow) on the way over the Big Horn Mountains ( snow on the top) . over all I had a great time and would do it again in a heart beat .just wish I hadn’t missed the stunt show....didn’t see it in the list of events , must have been a last minute add on by BMW . but I did see a Black Bear in Yellowstone. ( can't see one of those everyday ( even here in Michigan) .

would have been nice if the rally had been closer to Yellowstone there are lots of cool thing to see over there , but then we would have not been close enough to the Black Hills. I had a 1300mile trip out there and road 2000 miles while there , what’s a couple hundred miles here or there …..guess that why I have 172k on mine and some of you whiner’s haven’t hit the 100k mark yet ……..as the T-shirt says just shut- up and ride.

I had a GREAT time and would like to thank every ones hard work it took that put it on, I camped with Dave on the trip home and I think he has talked me into volunteering next year, can't wait see you in

[Greenwald]

How about hot pink??? :hide

Actually, I LIKED the blue (also bought one in red) and if my riding buddies have a problem with that, I'll send 'em your way!

Hot Pink?

Hmmm....perhaps for the SO.

See you in TN!

[kbasa]

I would like to propose that next year everyone wear a name tag with their screen name used on this Forum. I was looking forward to meeting all of the people who post here. I only met one. Just a thought... Kenny...:clap

Flash approached me with that idea, as well. Name tags so people could write their name, username and bike on them. Wear them like credentials at a trade show. I think it's a cool idea.

[wmubrown]

Our only "issue" was at "the best place to eat" where we ordered our food and then waited for over 1 1/2 hours for it to arrive, the food was either over-cooked or cold, and the service was terrible! We thought we were just "unlucky" that night but after talking to others who went on different nights and at different times, that was the trend with The Prime Rib - I definitely would not recommend it to anyone!

Sorry to hear that. A buddy and I stopped there for lunch on the way into the rally from Spearfish on Wednesday and while they had only 1 waitress on staff (someone did not report, which is beyond their control) she did a good job, though we had a little wait. The food was GREAT!! We then brought a group of 6 back for dinner Thursday night, we were seated in a very short time, had good prompt service, and again - excellent food! No complaints here... though its not the first time local establishments have not been able to handle the flood. I know the MOA works closely with the local Chamber but the Chambers don't seem to convey the information well to their members - the Trenton Canada national was a good example of that, local restaurants seemed to have NO idea we were coming ;)

[wmubrown]

How about a photo ID type but with our avatar ?

Is the Tag man retired that once made the standard BMW ones ?

Yes, he sold the business a few years ago and I've not seen the 'new guy' since :(

[vetbmwrider]

All I have to say is the Deb and Karol did a great job along with all the rally chairs that put there personal time aside to put on this rally. As for the camping this was the first time at a rally that I running water, electricity, and clean showers 24hrs a day and no wait time. Yes I was out there in the North Forty with my 4 year old daughter playing in the only pool on the rally grounds. The shuttle that ran back and to the main area ran ever 10 to 15 min. Or you could ride your bike to the main area or walk. Now about awards I think that a 91 and 88 year couple should be recognized as the others he signed up for the awards. Now most of us over the age 18 and are spoiled by the easy life we have made for our self’s. Nice comfortable beds to sleep in ever night. Now that we have a rally once a year with maybe a winter type rally coming soon. It takes many of man hours to put on of these rally and they do it without pay. Maybe we should not complain about all the small stuff and focus on all the positive things that these rally accomplish. Or maybe we should follow the example of 4 year old daughter and thought the best thing about the rally was going sight seeing and going to MT Rushmore. Yes she did win an award for the youngest female passenger, but she did it without a complaint over 5000 miles all together for the trip maybe we should follow her example.

