Attending Overland Expo East

The Expo has come and gone (and what an event it was). So what is Overland Expo. Their website says it best...

There are multiple expos around the USA and we were lucky enough to have one close to us in Virginia. This is a multi-day event (Thursday - Sunday). Since it was so close, we both decided to attend.

Thursday

At 6:15am, we met at my house and headed up to Arrington, VA. When we started out, it was 47 degrees and sunrise was not until 7:20am (ish). Luckily we did not have far to travel on the interstate but unlucky for us, it was the first 60 miles. So we bundled up, turned on our heated grips and seats and headed for the interstate.

Because it was so early, we did not have much traffic and since it was dark, gave plenty of room for all the trucks and cars. We finally got to Greensboro which meant getting off the interstate and heading due north to VA. At this point, we were both surprised that we kept very warm and with the sun coming up, it was a very pleasant drive so far.

We headed north and decided that once we reached the Virginia border, we would stop for a break. Turns out there is a nice rest area in Danville, VA. We stopped, used the toilet, walked a bit, stretched, etc.

After a 15-20 minute break, we got back on the bikes and headed to the Expo. We did need to make one stop for gas (forget where) but glad we did since there was not much close to the expo.

The Expo opened at 8am and we arrived around 10:30am. Of course, we missed the initial turn so we did a u-turn. And of course, where the entrance is, you could not make a left turn so we had to drive further to do another u-turn and finally made it to our turn into the estate where the event was being held.

When we arrived, they directed us through the grass to the registration area. We hopped off our bikes, got our materials and wrist bands and proceeded to the camping area. They did have a camping area marked off strictly for motorcycles. The only issue is that it was VERY small (they did come back later that day and move the markers which doubled its size). We were one of the first folks to arrive so we picked a spot next the fence and setup camp.

The weather was great and actually, it was a bit warmer than we expected. Either way, we got all our gear setup and began to get familiar with the area. First on our agenda was to get water. According to THEIR map, there were multiple areas for water. Ugh, not so. In fact we asked someone working there and they told us there was not any water. We knew that could not be true so we kept wandering around and finally found someone that told us to go to the showers as they have spigots. Great, we can get water AND see where the showers are.

We did find the showers and 5 spigots so we filled up our water bags. We noticed that there were 6 showers (with hot water) but they were only open from 6am-10am and 5pm-9pm. And we also noticed that these were the ONLY 6 showers in the entire expo (keep in mind there are 1000's of people camping). Oh well, no shower for me.

We got the water and walked back to eat lunch. Once full and hydrated, we wandered over to the vendor area. Most were still setting up but we stopped and chatted with quite a few people. We did notice that most vendors were not motorcycle oriented but geared towards the 4wd off road groups.

We got back to the motorcycle camp as more folks began to arrive. We had some great folks camp next to us so we chatted as they setup camp. There was to be a happy hour party from 5-7 so we just sat at camp for a couple of hours then headed over to the happy hour with our new camp mates.

They did have beer and wine for sale so we had a few drinks and then headed back to camp to make dinner. We cooked, ate, and sat around getting to know more about our neighbors. The motorcycle camp had filled up considerably but there were still a bit of room. You do need to setup your tents close to one another. After spending time chatting, we headed off to bed.

Friday

This was the first real day of the expo. They have sessions and classes running from 9am-5pm. The good news is there were quite a number of classes and sessions for motorcycles. We said morning to everyone, fixed our breakfast and headed up for our first 9am session.

I am not going to get into the details of each session we attended but just give the highlights. First, there was a chef there (his website) that was incredible. His food he created using 1 pot was very delicious. We got so many ideas from his classes. You must visit his website. Great recipes and great food ideas specifically for camping. You will not be sorry (we have already tried some of the recipes and they are great). His classes were ALWAYS full.

Other classes we went to were on what tools to carry while adventure riding and one session on how not to die. Both were interesting but honestly, it pointed out that the guys running the session on how not to die had made a LOT of very bad decisions. In short, they ignored everyone giving them good advice and decided to do it anyway. They kind of deserved what they got. Luckily they are all still here today but the point is to always use common sense and ALWAYS ride to your ability.

