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Western US 2003 Regional Meet - Wild West 2003

Chief

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Right now I would say a tentative dates for Wild West 2003 in Moab, Utah include:

June 23 - June 26 with early arrival on June 22

April 14 - April 17 with early arrival on April 13

These dates should fit with many school schedules for those with kids (hey - let me know NOW!) and give people like myself the weekend to drive to Moab (about 1,100 miles from Seattle). My goal for Wild West 2003 - 30 Avalanches minimum with a stretch goal of 50. YES - I'm going to need logistical help - NO - I don't plan to do it all by myself. :2: :2:

Personally I like the end of June dates better. It's a little toasty that time of the year but it is far enough away not to interfere with a national event in August and also keeps us out of the summer moonsonal flow that floats across the area.

Another possibility is that Moab may be the END destination due to its remote location. I'm thinking that the very bland town of Hurricane, Utah right off of US I-15 is probably a better starting point. The route as it stands would go from Zion to Canyonlands to Arches with of course activities sprinkled along the route.

For those interested in extending the vacation if you go from Moab to Hurricane you're not too far from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. If you go from Hurricane to Moab then you're not far from Mesa Verde and Monument Valley.

It's time to start kicking around some dates and ideas because I want to get registration going on this by January. Also the pricing structure will be different - although I never planned Wild West 2002 to be a money maker for the club, the club had to cover a lot of expense, much was due to the learning curve of the enterprise. This is what I'm kicking around right now:

$150 per Avalanche up to two people with NPS Pass
$100 per Avalanche up to two people with no NPS Pass
$125 special rate for full-time high school and college students under 24 years of age with no adult passengers includes NPS Pass
$25 for shipping and handling of materials (waived for full-time high school and college students)
$30 to $50 for each additional passenger over six years of age

So for a family of four with a 2 year old and an 8 year old the cost to attend would be roughly $180 to $200. However for some of our younger members where cost becomes a real issue a break is still available. This will really help cover the flexible costs and allow for deeper discounts on special activities and meals.

For those who did not attend Wild West 2002 I'm sure that those who did will tell you - the cost of admission is money very well spent. The only hitch on our entire trip was piss poor quality USGS topo maps used by Microsoft that I was using for GPS guidance. We did some wandering in the Modoc National Forest and the Modoc Backcountry Highway is utterly, totally, completely unmarked. However we zigged, and we zagged and between the GPS data and keeping the Avalanche compass on south and west we did make it out. Considering we started out over 30 minutes late, our 1 hour 15 minute late arrival wasn't horrible.

That leads to the other change I would make for Wild West 2003. I would probably insert a little more time into the travel schedule. There were several stretches of road where the speed limit was 55 MPH or 60 MPH but because of the twists and turns we as a group couldn't go much faster than 40 to 45 MPH. So more time padded in the schedule on travel. One thing I'll keep is a day in the middle similar to Sunday. Easy drive, lots of free time, a number of activities to split off to.

Well - that's my story and I'm sticking to it. So lets here it - it's time to plan the Western US Regional Meet for 2003.

Wild West 2003!
 
Chief - this is a wonderful idea.

I would vote for April. it is darn hot in Moab during the summer. I was there this year in early May and there was a couple of times it was less than pleasant - I can't stand the heat after a heat stroke many years ago when I was younger and dumber :)

I would be willing to help with the planning and maybe a scouting trip - Moab is 6 hrs away for me.

For those who want to stay in a nice B&B, I know of a very nice one.

Word of warning - do not speed on I70 going to Moab - there is an officer out there that all he does all day is write tickets - while the tickets are cheap and the officer is very nice - it isn't fun getting caught with the AV going 98 >:D
 
I think the time in June is better, as per the April time frame is rather close to the end of tax season - this is crunch time for many people. There is probably concern about heat in June, maybe later in April or early May is better.

I think that the Moab destination is a great idea and I also think that the costs are reasonable.

You should have some raffle or prizes for attendees as well. Perhaps; most creative mod, best stereo system, coolest looking Av, etc....

:B:If you need help organizing anything, let me know. I'm in Southern California, maybe the group from here can caravan together. Just my .02. :B:

 
I would vote for April. Not only is it sooner, I think Moab in June would be pretty damn hot. :-[
 
Hey Chief,

Thanks again for WW2002!!! For us the time would be better in June. I know it gets hot around that time but I need to be able to work enough to accrue the vacation time :cry:

 
Aaaghhh! Must not ... Flame ... Sun ... Must ... Maintain control ... ugghhh ... Losing consciousness ... Musssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
 
Ave. high 93 in June
Ave. high 73 in April

Friends that cycle Moab regularly tell me June heat can kill (literally). Of course we'll be in our a/conditioned AV's. For a June date we could plan an afternoon Siesta, or a/c drive, or maybe a social event somewhere reasonably cool.

I think either date is do-able, as long as we plan for the heat. Either date there will be an Alberta contingent attending.