[jcrary]

Sorry the one gentleman had unsatisfactory results from Sturgis BMW. I hope his complaint to BMWNA does not result in the loss of another dealer as he states. This small multi-brand dealership has bailed me out twice while over 1000 plus miles from home. Once with an electrical problem and once with a tire issue. Both times they were extremly busy with other brand repairs as well as fixing other items sold/serviced by them atv's , etc. Further a few years back my girlfriend and her daughter were having electrical problems with their bike , again they were very accommadating considering how busy they were. In talking with them during one of my dealings with them , they explained that they have to do "triage ", attempting to fix broke down bikes according to need.(Understanding when broke down ,your bike, in your mind ,is the priority!) With as small as they are , I was pleased. (ie: amount of employees and technicians.) Further I have found them to to be friendly , but always busy when at their dealership. Like him I too have had a couple of unpleasant dealings with other BMW dealers and fortunatly was able to resolve same to both parties satisfaction. Again , sorry his BMW dealer experience left such a bad taste. Ride Safe. .....P.S. I have to agree with the poster who commented on the amount of posts someone does as reflecting on their worthiness. I would speculate many of us choose to only read the good information on the BMW websites , rather than comment on an issue we don't have an opinion on.

[Rich]

I want to add a positive plug for Sturgis BMW too. They are my dealer, the nearest one, at 235 miles from my door.

They've always been more than fair, willing to deal when I purchased new, which is twice now in four years. Dick and his crew are always friendly and willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

They service a large area, we need them and we need to support them. I'm sure if there had been a way to squeeze you in for your needed repairs, they would have done so. That's the way they operate.

Sorry you had to hit them at such an inopportune time, I'm sure they were sick turning you away for the day.

[Greenwald]

I want to add a positive plug for Sturgis BMW too. They are my dealer, the nearest one, at 235 miles from my door.

They've always been more than fair, willing to deal when I purchased new, which is twice now in four years. Dick and his crew are always friendly and willing to do what it takes to get the job done.

They service a large area, we need them and we need to support them. I'm sure if there had been a way to squeeze you in for your needed repairs, they would have done so. That's the way they operate.

Sorry you had to hit them at such an inopportune time, I'm sure they were sick turning you away for the day.

I'm the 'Gentleman' (Thank You for that....I've been called worse on this forum!) who had the unfortunate experience at Sturgis BMW.

You paint a far different portrait of 'Dick and his crew' than I was privey to that Friday afternoon with ZERO forward illumination on my R1200RT.

Five minutes of a competent tech's time would most likely have resulted in removing a defective Kisan modulator from the 'headlight loop' and solved my problem.

Instead, I was condemed to driving home for over a 1,000 miles with flashlights strapped beneath my oil cooler, while I watched 'locals' who had just purchased tires ushered into service bays for mounting as I prepared to leave after being told to "come back Monday and we'll see."

My local BMW dealer serviced my problem immediately.

Kisan provided me with a new $130 modulator free of charge.

Sturgis BMW......not a peep.

BMW NA is not happy with them!

[Rich]

Five minutes of a competent tech's time would most likely have resulted in removing a defective Kisan modulator from the 'headlight loop' and solved my problem.

My local BMW dealer serviced my problem immediately.



Was your local dealer swamped with business caused by a national rally going on nearby when they serviced your problem immediately?

A competent tech. Let's see, I believe they have two of them at that particular dealership. And I'm seriously betting neither one of them was changing tires for "locals".

Do you believe that with all the BMW riders passing through that your problem was the only and most important business of the day?

There's two sides to every story. The next time I stop in I will refer Dick to this thread and hear his side.

[Greenwald]

Was your local dealer swamped with business caused by a national rally going on nearby when they serviced your problem immediately?

A competent tech. Let's see, I believe they have two of them at that particular dealership. And I'm seriously betting neither one of them was changing tires for "locals".

Do you believe that with all the BMW riders passing through that your problem was the only and most important business of the day?

There's two sides to every story. The next time I stop in I will refer Dick to this thread and hear his side.

