2016 Yellowstone Forum Rally - FAQ's and Attendee List

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Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram

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Follow this post for information on the upcoming Yellowstone Rally! Updates will be coming on all the things you need to know about the rally including who's who and what's what.

We will let the rally notice carry the conversations and you can come here for all the hard facts.

Ya'll come!

Kim and Christi
 
Update - Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - Rally rates and conditions have been negotiated with Grizzly Yellowstone and we will post to the FAQ as often and fast as possible!

Update - Tuesday, June 16, 2015 - Rally dates are arriving Sunday, May 15, 2016, departing Sunday, May 22, 2016. Arrangements are being made for the rally rate before, and for several days after the rally for those who need to extend their dates. This will be in lieu of a previously mentioned "two week" time frame.
 
For reasons that will become clear as we move on, I would like folks who are considering this event to use my EMAIL icon on the left of the post, cut and paste this info, and fill in the blanks:

Name - Full name of RV'er and significant other if that's the case

Forum Handle - Exactly as you are spelled on Forum, i.e. skyking4AR2

Home - City and state you like to call home

Rig - Type of rig and length - Class A, Class C, fifth wheel, TT, or you tell me

Email - Preferred email address for more direct notifications as time gets closer

Pets - Type and how many

Plans - We're coming unless diesel hits $6.00, we're seriously thinking about it, we love the idea but want to pull the pin a bit later on. I need to try to categorize early for planning purposes.

As you can see, planning can be a little loose but I have to think about the block of sites and make some arrangements.

Please note that if you DON'T want your information published completely on the attendee list, we can list you as anonymous by state. But I do need complete contact information for my purposes.

We are trying to make this rally loosely reserved such that you can back out if need be without penalty but to do that, I need to get my arms around the attendee count and make sure everyone has a pleasant reservation experience. More about reservations in the coming days.

Thanks for your cooperation in advance!

Kim
 
Just a short update!

We will be assigning and parking ourselves at this rally in a block of sites, to be determined.

If you are planning to attend, or even thinking about, get on the list as requested in the "request for information" post just above, because we will assign in order of original listing when the time comes.

Rally rates will probably be around $41.00 per night which is a considerable savings on the in season rate which is $60.00 plus per night. There will not be any monster penalties for cancellation until we get 30 days out from our date, and that process is being worked out. There will be folks who have to cancel at the last minute for any number of good reasons and we want to protect their interests as well as be fair to Grizzly.

Kim
 
Special Note - If for privacy reasons, you don't choose to have your names on this list, you can be anonymous by your state. Let me know when you send me your information if you have that preference.

Here's the latest potential attendee list:

Code:
[b]Name                Spouse/Other     Handle            Home[/b]

Name                Spouse           Handle            Home
Bertram, Kim        Christi          skyking4ar2       Livingston, TX
Moser, Dave         Nancy            Gunny69           Pecan Plantation, TX
Nussbaumer, Larry   Mary Ann         Larry N           Westminster, CO
Falchini, Steve     Dee              Steve N Dee       Burbank, CA
Nash, Bill          Pam              Billandpam        Elyria, OH
Sirota, Jeff        Anita            Jeff and Anita    Oceanside, CA
Beard, John         Susan            Oscar Mike        Las Vegas, NV
Roscoe, Bill        Corinne Swanson  Photog            Redondo Beach, CA
Stalnaker, Kevin    Pam              UTTransplant      Woods Cross, UT
Straughn, Eric      Max              MN Blue Skies     Champlin, MN
Ferguson, Gary      Coleen           taoshum           Somewhere, NM
Parks, Chet         Laurie           Chet18013         Benson, AZ
Weston, Marty       Diane            SargeW            Fallbrook, CA
Thum, Steven        Diana            scdiver           Webster Groves, MO
Oliver, Jim         Lee Ann          Jnlo2000          Lakeland, FL 
Fisher, Marc        Jimmie Kay       mfish4299         Livingston, TX
Zuech, Mike         Chrystal         zmotorsports      West Point, UT
Gray, Joe           Patty            pgray52246        Fisher, IN
Brucker, Gary       Maria            garyb1st          Valley Glen, CA
Hall, Paul          Retta            demag88           Uncasville, CT
West, Dan           Marge            utahclaimjumper   Cedar City, UT
Manderson, Richard  Sheri            BamaSkye          Coaling, AL
Cousins, Jeff       Sue              Jeff              Sioux Falls, IA
Luccia, Paul        Albert Alameda   Houston Remodeler Houston, TX
White, Ernie        Tara             Ernie n Tara      Leonard, TX
 
The latest attendee list has been posted!

