Bennington Triumph Bash

Hey everyone. After two years of rainy BTBs, I know a lot of people are wondering if it should maybe be a little later in the season, so I thought I'd post this poll. Please vote, and feel free to add your thoughts below.

Our options would be:
* Stick with our traditional weekend after Memorial Day, which would be June 4-6 next year. Advantages: gets people excited for the season; slots in conveniently between a holiday and Americade the next week. Disadvantages: the weather can be unpredictable in Vermont in late May/early June.
* Move the BTB back to late June, say June 25-27. Advantages: warmer weather. Disadvantages: the weather can be unpredictable in Vermont in late June (including getting quite hot); lots of bugs for the campers to contend with; prime vacation season for families, so it might be harder for people to attend.
* Move the BTB to autumn. Advantages: fall foliage; fewer bugs; no conflict with family vacation season. Disadvantages: lots of other rallies/events in the fall so avoiding a conflict could be hard; the weather can be unpredictable in Vermont in the fall.

--mark

I like the June 4-6 date. Gets pretty hot later. Predicting the weather is like gambling in VT. We had a lot better BASH this year maybe next year it wont rain at all!!!



Tito


Ton Up!

Personally I agree with Tito -- I think the weekend after Memorial Day is the best time to do it for various reasons. And he's right about the weather. It could suck just as much at the end of June as at the beginning.

--mark

Keep it as is. too many conflicts later in the season.

My 2 cents.

Alan

Autumn would be sweet. Celebrate the kids going back to school by getting out of town. Not to mention the foliage.

Keep it the weekend after Memorial Day as I never have stuff planned for that time but always do later...I think there would be too many conflicts for fall time...Poor time to rage the roads around New England...

I think we should hold the Bash early and often, like the way I vote.

Seriously, the current schedule works well. No matter when it's held, they'll always be a chance of rain. Staying away from leaf peepers in the Fall is a matter of riding safety. If our campers would like a bit more warmth, perhaps delaying to the end of June would help them. Anyway, whenever it's held, I'm coming days early.

Marty

I say the second week of june. I notice its not an option..but it helps me as my business is rough at the end of the month.

A second more informal Bash in the Fall would be nice in addition to the Spring Bash!

If it's not broke don't fix it.

Something to consider about June- once school gets out in mid to late June there's all the summer tourist families in packed up minivans to watch out for and get stuck behind. Not so much fun on mountain roads or coming through VT's pretty villages is all I'm saying.....

Leaf peeper traffic isn't usually bad till october (columbus day) in VT, but there's still plenty of retards out there in sept. And kids are going back to school.

Weather is always unpredictable, no matter the season, so I would rule this out as a factor. Personally, I found the uncrowded roads to be especially nice to ride, and the very open feel of the campground to be great. We had a very nice visit with the owner on Saturday night, and she was saying what a nice boost in the arm it was for her to have us there at that time of the year. While I'm not familiar with the particulars of the arrangements that had to be made to bring this off, I would guess that the early season timing gives whoever is doing the organizing a pretty nice bargaining chip when speaking to folks about having us in the area. Also, I got pretty pumped up checking this forum on those miserable cold days in March, and I don't think attending this in the fall after a long summer of plenty of riding would be nearly so rewarding. Having this in May works well as many of us northerners have just gotten back in the saddle, and are ready for some longer rides after doing the "riding between rain storms" thing at home.

sevy wrote:Also, I got pretty pumped up checking this forum on those miserable cold days in March, and I don't think attending this in the fall after a long summer of plenty of riding would be nearly so rewarding.

I think this is an excellent point.

ricster65 wrote:I say the second week of june.

This is unfortunately not an option as it conflicts directly with Americade, which is in nearby Lake George, NY, and causes the roads to be infested with Goldwings.

--mark

Also, I have to point out that despite the slight sogginess, the camping this time of year was totally pleasant (with all respect to ye from warmer parts) due to the relative lack of bugs, compared to what comes out in a few weeks. I brought a sack full of bug juices and didn't even touch it.

Maybe a warmer spring and it would've been a different story. IMO it's a strike for June.

Does the Americade thing really create that much traffic in VT? Same with Laconia? If so, then I understand the objections, but if it's just a matter of trying to avoid conflicting with those events, I don't think anyone really cares. Most of us want to attend the bash and don't need to hit either of those events.

Despite what my friends from Canada and Maine say, it was pretty damn cold at the campsite on thursday night. Ed told us that its at 2,200 feet elevation and that explains some of the temerature difference between the campsite and town. Maybe being from the tropical part of new England (CT) affected my perspective as Brett was walking around in shorts and a t shirt most of the weekend.