Good Morning Rich. I have never met you and have no reason to 'lock horns with you over this issue.' I hope you have a pleasant day. Here in WI, it's sunny, low 80's and a good day to ride. But, to the matter at hand..........

As your 'local' dealer, I can understand your loyalty to 'Dick' and your desire to see this dealership survive. With only 140+ dealers in the entire nation, I'm not headhunting for the elimination of any of them; I'd rather see the number double!

But I was there that day - you were not. A represenative from the service desk made a cursury examination of my bike, pronounced that I "must have a short in the headlight bucket," and made the comment about "come back Monday" before walking away. I'll take your word that your techs are competent, but one was never provided.

Being a Friday afternoon, I went back in to try and negotiate a better outcome. I stood in line behind LOCAL bikers (Suzuki's, etc. - not BMW's) buying tires and getting immediate service or in one case, told to "come back in about two hours for mounting and balancing."

Couldn't double back to anywhere in WY (NO BMW dealers in the state - remember?!) and Sturgis was the ONLY dealer in SD. By the time I had limped back to the MN / WI area, it was already Saturday evening and Sunday, and NO dealers were open for business, so Sturgis really screwed me over with their ambivilence.

You made the point that my local dealer was most likely not swamped with transient business when I needed service, and you're completely right.

But last year, when the MOA Rally was in WI, I was advised not to schedule any routine service (tires, oil, inspections, etc.) during the rally week, as service time was being dedicated to bikers going to, attending or leaving the Rally.

Sturgis BMW needs to step it up a notch or two in the dedication department.

Silver lining: I highly doubt the MOA will ever again schedule a national rally in such a remote location as Gillette, and unfortunately, Sturgis BMW is another one of the many reasons why.

[Rich]

I stood in line behind LOCAL bikers (Suzuki's, etc. - not BMW's) buying tires and getting immediate service or in one case, told to "come back in about two hours for mounting and balancing."


Just to clarify, this dealership is named "Sturgis Yamaha BMW Suzuki". Like I mentioned earlier, the BMW techs were not changing tires, trust me. They have technicians that cover the other brands that were getting the tires and you surely don't want those guys messing with your BMW. I know I wouldn't.

So the big question, were the BMW techs so busy they couldn't take a few minutes to look over an emergency problem? I don't know the answer to that. They may have had their hands full of emergency problems.

Anyway, sorry you had a bad experience with them. Given the circumstances I would probably feel the same way.

I hope you had a pleasant day also. :buds

[Greenwald]

Just to clarify, this dealership is named "Sturgis Yamaha BMW Suzuki". Like I mentioned earlier, the BMW techs were not changing tires, trust me. They have technicians that cover the other brands that were getting the tires and you surely don't want those guys messing with your BMW. I know I wouldn't.

So the big question, were the BMW techs so busy they couldn't take a few minutes to look over an emergency problem? I don't know the answer to that. They may have had their hands full of emergency problems.

Anyway, sorry you had a bad experience with them. Given the circumstances I would probably feel the same way.

I hope you had a pleasant day also. :buds

Should we ever meet, first beer's on me.

[BMWK1200LTRIDER]

At first, and after reading all of the negative posts about Gillette, I did not plan to go to the national this year. I decided to go at the last minute, about a week before the rally just in time to pre-register. I tent camped at the site.

I arrived in the early afternoon on Wednesday. I did not make the connection about the rally in Spearfish which had more folks at Gillette the day before the rally than any one I had attended before. Yet I did manage to find a small tree to camp under which shaded my tent in the afternoon.

All of the talk about the 100+ degree heat caused me to leave the sleeping bag at home using a air mattress and fleece blanket. I nearly froze every night until the last evening.

The nightly thunderstorms were a lot of fun as well.

I had a battery fail on the bike with out warning on Friday afternoon. At first I could not find a single vendor selling batteries. We had underwear, flag poles, every techey gismo you could find, but no batteries. (Non Motorcycle Vendors at Rally Rant to come later.)

