My meager input for 2013...

[MacGyver]

Winter Park, CO

Dinner : Dino's Mountain Bistro

Dive :  Best Western Hotel

Ok, Show up and have fun!  

[Sport-Touring]

[Scratch33]

Oooh.  Me like.  

[Bill-Z]

You're a plannin' SOB aren'tcha?...

[JonS]

Works for me.

[greench440]

I'd prefer something at a little lower elevation.  Had altitude sickness at Steamboat Springs (8800 ft) a couple years ago and Winter Park is 9000 ft.

[Nodaclu]

All I know is, whatever it's located, I'm finally gonna be there one way or another.  

[DNA]

Interesting.

Dates in mind?

[zer0netgain]

What kind of prices are you looking at?  WP is on the pricey side due to it being remote.

[bubba zanetti]

Depending on dates ... It is an area I have wanted to explore.

[Oddball]

I'm so in wherever it may be at in Colorado.

[Bill-Z]

By the time this event rolls around, I am gonna be soooo ready for a major break from everything that Colorado seems like the perfect place to get away.  It almost doesn't matter where in CO, life's troubles have been kicking me around too long.  I really hope to be able to make this trip and will be watching very closely as this develops.

[MacGyver]

Mid June is the earliest you seriously want to *enjoy* the mountain passes.  Any earlier and you'll be acting like Bear Gryles hunkering around the burning remnants of your bike for survival heat.

[MacGyver]

On a side note, I've been thinking that the 'National' event should be dissolved and reassigned to an regional meet each year. This reasoning being based on the sparcity of paid/unpaid vacation allowed each year.

I'm gonna throw this out that the next WCRM should be the 2013 national.

[maddjack]

My 2 cents is , a National is fine but more folks need to get off thier dead asses and help plan. Its hard for somebody on the east coast to find a reliable , food vendor in Utah or Idaho, or any western state. Its a lot easier if people closer by would help out. Hoping that the 2 dozen phone calls to food vendors you make hopefully picks somewhere decent is a roll of the dice, the motel is easy,IMHO .I understand too the commitment for prizes ect,but maybe expecting all that  stuff is the problem, not the National moniker itself.
Make it easy
1 Pick a location during the Nationals time span. ( organizer chooses).Just move west coast east ect so its not in California 3 years in a row or any other location for multiple years rotate and spread it WEST
2  If a food vendor can be arranged for catering , fine , if not why not ala cart at a local eatery on a night designated as the dinner night
3 stop expecting a prize giveaway, not every one can spend hours contacting vendors to beg for prizes.
The regional events I attend use this simple formula, and IT WORKS and has worked for a long time.Gather riders at a location in good riding and have a few drinks at night and everyone seems to have a great time with out the fluff. My 2 shiny coppers

[Bill-Z]

OK, I'll throw in here, despite the fact that I've never attend a large group ride, anywhere.  However, I can tell you that the reason I would attend, is for the ride and the people.  It ain't the food and it ain't the hotel.  So, regional or national isn't really important to me, but I support the idea of the regional, and drop the national, because it'd be more likely, that I'd see people that I've met previously at a regional event.  Plus, I'd support and encourage a spring AND autumn gatherings on a regional level to use up that hold over vacation.  Being regional, it would required less vacation, and make it easier to attend.

It's about the people.  It's about the ride.  I don't worry about the food or the accommodations as much...I'm jus' sayin'...

[maddjack]

OK, I'll throw in here, despite the fact that I've never attend a large group ride, anywhere.  However, I can tell you that the reason I would attend, is for the ride and the people.  It ain't the food and it ain't the hotel.  So, regional or national isn't really important to me, but I support the idea of the regional, and drop the national, because it'd be more likely, that I'd see people that I've met previously at a regional event.  Plus, I'd support and encourage a spring AND autumn gatherings on a regional level to use up that hold over vacation.  Being regional, it would required less vacation, and make it easier to attend.

It's about the people.  It's about the ride.  I don't worry about the food or the accommodations as much...I'm jus' sayin'...

That already happens , there are already regional events so why get rid of the National???You can have as many regional events as you want, but a once a year national gathering is a nice thing too. If there are not regional meets in your area, it sounds more like a region , no plan problem to me, we have a bunch in region6 and region 4.   I feel the rotation thing may have outlived its usefulness. And a more random approch will keep it fresh. As far as vacation , hey either you want to go or not, regional , national or anything in between.

[Cablebandit]

Well said Jack. We have so many regional things in region 6 alone that only the retired have enough vacation to hit them all.

The National is more about seeing people from other areas.

As far as organization goes it should just be a matter of finding accommodations and a date. I don't think anyone us going for the chance of winning a prize. We're all also old enough to feed ourselves. A group dinner can be nice but it also puts a timeline to be "home" one night. The best conversations are always in the parking lot/around the fire afterwards.

[greench440]

Anything beyond date and location is too much planning.  We just need to make sure the hotel has a suitable parking lot.

How about Red Lodge MT?  Lots of great roads on the way and near by (Beartooth, Chief Joseph, Big Horn Summit, Glacier) plus you could do Jellystone park.

[MacGyver]

Montana is nice. A lot more accessible for west coast folks.  It's a location I personally haven't ridden in so it peaks my curiosity. 

The point I was trying to point out was that the National event as a standalone does not appeal to the masses. Unfortunately, the conscience of this forum is rudderless as even the owner has grown tired of babysitting all the delicate  egos.  As it sits, none of you are gonna listen to each others opinions no matter how qualified they may be.
A regional meet being nominated for that years' national rally should be a focus to introduce out of towners to all the good stuff. Combine locals with guests results in a greatly enriched experience for everyone. 
A national were everyone is unfamiliar with the region results in a lot wasted time riding boring roads not knowing where the truly good ones are.
That's why I brought Butler maps on board.  Organizing for Arkansas wasn't all that hard once you filtered out all the bullshit.  Vendors want to help but you have to follow up and update a LOT up to the point of the event.  Tracy, from Butler, was much happier with our small group than the huge COG rally just a week earlier.  The organizers of that event just fed him to the dogs and didn't follow up and make sure they were accommodated with proper retail exposure.

[MacGyver]

3 stop expecting a prize giveaway, not every one can spend hours contacting vendors to beg for prizes.[/b]

Your still upset cuz ya didn't win the tires :P