Western Canada / USA, 2007: Sixth Annual HU Travellers Meeting

Why Come to a Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meeting?

You can meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or Africa or across Asia, or even around the world! Admit it, all your 'normal' friends and most of your family fears for your sanity! So, this is your opportunity to meet the people who will encourage you in that craziness, share their experiences and advice on how to do it, and maybe you'll meet them again in Mongolia or Timbuktu!

Nelson BC, Canada, August 9-12, 2007

Want to know what people thought of last years Meeting? Is it worth coming to the Meeting? See their comments here .

The Plan
Rally Location - Where is it?
Information about the area
Local hosts, information


Short History of HU Meetings

The Plan

The plan is simple. Show up on Thursday or at the latest Friday afternoon, meet people and setup. Travel Presentations and Tech clinics are planned throughout the meeting, starting Thursday night. Detailed Schedule here.

2007 Speakers and Tech Clinics (so far, more to come):

  • Take Me Home, Katie, Part one
    • Murray Castle, Canada
      Travels in South & Central America, a greying babyboomer overcomes fears and learns about Latin America and travelling solo
  • Take Me Home, Katie, Part two
    • Murray Castle, Canada
      What to leave in, what to take out. Preparing for and travelling in South America.
  • Iceland
    • Andy Miller, UK,
      A quick blast around Iceland, the land of fire and ice.
  • Around the World
    • Mathias Schmid, Switzerland ,
      Leaving home in 2005, Mathias has ridden through Europe, Asia and now the Americas.
  • Bears!
    • Trent Schumann, Canada,
      Bear Safety for Wilderness Riders - Learn from a pro "How to Let Sleeping Bears Lie."
  • The Achievable Dream
    • Grant and Susan Johnson, Canada
      Learn from Horizons Unlimited's founders and 11 year round-the-world veterans everything you need to know to ride to the next country or the next continent. Sound scary? Get the inspiration and information so YOU can hit the road! In two parts: FRIDAY 10-12 and 1-3PM
  • Rider Traffic Survival Skills
    • Ian Thomas, Canada
      Riding unfamiliar roads, in unfamiliar areas can lead to information overload and poor observation. Vehicle control skills are not the only means of keeping riders safe. This session is about getting there in one piece. Session will introduce riders to on-the-road observation and decision making skills that can enhance their bike control skills.
  • Photo Composition for Travellers
    • Grant Johnson, Canada
      The one everyone SHOULD take, but no one does... We all want to take great photos of our trip - so why don't we? This easy clinic will transform your photos from boring to fabulous! There may also be an advanced class if enough interest - bring 10 photos on a USB key or SD card for discussion.
  • Fix that flat! How to change a tire anytime, anywhere
    • Grant Johnson, Canada
      How to prevent flats in the first place, and fix them when you get one. Grant's changed thousands, and will show you all the secrets to make it easy. The best tools and how to use them for tube and tubeless tires. Hand's on practical, and tire changing contest for beginners to experts!
  • Prep your bike for the long trip!
    • Grant Johnson, Canada
      Is your bike ready for long distance travel? Grant will conduct a hands on assessment and discussion of bike set up, ergonomics and prep, looking at YOUR bike.
  • Off-road basics!
    • Grant Johnson, Canada
      Never ridden off-pavement? It's easy when you know how - and terrifying if you don't. We'll work on the basics to get you started right!
  • Women only
    • Discussion led by Susan Johnson, Canada
      A very popular session - I'm told it's a must for the ladies, so be sure to plan on being there!
  • Motorcycle Therapy - A Canadian Adventure in Central America
    • Jeremy Kroeker
      An illustrated reading from the book "Motorcycle Therapy" by the Author.

How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and clinics - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.

2006 speakers were:
  • Werner Bausenhart, Canada, "The Amazon - Guyana's loop: South America with a difference"
  • Jenny Hide, Canada, "Bikes, Beans and Borders, Arizona to Panama City and back" (maybe)
  • Ramona Eichhorn, Germany "around the world" with Uwe Krauss, Germany, on two KTM 640 Adventures
  • Mark Stowe, UK, RTW, "Getting on the road - what's it take - Q&A" (IF he can make it - on the road in Alaska at the moment!)
  • Alec Bialski, Canada, "Central Europe, the good, the bad and the ugly"
  • George Coppus, Canada, "Between Mordor and Marai – Motorcycle Touring in New Zealand"
  • Klaus Exner, Canada, "From the Rio Grande to the Arctic Circle", "To Inuvik by boat and back by motorcycle"!

Leaving on a big trip in 2007?