Thank the very fine folks from Santa Cruz BMW!!!!! They brought a few batteries "just in case" for folks who needed them. I had trouble finding one because they did not advertise the fact they had any. This was so that only the needy ones of us would be able to purchase them.

Now that is BMW Dealership thinking at it finest. Customer first!!! They did not have to do this. But they did.

All in all I had a great time at the rally! To me I go to the National Rally as an adventure. If ever thing went as planned I would probably be disappointed.

My wife and I will attend the 2009 Rally in Tennessee. Since we will be motel camping and dealerships are closer, I don't expect to have any mechanical drama, but I will have more fun riding the hills of Tennessee and North Carolina!

To the people who put on the rally in 2008 Thank You very much. I have memories of a great adventure.

See some of you in Tennessee!

[krikir]

...there would be a certain group that would say:

"This is just horrible, we have absolutely NOTHING to complain about! Life sucks."

[Sue]

But I was there that day - you were not. A represenative from the service desk made a cursury examination of my bike, pronounced that I "must have a short in the headlight bucket," and made the comment about "come back Monday" before walking away.

... ... snipped ... ...

... Sturgis really screwed me over with their ambivilence.



Greenwald -
Glad you made it back to Wisconsin okay. I made it home in one day - 960 miles. Whew! What a blast! :D

If you were at Sturgis BMW on Friday, you might have seen Brian there. He had gotten a flat (rear tire) on the campgrounds, and was horrified when he realized how bad his brakes looked. He decided to buy a set of brakes before he put the new tire on, but there were none at the rally - so he called Sturgis BMW and they offered to hold a set for him.

Since his bike was stripped down at that point, he took my GS back to Sturgis BMW and picked up what he needed. He said the people at Sturgis BMW were great.



But last year, when the MOA Rally was in WI, I was advised not to schedule any routine service (tires, oil, inspections, etc.) during the rally week, as service time was being dedicated to bikers going to, attending or leaving the Rally.



Last year in Wisconsin, we were very VERY fortunate to have the support of three exceptional dealers, all within less than 90 miles of the rally site. It is not fair to compare one event to the other.

Your bike was running fine - right?
And you COULD have stopped before dark - right?
And this was an after-market item that failed - right?

I am only guessing that Sturgis BMW might have decided that your issue was not a show stopper for you. (Flashlights? How imaginative! I would have looked for a hotel before dusk.)

The bottom line --- the experience you had and the way you handled it was of your own making.

Glad you are going to the 09 rally. I think Vance is going to show all of us a GREAT time in the hills of Tennessee.

[Greenwald]

Sue - just for clarification.

I duct-taped flashlights under the oil cooler NOT to operate after dark, but for DAYTIME visibility to other motorists, which is required by law in most states.

I risked being cited if I didn't resort to that, and even with them, they were a sad substitute for forward illumination and I was nearly run into head-on by motorists passing other traffic (mid-day!) on two-way roads, unaware of my presence in the on-coming lane. This happened once in SD and once in MN.

I'm glad Brian had a 'good' experience at Sturgis BMW, but mine was equally 'bad.'

You were not there when I needed my assistance, nor I when Brian got his issues quickly resolved. And though ultimately, my problem was with an aftermarket add-on, that was not known at the time, and the effort Sturgis BMW put into even a amateur diagnosis was pathetic.

While BMW NA has stayed in contact with me over this issue, Sturgis hasn't even patronized me with a token apology.

"A mile in my shoes" (actually, over a 1,000 miles without lights, to be more precise) might have you looking at this differently.

Enjoy The Day.

[KGT1200]

Sue - just for clarification.

I duct-taped flashlights under the oil cooler NOT to operate after dark, but for DAYTIME visibility to other motorists, which is required by law.

I risked being cited if I didn't resort to that, and even with them, they were a sad substitute for forward illumination and I was nearly run into head-on by motorists passing other traffic (mid-day!) on two-way roads, unaware of my presence in the on-coming lane. This happened once in SD and once in MN.

