For 2009 the Rover Owners Association of Virginia ( ROAV) is proud to announce the new location of the Mid-Atlantic Rally, Airy Hill Farms in Caroline County Virginia. The Rally will be held on October 1-4. The new location is approximately 700 acres in a working farm of 6000 acres. The setting is similar to the Pearl’s Pond property that was the home of the MAR for so many years, but is located centrally between Richmond and Washington D.C. This is the first time an event like this has been held there, and the trails system is going to be an ongoing building process. Currently there are more than 7 miles of trails. As in years past there will be free camping on site. The new location is just 15 minutes from I-95, with a Howard Johnson’s and a Super 8 as well as several fast food restaurants. There is a small campground nearby as well. We believe we have found a new location for the MAR that will satisfy many of the varied desired characteristics of past Rallies while giving us room to expand and grow. Details and registration to follow.

Is MAR at Fort AP Hill this year??

No, it is a private farm a bit south of there.

Good, I was hoping not to enlist this year!

website or address to map it?

awesome work guys. thanks!

No maps yet, they will be with the full release and registration info. It is south of Fredericksburg by just a bit.

Great. WHen will it be official?

It is, we are finishing the contract now.

Whooooooohoooooooo..........

Work weekends????????

YES! Work weekends???? That close to DC is awesome....

Any chance that maybe we can map things out - or have a few trail rides to scope out difficulty levels before hand???

Post here so we can plan to help out...

to answer some questions that were asked on Mike and Mary's trip this weekend, about the MAR

Will there be guided trails?
no, the property will be open as MARs have been in the past. There is some discussion of using a curfew but nothing has been decided yet.

Will other vehicles be allowed on the trails?
sorry, this is a ROAV Land Rover event only.

How difficult are the trails?
not very at the moment, but we will be holding at least two work weekends to explore all the trails we have not tried yet and to start the network of more advanced stuff. It is not the Spring Rally at Crozet, no giant rocks. There is the capability of building a much larger network of trails than we had at Pearl's Pond. This year is going to be a low key event, more about camping with friends and exploring the property.

Are there going to be amenities ( Showers, Bathrooms ) like at Oak Ridge?

the set up will be the same as we had at MARs previously. Because we have two hotels very close, we decided to skip the showers to keep costs down.

Are there going to be Golf Carts?
nope.

Is is going to be a Luxurious Dinner?
no meals planned yet, we are looking into food vendors. We may include a meal at some point, but it will be along the lines of barbecue.

What about the Raffle and Auction?
same as before, we may split them up over two nights so it is not so long.

How is the Camping Area ( anywhere you want or localized ) ?
we have three areas we will be using for camping, but as the work weekends evolve that may change/expand.

Are RV's allowed?
We will see, but I do not think we will have space for RVs this year. Smaller pop up style campers are fine.

Chuck,

Are there going to be amenities ( Showers, Bathrooms ) like at Oak Ridge?
Are there going to be Golf Carts?
Is is going to be a Luxurious Dinner?
What about the Raffle and Auction?
How is the Camping Area ( anywhere you want or localized ) ?
Are RV's ( not that I own one *LOL* ) allowed?
Food Vendors?
Can you share more with us at this point?

Thanks

Gustavo

I posted to the FAQ above, hope that helps. Some of the details will be worked out as we get work weekends underway.

Hey Gustavo!

Just come on down, you will have fun. You need to get out of Carroll County more often! AND, we are not too far away from you this year.

I hope all is well with you...

Eric

Eric,

I was evicted from Carroll County *LMAO*

I am comming no doubt, and I am glad the Diner is out.

All is well, hope is the same with you.

Ok...Stop teasing and please provide us the nearest cross street or something. If not, can you provide us the name of the two hotels you referenced? We're loosing sleep over this...This is cruel.
Thanks

it is exit 104 off of I-95. there is a Howard Johnson's and I believe a Super 8 as well. The farm is between Perimeter Road and Sparta Road. Ray Gerber and I were there yesterday mapping for several hours. He is working on work weekend dates now, I will let him post those when he gets them. We have asked Mike Boggs to assist us in the layout of the new property- he is extremely talented to say the least. He did much of the design at Pearls Pond as well as the Wheatland Farm where the Summer Rally is being held.

well heck, I was in Richmond yesterday. In fact I passed you in my wifes D2 on 64 heading home at about 10pm. If I had that info I would have tracked you down up there on the farm.