May of the sessions were quite informative. We just wished there were more available that were motorcycle centric. Friday was the day for going to sessions. Yes, we wondered a bit over to the vendors but we were having friends coming on Saturday and we knew that is where we would spend most of our time.

The day was great. Learned a lot. Got to meet a lot of interesting folks but time to eat. We headed back to our campsite. Man, it got crowded.

We also met an interesting 2up couple with their dog.

We made dinner and mingled with the cycle riders. A lot of great bikes and interesting people. After dinner, we headed up to the hill for the raffle. Sadly, none of us won anything but still, another great day.

Saturday

It got a bit colder during the night but nothing harsh. Our sleeping bag did its job...we stayed toasty warm. Another gorgeous day! Today was less classes and more vendors. With our friends coming up, we would spend the majority of the day checking out what the vendors had to offer.

After breakfast, we needed a water run. While we headed over to the showers, our friends arrived. We met them, got water, and walked them back to our camp.

Once we dropped off our water bags, we walked over the vendor area. This thing is HUGE.

Most of the vendors were geared toward 4 wheeled vehicles but still, there were some nice campers, trucks, and gear to be seen. After a few hours wandering around with our friends, they decided to leave and we decided to head back to camp to get ready for our catered dinner.

But before dinner, drinks were in order so we headed up the hill. Tons of people were gathered up there but our party was limited to just motorcycle folks. We had some drinks and listened to music waiting for the dinner to start.

When it was time, we headed to our dinner tent. We had some more drinks (which were free) and got in line for food. It was nice to not have to cook for once. After dinner they had a raffle and Kirk won a free 5 days at the Dragoo Adventure Rider Training school. Great prize. Now we will all need to rally up and go with him.

After dinner, many stuck around the "faux" fires they had going (these are propane fire pits). They do not really give off much heat but they do look nice. Folks began to get tired and many headed off to bed. Some went over to vendor tents (free food and drinks) while others just stayed up late and partied. After a while, we just headed off to bed.

Sunday

Well it got cold last night. All the tents were iced up.

Since we are in a big field, the sun came out quickly and began to warm (and thaw) things for us. We whipped up breakfast and began setting things out to dry.

Today is the moto skills games. We walked up to watch cycles compete thru various different games. The first was the slowest competition. The second was tag. Two cycles drove in a small square and the first to tag the other is out. And the third was limbo. Yes, drive you bike under a bar. The lowest wins. Lets say that a few mirrors and windshields were game killers.

Once that was over, we headed back down to camp to slowly start the task of packing. We were not in any hurry so we took our time and said our good-byes to those that began to leave. We ate lunch and then packed up the last few things and headed on our way.

The trip home was a great ride. Sunny and cool. We got close to home and decided to head over the The Friendly Pub. Had a celebratory beer for a great weekend then headed home.

Summary

Overall the event was a lot of fun. Both of us are glad we went. The location was excellent and there was plenty of room to hold the event. Now for the negatives.

First, the lack of water fill stations was poor. I think late Friday they put in another station closer to us but I think it may have been 5 gallon jugs that you pump (not sure since we never found it).

Second, the location and size the of motorcycle camping was VERY poor. We were right next to the road and in the beginning, it was only big enough for MAYBE half of those coming. Lucking enough people complained and they enlarged the area. But they could have put us closer to the water and the event since were are a small group.

Third, speaking of small, the vendor turn out for motorcycle related gear, etc was extremely poor. That may be why only 40 or so motorcycles showed up. This event seems to be geared more toward the 4WD industry and overlanding and definitely not motorcycles (but they did have a fair number of classes and sessions).

Fourth, the number of showers were pathetic. Look at the pictures and you can see that there were thousands camping yet 6 (or maybe 8) showers AND limited access (4 hrs in am and 4 hrs in pm). I guess showering is overrated anyway.

Fifth, if you have rules, enforce them. Especially the quiet hours. I do not think folks realize that you can hear everything in a tent. The first night, there were fork lifts and other machinery running up and down the road all night. I can handle the engine noise but the constant BEEP-BEEP-BEEP kept waking me up (sounded like my alarm clock).

Even with all these negatives, we will still attend again. Hopefully they will fix some of these issues for next year. Already looking forward to it.