I'm glad Brian had a 'good' experience at Sturgis BMW, but mine was equally 'bad.'

You were not there when I needed my assistance, nor I when Brian got his issues quickly resolved. And though ultimately, my problem was with an aftermarket add-on, that was not known at the time, and the effort Sturgis BMW put into even a amateur diagnosis was pathetic.

While BMW NA has stayed in contact with me over this issue, Sturgis hasn't even patronized me with a token apology.

"A mile in my shoes" (actually, over a 1,000 miles without lights, to be more precise) might have you looking at this differently.

Enjoy The Day.


Greenwald; was it BOTH front and back lights? My worst nightmare..Glad you made it home safe!

[Sue]

"A mile in my shoes" (actually, over a 1,000 miles without lights, to be more precise) might have you looking at this differently.


Probably not. :laugh

There is no headlight law in South Dakota. And - frankly, if you would have been stopped for riding without a headlight in Minnesota or Wisconsin and explained the situation to any LEO, I would be surprised if you would have been cited. I find most LEOs are pretty understanding and reasonable. (cough cough ... especially when you explain that you are part of the brotherhood. NOT that you would do that....)

And finally, it's all about attitude. My attitude. I truly love the adventure and find that laughing through the adversities makes the trip a lot more fun and certainly a lot more memorable.

It is what it is. This is not a criticism of you but a reflection on how I deal with challenges and the fact it is different than your style.

By the way, the first love of my life -- (8th grade) -- was Tom Greenwald of Waukesha. :heart Any relation?

[Greenwald]

Probably not. :laugh

There is no headlight law in South Dakota. And - frankly, if you would have been stopped for riding without a headlight in Minnesota or Wisconsin and explained the situation to any LEO, I would be surprised if you would have been cited. I find most LEOs are pretty understanding and reasonable. (cough cough ... especially when you explain that you are part of the brotherhood. NOT that you would do that....)

And finally, it's all about attitude. My attitude. I truly love the adventure and find that laughing through the adversities makes the trip a lot more fun and certainly a lot more memorable.

It is what it is. This is not a criticism of you but a reflection on how I deal with challenges and the fact it is different than your style.

By the way, the first love of my life -- (8th grade) -- was Tom Greenwald of Waukesha. :heart Any relation?

I know MOST of the 300+ WI State Troopers and there are more than a handful that follow the letter of the law.....particularly when it comes to the 'brotherhood.'

I was sufficiently concerned, especially in the western portion of the state.

Secondly, after 30+ years on the Dive Rescue Team , the last 10 as it's leader, and 32 1/2 in law enforcement, I'm no stranger to adversity........but I hardly embrace it as the memorable moments of a trip. Friends, scenery, wildlife encounters, lunch stops and such "are the stuff my dreams are made of."

Lastly, alas, no....Tom is no relation. You're secret is safe with me!

[Greenwald]

Greenwald; was it BOTH front and back lights? My worst nightmare..Glad you made it home safe!

Thanks Red.

No - 'just' power to all front lights were out - no low beams, no high beams, no PIAA's. Luckily, I still had tail and brake lights.

[AKBeemer]

.....I'm no stranger to adversity........but I hardly embrace it as the memorable moments of a trip.

I had to remind my wife of this truism last July while near Destruction Bay, YT. She was on her first long trip on her own bike; temperature 40 degrees; hard rain; winds gusting to 35 MPH; fun meter reading zero.... "Remember, if it doesn't suck it isn't an adventure."

[cathdeac]

I was in my lab, working. I'd have traded the "light show", sun, wind and "150 mile ride" to the "Black Hills" in a flash... after all, 150 miles really isn't that far on the LT... or HD.

