Manx Club

Here is a quick run down of the plans for Big Bear Bash 2014. NO CAMP TANDA THIS YEAR!
The event will begin on Thursday, July 10, 2014 with check in at the Northwoods Resort. Look for the Manx Club EZ Up.
The Northwoods Resort will be the host hotel and has given the club a group rate of $99 a night per room. Below is the link to their website and you need to enter this code in the Group box. GPMDB.

http://northwoodsresort.com/
You can call them too and make reservations over the phone. Just mention the Manx Dunebuggy Club for the group rate. 909-866-3121
Thursday will be sign in and sign up only. You will need to sign up for an off road group at this time.
Friday, we will stage either in the Northwoods parking lot or the SnowSummit parking lot on Brownie Lane and conduct our drivers meeting.
Friday will be spent riding the trails or doing a poker run for the street buggies.
Saturday morning will begin at the Northwoods parking lot and stage for an escorted parade around the lake and thru the town back to the Northwoods Resort. We will then have a Show and Shine that will go to about 2pm.
We will take a break until around 6pm. I don't know if we will be having dinner service yet. At around 6pm the club will meet in a banquet room for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Meyers Manx. PARTY!

Sunday morning around 9am we will meet for the awards and raffle in the parking lot of Northwoods.
We will have parking for your tow vehicles and trailers at Snow Summit Parking lot. We cannot overnight camp there. It will be used for parking and staging only.
If you are planning to bring your RV, I would recommend that you call Holloways at (909) 866-5706 for an RV spot. I don't think that they are open during the winter but leave them a message or email. There are other Forest service campgrounds that have dry camping. You might consider renting a cabin too. There are hundreds for rent online.
I don't have camping spots for those who normally stay at Camp Tanda. Those members will have to find other accommodations this time. Sorry.
If you all have any questions, please email me at rhunter8037@sbcglobal.net

Thanks Bob, the info will make it EZ.
MnC

So there will be no runs on Saturday other than a lap around the lake?

Kevin

No, I haven't planned on any trail runs on Saturday. I have that planned for Friday.
I know there will be buggies that would prefer to go off road than sitting in a parking lot for a show and shine. While I haven't organized any groups for Saturday, it doesn't mean there wont be any off roading. Its still early in the planning stages. If there is an organized group for Saturday, then great. But I hope we can get a good show at the show and shine before they take off.

I think not having the option of a run or runs on Saturday is a mistake, especially in a place like Big Bear which is ripe with trail-running opportunities.  Show & Shine's are all well and good but this is a club which has a reputation for being an active club, not one for people who just want to sit around stare at cars.  I would recommend taking a survey to see what the collective thinks.

Kevin

Buggies are nice to look at but the smiles don't come until you drive them.

I think the guys have a good point. One of the things that originally attracted me to the Manx Club was the way it was different than other "car clubs". Very little time was spent looking at the buggies and a whole lot of time was spent driving them and most importantly, getting them dirty! I can understand how the Show and Shine is a great time to socialize with people we might only see once or twice a year, so please don't get me wrong. I understand a balance has to be achieved. It seems to me that the Club's focus is shifting from that of exploring dirt roads and natural places to that of driving long distances on pavement. This is great if that's what people want. I just find it a bit odd.

The Manx Club is not changing it always has been a international club. Not everywhere can you drive off main roads. Here in the Western states we are spoiled with being able to drive on dirt roads, trails and explore the vast desert area that are here.
The was 3 official Manx Club runs in the west this year that had runs that went into areas that were in the dirt.
The other official event Manx on the Banx in October was mostly run on pavement with day on "Grave Diggers" test track and a drive on the beach. I can tell you it was a fun event to be at because of the people that were there. And just being a part of the C2C event was something that a once in a life time experience.
I prefer driving in the dirt, but driving a buggy anywhere is always fun. It why I have two buggies, one for the dirt and long distance driving, and one for driving on the street.

The Big Bear event is going to be different this year because of the 50th Anniversary of Bruce building the first Manx.

Since the Manx Mania came out and showed Camp Tanda was not going to be use (I always camped there), I already made my reservations for Motel 6 in Big Bear. It was the cheapest one I could find.