Chief, can you add to this list of responsibilities that need to be shared?

route planning and map preparation
schedules
social events/activities
accomodation guide
contacts, including parks, authorities, and facilities
sponsor solicitation
meal planning
food purchase and storage
safety and security, including First Aid
emergency equipment and parts
package compilation
package mailout

I'm trying to see what I can volunteer for from a long distance.
 
Fish said:
Aaaghhh! Must not ... Flame ... Sun ... Must ... Maintain control ... ugghhh ... Losing consciousness ... Musssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss


Just like Microsoft to die.....

Oh NO!!!!! Here come the Blue Screen of Death!!! :3: :3: :7: :8: Must run and hide behind the Sun ;D
 
In June, the heat shouldn't be too bad in Moab. I have family there. July and August, yes, June should be in the 90's (hot, but not for a desert). I vote for June, mostly because I will be in Utah last weekend in June anyway.
 
Great news, Spork! How many rooms does your family have?

With family there, you must be able to come up with some ideas for sites to drive to. Any offroading areas you can recommend?

 
Well, I am from SLC, and not as familiar with the red rock areas of Moab. But, from what I remember there are trails everywhere. Several national parks are in the area (Arches, Zions, Capital Reef etc..) or are an easy drive from Moab. There is a cool house, that some guy made by carving out the inside of a hill (appropriately named hole in the rock).

I don't know if my uncle has any spare rooms or not. I have not talked to him in ages. I can find out.
 
Count me in I had a great time on WW 2002 June would work the best for me but eather one I will come
 
Just kidding about the rooms, spork. He probably doesn't have room for 30 Av's in his driveway either!!

Seems to be a trend to a June date. I'm in for a buck.

 
I'm with flynhigh....June sounds better cause we need to build up some vacation time too... ;D
 
flynhigh said:
Just like Microsoft to die...

I'm surprised you didn't pick up on Chief's flame of MS using crappy USGS topo maps. Not that I would expect anyone from MS to actually do there own topo maps...that would mean a trip into daylight! (did you see the shade of Fish's legs before AND after the river rafting?? ;) Definitely a whitefish!

BTW...if anyone even thinks about spouting off with "but it's a DRY heat in June", I will definitely :D:
 
"there own"?!?

Can't pick on Red's grammar any more, can I? :-[

******

If the weather isn't topping 100, then either date is fine by me.
 
This thread seems to have slowed down :(

CO crew - where are you on this meet? Moab is 6 hour drive from Denver.....

How about NM & AZ? This is close for your guys too.
 
Since I am a new member and missed Wild West 2002 I would love to be able to make it to next year's meet. I just want to know if it is open to all members of the club? I live in Indiana, about 40 minutes from Chicago, IL. Is a long drive for me but I love to drive and was planning on goin that way next year. I think it would be great. Count me in.
 
NorthFace-of-NW-IN said:
Since I am a new member and missed Wild West 2002 I would love to be able to make it to next year's meet. I just want to know if it is open to all members of the club? I live in Indiana, about 40 minutes from Chicago, IL. ?Is a long drive for me but I love to drive and was planning on goin that way next year. I think it would be great. Count me in.

Northface - these cruises are open to all AV owners no matter where they live. You are looking at about a 22 hour drive to Moab. I am from IN and make the drive once in a while from CO. Hope you can make it.
 
Texas? ?Anyone driving up from Texas?

June would be better for us. ?From the WW2002 photos, it looked like we missed out on a great time. ?I'd really like to make this one.


 
NorthFace-of-NW-IN said:
Since I am a new member and missed Wild West 2002 I would love to be able to make it to next year's meet. I just want to know if it is open to all members of the club? I live in Indiana, about 40 minutes from Chicago, IL. ?Is a long drive for me but I love to drive and was planning on goin that way next year. I think it would be great. Count me in.

heck yeah! I will be driving out from Ohio. If you want to meet up and caravan out with us, that would be great!
 
spork_av said:
heck yeah! ?I will be driving out from Ohio. ?If you want to meet up and caravan out with us, that would be great!

It sounds like a good idea to pick up more avalanches on our way there. Let's see if we can set it so by the time we get there we have a good number of avalanches arriving at the same time. I am trying to get a hold of some av owners in my area, there is about 4 avs on a 10 block radius of my house. wish me luck to get them in the club.
Let's stay in touch regarding the caravan to WW2003 it sounds like it's going to be a blast.
 
I guess the best place for us to meet up, would be in Indy or Effingham, IL (home of The Real Source). We would be taking I-70 all the way out there.

My current thinking is to stop for the night in Kansas City, then Denver (2 very long stretches of road, but it can be done). That will put us at a fairly easy (and very scenic) drive from Denver into Moab.

But, you will have to find your own way back. After the GTG, I will be heading up north to SLC, to visit family and friends.
 
This thread had no activity for a while. I just want to know if the date is set to June 23 to June 26, 2003.

This date seems to work best with most people, and also would work great for me since I have my niece and nephew coming to visit at that time and they would love to come along.

Also I can plan my vacation at work way ahead of time so there is no chance of getting changed.

Please somebody let me know if the date is set for June.

Thank you.
 
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