[milescitymt]

I live nearby; about 2 1/2 hours on nice two lane highways, which I prefer over interstate any day. I did not expect a lot of the Gillette area having been there many times- I was right. Not much to do around town and the locals and local businesses didn't have much of a role in the event. I did eat at Pokey's BBQ and it was quite enjoyable. I wish Gillette had more places to eat away from the Rally because I too thought the Rally vendors left a lot to be desired. The guy with the big barbecue, from Arizona I think, made some good chicken, but it was a loooong wait and wait and wait. I think he was having trouble with the thin air or something.

As for riding, Gillette sucks. It's flat, straight, usually hot and dry (unless a storm is going through). My bikes were both kaput and I had no choice but taking my car. I'm glad I did because we passed through high wind, rain, and 1/2" hail on the way down. I agree Cody or Sheridan would have been much better locations for riding and stuff to see and do. Gillette has proximity to almost nothing, and two hours to nearby scenic places is a long way.

I felt the number of vendors was a bit low for a "national" event, but i realize it's the middle of nowhere and we're talking about 5000 patrons to try to sell to? They cant stay open all night. There were some quality companies and people there with decent deals on some stuff. If you've got a BMW (or perhaps a Harley) you know they cost too much, accessories are even higher, and service comes at a steep premium. If you don't agree you're in la la land, or you make way more money than I do.

As for the volunteers, organizers, BMWOA people, and all the others involved in putting it together I think they did a great job. Their hands were somewhat tied by the location (Gillette) and the venue (CamPlax). I am sure they all worked very hard, put in many, many hours, and gave it their all. They are to be congratulated for all the effort.

Overall the event was a dud.

One more observation that BMWOA should take note of. I was one of the guys there getting grey hair- I saw a real lack of youth, young riders, and young passengers. There were some youth event and youth activities, but BMWOA is going to fade away if more younger riders aren't brought into the fold to learn the joys of riding, owning, working on, and sharing BMW motorcycles. There were a lot of old guys there, not many young ones.

[beemerron]

Weirdest thing, Airhead Central dead after midnight.

[fiddles]

Overall the event was a dud.

I couldn't agree less- and I'm sorry your first post was flavored with disappointment. Maybe it's because you didn't have as far to go as others did... We were just happy to be there. I can agree about the food vendors- but we still ate. http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/MrFiddles/deadhorsebeat_2.gif

One more observation that BMWOA should take note of. I was one of the guys there getting grey hair- I saw a real lack of youth, young riders, and young passengers. There were some youth event and youth activities, but BMWOA is going to fade away if more younger riders aren't brought into the fold to learn the joys of riding, owning, working on, and sharing BMW motorcycles. There were a lot of old guys there, not many young ones.
My GF and I were there... Very early thirties. Too old for camp GEARS and too young for the AARP. Had a great time. First rally...
Honestly most "young people" either don't get the allure of BMW Motorcycles (something I attempt to impact) or can't afford BMW motorcycles.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/MrFiddles/IMG_0852.jpg

[Ted]

I had one BIG problem with this year's rally.

HUGE.

And that is, I couldn't go. While you were out having a blast (or, not having a blast) I was sitting behind a desk staring out the window and stealing glances at the site whenever folks were kind enough to post near-realtime pics :)

[knary]

I couldn't agree less- and I'm sorry your first post was flavored with disappointment. Maybe it's because you didn't have as far to go as others did... We were just happy to be there. I can agree about the food vendors- but we still ate. http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/MrFiddles/deadhorsebeat_2.gif

My GF and I were there... Very early thirties. Too old for camp GEARS and too young for the AARP. Had a great time. First rally...
Honestly most "young people" either don't get the allure of BMW Motorcycles (something I attempt to impact) or can't afford BMW motorcycles.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/MrFiddles/IMG_0852.jpg

I have a picture or two of y'all somewhere. :wave

[knary]

I had one BIG problem with this year's rally.

HUGE.

