NSA Joe Posted August 1, 2015 #51 Posted August 1, 2015 Hi everyone been reading all the responses thought I would throw this in the ring. We came down to the brown county inn for the weekend talked to the new owners they are planning remodel this winter. They welcome bikers and have a group of the southern riders this weekend. Just my opinion sounds like most people still want to have a international big or small. Brown county indiana has lots of great roads. Debbie and I would offer to step up and plan a rally. The other places brought up by Tom and chuck sound great also. Just putting it out there and thanks 08 adventure for the pot stir can't wait to meet up with and your wife again had a blast in St charles.
clawed Posted August 1, 2015 #52 Posted August 1, 2015 Gosh , I would sure hate 2 C the international ....go to the side! Jan and I have been to the last three rally's, and had a great time at each one. COME ON>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!!! By the way I just google mapped brown county , In.(prior to posting) WOW!!!!!!!!!!! didn't know indy had such nice riding areas, and it is centrally located....BUMP!
saddlebum Posted August 1, 2015 #53 Posted August 1, 2015 I have attended the past 4 internationals and thoroughly enjoyed each one. Alabama was a three day ride for me, a scenic ride through the Appalachians accompanied by Jaceesfolly which I will never forget. Galena a two day ride with some fantastic scenic rides and then the long ride home with Marcarl and Marca as well as trader taking the high road home. St Charles a 2 day ride and WNY what can I say 2-1/2 hrs I enjoyed the ride to and from each one and enjoyed meeting members I would not normally have met if I only went to local regionals. I have enjoyed the rides organized by the planners which resulted in seeing places I would normally not have seen or even thought to look for. Granted there have been glitches on some of the rides but somehow the members have managed to get it together and at the end of the day we all ended up have a good time. I personally don't feel that the draws and/or raffles are a necessity as I go for the gathering of members near and far and the scenic points of interest local to the areas were the rally's are held. I think for this reason it would be a sad thing to stop the rally,s. My only negative comment would be that it is a shame that when sites are selected there is not a closer proximity between hotels and camp grounds
Brake Pad Posted August 2, 2015 #54 Posted August 2, 2015 Galena from south Florida was a 4-1/2 day ride ( we loved that IR ) Guntersville was 2-1/2 day ride Where ever it is I'm going in 2016
Gary N. Posted August 2, 2015 #55 Posted August 2, 2015 BTW: I think the Fort Collins, Co International was the largest ever attended. Partly due to being the 2nd one held early in our VR history. I forget just now the exact year it was held thou. With well over 100 bikes being in attendance @Carbon One Larry, it was 2007. A year I will never forget.
djh3 Posted August 2, 2015 #56 Posted August 2, 2015 My only negative comment would be that it is a shame that when sites are selected there is not a closer proximity between hotels and camp grounds I think possibly that is because most motels are closer to well traveled roads and intersections. Where as camp grounds typically try to stay away from towns. I would like to make plans of some sort, but current work conditions don not allow. Maybe in the future.
DragonRider Posted August 2, 2015 #57 Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Don you are absolutely right about declining attendance, the attendance at all our Vogel rallies has declined every year. This year is no exception, I have only received 10 registrations and the event is only 10 days away, and I even changed it to a free event with no frills thinking it was the economy hurting it. Last year we had aprox 50 people show up and this year we are looking at possibly even less than that. It does take a lot to put these events on and if we can't get a close count on how many are coming it can make things hard to plan, like how many to feed, how many shirts to order, patches and so on. So it looks like this could possibly be the last official Vogel rally. I for one would hate to see the IR not happen anymore since we havent been able to attend one yet. I had thought about having an IR at Vogel but every Vogel has had an international feel to it with the Canadians and the Aussies invading. Edited August 2, 2015 by DragonRider
rbig1 Posted August 2, 2015 #58 Posted August 2, 2015 well I attended my first rally this year. It was very enjoyable. There were a couple of complainers there but most of us had a good time. Would hate to see this go away don't need the raffle stuff. Can have as much fun with gag gifts and door prizes for most time spent lost and late showups. And a broken bike award. lol I do hope we keep the t-shirts or patches as that's a reminder of where you been makes ya smile. the water and construction at arch were a negative but we made it ok. just put on more miles so could be a plus. made it to three events this year so far. Would have liked to make it to more but body took care of that. {don't put the brake on open the throttle up} life is to short.
