EOM 2016 Location Discussion

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extrememarine

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No better time than now to get this conversation going so we can lock down a location and date.

Here are the locations EOM has been held:

EOM 2003 – Front Royal / Staunton, VA
EOM 2004 – Townsend, TN
EOM 2005 – Townsend, TN
EOM 2006 – Boone, NC
EOM 2007 – Brier Inn, Lewisburg, WV (Now a Quality Inn, used for EOM 2015)
EOM 2008 – Brier Inn, Lewisburg, WV
EOM 2009 – Holiday Inn, Johnson City, TN
EOM 2010 – NAFO – Marriot, Knoxville, TN
EOM 2011 – Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin, KY
EOM 2012 –Hendersonville, NC
EOM 2013 - Maggie Valley, NC
EOM 2014 - Maggie Valley, NC
EOM 2015 - Lewisburg, WV (Quality Inn)

Here are the basic requirements that need to be met for a venue to be a viable option:

1 - Roads / Area to will support 3-5 routes consisting of 150-300 mile distances on roads and attractions worthy of traveling there to see.

2 - Lodging to accommodate 100 guests at a REASONABLE rate.

3. - Banquet facility to seat 100+.

Other points to consider:

Local resource (member) who can provide recon and intel on the area attractions, amenities,etc.

On site restaurant / lounge / bar a plus.

Food choices within walking distance a plus.

Motorcycle friendly a must.

Catering on site a bonus but not required, as long as they will allow outside catering.

Adjacent lodging a plus

(EOM attendance grew tremendously this year. Previously, I used 80 total guests as a planning number; this year we hit 115)

Many members of the group need to plan vacation early, so the sooner we sort this out, the better.

Also - since there was a significant amount of "weather" this year, EOM 2016 could be a repeat in Lewisburg in the hopes of better weather for everyone to explore the existing routes. I think the WV venue draws attendance from our northern members as it becomes a single or 2 day ride to the event.

The Johnson City, TN area provides solid ride options with easy access to good roads.

The Cumberland Falls venue offered many lodging options and generated positive feedback (with the 'dry county' issue to plan for as well).

As I mentioned at the banquet, bring your suggestions that can meet the 3 conditions above. Let's narrow this down so we can make a couple of phone calls to confirm availability.

Wayne

Updates:

- location suggestion - Boone, NC (El toro joe) - no venue to accommodate, local college (football), no group rates.

- location suggestion - Natural Bridge, VA (Mike Aldea) at the Natural Bridge Park & Historic Hotel

UPDATE 12/23/15

Ok – here is the where we are.

The date will be 22 – 25 September 2016 – those are the dates that I polled the venues for availability.

Here are the two locations that have availability and meet the basic requirements to host the event.

1 – Lewisburg, WV – Quality Inn – same as 2015 – room rates will be $85.99 + 12% tax ($95.19/night); same $200 room fee split into rally fees for banquet and conference rooms. Same amenities – continental breakfast, restaurant / bar on site, gas, food within walking distance

2- Wytheville, VA – Ramada Inn – Room rates for group will be $59.99 +12.3% tax ($67.32/night); Conf room fees are $450 for banquet and registration rooms, continental breakfast, on site restaurant for dinner, banquet space (but off-site catering required).

Riding in either location is good; the VA location puts more of the western NC stuff within reach – the Boone area and others – as well as Lewisburg for the dedicated. Wytheville presents a clear advantage for those on a budget, even if the rally fee will include $5 for the room fees, the cost savings over a 3 night stay are about $83.

Following the poll results, we land in Lewisburg. I want to lock down the location by next week. As always, thoughts, comments, remarks, etc. are all welcome.

Wayne

Oh, and there are dual sport destinations in both locations…

 
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The hotel in Boone is no longer. Some did look for another hotel in Boone a while back but I think none of the hotels had what we need as Wayne described at the supper Saturday night.

Edit # 1 And just for conversation the Brier Inn and the Quality Inn are the one and the same.

Edit # 2 I wasn't to Cumberland Falls so I'd vote for that! .......oops sorry I didn't know we weren't voting.

 
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The hotel in Boone is no longer. Some did look for another hotel in Boone a while back but I think none of the hotels had what we need as Wayne described at the supper Saturday night.
Edit # 1 And just for conversation the Brier Inn and the Quality Inn are the one and the same.

Edit # 2 I wasn't to Cumberland Falls so I'd vote for that! .......oops sorry I didn't know we weren't voting.
Tom, thanks for the Boone info...and I knew the the Quality Inn was formerly the Brier Inn.

 
Regarding Boone, NC - Lee did some research on Boone a year or two ago - there were multiple issues with the location that made it a non-player - no hotel to hold the group(would not do group room block iirc), no catering, local college (Appalachian State University).

 
I figure you guys know the areas better than I do... I can say I had a kick ass time in Lewisburg this year and I'm sure there are many more roads that I didn't get to sample... hell, I'd do the same roads all over again! :rad:

Are you looking into any dates yet? I'll throw my choice out there... last weekend in Sept or first weekend in Oct. :D

 
Most likely 23-25 September 2016 - last weekend - depending on venue availability.