And that is, I couldn't go. While you were out having a blast (or, not having a blast) I was sitting behind a desk staring out the window and stealing glances at the site whenever folks were kind enough to post near-realtime pics :)

Tennessee? :ear

[Visian]

Weirdest thing, Airhead Central dead after midnight.

they were all over at the blacksheep compound, drinking moonshine. :ha

[Greenwald]

I live nearby; about 2 1/2 hours on nice two lane highways, which I prefer over interstate any day. I did not expect a lot of the Gillette area having been there many times- I was right. Not much to do around town and the locals and local businesses didn't have much of a role in the event. I did eat at Pokey's BBQ and it was quite enjoyable. I wish Gillette had more places to eat away from the Rally because I too thought the Rally vendors left a lot to be desired. The guy with the big barbecue, from Arizona I think, made some good chicken, but it was a loooong wait and wait and wait. I think he was having trouble with the thin air or something.

As for riding, Gillette sucks. It's flat, straight, usually hot and dry (unless a storm is going through). My bikes were both kaput and I had no choice but taking my car. I'm glad I did because we passed through high wind, rain, and 1/2" hail on the way down. I agree Cody or Sheridan would have been much better locations for riding and stuff to see and do. Gillette has proximity to almost nothing, and two hours to nearby scenic places is a long way.

I felt the number of vendors was a bit low for a "national" event, but i realize it's the middle of nowhere and we're talking about 5000 patrons to try to sell to? They cant stay open all night. There were some quality companies and people there with decent deals on some stuff. If you've got a BMW (or perhaps a Harley) you know they cost too much, accessories are even higher, and service comes at a steep premium. If you don't agree you're in la la land, or you make way more money than I do.

As for the volunteers, organizers, BMWOA people, and all the others involved in putting it together I think they did a great job. Their hands were somewhat tied by the location (Gillette) and the venue (CamPlax). I am sure they all worked very hard, put in many, many hours, and gave it their all. They are to be congratulated for all the effort.

Overall the event was a dud.

One more observation that BMWOA should take note of. I was one of the guys there getting grey hair- I saw a real lack of youth, young riders, and young passengers. There were some youth event and youth activities, but BMWOA is going to fade away if more younger riders aren't brought into the fold to learn the joys of riding, owning, working on, and sharing BMW motorcycles. There were a lot of old guys there, not many young ones.

It's interesting to note that this thread was entitled: "Had A Great Time, Except....."

That invited the negative or highly critical comments that many of the posts reflect. Yet the thread's original author, while being disappointed at one place where they ate, essentially makes positive statements about his experience at Gillette. Glad he enjoyed himself.

I tend to agree with your disection of Gillette (though calling it "a dud" is a bit harsh), and also that the volunteers are to be held immune from what is perceived as 'wrong' with this rally. They represent what is best about the MOA and always will.

Like you, I traveled to Gillette despite some misgivings and 'gave it a chance.' But location hobbled it from the very beginning, and no amount of planning or cheerleading ended up attracting enough vendors, food service or patrons to give it the 'bragging rights' that Vermont or West Bend bask in. I realize that a rally is not all about numbers (attendance, revenue, etc.), but if you're going to employ the over-used mantra of "It's not the destination, it's the Journey," you don't need a rally....just a map.

Keep in mind that you could run the BMW roundel up a flagpole in the middle of a junkyard near Three Mile Island and get a predictable number of hardcore members to show up, party away significant portions of their livers, and declare the 'rally' a success.

I don't know whether or not to just shake my head at these guys when they show up or admire such dedication.

But I have learned that they are an essential part of the MOA. A sort of 'veteran's corps' that will keep the torch burning thru lean years, poor rally sites and aging demographics. I salute them.

I also agree that 'youth' needs to be injected into the body of our club if it is to remain healthy. Cracking the 40,000+ membership level this year was triumphant, but younger blood is needed to sustain growth.

In that vein (no pun intended), perhaps future rallies could offer mounds of dirt nearby, sculpted to entertain the GS crowd; a band on at least one night that plays music recognized by a younger generation; a charity bike wash, staffed by ladies that would earn the scrutiny of my SO; seminars tailored to the needs of young riders, etc.