Plan on leaving from the Meeting - we'll make it a great send-off! Or coming home around the time of the Meeting? What a great place to arrive at!

Vendors

Dave Anderson of Anderwerks is the new Touratech Canada distributor, and he will be there with catalogs and goodies, and loads of information!

Touratech Canada for all your travel needs! Check us out now!

We would like to have a few more travel oriented vendors there. Vendors please contact me for details.

There will be slide shows and clinics on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and all day on Saturday. Come early and make it a great weekend! We recommend riding on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and participating in the clinics on Saturday.

Rideouts

Rideouts - will be limited to 10 people per ride per group.

Ride leaders and sweep riders wanted! Contact Timo below.

Do-it-yourself Ride information.

to come - if you know of a good ride let us know!

Schedule

All times - and everything - approximate!

An up-to-date schedule will be posted at the Meeting.

Thursday morning

CHECK-IN and sign up! You MUST be registered to go on a ride or for entry to any events, clinics etc.

Info for Thursday rides will be available on-site.

Friday

CHECK-IN and sign up! You MUST be registered to go on a ride or entry to any events, clinics etc.

9:00 Ride briefing. Be gassed up and ready to ride if you're going.

Friday night

7:00 pm

Speakers presentations start, so be sure you've eaten early!

Saturday morning

7:00 - 8:30 - Breakfast

8:30 - 9:00 Late Check-in.

9:00 Ride briefing. Be gassed up and ready to ride if you're going.

Rideouts - off-road runs details to come.

Saturday Lunch

noon-ish! :) Feed yourself...

Saturday afternoon,

Rideouts

On road runs - we'll post a sheet of paper up for you to add your name to a destination, volunteers to lead appreciated!

Tech Clinic, details to come. If you want to volunteer to lead a clinic or breakout session, on any appropriate topic, please contact us. We have had lots of interest in clinics, ranging from 30 minutes to several hours, on subjects from GPS to packing lists to tire changing.

Saturday evening,

7:00 pm sharp:

Speakers presentations

9:00 Door prizes - you have to be there to win!

Sunday

Breakfast

Head for home, hang around and chat, or head out for a last ride!

Miscellaneous notes:

Organizers will be there most of Thursday, hopefully Wednesday too, if anyone wishes to arrive early and just hang out or go for a ride in the area.

Last presentation Saturday night will be a panel discussion with all the presenters - so this will be the last chance to ask all those questions that have been bugging you!

The Meeting Location

Nelson BC, Canada.

Getting There -

Distances from Nelson

City

Castlegar
Creston
Spokane, Washington
Osoyoos
Penticton
Kelowna
Kamloops
Banff, Alberta
Calgary, Alberta
Vancouver, BC
Distance

41 km
114 km
237 km
261 km
321 km
338 km
454 km
496 km
624 km
657 km


25 miles
68 miles
142 miles
157 miles
193 miles
203 miles
272 miles
298 miles
374 miles
394 miles

Information about the area

Attractions include national parks all around, fantastic roads, lakes and more, so plan to spend a few days!

DiscoverNelson.com has weather, facilities, accommodation, dining and shopping info.

Local Hosts

can answer Registration questions, and for questions on presenters and local questions, meeting logistics etc.

Short History of the Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Susan and I started the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meetings in May of 2001 while we were living in the UK, with an event held in our backyard in Slough. That first event had almost 40 people show up, and we were especially pleased that some came from as far away as Norway!

In 2002 we had moved back to Canada, so we organized a meeting in Nairn Falls, British Columbia, and also asked Chris Bright and Glynn Roberts if they would organize a second UK meeting since we couldn't be there. We had a small but enthusiastic turnout for the Canadian meeting, with folks coming from as far away as Missouri (almost 3,000 kilometres!), Alberta and California, as well as two round the world travellers, from Switzerland and the UK.

But the Brits really exceeded our wildest expectations. Almost 100 people came to the HU UK 2002 event, and had a great time. No rock bands or beer bashes, just motorcycle travellers and would-be travellers getting together to share experiences and tips - what a concept! For the HU UK 2003 event, almost 200 enthusiastic folks came together over several days and this is now well established as an annual event, with Glynn and Chris continuing to provide superb organizing, and a host of volunteers.

Ken and Carol Duval hosted Australia's first HU travellers event in 2003, and they had almost 60 people. The meetings in New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico and Portugal in 2003 were also big successes, and we look forward to many more in the years to come. It's wonderful for us to come to the meetings and visit with the many friends we've only met over the internet, and of course for everyone meeting up and sharing stories - and planning to meet in Ushuaia next year!

See you at a meeting this year!

Grant and Susan



 

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