Your never going to please everyone. If St. Joes is the best place that we can find to ride close to the center of the county then I say go for it. The problem I see with the dunes and areas like that is those of us with the smaller engine buggies cant ride there. Even with the mods I dont see a 150 being any good in the sand.

The stuff at st. joes isn't sand like you'd find at the typical dunes. when i went we had little kids in 80 and 100cc buggys having a blast in the dunes. I don't think anyone will have a problem riding there.

And you know,I don't blame you. So those of us that will go will post pics!

I've held back from posting till the dust settles. Dont look like it's setling though so here we go. I think you guy's need a short list of options and then do a vote. It worked well for the north south bash location and date.

Every one will not be happy. If you have it any further than last year, I'm not going. If it's at the same place then others are'nt going.

Who's going is besides the point till you know where your going.

Pick 4 places. Pick 4 dates. Vote for a month or so. Then move forward with the planning stage

That's a good point, how many hours would you drive?
Keep in mind we've got people who want to go that are in Connecticut, Florida, Washington, and California. I think that covers the corners.

There are several locations that define the center of the US.

A small place near Lebanon, KS is the centriodal center of the US.
[1]
Geographic center of the contiguous United States
Hours to Lebanon, KS
San Diego = 23 Hours
Seattle = 25 Hours
Farmington, CT = 24 Hours
Orlando, FL = 24 Hours

Now, look for a park that meets all of the criterion (see [2] below) of what we're looking for close to those points...

The only park we've found so far that fits is St Joe State Park. It's by no means perfect, but it very close to what we look for. The central part of Kansas doesn't offer the best terrain for riding nor does Oklahoma nor Nebraska.

Here's the deal. We're never going to find a place that's perfect. It doesn't matter where the park is located as long as it meets MOST of needs of MOST of the members and MOST of us that CAN go actually go.

This issue is why it's very important to have group rides on a regional basis. If we try to satisfy the needs of everyone no one will be satisfied.

Keep in mind that St Joe's isn't close for me. It's a ~23 hour ride.

It's imperative that we set a date and a location very soon.
Unless someone comes up with a place soon, my vote is that St. Joe become the default place until such time that we find a practical alternative.

I hope you guys can understand and appreciate how much thought and work goes into all of this. Having planned and participated in the planning of quite a few of these I understand that amount of work, effort and stress that it takes.

It's a big decision that affects many many people in and outside of the BuggyNews family.

Thanks guys...

======================

[1] Coffeyville, Kansas, specifically a spot just north of Coffeyville Country Club, is the default center starting point of Goggle Maps, being the accidental center point of the default starting map being displayed, which shows the 48 contiguous United States.[1.A]

[1.A]Cadenhead, Rogers (2006-02-22). "All Google's Roads Lead to Kansas". Wired. "All Goggle's Roads Lead To Kansas". Retrieved 2009-09-03.

========================
[2] Bash Location Criterion

Ample Parking
Ample Camping for Tents, Pull-Behinds, and RVs
Electrical and Water Sites Available
Good Value
Clean Restrooms and Showers
Safe and Organized
Lots of Room
Varying Terrain (Flat, Hills, Woods, Sand, Mud, Dirt)
Buggy Friendly
Family Friendly
Hotels Nearby
Shops and Stores Nearby
Restaurants Nearby
Fairly Easy Access
Fun Location
Other Activities Nearby

Well, this year we had folks from Florida, Jersey, and Washington show up. Thats pretty good i think.

It was a GREAT turnout this year. I'm really sorry I had to miss it. Snow Days killed it for me.

We need to use that momentum and keep it growing.

I think you'll have a turn out no matter where it is. You'll just get diff people. For a guy like me, if it dont cost a 1000 bucks to go, it dont cost 1 cent. I cant afford more fuel, let alone the labor cost to make up for my being gone. In the end, I dont care where it's at. If I make I make it. If not then I'll go ride with Digger and BigE when I can.

This being said, if you dont sort things out then you'll have to scramble last min.I would love a new spot. Mainly cause st. joe is rough on a buggy. Big fun though. I just think it need worked out.

I'm also a trail rider. I have zero intrest in being in the desert in the middle os summer

It funny how everyone with a couple of exceptions that keep saying St Joes is perfect lives with in a few hours away. If it was in my back yard I would be happy too. The fact is you guys are trying to make this a regional event instead of a national event. If you had it at Little Sahara in OK it would be almost the center of the country, and most of you that are whining would still be allot closer than those of us out west would be. Even in OK I would still be 12 hours away, and I would be one of the closer ones out west. There is nothing special about St Joes, it is small and the riding isnt very good. It was just a good compromise at the time. Now allot of you have your blinders on and that is the only place you can see. I have a place 3 hours from my house that is 13000 acres with facilitys and less than 10 min to a town of 100k people. It would be a thousand times better than St. Joes, BUT it has one problem. The same problem as St joes, it isnt in the right location. As was already mentioned all the best riding places are out west, we have much higher mountains, much more open space, much better weather, you name it if there is a reason riding is better, than the west has it. But we are not pushing to put the NATIONAL bash in our back yard, we are just asking that you consider how far we would have to drive to attend. Pete made a 4 day trip last year to attend, if nothing else reward him by putting it in the center and see if we cant make it truly a National bash. Look at the southern Cal bash, it has as many people attending or more than the bash last year, and it is regional. If you made it so that the western states could reach it in a reasonable amount of time you will get record attendance. and it can grow from there. OR you can listen to these guys who selfishly want to keep it 5 hours from them instead of 8 or 9 and punish the guys who want to make it 20 or 21 hours from them instead of 30 plus. Common guys times are tight for all of us, think about someone besides yourself for a change. Van

VANET,
Is this in response to my post?