In article <cnup1r$48a$1@bent.twistedbits.net>, jon@dakota-truck.net writes:
> I have this mental picture of a bunch of Daks parked in a
> picturesque forest setting, with a waterfall, up in the mountains,
> and tents all over. Would be cool to get into a national park or
> something somewhere to set up a "base camp" like that. Maybe
> someplace where we could do some trail riding, possibly even some
> hiking or orienteering, etc.
The more I think about it, the more I like the Colorado idea. Somewhere
surrounding one of the four Dragstrips that NHRA.COM has listed on their
website.
BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY is just outside Denver a few miles to the south west. They
also have facilities to do parties and special events and depending on how many
people are interested, a mid week track rental day is a possibility. (Looks
like I need a bigger tow vehicle and a multicar trailer). This has my Vote!
PUEBLO MOTORSPORTS PARK looks like it’s about 50 miles south of Denver. Not
much info on their site as to facilities other than the Dragstrip is actually
part of a larger road course with a dirt track and motocross track. Not much
else for info.
JULESBURG DRAGSTRIP looks like it's about 80-90 miles north east of Denver near
the Nebraska corner of Colorado. From what I can tell from their website, not
much of a facility with a short summer schedule.
WESTERN COLORADO DRAGWAY doesn't appear to have an active website. Grand
Junction, CO looks to be about 120-150 miles to the west of Denver and 20-30
from Utah. I don't have any other info as to what is there.
> Yeah, hard to say. Having run the BBQ for several years now,
> I can attest to the "squirrely-ness" of prospective attendees. :-)
> I have also seen prior attempts to create a gathering of this type
> wither and die on the vine, but perhaps with this being a relatively
> big milestone year on the DML, we will stand a chance. :-) I'm
> certainly not going to poo-poo the idea; it sounds like it could be fun,
> and an opportunity for some DMLers to see another part of the country
> which they would normally not have a reason to.
It's hard to get so many different people with so many different ideas
together. I haven't organized a Foxwoods meet in a few years because it was
such a hassle to get everyone to agree on details. And that was a very
impromptu event; nothing more than a bunch of us standing around a parking lot,
a couple of hours giving money to the Indians and then dinner somewhere nearby.
Nothing like a multi-day event though I’ve been considering resurrecting the
meet.
> I agree that it would be good to get an event profile going
> and start collecting names and such to gauge interest. This
> also brought another thought to mind. I suspect that as we
> discuss the idea, certain locations will be suggested, and
> there will no doubt be several different ideas that will
> materialize about what the meet should be, and where it should
> be held. I don't know if this would be worthwhile or not, but
> should such a group of potential meets materialize, we could use
> the same system that we use for voting for the DML Calendar for
> the meet. Who knows, perhaps a single location will materialize
> which is so obviously superior to the others that we have some
> sort of implied unanimous content, but if there are a few
> contenders, a vote could be used to decide the issue. We've
> already got the capabilities to do this thanks to the DML calendar
> voting process. Just a thought.
Great idea. Let's git'er done!
> :> One idea that just occured to me - instead of trying to get a meet
> :> together on the weekend of the 10th anniversary - perhaps the DML BBQ
> :> for 2006 could be relocated to our 10th Ann. location? Follow me? If
> :> we celebrated the 10th ann. in the summer of 2006 - instead of in
> :> November of 2005 - perhaps more people could make it? More people could
> :> get time off in the summer, better weather, not close to thanksgiving or
> :> Christmas - both times of the year when money for a long ass cross
> :> country trek, would be sparce.
Hey a quote from the post I missed! I agree with the above message ;)
> I'm inclined to think that the 4th of July area is probably not
> the best time, based simply on my BBQ experience. That's the main
> reason the BBQ was moved to the end of July; I used to have it the
> first weekend, which was the July 4 weekend, and it just seemed to
> conflict with too many people's July 4 plans. The second weekend is
> of course Carlisle, and you wouldn't want to compete with that.
