What went right at the rally

[BRUISER]

Ok, it is easy to complain and see what is "wrong" with something. From my other experience, what someone sees is wrong, can actually be right from a different perspective.

First, this was my first (BMW) rally. I camped on the big hill...I bitched on the way up, not finding flat ground...worried about wet slippery grass...looking back would not have wanted it any other way...loved it...

Things I thought were great...

1. port-o- potties were serviced, plenty of them (had real bad experiences at other places)

2. Garbage was handled very well...venders (had issues, but that was not service by Rally folks, vendors could not keep up) This is actually a good problem as vendors had plenty of business...

3. We had rain, which can cause mud..on the exit leaving the main camp area.the hill became wet and muddy...this would have conitnued into a major disaster. The rally folks brought in gravel and solved the problem before it became a mess. This kind of response to changing situations is actually very amazing for any orginization.

4. The GS challenge training..wow, worked big time to over come weather.. Great job with enitre event...I thought the training was amazing..will be signing up at the BMW school next...

5. Volunteers...stunning the amount of volunteers who pitched in and worked hard...take a big bow...

6. Traffic flow was actually very good. I read some complaints..but those people must be used to small rallys or something. I did not have to wait long where ever I wanted to go...

7. I am used to Daytona Bike week...this rally was actually fun...

[dmaust01]

Thank you for your positive statements. It was a great rally and most of us were happy with the outcome. It wasn't perfect...but neither is anything else. A big THANK YOU to Vance and Connie for all of their hard work.

[TED]

I thought the whole thing was GREAT.

My standouts...

1. Food - there was plenty of it, lots of variety, and it was reasonably priced if not cheap! I got a whole cantalope sliced and seeded for $4! BBQ, Thai, breakfast burritos, etc. To be honest I am used to $6 hot dogs and $8 beers at big events, this was a welcomed change!

2. GS Challenge - man some of those guys were AWESOME. I sat on that hill for hours watching folks on the course, it was really something to see.

3. Rally Shuttles - I never waited more than a few minutes for one of these, it made everything in the rally less than a 5-minute walk away. Plus, to be honest, it was fun just to ride the loop to see all the people, the bikes, everything going on. My hat is off to the drivers who so skillfully navigated the clogged roads.

4. Vendors - lots and lots of them. Though no-one was discounting Shoei helmets I did get a screaming deal on a pair of gloves and a bunch of other things I didn't know I needed

5. Beer Garden - reminded me of a Munich Beer Garden! Lots of tables and chairs, more than once I sat down at an empty seat and quickly made friends with everyone at the table. Plus, can't beat $1.50 for an iced-cold Yuenglings

6. BMW Riding Exhibition - those guys can REALLY handle a bike. I caught two of the shows, I would never have believed someone could ride an F800GS like that!

7. People - what a great bunch of friendly folks, all out having fun.

All in all I thought it a huge success, my congratulations and humble thanks to all who worked so hard to make sure that I and I guess 9,000 others had a great time

[MAGOO]

I really liked the dunk tank fundraiser.






Sorry Tom.

[acasee]

Heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers for making this the best rally yet. Loved the bluegrass music. I was fortunate enough to stay at the Doubletree hotel. The parking lot was a sea of BMWs. I made new friends. I explored the town of Johnson City a bit and found that the folks were very friendly, and seemed pleased and proud that BMWMOA had chosen their city as the rally site. Many restaurants had "welcome BMWMOA" signs outside. When I left the rally on Sunday morning, the temperature was cool 54 degrees. Couldn't have asked for better riding weather...pretty much all the way back to St. Louis, although it did get much hotter. Are any of the details for next year's rally besides Oregon (exact location, hotels, etc.) posted anywhere?

[tim@timandchris.net]

This was my second MOA Rally and my wife's first time attending. So what went right?

1. The food overall was very good but the produce stand was really an excellent idea. While I love fried Twinkies, sometimes fruits and veggies are needed. Oh, and the homemade ice cream was excellent.

2. I attended several seminars and never had a problem finding somewhere to sit. There was always plenty of room.

3. The shuttle was a great idea. We only used it once to ride through the whole place but from what I saw it was well used.

4. Lots of stuff to do. Between the vendors, seminars, and shows we stayed pretty busy.

5. I still get a kick out of those shower trucks. What an ingenious idea.

6. My wife had a great time and wants to go to Redmond next year.

One idea for next year. We did a 4 hour stint directing traffic at the Vendor gate Thursday. Since we had just gotten there and only had time to setup camp and grab a bite we didn't really know the layout. Somehow I picked the only camping area you didn't have to ride through the fairgrounds to get to. Anyway, I had at least a hundred people ask me where open campsites were. It would have been helpful for them if I could have given them better info. Of course next year the layout will be completely different and this will have no merit whatsoever