I noticed the honk, did not recognize the truck. It was late, I was smoking a cigar and ready for bed soon, that was a long day.

coordinates for the farm, working on maps now.

38.003275,-77.273841

i cant wait!!

wish i wasnt all the way up here in pa or i'd swing down and help on a work weekend. Look forward to checking out the new joint and seeing everyone again...even if i wont have a rover this year

Good evening- the Executive committee met tonight and we ironed out most of the details for the MAR. We are getting some last quotes on meals and similar small bits, and registration should be announced and open by next Wednesday. After this weekends work groups are finished I will ask them to post up about the level of trails and what they have seen so you have a better idea of what to expect. We have some great items for the raffle and auction already, with more coming in.

Attached is a snapshot map that folks on Dweb and such were asking for-since it's down (again) I'll post it up here. Still working on clean GPX and KML files...those will be forthcoming. We're close, and they will be ready long before the event.
r-
Ray

Chuck,
Any chance of improving the registration process to the point where it can be done online and payment via paypal ?
I think it would increase early registrations and help with planning.
Doug

Maryland110 wrote:

Chuck, Any chance of improving the registration process to the point where it can be done online and payment via paypal ? I think it would increase early registrations and help with planning. Doug

We're working on it right now... hope to have it finished mid-week.

Do you guys think that the Howard Johnson on exit 104 will give a discounted rate to MAR attendees? Just a question. I was about to book online but wanted to ask in case I should just call them. Thanks.

we do not currently have any discounts lined up with hotels.

Brutus wrote:

Do you guys think that the Howard Johnson on exit 104 will give a discounted rate to MAR attendees? Just a question. I was about to book online but wanted to ask in case I should just call them. Thanks.

Online registration is now open.

Visit the ROAV Online Store to register!!

Yeah man, I'm all registered! Did the on-line registration last night. Are we there yet?

The online registration was nice and easy. So easy even a caveman can do it. Sorry, couldn't help it. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone and getting my truck nice and dirty.

Registration was mailed Monday morning - looking forward to my 14th MAR!

The guys on Dicoweb have started a MAR Swapmeet thread - might be a good idea to get that going here too for lists of what we might have to bring up or what somebody needs.

I've got a set of half worn Michelin XS sand tires in 7.50R16 I could bring up if I thought somebody would buy them (don't want to haul them back).

Tom Sheppard wrote a good article about these in Overland Journal but we don't have much sand in north Georgia.

The Swap Meet thread is actually in the Mechanical section of the Forum- post up your stuff there or feel free to send it to me (Jenn) @ buckhornimports @ gmail.com. I'm trying to keep a running list of what people are bringing and what people are requesting so if I know someone might have it, I can put a call in ahead of time!

Can the board specify the available hotels/motels with locations and phone numbers?

ezzzzzzz wrote:

Can the board specify the available hotels/motels with locations and phone numbers?

Click here for a list of all hotels/motels close by.

can we park our tow rigs next to our camp like all the years in the past excluding last year. It is nice to have all of our stuff right next to us including our tools to fix our trucks.

draaronr wrote:

can we park our tow rigs next to our camp like all the years in the past excluding last year. It is nice to have all of our stuff right next to us including our tools to fix our trucks.

Unfortunately no, with camping being limited trailers will need to be stored elsewhere on the property. We will let folks know at registration where that ends up being, hopefully very close by. If space permits and that changes we will let everyone know.

ukoffroad wrote:

draaronr wrote: can we park our tow rigs next to our camp like all the years in the past excluding last year. It is nice to have all of our stuff right next to us including our tools to fix our trucks. Unfortunately no, with camping being limited trailers will need to be stored elsewhere on the property. We will let folks know at registration where that ends up being, hopefully very close by. If space permits and that changes we will let everyone know.

does that mean we can park the truck there, but drop the trailer elsewhere?

draaronr wrote:

ukoffroad wrote: draaronr wrote: can we park our tow rigs next to our camp like all the years in the past excluding last year. It is nice to have all of our stuff right next to us including our tools to fix our trucks. Unfortunately no, with camping being limited trailers will need to be stored elsewhere on the property. We will let folks know at registration where that ends up being, hopefully very close by. If space permits and that changes we will let everyone know. does that mean we can park the truck there, but drop the trailer elsewhere?

correct, I was less than clear there.

ukoffroad wrote:

correct, I was less than clear there.