> Another time to avoid is the 2nd weekend in August as that is
> the Mopar Nats.
Definately dont want to infringe on the 4th or Carlisle. I don't recall the
Mopar Nats having a big DML contigincy but it's still a good idea to try and
avoid that weekend.
> We are certainly
> experts at standing around with our hoods popped, but there is only so
> much of that even we professionals can stomach. ;-)
We do, do a lot of that don't we ;)
> Naturally, stuff
> to do will depend on the location, and thus having nearby stuff to do
> would no doubt be a good thing to consider when choosing the location.
> Unfortunately, I don't have too many thoughts in that area except for
> the following:
>
> It is *probably* a mistake to make a long event like this be about
> one type of thing. For example, going to the drag strip for a day is
> cool, but most people probably wouldn't want to go there 10 days in a
> row. :-) The same could be said for offroading, from the perspective
> of the drag racers. (Though perhaps to a lesser extent, since at
> least with offroading, the scenery changes.) :-) This of course leads
> to the thought that there is only so much one can do with a truck -
> we can stand around and look at engines, drag race, or off road, but
> then what? That brings me to what seems like a logical conclusion -
> it doesn't necessarily have to be all about the trucks, and doing stuff
> with the trucks. The core of the DML is, after all, people... who
> happen to spend a lot of time talking about trucks. :-) So I'm
> thinking that by not focusing strictly on Dak related things like drag
> racing and off roading, there are perhaps other things that could be
> done, such as a scenic hike through the mountains, checking out a
> historical landmark or attending a theme park. There will of course
> be some folks who are unwilling or unable to do certain things, so
> some thought should probably be given to that as well. For example,
> with Norah's back problems, I can picture her thinking evil thoughts
> at me "yeah, that's JUST what I need - a nature hike with an ambulance
> rescue..." ;-) Anyway... I just mentioned hiking because that seemed
> like something fun to do in a scenic type area. Other similar things
> to do might be some orienteering/GPS type games (I don't know of any
> offhand but I am sure there must be some.) Or perhaps some kayaking
> or a whitewater rafting trip?
These are just a few attractions I found in and around the Denver area.
Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball Club. Games at Coorsfield in downtown
Denver. Held April thru October.
Colorado Railroad Museum, The largest railroad museum in the Rocky Mountain
area. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Colorado State Capitol, The structure commands a sweeping view of the
downtown Denver area.
Coors Brewing Company tours. The world’s largest single brewing facility
located just 12 miles west of Denver. Free tours. Open Monday through Saturday
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (WF: being a collector of beer steins and a moderate beer
drinker, I would be up for a tour)
The Denver Art Museum, Maintains the nation’s best collection of American
Indian artwork within its own permanent collection of over 35,000 pieces. Open
Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m. (WF: would
be cool to visit)
The Denver Zoo, Over 76 acres and is home to more than 1,700 animals. Open
daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Funplex, Enjoy family fun at this 3 and 1/2 acre indoor entertainment mall with
four main them areas.
The Colorado History Museum, Numerous displays of prehistoric Anasazi Indian
artifacts, arts and crafts, photographs and mining equipment. Open Monday
through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Denver Museum of Natural History, Has one of the finest dinosaur exhibits
in the nation, as well as 100 dioramas of plants and animals in natural
settings. Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Elitch Gardens Amusement Park, Located in downtown Denver. Open daily May
through early September. For more information, visit Six Flags / Elitch Gardens
online. (WF: I haven't even made it to the Six Flags a half hour to my north
but I have no objuction to checking this on out with a group.)
Lakeside Amusement Park, One of Denver’s best family oriented attractions.
Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver’s only Aviation Museum.
Famous and rare aircraft’s, spacecraft, and other one-of-a-kind exhibits. Open
year round. Free parking.
> Oh, and before I forget - if such an event comes off, we'll have
> to be sure to get a group photo, of Daks and of DMLers - good DML
> Calendar fodder. :-)
That should be our first by-law!
Walt
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