How many have even BEEN to WYO.?;

[smilingcouple]

I think it is safe to say that you, and some others, do not like the rally site.
That is all I am getting out of this exchange.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds as if you are trying to convince everyone the rally will be bad because of the site.
I believe that remains to be seen. If it does suck, you can come back on here and say "I told you so." Fair enough?

I disagree people are throwing stones. As a membership group everyone should take notice. Without members this association does not exist. The 08 Site is bad, the event might be special but when piloting an aircraft a bad approach does not make a good landing.

I suggest you put out some MEMBERSHIP feelers for 09 Rally. Or has the decision already been made for 3 mile island campsite?

[Rapid_Roy]

Love the pictures that are not "Gillette". The State is beautiful but the Rally Site is in the worst, hot, dusty, windblown, flat and toxic, part of the state. Beautiful places all around the Rally Site 100 miles away. I hope the beer tent has a great selection, it will be needed greatly.

I am the most upbeat person ever but this site is the pitts.

After that statement, it appears I am the most upbeat person (about Gillette anyway).

[HODAG]

Thanks for the hug, but a drink would have been fine.

at least he didn't kiss you

[Rapid_Roy]

Did you look at the hug emoticon?
I am fairly certain that he is a confident heterosexual with big hands so I do not feel threatened by it. Not that there is anything wrong with anything else.

[mike m]

I know everyone is having fun disputing this but, if I might, I will return to the original question....

I live/work in Denver and am pretty busy so when I had the opportunity for a long weekend ride this past July, I decided to take a ride up into Wyoming on my way to the Black Hills in S. Dakota. I had never been in Wyoming for any length of time, nor had I been in SD before.

I took I-25 north to Cheyenne, WY then ran Route 85 north all the way up to Newcastle which I found to be a relaxing and enjoyable ride with outstanding scenery overlooking the open range. Once I hit Newcastle, I knew I was entering hill country. I ended my day in Sundance, WY which appears to be about 40 miles east of Gillette. There is some great riding outside Sundance; including Devils Tower made famous in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

After visiting Devils Tower, I continued northeast into Belle Fourche, SD and then down into the town of Spearfish and then Spearfish Canyon (a first class motorcycling road). Once I was out of the canyon, I found myself in the middle of all the great riding the Black Hills has to offer including the areas surrounding Deadwood, Sturgis and Custer. I called it a day when I arrived in Keystone, SD just outside Mount Rushmore. I spent a couple of hours at Mt. Rushmore and enjoyed it immensely.

I understand all the anxiety because I live in Denver and have ridden all over Colorado, New Mexico and Utah but never got around to Wyoming or the Black Hills. Mostly because given my limited time, I wanted a sure thing...lots of great riding. I didn't know what to expect. Well I wasn't disappointed in the region around Gillette and the Black Hills.

It'll be my first National and I am looking forward to it! Camping too...Heaven help me!

[Rapid_Roy]

Welcome!
Somebody else called camping at the Nat'l, "sleeping in a tent."
I call it "trying to sleep in a tent."
It'll be great. If you don't want to pack, reserve one thru Sherpa service.

[127004]

I live in NE Wyoming in the Black Hills. We have Mt. Rushmore, Spearfish Canyon, Devils Tower, Needles Hwy, Iron Mt. Rd. and near by Bad Lands National Park just to name a few. Gillette is about 80 miles west of the Black Hills. I will outline day rides for anyone who is interested. I offer to lead a ride if asked. Rick

[WOOLF]

we road western Wyo last year (yellowstone the grand tetons,jackson hole etc)looking forward the the eastern part of the state

[BRADFORDBENN]

Camp beers is in the white shed, we can't afford a trailer

And we like it that way. It is about the people

[ontheriver]

ahhh, fond memories of Wyoming...where the men are men, the women are men and the sheep know it! one for the Casper boys and the Star Bar!

[k100wy]

Gillette (from Google):

You would happen upon a picture of the very north-western most corner of Gillette looking off to the grasslands leading out to the coal mines...If the Photographer had turned 90 degrees to his/her right you would have seen the town that stretches out for about ten miles to the Cam-plex going east and about as far going south.

I always hated that end of town, has the most tornadoes too.

[Beemerjon]

I have been to WY a total of four times now, two full summers working there and just riding thru on my way to OR from Charlotte ( back when I lived/worked there ...).

I plan on working in Cody again this summer and hope to drive my "ultimate Beemer Toy box there. It will be interesting to be at a National and not sleeping on the ground.

BTW - Chief Joseph Hwy, Beartooth, and Shell Canyon are MUST-Do rides. Yellowstone is also great IF you don't get stuck behind 'tourists'. Seems like mid-week there are less of them around?

-Beemer

[HankPfister]

I'll be headed to Wyoming for the Rally, and excited to be going. Those dissin the site ain't gona diswade me! I came thru Wyoming coming back from the Redmond rally and really had a good time going thru. I'll definatly soak in the hot springs around Thermopolis again this summer.
Now the Lima Ohio rally, THAT was a bummer area, but I went and still had a great time, even tho it was un-goddly HOT, and the roads for miles were arrow straight.. ....See y'all in Gillette!

[BeemerMike]

I lived in Gillette from 1984 to 1987, and rode a motorcycle all over the state. I have been back several times since, and am looking forward to getting back for the rally.

See you there!

[gbrickell]

I'm an out west rider and make CA home for a long time now, from VA. originally. WYO. is such a sparsely populated state at around 500000 folks in a huge state of nearly unmatched beauty anywhere.

Interesting. I knew there were few people in Wyoming, but my off the cuff guess was 800,000. You are a lot closer, seems the official number is about 525,000 or thereabouts.

This is roughly the size of the greater Harrisburg, PA, area, or greater Wichita, KS area as far as population goes. Wow. Not many people. My parents live close to Harrisburg, and I've been to Wichita. Spreading this population out over an entire state means the density is darn low. I'd guess a large part of the people are concentrated in Laramie, Cheyenne, and Casper. For additional comparison, the city of Denver within the city limits is about 560k, although the metro area is about 2.5 mil, so in reality the actual Denver area has a lot more folks living around there.

I drove my VW pickup across Wyoming once traveling from Portland, OR to Kansas City. I thought it was beautiful. I started to get excited about a rally being "close" ( ha ha ) to me in Kansas City until I realized that although Wyoming does not seem psychologically far from here, it is about 900 miles give or take from my place to Gillette. Don't know why I thought Wyoming was closer to me. Probably don't have the time off to attend at this distance, but I think the location is fine in general. Sounds like a good place to ride--not many people means not many cars or semis!