I wanted to give you an update regarding the roadtrip. As some of you know, the number of people attending the event this year is much lower than in recent years. This is not a sign of lowered interest, nor an indication that the event has lost its luster. Quite the opposite has happened, in fact. However, increased interest and anticipation cannot overcome the economic hardships everyone has encountered recently.
The fact is, people have had to make tough decisions, and reduce their spending. This means cutting back on vacation trips and staying closer to home. I completely understand this decision and don't blame anyone at all for taking care of their families first. That's how it should be.
That said, there still are a number of people planning to attend this year's event on Pickwick lake. Since the number of attendees is down to around the levels of our first road trips, I decided to hark back to those years and focus completely on the camaraderie and fishing that are the hallmark of this event. We're returning to our roots, and having the roadtrip like we did back in the early days.
We will have a much more relaxed atmosphere this year by removing all structured events. This means there won't be any scheduled meals, including the banquet. Furthermore, there will not be any speakers this year, nor will we have tackle packs to give away or a raffle. Instead, attendees will be free to come and go as they please, meet and hang out with new friends, and have fun fishing! This also means anyone who sent in a registration will be refunded their money!
Even though we're not doing some things this year, I'm positive it's still going to be a fantastic event. I'm certain everyone will have a great time.
One other item I need to mention is that we currently have an imbalance of boaters and non-boaters. There's a lot more non-boaters than boaters, meaning space is very limited. Chances are likely three persons per boat will be the norm, with the possibly of a few going with four. While this shouldn't deter anyone, I just wanted to give you a heads up. The options for non-boaters would be:
A: Find a buddy with a boat and bring him along.
B: Recruit more members with boats to sign up.
C: Share the rental on a pontoon boat with 4 or 5 others.
D: Fish from the bank.
E: Hire a guide. (in this economy I bet you could make a great deal on multiple days with shared cost)
E: Any other brilliant idea you can come up with.
On a final note, I want to let you know that Keri and I will not be attending the event this year. Since there isn't anything for us to orchestrate or coordinate this year, plus the fact we would be 2 non-boaters taking up backseats that our members could use, we thought it best to stay home this year and hold down the fort while the rest of the BR crew enjoys the event. Hey, somebody has to keep the rest of ya in line while the cat's away! While we're disappointed we won't be seeing some of our friends, we're confident everyone will have a terrific time with or without us.
We only ask that y'all take a lot of pictures and bring home some stories!
Glenn & Keri