We will need to close our list and guarantee the reservations on approximately May 1. We have a block of 40 sites and we will need to turn back the vacant ones so they can be reserved by others. There will be a penalty for those who have to cancel after that point, which we regret but... I don't think it's going to be serious, but be prepared! If you know someone who is on the fence about coming, it's close to time to fish or cut bait.

The nature of how Grizzly handles rallies puts me in the position of being a single source of payment. Not a problem, but I need some feedback.

My preference would be to use PayPal which is immediate and easy to track. My least preference would be snail mail and a check because of the logistics of being on the road, although that could be managed.

Give it some thought, and if you have issues or questions, PLEASE hit my email so we can discuss the situation individually. If there is a problem group wide, we'll raise it up on the Forum. We don't want to get in the position of herding cats, we'd rather spend that time making the rally everything everyone wants it to be.

52 more days!!

Kim
 
John Beard, you are NOT impacted by this message, since your site was assigned from your last year's reservation.

Ok, here's the latest information. All of the sites EXCEPT three will be premium full throughs. That is defined as 80 feet long (Includes electric, water, sewer, cable TV and WiFi).

The three that are NOT premium pull throughs are premium back-ins, defined as 45 feet long with a car park (Includes electric, water, sewer, cable TV and WiFi).

As previously discussed, choosing order is based on the date order of when you added your name to the list (which is published in that order). Since there are only three back-ins, anyway, if you really want a back-in, email me, and we will assign one to you based on that. If we don't fill the 40 sites it won't make any difference either.

Premium pull throughs are $315 for the rally week, and premium back-ins are $280 for the week. I rounded back (not up) to the nearest dollar to keep this simple. Still discussing payment options and closing dates.

Again, we will have to turn in the unused sites, because they are the premium sites, relatively quickly, so we'll need to get this plan put to bed in the next two weeks.

Got a problem or a question, please email me.

Because you will typically spend a lot of time in the park during the day and may not be able to set a hard schedule, dog owners may have a special issue that we can discuss in the rally thread. Volunteer dog walkers and sitters is always a way to share the burden of making sure your furry kids have a great experience, too.

Liftoff is seven weeks from today!

Kim

p.s. Please note that the new pavilion has been completed and it will be reserved for us on Sunday, May 15, from 1pm until 7pm. You will be welcome to come by, meet and greet, and a formal welcoming time will be announced. More details to follow!
 
As the Rally gets its legs under it, we'll be posting scheduled events here so folks can plan their time. As usual, and since most of us make at least some plans in Jello, things are subject to change. It is NOT my intention to over structure your enjoyment of 2.2 million acres of National Park, and we have all been to rallies where we were worn out with keeping up. This is NOT that rally. Groups will splinter off and find things that suit their particular interests, but we do want to keep folks as engaged as they choose, especially with all the folks who have not been to Yellowstone.

Jim Dick and Bill Whetstone (Pancake Bill) are helping me to provide a loose structure of interesting facts and things to see since they have worked so many years in the park so we can all have a big time.

One thing that is fairly typical in our Forum rallies is a "Last Supper". With a group this large being an issue for most places, I have arranged with the Gallatin Riverhouse Grill to accommodate us on Thursday night at 5:30 and the full menu will be available. As most know, we often have to pick from just a few entrees, and this will give folks plenty of options. Your participation is not mandatory, obviously, and more info will be shared when you arrive. This is a highly regarded restaurant and should suit our large crowd.

Sunday              1:00PM - 7:00PM - Meet and Greet on Arrival in the Grizzly Park Pavilion

Thursday          5:30PM - Dinner at Gallatin Riverhouse Grill

Stay tuned!

Kim
 
We now have our parking spots assigned to the rally. As noted above, I need your top three choices so we can assign in the order folks signed up. The folks who are on this list at the moment are either early comers or previously registered from a prior year cancellation.


If you have NO preference, let me know so the other folks who are picky can get a shot at where they want to be.


Send me an EMAIL ASAP with your choices so we can get this out of the way and please use "YNP Parking" as your subject line! We will be closing registration and turning back spots at the end of this week.

200 - Stalnaker - UTTransplant
201 -
202
203
204
210 - Beard - Oscar Mike
211 - Roscoe - Photog - Arrived
212 - Straughn - MN Blue Skies
213 - Gray - pgray52246 - Arrived
214 - Cabot and Rowe
215 - Nussbaumer - Larry N
220 - Bertram - Skyking 4AR2 - Arrived
221 - Moser - Gunny69 - Arrived
222 - Fisher - mfish4299 - Arrived
223 - Parks - Chet18013
224 - Zeuch - zmotorsports
225 - Nash - Billandpam
230 - Falchini - Steve N Dee
231 - Boomer
232 - Ferguson - taoshum
233 - Cousins - Jeff
234 - Manderson - BamaSkye
240 - Sirota - Jeff and Anita
241 - Thum - scdiver - Arrived
242
243
244 - Brucker - garyb1st
254 - (prem. back in sites)
255 - (prem. back in sites)
256 - (prem. back in sites)
271 - Weston - SargeW - Arrived
272 - White - Ernie n Tara - Arrived
237
274
275
276
277
278
280
281
Here is the park layout so you can see where you want to be.


