what about closer to us out west
like texas or az

SEEMS LIKE A NICE PLACE BUT WHAT ABOUT THE AREA ATTRACTIONS FOR FAMILIES? AND IT SEEMS ABOUT 9 HOURS FURTHER FOR THOSE PEOPLE OUT WEST.

Caps, no need to yell.

Good point St. Joes in MO is probably the closest to being in the middle from maine to cali. I really don't have a preference were it's at.

Good point about the cap lock sorry about that guess I should have previewed the post first.
I was just reviewing the information about St. Joe's and it seems that we are restricted to campsite one with the maximum number of available spots at 75 and we are limited to riding inside the park. So if you want to stay in a hotel or bed-and-breakfast you're out of luck. I have not personally been to St. Joe so if I'm wrong please correct me. That is not the case on the cheese County trail system there are many fine hotels and bed and breakfast's along the trail and you can drive through town along the ATV route where it is legal to ride. all the towns along the cheese County trail system in southern Wisconsin have a ATV route through town and allow you to do thing's such as gas, food, supplies, lodging, Car/Buggy wash,( from a pressure washer to a garden hose depends on how muddy the buggy is I guess ) bank, clinic, etc.. there are also many places that you can rent an ATV or maybe a side by side I would have to check about the side by sides. Maybe a couple of our buggy dealers could bring a few extras for rental's or demonstrations, or in case yours breaks down, but the service shops also have tires, supplies and probably some necessary parts, you can even drive up to the Ace Hardware, or go through the McDonald's drive-through in Monroe. If it's camping sites you were trying to compare Lake Joy Campground can accommodate the group up to 300 people that they will section off a section of the Campground just for us and depending on the group size a decent group discount with enough advance notice. They have a 60 acre private lake no fishing license required and they rent boats. The trail system is approximately the same distance from the East and West coasts as the distance from St. Joe's to the East and West Coast but for the guys from down south it will be a little bit further because the trail system is approximately 7 hours north of St. Joe's depends on how fast you drive though.
I did see the question about whether there were any challenging off-road mud hills or whether it was just trails not sure about that answer yet. When funnyman rainbowma and I ran a portion of the trail system this weekend we ran the red trail from Belmont to Monroe with a stop off at Lake Joy Campground it was very scenic and put approximately 125 miles on the buggy in two days, but we only began to scratch the surface of this trail system. I will get an answer to that question soon. I have questions for the group approximately what is the attendance for the national bash? and what other area attractions are available near St. Joe's for the families? There are many area attractions and things to do near the cheese County trail system perhaps you'd like to take the family to the Wisconsin Dells afterwards, or House on the rock, maybe go to Milwaukee and see where they make Harley-Davidson's and beer. Perhaps a stop off in downtown Chicago to see a Cubs game sorry couldn't resist that one. My point is if you're going to drive 14 hours or more to get here why not take the whole family and make it a real nice vacation with a visit to many of our fine area attractions.
http://www.exploreWisconsin.com

I personally have no preference where the bash will be held. But in all fairness to St.Joe.... you are only about 60 miles from St.Louis (where real beer is made) .And if memory serves it is also one of the biggest tourist traps in America. The Arch,the Zoo,Grant's farm, The list is endless.
I have been to the Dells,and was impressed. And they do have some pretty good cheese in Wi. I also like the idea of riding a along trail with camping along the way. It sounds much like The Piute trail in Utah,which in my opinion would also be a good choice some time. But as you stated most folks would have to make a week of it. To drive 12 + hrs and then drive 120+miles on a trail system????? Probably not much fun for some.
I suggest we list the top 4 or 2 places to go and then vote on the one best place,and hopefully by next year we will have made a good choice.

Mike

I'm with Mike on most of his points except one:



Mike - we need to talk - really

As for the distance thing I think we should let people vote on it and let them decide.
what other attractions in the area do you have for the families? obviously I can go to the cheese County trail anytime but if I brought the family to your area what else is there to do for them I can't get the whole family of eight in the buggy and at least for now I can't afford three more buggies, do you guys have rental buggies? And things to keep the little woman happy. Without the support of my family I would not be a part of the sport

St.Joe's is probably one of the best campgrounds I've
ever been to. Had plenty of room too. My idea of a buggy
rally is to make it a central location for everybody to enjoy.

I agree with that we should vote on something that is good for everybody or least as many people as possible. St. Joe's does sound like a nice place. So approximately how many people came to last years bash? any idea how many will be attending this year? Hey Jamie how about starting a poll on this thread for us so we can all put it to a vote.

OK I made up a map with some proposed locations:
http://www.buggynews.com/topic15464.html#153175

Being able to SEE these locations and their relative distance from home should be a big help for all members considering attending.