Overland Expo EAST 2018: Official Thread
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BushHead
Adventurist
https://americanadventurist.com/forum/threads/overland-east-mud-mud-and-more-mud.6391/
some cool vids in this thread.
some cool vids in this thread.
Remember, it wouldn’t be an Overland Expo unless weather was severe and reception was nil...
There will be LOTS of photos and report once we recover, and process it all. Long weekend.
I do remember. Providing live coverage of Expo on the forum is a daunting task. We are all looking forward to the photos and report. Welcome to the Expo East Survivors!
-Andy
--->> Next year location? Maybe? <<---
My only gripe is it being between the highway and the airport. Noise is terrible at that location. My vote is the Oak Ridge Estate in Virginia. That's where Camp Jeep used to be. Plenty of land to camp, trails to play on, and lots and lots to see and do in the area.
smlobx
Adventurist
Dean I like your suggestion.
When we were driving out on Sunday my wife wondered why they had the event in what we call bottom land where all the water coming off the mountains flows into the area....There are several fairgrounds in the mid Atlantic and most would have more room that there was at Reeb..
Weather happens and we should all be prepared to deal with it but that venue only had one road in and out. The fields were bisected with streams making all traffic both vehicular and foot on the single gravel road. When you see a Unimog with both axles locked getting stuck on flat ground and needing a JD dozen to pull him out you know it's tough.
Another comment I heard from vendors was that they could not park near their booth making resupply of their products a pita. Cell service also sucked and many vendors had trouble processing credit card payments. Those of us with businesses to run found it frustrating trying to stay in touch with our team back home...
On a positive note the food trucks were very good....but I will not be returning to Reeb.
...and while I'm on my soapbox I have two other gripes...
1. Why was it that those who paid the highest price to get in (i.e. Experience) were given the worst place to camp on the friggin side of a hill?
2. Are we suppose to be overlanders or campers? There were entirely too many generators running and even though most were the quiet type they were still very noticeable. Maybe next time have them park a mile or so away from the rest of us...
When we were driving out on Sunday my wife wondered why they had the event in what we call bottom land where all the water coming off the mountains flows into the area....There are several fairgrounds in the mid Atlantic and most would have more room that there was at Reeb..
Weather happens and we should all be prepared to deal with it but that venue only had one road in and out. The fields were bisected with streams making all traffic both vehicular and foot on the single gravel road. When you see a Unimog with both axles locked getting stuck on flat ground and needing a JD dozen to pull him out you know it's tough.
Another comment I heard from vendors was that they could not park near their booth making resupply of their products a pita. Cell service also sucked and many vendors had trouble processing credit card payments. Those of us with businesses to run found it frustrating trying to stay in touch with our team back home...
On a positive note the food trucks were very good....but I will not be returning to Reeb.
...and while I'm on my soapbox I have two other gripes...
1. Why was it that those who paid the highest price to get in (i.e. Experience) were given the worst place to camp on the friggin side of a hill?
2. Are we suppose to be overlanders or campers? There were entirely too many generators running and even though most were the quiet type they were still very noticeable. Maybe next time have them park a mile or so away from the rest of us...
I find it humorous that the whiniest voices come from the 4x4 crowd whom have the most gear, and yet the adventure moto crowd was living it up and yet they have the least gear.
4x4x4doors
Adventurist
There are folks on here who are familiar with all sorts of modern technology. If vendors are having problems conducting business, what's the reasoning for not including portable, temporary cell towers for the event? Like this, for instance. https://cellsitesolutions.com/cell-on-wheels-expand-network-coverage/
kmacafee
Adventurist
King of the Hammers is set up and taken down in a week. Usually, its empty BLM land but they somehow have figured out the logistics to build a city where thousands of people attend and have a great time. Great cell coverage, loos and food vendors. Sure, its dusty but its the desert. It can be done!!
^^^^Not a true statement, those guys are out there working weeks before the event digging trenches for communications and power lines, marking off Hammertown, etc.
ANY organized event requires more behind the scenes work than most people can imagine. I'd venture a guess that the AAV guys are working on the logistics for the next Rendezvous event before the one they are at is even over. It's not as easy as ordering a couple of outhouses, posting a link to the event on the web and then sitting back and collecting the $$$.
ANY organized event requires more behind the scenes work than most people can imagine. I'd venture a guess that the AAV guys are working on the logistics for the next Rendezvous event before the one they are at is even over. It's not as easy as ordering a couple of outhouses, posting a link to the event on the web and then sitting back and collecting the $$$.