The original author of "Had A Great Time, Except...." seemed to have had a good time at Gillette, and it's unfortunate that his thread was seized by those of us who seek to 'improve the breed' by first pointing out what needs correcting, and then (hopefully) offering constructive suggestions.

I'm anxious for Johnson City - I see great potential in it's location. But what I know will automatically be present are the two cornerstones of the MOA:

1) The volunteers that will make it run smoothly, and...

2) That 'Veteran Corps' that would show up, no matter where, no matter what, and no matter why any of us find fault with a rally site.

Gotta admire those guys!

[SHANDELAND]

"Weirdest thing, Airhead Central dead after midnight.
__________________
"Black holes are where God divided by zero."
- Steven Wright

Ron Rumohr
R1100GSA"

That was because we had all volunteered to help with , security, registration and the air store. Then we drank and danced (at least I did) until we passed out and got up around 6 a.m. to start the whole cycle over again.
I don't get the complaints at all. The only thing I'd like to see is product vendors open later than six p.m. I was working until six p.m. most days.
Shade? I had a small tree over my tent in WY, None in WI. I rode WI hwy 33 to west bend, great road.
I road Beartooth and 296 to Gillette. Even better roads. Karol said 13 food vendors and I believe her, I could count 10 sitting here. :type
North forty had the best breakfast. Went to a Chinese buffet in town and had a fantastic lunch one day. Had to go to town for Air Central supplies anyway.
NRPS Was Great!!!
The Beer selection was great, OLD PORTER 90!:drink
Maybe closing was a little long but hey some of it was well deserved congratulations and recognition. For me Rally's are about:
1. A great excuse to ride somewhere I may not have gone otherwise.
2. A chance to make new friends and hang out with old ones.
3. Volunteering to help make the rally successful. This a volunteer organization after all.
4. Having Fun. Drinking a little beer, eating some vendor food (who knows what it will be? That's part of the adventure), maybe dancing to a great band, telling stories and /or lies. Helping some guy fix his European light switch:doh

Can't wait to see what TN will be like!

As always the first beer is on me.
Airhead R60/6

[Ted]

Tennessee?

Things are looking up :)

[Ruben]

Thanks again for seeing great friends.
Thanks for the opportunity to meet new ones.
Thank you for the wonderful roads and unimaginable landscapes of the USA.
Thanks to Deb and Karol, again.
Thanks to all the Ambassadors.
Thanks to Vince and Mandy.
Thanks to all the volunteers.
Thanks, trully, for the great country you all represent.
Thanks for all my friends and people from Canada.

We have had some Rallies better than others in Mexico.
West Bend was my first, and Gillette my second.
If you ask me about the 2008 Gillette Rally itself, it was a nice event, but I think West Bend was better.
Both were great organized, but I liked more the one of last year.
May be it's true : "never as good as the first time".

[reimerdavid]

"son" I personally can not say enough I mean all the people that came and put this together that is a tough thing to do. And I can not wait until next year because Tenn is only a days ride for me so I WILL go to that one can not wait at all.:bolt

[Ironguy]

Except for the incessant whining about food, noisy band, and showers. At some point folks you have to compromise. Did you think it was going to be quiet next to the beer tent??
The lower 40 had excellent shower facilities for those fastidious enough to have to shower daily while camping.
The food off the rally site isn't the fault of the rally Chairfolks. Keep in mind that there is life before, during and after a rally no matter where it is held. If you had gone to Jackson, Wyoming or even Sheridan, Wyoming you would have to contend with tourists or locals who actually live there. I know it's hard to believe, but the west is more than a playground for those who live east of that big river.
Ride safe. and come back when you have more time. I'll show you some of the finest riding anywhere.

[nytrashman]

even though the rally lacked a little in the food dept so does my house on occasion. overall it was pretty good and i had a great time. i already have my reservations for TN and am looking forward to seeing some friends there.