Yes. Bad President. No cookie for you!

skydiver wrote:

ukoffroad wrote: correct, I was less than clear there. Yes. Bad President. No cookie for you!

perfect.

You may have already covered this but I'm not sure- will there be other food vendors there, or will the bbq for Sat night be the only one?

still being worked out, hope to know more tonight.

I am getting stoked for the event!

if you did not pay for the Saturday night meal when you registered, can you still sign up or even pay for a meal ticket on site?

robbie wrote:

if you did not pay for the Saturday night meal when you registered, can you still sign up or even pay for a meal ticket on site?

We may have a few extra tickets for sale Thursday, but the caterer needs our numbers more than a week ahead so your best bet is to buy early.

robbie wrote:

if you did not pay for the Saturday night meal when you registered, can you still sign up or even pay for a meal ticket on site?

I know Chuck already responded, but let me add that even if you have already registered for MAR, you can use the Online MAR Registration Form to buy meal tickets. It'll just show up as a separate transaction.

excellent Tommy, thank you.

Wife may or may not bring her Disco (she doesn't like riding in the Series) so I regestered for 2 campers and only one truck. If she decides to ride her Disco can I just pay the $40 extra vehicel charge on site?

bmohan55 wrote:

Wife may or may not bring her Disco (she doesn't like riding in the Series) so I regestered for 2 campers and only one truck. If she decides to ride her Disco can I just pay the $40 extra vehicel charge on site?

Yep.. and only necessary if it's going on the trails.

All registered for the whole family. I purchased 2 extra meals for friend who I hope will make it as passengers...Only 1 truck will be going on the trails but I may come up early with my wife a few days behind in the LWB...

Looking forward to it!!

Carl

question:

My wife and son will arrive on Saturday morning to ride on my registered vehicle and do the dinner with all of us on Saturday night, so the question is :

Are they going to be allowed to drive her car in to meet me ? ( yes she drives a LR )

Sure, she just needs to stop by RC and sign the waiver first, then she can find you in the camping.

will we receive a welcome package prior to MAR or receive that at Rally Control? Will actual directions be posted to the location? I know everyone has posted gps coords and intersections here and there. But for someone coming in without a gps, what would be the exact directions coming off 95?

robbie wrote:

will we receive a welcome package prior to MAR or receive that at Rally Control? Will actual directions be posted to the location? I know everyone has posted gps coords and intersections here and there. But for someone coming in without a gps, what would be the exact directions coming off 95?

we'll have this info posted shortly.... and sent out to everyone.

just so you can have it now, if you go to google maps, punch in "Sparta Rd & Mattaponi Trail, Caroline, Virginia 22514" . that's where the main tent,registration area and all vendors will be.

see you there!

thanks again Tommy!

Hey guys. Do we know a rough schedule for Saturday evening? It usually would not matter to me but I am coming from about 14 hours away and need to plan my departure to get the family back home to south Alabama. Thanks.

Dinner should be around 6 with the raffle and auction at 7:30 (ish)

That sounds good. Thanks for the info. I have two coments...1. I can't wait to try the swamp. That looks cool. 2. Is there a prize for driving the longest distance for the MAR? And flying shouldn't count...that is cheating. I'm just kidding. Can't wait for this trip.

One question, are dogs allowed at this MAR? I have well behaved, mostly lazy and overweight, and old, lab with current rabies vac and all shots. I would like to bring him so that I don't need to find boarding. I do pick up after him and the only threat he poses is to dropped food.

From the FAQ:

"Dogs allowed?"

"Dogs on a leash are fine, bring 'em on. You are responsible for keeping them safe, we had a dog hit by a car several years ago."

Bob

Treuwer wrote:

One question, are dogs allowed at this MAR? I have well behaved, mostly lazy and overweight, and old, lab with current rabies vac and all shots. I would like to bring him so that I don't need to find boarding. I do pick up after him and the only threat he poses is to dropped food.