I figure you guys know the areas better than I do... I can say I had a kick ass time in Lewisburg this year and I'm sure there are many more roads that I didn't get to sample... hell, I'd do the same roads all over again! :rad:
Are you looking into any dates yet? I'll throw my choice out there... last weekend in Sept or first weekend in Oct.
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How about Virginia's very motorcycle friendly Natural Bridge Park & Historic Hotel?

hotel_DSC1873_4_5_tonemapped.jpg
I've been to a number of motorcycle rallies there, both large and small. Double Occupancy room rates for a 2009 rally were: $75 hotel; $65 Patio; $58 cottage; $145 suite ; all plus 11% tax. With 156 rooms accommodating the group should not be a problem and there is the Natural Bridge/Lexington KOA campground just 4.5 miles away for anyone that prefers to camp. The Pink Cadillac Diner, for anyone looking for inexpensive comfort food, is right by the entrance road to the campground just 4.2 miles from the hotel.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is only 16 miles away from the hotel and VA-130 from Glasgow to the BRP is a blast. I've done day rides down the BRP to Doughton Park, Mile Post 240, in North Carolina as well as to West Virginia from Natural Bridge.

The drawbacks to Natural Bridge is no alternate food source within walking distance. You either eat in the hotel's dinning room or ride to the Pink Cadillac. There was another restaurant on the way to the Pink Cadillac but last time I was in the area it had closed.

 
I'll give them a call. Room rates on the website are significantly higher right now - $129 for basic room + tax. They would need to be willing to provide a group discount that drops those basic rooms into the $75-$90 / night range.

At first glance, routing wise, it appears that there are limited paths to desirable roads. Except for the BRP, everything else is west / north. Options to access those areas west look to include some slab time of some sort on I-81.

Is there anyone here who is local to this area that can offer some more info regarding potential ride loops??

Wayne

How about Virginia's very motorcycle friendly Natural Bridge Park & Historic Hotel?
 
Regarding Boone, NC - Lee did some research on Boone a year or two ago - there were multiple issues with the location that made it a non-player - no hotel to hold the group(would not do group room block iirc), no catering, local college (Appalachian State University).
If you are looking for a place in the Western North Carolina mountains you might consider the Best Western Mountain Lodge in Banner Elk, NC. You can't beat the riding in the area. The limitation is they only have 100 rooms and the only alternative lodging in Banner Elk are B&B's, condos and timeshares.

 
Wayne, aren't you allergic to Virginia?
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Edit: I voted for Lewisburg again...it's a great spot. Cumberland Falls is pretty nice too

 
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I liked the Wytheville idea last year and still like it now. I think I posted a hotel in last year's thread that hit all the necessary points.

But pretty much anywhere works for me.

 
Whytheville, VA is a viable candidate.

It has all the amenities (https://www.visitwytheville.com/lodging.html please see the next button at the bottom of the list).

Nice town located at the intersect of two major interstates so easy access. Outdoor adventure destination, historical and cultural hub for its region including an active artsy fartsy group downtown.

Hub deep in good riding...https://www.visitwytheville.com/motorcycle-trails.html...a few examples.

Great area for dual sport too...https://advrider.com/index.php?threads/return-to-dual-sport-mountain.592765/

 
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I picked return to Lewisburg.

This was my first EOM although it certainly won't be my last. Rode some in spite of the weather and would love a second shot at some of the routes and roads we didn't get to.I thought this was a great location with the proximity to restaurants, stores, and fuel. Seemed like it allowed for a really good mix of forum members being pretty centralized for a lot of people.

 
+1 on Whytheville. We did a 260 mile loop out of Hungry Mother the weekend before EOM (when the weather was good
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). Va16 on one end, Paint Bank Rd on the other. Went right past Whytheville. I was blown away! Don’t recall a single stretch of road that I didn’t want to be on. The pavement condition was great. The scenery was great. The traffic was unbelievably light. There were a few areas along the route that I was afraid might get a little straight and boring but as it turned out those “breaks” were welcomed.

Something else to consider: We saw a lot of “no fracking pipeline” political signs in the area. It might be a good idea to get the good out of this area before the roads are clogged with and torn up by a mining boom? Somebody local may be able elaborate, without getting political. I enjoyed this spring’s Southeast Ohio Ramble. It was my first time there and it was a blast, but it was obvious that it would have been even better to have been there a year or two earlier, before so much construction.

 
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The Fairfield inn and the Hampton Inn both have meeting rooms, according to their Web sites. We'd have to cater. I like those hotels because they're on the norhtwest side of town. Right ouf of the door,

Pics from a ride my brother and I did two years ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mojohand/sets/72157634536006477/

We wanted to meet at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Camp, but rain sent us looking north, to Willville. We met some folks southbound who'd camped the night before, and they said the ground was soggy. So we ended up at the Fairfield Inn in Wytheville...and had a bang-up time. Swinging Bridge restaurant in Paint Bank, Burke's Garden loveliness, and great roads all around.

Here's what we did (sorry for the big file):

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