That I can confirm, we are already working on next years MRV and have 3 events that will happen before it. (Toys 4 tots, DRV, and overland expo west)
I've been to a KoH event that was a sloppy mess, I don't remember what year it was but "Means Dry Lakebed" wasn't dry that year. I've wheeled the (traditional) Hammer's trails for years. The weather in the high desert can change on you in an instant. Again, a few years back, the weather was foul at one of the Parker 400's (desert race), drivers were flat out quitting the race because the conditions were so miserable. Desert racers were never designed to be mud boggers. There is probably still mud stuck somewhere in my truck from that race. In both of those instances, I kind of knew what I was getting myself in to...I'm no expert on the old interweb, but I've fingered out how to check the weather for where I'm headed and plan accordingly.
Mojave Wi-Fi is out at KoH but even their coverage (that you have to pay for) is spotty at times, or is S L O W.
It's a rare event that I need my Loosiana Reeboks (rubber boots, I've been dying to use that since I first heard it a week or so ago
) but I have 'em if I need 'em. The rare mud we get here in SoCal is like peanut butter.Don't get me wrong, Dave Cole is a friend of mine, KoH is an amazing production that takes an amazing amount of resources to put together. My wife Machelle was the "medical director" for the first couple of events...we had maybe 1000 people on the lakebed and most of them were either competitors or their posse of rock crawlers that were there to help. There was no Hammertown,, no vendors, etc.
I'm in what my wife calls "Baja Bob" mode...headed for the border Wednesday morning so you can disregard my miscellaneous ramblings...just saying is all!
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My reflection about me trying to make a distinction between overlanders and campers in the past.
How do I define the difference between the two? If you define overlanding as vehicle dependent travel then you are excluding the people who invented the term. The Australian drovers that moved livestock over land long distances. Usually on horseback and w/o any of the farkles that any one of us have in our vehicles. Travel with a goal of self sufficiency? That'll cover us and the Australian drovers. But it also covers people living in an RV year round. And long distance truckers who technically resemble the Australian drovers and their objective the most. Travel with a goal of self sufficiency and minimal dependency on civilization? You cannot choose a better symbol of the dependency on civilization than the automobile. Thing is. As hard as I tried to place myself in an exclusive club making the distinction never will change what I want to do and enjoy doing. Making the distinction is unnecessary.
A simple 10:00pm quiet time would have been nice.
kmacafee
Adventurist
I've been to a KoH event that was a sloppy mess, I don't remember what year it was but "Means Dry Lakebed" wasn't dry that year. I've wheeled the (traditional) Hammer's trails for years. The weather in the high desert can change on you in an instant. Again, a few years back, the weather was foul at one of the Parker 400's (desert race), drivers were flat out quitting the race because the conditions were so miserable. Desert racers were never designed to be mud boggers. There is probably still mud stuck somewhere in my truck from that race. In both of those instances, I kind of knew what I was getting myself in to...I'm no expert on the old interweb, but I've fingered out how to check the weather for where I'm headed and plan accordingly.
Mojave Wi-Fi is out at KoH but even their coverage (that you have to pay for) is spotty at times, or is S L O W.
It's a rare event that I need my Loosiana Reeboks (rubber boots, I've been dying to use that since I first heard it a week or so ago
Don't get me wrong, Dave Cole is a friend of mine, KoH is an amazing production that takes an amazing amount of resources to put together. My wife Machelle was the "medical director" for the first couple of events...we had maybe 1000 people on the lakebed and most of them were either competitors or their posse of rock crawlers that were there to help. There was no Hammertown,, no vendors, etc.
I'm in what my wife calls "Baja Bob" mode...headed for the border Wednesday morning so you can disregard my miscellaneous ramblings...just saying is all!
Baja Bob -- you are certainly correct and I know you've been to more desert events than I have. The weather is something that no event organizer can control. It was the logistics I was really referring to. From a lack of cell coverage to inadequate bus transportation to a lack of trash facilities, these are all things the event organizers can control. Whomever runs KofH, they have certainly figured out the logistics part of it.
I wasn't there but friends were and from what they describe, the location was entirely inadequate to support an event of that size, even if the weather were perfect. The Hansons should be given much of the credit for creating an event that has become a huge success -- its just a simple fact that the event is now a victim of that growth and success and the venues should reflect that.
Ha!!!! Jarhead is late for his own Birthday!!! He better be getting refreshments!!!
It's EXACTLY what I was doing!
Great post Greg.
We certainly enforced our own 2200 quiet time though
Indeed we did, at that! It was written into the MANY unenforced rules of the event.... like having camp fires... unless the snazzy new propane fire pits have campfire scented propane... lol
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