Yes.. not a problem.

We're curently working on a master document with all FAQ's and event info.. should be live by the end of the weekend!!

See you there!

Hello everyone....after finishing the trails last weekend and being mired down with work, I've finally gotten to a comfort zone with the digital mapping stuff and am attaching various products here for those like me who play with GPS, Google Earth, Google Maps, whatever.

Here's a link to the public Google Map

I would stipulate that it lost some quality in rectification from GE to GM, but it still gives you an appreciation for what's going on. If you want to dive into it more, pull the KML or KMZ onto your GE and take a look-you'll see that the waypoints and trails all have some commentary by me regarding what kind of trail you'll be facing.

Rough ruler measurements tell us that it's currently ~13mi of trails...
Bring your recovery gear is all I'm saying.

Hard copy versions are being worked on now-it was easier to make the digital one 'clean' first-now we'll turn to on what you'll get when you show up at RC; those will also be posted here in the coming days so if you're serious and want to download and print your own (and laminate them for the inevitable...) you can do so.
Cheers-
Ray

Awesome body of work, Ray. Can't wait to test out all the new terrain!

very nice..thanks Ray-156mi to rally control?! Ill be there.

cool map, should be a lot of interesting wheeling situations this time

Where's the other route? It appears from the map as if this area is the only throughfare from the NW to SE sections of the property unless you go out to Sparta / Perimeter Rds?

Ailsa wrote:

Going waaay out on a limb here: by late Thursday night the "swamp trail" is going to be unpassable unless you are on 36s+. I can't tell from the map, but I *hope* that is not a major thoroughfare / connector for the property.

It's not a major thoroughfare.. it's next to one, though - so everyone can watch you get stuck.

This should be interesting to see. I figured it would turn into a quagmire pretty quick. Hard to believe you could just roll right across it to begin with.

danrao wrote:

This should be interesting to see. I figured it would turn into a quagmire pretty quick. Hard to believe you could just roll right across it to begin with.

You rolled through it... the rest of us - not so much. This is why it's been named in your honor. (You can thank Ray.)

It was pretty messy on the last work day. It's going to be alot of fun!!!

excuse me, I required no assistance.

I'm trailering my Disco as well as a bunch of parts for sale. Can I leave my trailer with the parts on it in the vendor area? Or, I should ask, is there a dedicated used parts for sale swap meet kind of area?

Also forgot to mention that I'm really looking forward to heading south next Thursday for a weekend of fun!

Ten day weather forecast is looking good!
Sunny and 70 degrees for Thursday-Saturday

roverlab wrote:

I'm trailering my Disco as well as a bunch of parts for sale. Can I leave my trailer with the parts on it in the vendor area? Or, I should ask, is there a dedicated used parts for sale swap meet kind of area?

trevor i think there is going to be a swap meet tent area sponsored by buckhorn imports-see the events thread on dweb.

ima comin down tonite w/wifey to check this lwb out again-i do like it.

Roverlab wrote:

I'm trailering my Disco as well as a bunch of parts for sale. Can I leave my trailer with the parts on it in the vendor area? Or, I should ask, is there a dedicated used parts for sale swap meet kind of area?

Not sure how much space Buckhorn has left. We can sort that out when you get there, we have a lot of people bringing parts this year.

Jackw wrote:

Ten day weather forecast is looking good! Sunny and 70 degrees for Thursday-Saturday

i can hardly contain myself

Chuck, can you guys post a local weather baaner/link on the website for the rally area?

Thursday, Oct 1
High: 71 °F RealFeel®: 77 °F
Mostly sunny
Thursday Night, Oct 1
Low: 53 °F RealFeel®: 55 °F
A moonlit sky
Friday, Oct 2
High: 73 °F RealFeel®: 72 °F
Mostly sunny
Friday Night, Oct 2
Low: 53 °F RealFeel®: 53 °F
Partly cloudy
Saturday, Oct 3
High: 73 °F RealFeel®: 77 °F
Clouds and intervals of sunshine
Saturday Night, Oct 3
Low: 49 °F RealFeel®: 51 °F
Mostly cloudy
Sunday, Oct 4
High: 72 °F RealFeel®: 75 °F
Periods of clouds and sunshine

Awesome JT!

