Pacific Northwest Meet This Spring June 14, 2009

[rowhard]

any Sunday works for me as long as I am in bed early, have a 3:30am wake up call

[Riff Raff]

Keith--- I'd say Sunday, 21 June. Just because that date is the farthest out and allows the most time for final event planning and/or trip modification. One thing you should consider-- many of the VX'ers are traveling great distances (over 2 hours each way). Therefore, the event should be spectacular and very meaningful; and not just a quick "how ya' doing" and then "good-bye" (these are only successful if people live within 30 minutes to each other). People who have to travel many miles and allocate a lot of their personal time, and gas money will be really pissed-off if the event is not worthwhile, and highly likely not participate in any future event(s).

That's why I recommended www.Trails.com as a possible source for event planning. Please consider the "MARBLE MOUNTAIN" trip as a possibilty. For example: We could all meet in Woodland, WA (I-5, Exit #21) and have lunch, photo shoot, top-off gas & check-oil, hand-out route map flyer, and then all convoy to Marble Mountains. The lead VX and the kaboose VX should both have a walkie-talkie in case of a middle VX convoy break-down to prevent the other lead VX's from simply driving away.

If we do go on any "off-road/off-highway" adventure, then the actual off-road site should be re-conned by a VX'er first (extremely important). This will ensure we have a familiar "lead trail-head" VX'er to actually lead the convoy as a tour guide (because they've re-conned the site beforehand) and we are not just traveling blindly into unchartered waters waiting for something bad to happen. By doing a site re-con beforehand may determine that the route is too difficult, too dangerous and unworthy of a possible selection; thereby, eliminating it as a possible choice. You won't actually know unless a pre-site re-con is performed first.

I would recommend that since you live very close to Woodland, WA (I-5, Exit #21), that perhaps you can first do a "re-con" of the actual site of Marble Mountains beforehand as pre-event planning. In that way, you'd know the route, know the difficulty of terrain, and keep track of "total time of event" (from start to finish). You'd then be able to make out an accurate event time-line schedule, so that we'd all return back to the starting point of Woodland, WA before darkness (very important).

Then we could all once again re-meet in Woodland, WA just before final good-byes (top-off gas & check oil again) and very quickly organize a "Southbound I-5 mini-convoy" & a "Northbound I-5 mini-convoy". This will allow the other VX'ers to convoy together (either South or North) on their way home as a combined group, and then just exit I-5 as they approach their own personal home exit. This would be the frosting on the cake-- kinda' like "fighter jets peeling-off from formation" as they approach their own I-5 exit for home departure (way cool).

If you need help in event planning, just let me know. I won't be able to actually drive a re-con route with you, but I can give you pointers to help organize the event using a time-line schedule method. This will then determine the actually start-time/end-time based upon the total time for all event components (lunch, photo shoot, gas-up, road-trip & return, etc). Riff Raff

[JGeorge264]

I'll have to pass on this one as I work Sundays. I'm not familiar with the Marble Mountain trail but I know that the Ape Caves and the Petrafied Forest (both pretty cool places) are right in that area also. There are quite a few picnic areas up there and a lot of beautiful scenery.
If I remember right its about 1/2 hr. drive from Woodland.

[don moore]

ok ..im In ....1 day 2 days ..the wife is a singer and well look at the times she has concerts ..so far the 21st looks good... let me now what the deal is ..ill be there.

[JGeorge264]

This is where a tree was when the hot lava from the volcano came down the mountain. It was so hot that it burned the tree inside as the lava cooled off outside. You can crawl thru the tunnels and go down inside where trees used to stand.

the entrance into the Ape Caves. The caves were formed by the volcano hundreds of years ago.

inside the caves,, it's chilly and you need to bring a lantern.

[don moore]

looks like the caves would be fun

[AK Falco]

any given sunday........ except the 24th.

[Riff Raff]

I'll have to pass on this one as I work Sundays. I'm not familiar with the Marble Mountain trail but I know that the Ape Caves and the Petrafied Forest (both pretty cool places) are right in that area also. There are quite a few picnic areas up there and a lot of beautiful scenery.
If I remember right its about 1/2 hr. drive from Woodland.

Holy cow, JGeorge264 (Vancouver, WA) and Keith (Portland, OR)--- you two guys live in sister cities!!! Perhaps, the two of you can get together and do a site pre-recon together. Since JGeorge can't make a Sunday, then maybe a site pre-recon/pre-event planning could be done on a Saturday together with just Keith. Sweeeeeeet!!!

I really don't care what the event is; just make it special and memorable. If you want the event focused towards the VX and VX driving, then make a VX driving related trip like to Marble Mountains where we can follow each other up a off-road trail. The off-road trail doesn't have to be rugged or difficult to traverse; it just has to be a off-road trail so we can get that "outdoor feeling". If you want to make the event a sight-seeing exhibit get together where people have to walk or hike (rather than drive VX), then perhaps the caves or petrified forest might be an option. It all depends upon the event "focus"; non-driving the VX (hike/walk) OR a driving the VX experience as a group.

I do have a very strong hunch that WOODLAND, WA (I-5, Exit #21) would be a perfect initial meeting location with easy on/off access to I-5 (extremely important). Keeping the initial meeting place location simple is a key to success and will help prevent people from initially getting lost. Perhaps there is a nice family-style restaurant with a seperate private banquet room in Woodland, WA that could serve as our initial meeting place for eats, formal introductions, and pre-event discussion/orientation. Pre-reservations with the restaurant should be made as more precise details develop. A quick face-to-face visit with the Restaurant Manager (Woodland, WA) to discuss possible ideas/options will greatly help in planning/organization.

[Bulldoggie]

I'll have to pass on this one as I work Sundays. .

I heard there is a lot of flu going around

[rowhard]

For those attending that don't know where the factory outlet stores are located, here is a map quest link to it.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Wash...:r::25::::1:/e

[don moore]

good post ROWHARD......I cant wait

[rowhard]

good post ROWHARD......I cant wait

your welcome Don. Have made reservations already to spend the night before. I will bring the Tone Tee shirts then, Been laid up at home all week with this shoulder issue and never got out to mail them.