Final payment instructions to follow.

PLEASE be patient as I assign the spots in the order you signed on to the rally. Your name will pop up in the list as soon as they folks ahead of you choose. Going as fast as I can and emailing folks to stay current.

Like all rallies, there is bound to be something that gets under people's skin, and this football draft style parking lottery may just be it!!


Kim
 
Especially for those who have never been, consider the following and address questions or comments in the regular thread...

Summer Bus Tours:
We offer guided interpretive summer tours that are roughly 8:15am to 5pm.
All tours start and end in West Yellowstone, MT. and include free pickup at West Yellowstone hotels and local campgrounds (within 10 miles of town).

Lower Loop Tour: 
Journey through the heart of one of the world?s largest volcanic calderas!  Showcasing the largest concentration of hydro-thermal features in the world, Yellowstone National Park boasts over 10,000 individual attractions, including colorful hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots and over half of the world?s geysers, including the most famous geyser of all -  Old Faithful!  Cross the Continental Divide to see the largest alpine lake in the contiguous U.S. then spend some time in Hayden Valley, a favorite spot of wildlife watchers and a summer range for many of Yellowstone?s bison. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone will take your breath away as you complete the Lower Loop Tour with a sense of awe and amazement.  This tour is offered seven days a week.

Upper Loop Tour: 
Adventure across a diverse terrain, home to a variety of animals, features and history.  With wildlife diversity that rivals any safari, have your camera ready for abundant photo opportunities. The headquarters for Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth Hot Springs, is the only area where travertine terraces flaunt their amazing size and colors.  While in Mammoth, save some time to visit historic ?Fort Yellowstone?.  Travel over Dunraven Pass, the highest paved road in Yellowstone.  Some of the most visited waterfalls in the Park are seen on the Upper Loop, including Tower, Gibbon, and the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.  This tour is offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Private/Custom Tours:  We also offer private tours in our 14 and 32 passenger buses.  This allows you the freedom to choose the departure time and destination points (within reason, of course).

Step on Guide Custom Tours: Amplify your Yellowstone vacation with an experienced Yellowstone Guide.  Experience Yellowstone with your family, your group, your vehicle??and OUR guide!  Looking to hike the beautiful backcountry? Wanting to learn more about the history of the park but don?t know where to start? Love photography and want direction from a local expert? Our guide staff is passionate about Yellowstone and would love to help you make amazing memories. Allow our staff to discuss your likes and interest, then come up with the perfect itinerary for you.

Summer 2015 Prices:
One Loop:                          $74.95 Adult
                                                $64.95 15 and under
                                                $69.95 Senior 62 or older or a member of a senior organization

Both Loops:                        $139.90 Adult
                                                $129.90 15 and under
                                                $134.90 Senior 62 or older or a member of a senior organization
*taxes, gratuity, park pass and lunch are not included in price quotes listed above

Private/Custom Tours (up to 10 hours):
14 Passengers                  $875.00/day                                     
32 Passengers                  $1,495.00/day
*taxes, gratuity, park pass and lunch are not included in price quotes listed above

Step on Guide Custom Tour (up to 10 hours, in your own vehicle):
14 Passengers                  $485.00/day                                     
*taxes, gratuity, park pass and lunch are not included in price quotes listed above

Park Pass:
An entrance fee is required to enter Yellowstone National Park for anyone over the age of 15.  Will you have an annual, car or senior pass to Yellowstone or all National Parks?  If not, we can charge you the least expensive fee of $15/adult ? this pass would be good for 7 days. 

Lunch Options:
Lunch is on your own on tour days.  To ensure maximum time possible, please allow us to order a box lunch for you.  Other options include bringing your own lunch or purchasing lunch in the park.  Local deli box lunches run $10.00 each + 3% tax and include your choice of sandwich, chips, fruit, dessert and water.  If you would like us to order lunch, please let us know prior to the date of your tour(s).  Your sandwich choices are: Turkey, Ham, Roast Beef, Pastrami or Veggie. 
 
For those of you who have not yet discovered this Yellowstone official website, there is great information in there that you should become familiar with, including the road conditions in the park, with links to the state highway departments, and official opening dates for various areas of the park.


The alerts button is always a great source of current information.
 
What should be the final parking solution has been posted.

If you are NOT listed and should be, contact me via email ASAP.

Also, this is the payment call for action.