Black Owl Posted August 2, 2015 #59 Posted August 2, 2015 BTW: I think the Fort Collins, Co International was the largest ever attended. Partly due to being the 2nd one held early in our VR history. I forget just now the exact year it was held thou. With well over 100 bikes being in attendance Actually, Ft Collins was the first "International Rally". And the count was 159 folks in attendance. The first VR get-to-gather was Potato Creek 1 and if memory serves me well there was a grand total of 39 folks in attendance from Canada and the US of A.
Carbon_One Posted August 2, 2015 #60 Posted August 2, 2015 Actually, Ft Collins was the first "International Rally". And the count was 159 folks in attendance. The first VR get-to-gather was Potato Creek 1 and if memory serves me well there was a grand total of 39 folks in attendance from Canada and the US of A. Thanks Owl. After jogging my memory you're right. I missed the potato creek m & e but did go to the potato creek international Kevin/Lead Wolf sponsored a few years later. Ah the memories. Larry
beltfed50 Posted August 2, 2015 #62 Posted August 2, 2015 I haven't been to any. Not for lack of want-to, but my rich uncle still demands a lot of my time. Next year I plan to retire...but that won't mean I'll be able to go as I please...there is an endless list of work that's been neglected at the farm the last few years because my Dad can no longer do it. I'm sure I'll ride more, and hopefully meet up with some of these folks though. That might even mean making some of the awesome rallies...
Kozubek Posted August 3, 2015 #63 Posted August 3, 2015 I am brand new here and have not had the pleasure to meet anyone as of yet. That being said, as an active military Soldier I get plenty of vacation and love riding distance. I rode from Columbus Ohio to Tulsa in one day and felt great when I got home. Most people do not have Iron butts like me and I can see distance being an issue. Unfortunetley you can never plan a big gathering with any reliability especially with the economy the way it is . Disposable income is not as abundant as it once was. The best way I have found to secure numbers is in pre sales to a certain point then inflate the cost as time gets closer. You can either say all sales are final or charge a $ 10 premium for ticket insurance. If an issue arises and you cannot attend you can get your ticket price back but the organization keeps the $10. Looks like the majority of members are east coast so you would get the most attendance by centralizing the IR to the center mass. As another person said variety keeps people coming. My two cents. I look forwarding to meeting some of you in the futute.
videoarizona Posted August 3, 2015 #64 Posted August 3, 2015 As a relative newbie to the VR family...I haven't had the opportunity to make the International. But it is in my future plans. Lots of good posts today regarding the pros and cons of a major meet like the International. I'm going to throw my .02$ in: 1: No need for major door prizes. Local souvenirs are all that's needed...and t-shirts/hats. Packable items. 2: Keep it moving around the center of the country. I thought this year's was almost perfect...but to far for me to deal with the heat across Arizona and New Mexico. Plus helping my love with her mom's house...getting it ready to sell is a major summer effort this year. 3: Every other year is far more doable from a cost and planning point of view. Kind of like class reunions...every other year doesn't lose any appeal...rather it gathers excitement as the time gets near. Especially for those who do come across country or from Iceland, Canada, Mexico and maybe Europe. Vacations are a working person's annual dream goal....and to be able to take a couple of years to financially plan the trip would be far more satisfying for many! So...bottom line for me...is keep it going...just scale it back a bit...make it easier to plan and execute for those who volunteer. Make it easier for others to save their pennies and finally...make it easier for many to ride by changing venue location. I'm all for Colorado Springs in 2 years! BTW, I work for 3 years for my class reunion...every five years. It's part time for 2.5 years then go like heck the last 6 months. So yea...it's a bear. And even though I wasn't at the International this year... I thank each of you who put in the time and effort so the Venture Family could enjoy each other in 2015! david
Aussie Annie Posted August 3, 2015 #65 Posted August 3, 2015 How about we all go visit Annie next year? Come on down
Hummingbird Posted August 3, 2015 #66 Posted August 3, 2015 How about we all go visit Annie next year? wife and I were down under a few years ago - just didn't have time to cross country to see Annie and Allen
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