Remember plans can change. Nothing has been set in stone about time frames. I have no plans of spending anytime at Show N Shine when I can go out and explore the Big Bear area.
There will be a group that is traveling from the East coast to attend the event. Depending on what day they plan on arriving, some may want to drive out to meet them on road to escort them back to Big Bear. There was a large group from the east that meet up with the C2C group and escort use to Nags Head. It was quite something seeing all the buggies in a long line going across the bridge to the island.

I hear what you all are saying and I will try to have group for Saturday to go off road after the parade. I also wanted to throw out there that we now have to apply for a permit thru the forestry service to go off road. We have already supplied them with a plan and maps of where we would like to go. They probably will approve it but we will have to use the trails following their rules and guidelines. We submitted maps from previous runs so we should be able to go to the same places as we have done in the past and we also applied for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We wont hear back from the Forestry until after the new year. We will also be required to buy the adventure pass.
I estimate over 200 buggies this event. We will make an big impact on the community. I hope it will be a good impact and we will be able to continue coming to Big Bear in the future. Because we announced we where coming and staying out in town, word travels fast in a small community and it didn't take long before I got a few calls from the Forestry Service asking about what we plan to do. The club is working with all the involved agencies to make sure we have a great weekend.
So, in a nut shell, no guarantees yet on anything. This is just our plan for right now.
If we do get approval to off road Saturday, I will need some group leaders and sweeps. hint-hint

In closing, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 I have to agree with what KEV250R, LEE and ED said,   Also Starting on a Thursday means a extra day off work  for most of us.  No Friday morning sign ins ?... what if I just want to drive up for the Friday runs?...  and Sunday looks to me like a wasted day with out the morning run.

Sorry about changing things up on this event guys but this event will be a little different because the focus is the celebration of the
50th anniversary of the Meyers Manx. I work full time too. I have to take off a week before the event to drive down from Reno and set it up. I hope you all can make it.

I did not realize the Forest Service has become like the BLM in now requiring a permit for a group outing. I understand the Adventure Pass is something that has been needed now for several years to travel the trails in certain parts of California. If you have a Handicap placard or license plate it not required.

Your efforts in organizing the events is greatly appreciated.

Big Bear is going to the event you don't want to miss this year.

jsturtlebuggy wrote:Big Bear is going to the event you don't want to miss this year.

I predict Big Bear will be an event many people will miss this year if runs aren't included in Saturday's 'Program'.  Just check-out the chatter on several of the other 'Buggy boards.

There is still plenty of time to work-out details with the Forest Service.  Big Bear plays host to a large Dual-Sport MC rally every June and the organizers of that event seem to have no problem 'coloring within the lines' so to speak so it can be done.  Connie and Lynn proved that last year with way they began working with the Rangers in the Los Padres NF months before the Solvang run.  Plus there are still many trails in the Big Bear area this club has never touched, just ask the guy who made eight off-roading trips to the Big Bear area last summer (hand raised!   )

As far as Adventure Passes go, IMO anybody who gets their tires dirty should have one.  Their cheap ($5 for a day pass) and the proceeds go to directly improve the places we visit when we venture off the straight and narrow.  Personally I have four annual passes, one for each of my street legal off-road "toys".  They make great stocking stuffers

Kevin

Bob and Joseph, thank you both for providing valuable insights and information. We sometimes forget what all is involved in an official club run. Thank you for considering all our thoughts and for making the effort to include a Saturday off-road run. Let's see if we can rally the troops and get some leaders/sweeps together!

Made our reservations on-line.  Only bummer is a 4PM check-in time at Northwoods.  Guess we'll get there early, unload the buggy and spend the day exploring before checking-in.  

While we also are in favor of a Saturday run, with such a large group anticipated, the words of the day will be flexibility, and patients. No matter what is planned, I'm sure it will turn out great (remember, the best laid plans of mice and men…).

The other option to consider is that if there is no run scheduled by the club for Saturday, then small groups can still put together their own unplanned run for that day. Small impromptu groups of 5 or 6 buggies (I'm not sure what the max number is) would not have to file anything with the forrest service and could just pick a trail or two to run for the day and have fun (while still following the Forrest Service rules).