Those who choose PayPal should know that personal payments between private parties do NOT incur a fee IF you are using your bank associated account to fund the PayPal, OR if you are using PayPal funds on deposit. If you choose that method, which is safer and more easily traced, my email is kbertr at gmail.

If you choose to write a personal check, please make it payable to me, Kim Bertram, and send it to the following address:

Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park
ATTN:  Kim Bertram 
PO Box 150
West Yellowstone, MT  59758

The fee for those staying the entire week is $316.00. The daily rate is $45.00.

If you are NOT going to be there for the full rally dates, i.e. arriving Sunday,  May 15 departing Sunday May 22, contact me by email ASAP so we can get your charges set.

If none of these plans seem to work for you, please send me an email with how you want this handled.

I will arrive in Grizzly on Sunday, May 8, and after the following day's mail, both Grizzly and I will sleep better knowing all the money has changed hands correctly. Anything less is going to cause hard feelings somewhere.

Again, this is not how most folks are used to RV Forum rallies, but it was the nature of the beast for a special rally in a special place and we appreciate the efforts Grizzly is making to accommodate us.

Thanks for doing your part!

We are enroute from the Hill Country in Texas and to keep things interesting, my first day of retirement will coincide with my arrival in Yellowstone, not planned, but a welcome coincidence. Please bear with the craziness that has ensued.

See you all soon!

Kim

Kim
 
FYI - If you have written a check, and have not notified me via email, please do so! I want to be able to chase down the mail when I arrive late this week and know who I am looking for!

Thanks!

Kim
 
Here is some important arrival information so please take note!!

First, check-in time on Sunday starts at noon MDT. If you are going to be a day or more early, and have NOT notified the office, please do so. You will be expected to pay for your early arrival at the office but your rally payments will have already been credited. If you are on time Sunday, you do NOT need to go to the office.

Second, in the sequence of pictures you will see the four registration lanes directly in front of the office. You will stop there, but come across the street to the pavilion (also in the pictures) to check in, get your packets, and be shown the way to your parking place. You do NOT have to go in to the office. One of us will help you get parked.

That same pavilion will be ours all afternoon to meet and greet and register folks and have the welcome meeting.

If you are coming from the west on US 20 into West Yellowstone, Electric Street, whose sign has been destroyed by the elements, is the street corner the NAPA store (in the photos) is on. Just turn right at the NAPA store and go down a couple of blocks and turn right into Grizzly. Be aware that you must stop at the cross streets - the stop signs on these wide streets are easily missed! Ask me how I know!

If you are coming from US 191 south in West Yellowstone, continue all the way through town, through the traffic lights and watch for the Visitor Center on your right at the last traffic light, then the Gray Wolf Inn and Suites on your right, and turn right at that street corner the Inn is on. Continue down that street straight into Grizzly.

When you park, be sure your breaker for the plugin water heating element in the water riser has been turned on. Should temps dip again, you will want that working properly. Ask me how I know.

Safe travels to all and see you Sunday if not before!
 

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The Thursday night dinner at 5:30pm that was to be at the Gallatin River Roadhouse had to be canceled because the owners had to be out of town unexpectedly for business.

The new projected venue is Bullwinkle's, in West Yellowstone, and here is the menu...

We can have separate checks, be seated in the main area, order off the menu, and it will eliminate a long drive going and coming to Big Sky.

Drop your comments in the Trip Planning thread if you have any questions or concerns.

Kim
 
To all that are attending the Yellowstone Rally,

Just a caution as the temps might still be pretty low at night. Be sure to have water in your fresh water tank in case the outside feed freezes. To prevent a freeze, if you have an outside shower, place the hose outside the rig and let the water run at a fairly steady rate. This should keep your system from freezing up at night. You can stop it during the day if you wish but be sure to check the temps for the following night and re-establish the flow if necessary.
 
Mass arrival day today - 13 couples will descend upon the park today! Nine are already here!

The welcoming meeting will be today at 5:00 PM in the pavilion just across from the office and to the left as you drove in. If you have your own name tags, please wear them!

Some of us (or all of us) will be manning the pavilion from noon on and those coming in do NOT need to go into the office. Just park in the registration lanes, come over to the pavilion, and I will have your Grizzly packets and your Yellowstone packets, your parking map, and everything you need to get set up.

For those who are here, or who come in early, join us in the pavilion this afternoon to socialize, talk about those who didn't come, embellish your campfire stories from your trip in, and just meet and greet. Some already have better stories than others, probably the best being SargeW (Marty) trying to replace a propane hose and ending up with four new tires on his Jeep. It's priceless!

The pavilion is picnic table style so if you want to bring snacks and libations, feel free!

Safe travels to all who are enroute and the rest of you can work on your campfire stories.  8)
 
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