Traffic and weather on the 8's! hehe.

JT, thanks for the weather info, looking good so far. However, since weather forcasts do change, what I was really asking for was a live link so we could see the local forcasts in real time for the rally location when we go to the MAR area of the website.

heres the 10 day-
there is now a 40% chance on sat but still looking good!

Click for Bowling Green, VA Weather


And heres the weekend
3-Day Weekend Outlook

LETS GO!!! Are we there yet? Unfortunately, I'm still stuck at work.

me too-u goin tonite?
were headin out early tomorrow morning-See Everyone There!

I had originally planned to go tonight but I saw the notice from the ROAV staff/organizers that requested we NOT show up early to the party. I couldn't get away from work today anyway. Heading out tomorrow morning.

right on-gettin out of work as i type.

leaving tomorrow afternoon from NC...

Really long day of site prep. It looks pretty good. The main tent area is set up very much visitor friendly. I am beat. See everyone there!

WHEW! just in the nick of time, my Series III is out of the shop today. I've got to get it from Lynchburg to back here in Richmond but I think we'll actually make it to the MAR!

Really looking forward to meeting all of you and having you pull me out when I get stuck

I think our plan is to spend all of Saturday there but probably not camp or spend the night, we are in Richmond city and its an easy drive.

See you all soon
-N

Everyone is have a blast out here. Plenty of mud and challenges for everyone!!

If you're not here - you're missing one hell of a party!!!!

We had an amazing day - great show ROAV!
Only regret: not camping and staying. We'll be there for the long haul next year.

Some pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/...385636485/

(if anyone has an objection to a pic, please let me know)

Thanks for a great time. I only wish I could have stayed through the weekend. I look forward to the next MAR!

If anyone has an objection to a pic....too bad!

picasaweb.google.com/j...1/MAR2009#

We had a good time.

NickDawson wrote:

We had an amazing day - great show ROAV!

Nick,

After our trail run Saturday afternoon, I started out solo on trail 3 and came across Walter in his stock LR2 stuck in the mud by himself. To access his front recovery point, we had to winch him backwards using a snatchblock attached to a tree behind him . A crowd gathered before the recovery was complete.

As for feedback, my only issue was that I felt some of the trails were not well marked - Like Airy Hill Farm and Sparta Rd trail, where some of the trails "T'd" together, and the intersection of Rally Control (FWD) and Airy Hill Farm Rd. I had to keep pulling out the map to reference it.

I's also like a slightly larger map that showed Rally Control and the roads around the venue. It was hard to gauge where entrances were in relation to the main site.

All in all, not big issues, but just wanted to mention it.

Thanks for a great show!

decent event and i think theres a ton of potential here.
all in all not bad-drove 4 down and only 3 back-guess that means it was good and bad.

good to see everyone and looking forward to next year already!

JohnK wrote:

NickDawson wrote: We had an amazing day - great show ROAV! Nick, After our trail run Saturday afternoon, I started out solo on trail 3 and came across Walter in his stock LR2 stuck in the mud by himself. To access his front recovery point, we had to winch him backwards using a snatchblock attached to a tree behind him . A crowd gathered before the recovery was complete.

JohnK - thanks again for being our trail guide!

We met Walter later at the scotch tasting (yet another regret about not staying and being the DD) - he recounted the recovery with a smile on his face. Glad to hear it ended well. I would love to have seen how it was executed.

Here are a few pictures I took:
Picasa Album Link

Great Times, good to put more faces behind the Screen Names.

Here are few pics

s538.photobucket.com/a...ar%202009/

Video 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KexK8PxPmeE

Video 2

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP3cGJP0tLk

Enjoy

Great job to all the volunteers and committees that made this event happen. Enjoyed the location, people, vehicles, and food. Thanks to Airy Hill Farm for the land and opportunity to wheel on their property.

PS - Team, lets keep the banter on this board PG rated. Relax on foul language.
Jude

Jude wrote:

Video 1 www.youtube.com/watch?v=KexK8PxPmeE

So thats what the red trails looked like huh? Totally should have tried a few mud holes - great video!

Jude-
Just curious - what "foul language" are you referring to that warrants your direction? This thread reads like a Disney flick to me.