OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Based on poll results.....

The So Cal installment of the National Regional Combo Meet will be held in......

Santa Barbara, CA - June 26-28, 2009

More information to come.....stay tuned :-D

Thanks for your patience.

The Official Hotel for the 2009 So Cal National Regional Combo Meet in Santa Barbara is the Santa Barbara Ramada Limited www.sbramada.com (http://www.sbramada.com).

SB Ramada Limited has set aside 50 rooms for this event, up until May 20, 2009. SB Ramada Limited is looking forward to our meet and our Chapter staying with them. The room rates are as follows: Single King-$169/night; Double Queen-$189/night. As soon as you are ready to book your room, all you have to do is contact SB Ramada Limited directly.

The Hotel features: Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast, Complimentary Wired and Wireless High Speed Internet Access, Free Parking, Security Patrol, and most importantly, So Cal Chapters of the EOC, ROC and CRVOC :D.

Here is how to book your room:

Call the Santa Barbara Ramada Limited directly at (805) 964-3511, or (800) 654-1965.
Ask for either Sara Morales or Drew Wakefield and mention the group: So Cal Honda Element.
Please provide your credit card number, address, phone number and dates that you will be staying.
Please make your reservations now, early and often. I will be checking in with SB Ramada from time to time to assess reservations. Remember, we have until May 20, 2009 to reserve rooms. I hope that we can pull this event off. Your participation is appreciated :D.

Wahoo, Thanks, for all your hard work JSm00thJaZ3. This is going to be a great location for a meet with plenty of venues, beaches, parks, zoo, pier, etc, etc.
Are we going to have Tshirts, Banners, Bumper Stickers, Decals or Tatoos printed up ?

Let me know if I can be of Service.







...

I love SB this will be a great meet, yes thanks for the hard work:)

We are now into February. Has anyone contacted Santa Barbara Ramada Limited www.sbramada.com (http://www.sbramada.com/) regarding room reservations? I will be checking in with them next week as to the status of reservations. Remember we have until April 20 to reserve our rooms.

We are now into February. Has anyone contacted Santa Barbara Ramada Limited www.sbramada.com (http://www.sbramada.com/) regarding room reservations? I will be checking in with them next week as to the status of reservations. Remember we have until April 20 to reserve our rooms.

luckily i live in ventura county so SB is bout 1 hr drive for me...

question... what exactly goes on during a meet like this.....

1.5 month element owner... never been to one obviously...

07 sc midnight black

This past Friday, I received a call from the Ramada Hotel in Santa Barbara. At this time, no reservations have been made. It may be time to consider other options. I will provide a update later this week.

Are there going to be any plans for finding a place that we can camp
out and still be close to a hotel/motel?

This past Friday, I received a call from the Ramada Hotel in Santa Barbara. At this time, no reservations have been made. It may be time to consider other options. I will provide a update later this week.
Today, I contacted the Ramada Inn regarding room reservations. To date, no one has reserved any rooms. I had relinquish 20 rooms. Ramada has a business to run, and I am grateful that they still will keep 30 rooms on hold for us.

I understand that the current economic situation may prevent this Meet from happening in Santa Barbara. In the meantime, I will try to come up with some other ideas and get your input. Thanks for your support.

JSm00th

I understand that the current economic situation may prevent this Meet from happening in Santa Barbara. In the meantime, I will try to come up with some other ideas and get your input. Thanks for your support.

JSm00th

Soccplyr9 hit the nail on the head;

"i live in ventura county so SB is bout 1 hr drive for me"

Why don't we meet in the Valley somewhere for Breakfast and then drive up?

For those are going to camp can meet us for breakfast and then meet at the camp site. We can head to the beach or go for some Photo OPPS.

We were talking about meeting up with some of the NorCal's. We still doing that?

Soccplyr9 hit the nail on the head;

"i live in ventura county so SB is bout 1 hr drive for me"

Why don't we meet in the Valley somewhere for Breakfast and then drive up?

For those are going to camp can meet us for breakfast and then meet at the camp site. We can head to the beach or go for some Photo OPPS.

We were talking about meeting up with some of the NorCal's. We still doing that?

i concur!!!!!! :lol:

wish i was that close :rolleyes:

Why don't we meet in the Valley somewhere for Breakfast and then drive up?

For those are going to camp can meet us for breakfast and then meet at the camp site. We can head to the beach or go for some Photo OPPS.

We were talking about meeting up with some of the NorCal's. We still doing that?

Are the Camper Folks decided witch Camp site location yet?

Are the Camper Folks decided witch Camp site location yet?

Good Idea,:D

We can drive to the campers site for Lunch and then meet the NorCal Folk for Dinner.

Good thinkin' Romeo.

Good Idea,:D

We can drive to the campers site for Lunch and then meet the NorCal Folk for Dinner.

Good thinkin' Romeo.

once again i agree with barvel :lol:

breakfast at the valley, lunch (hot dogs and hamburgers with some beer) at the camp site, then dinner at the beach beach.

no drinking and driving of course....

Anybody like the idea of using a KOA campground as a meeting place
for the EOC campers? Though a campground with group camping
accommodations would be better I think.

A good place to meet up in Santa Barbara, is the track and field parking lot which has a large lot and is free to park, the beach is right there and there is also a parking lot right there as well but there might be an entrance fee on Saturday.

Shoreline dr. and Loma Alta.

Now that we are about to enter into May, I will be contacting the Ramada Inn regarding room reservations. Earlier this month, I was told by Ramada that no one reserved any rooms. Therefore, I relinquished 20 rooms. Ramada is still holding 30 rooms for us, however, I suspect that no one has made a reservation.

I understand that due to the current economic situation, not everyone will be able reserve a room. Ramada has a two-night minimum. While I am confident that we can have a National / Regional Meet in Santa Barbara, I along with Barvel, are working on a couple of ideas. In the meantime, I will contact Ramada next week to get a status on the rooms. Keep watch on this thread and thanks for your support. :D

JSm00th

thanks for the update, j.

Thank you for trying to set that up

Just a thought??

How about combining the (Lake Tahoe Campathon 2009) with
the (2009 So Cal National Regional Combo Meet)??
There should be plenty to do for everyone. Those who want
to stay in hotel/motels and also want to camp should both
be happy.

Just an idea.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54001&page=15

I know all of us have been wathing the fires in Santa Barbara right now.:-(

And with the Flu stuff...

We are looking at June and I'm sure that things are changing all over.

Jeff:confused:

Has anyone reserved a room?

Sounds like we may have to postpone this until later this summer.:-(

But it's up to ALL of us.

This is a group effort after all...:)

http://www.sbparks.org/2007/Cachuma/Cachuma_Title.jpg

This Santa Barbara campground is available for campers for the 2009 So Cal National Regional Combo Meet.
Look's like the hotel reservation option fizzed out due to expense and the relatively close proximity of Santa Barbara to LA and Orange Co.
I suspect that paying for 3 days at a hotel in Santa Barbara when you're only 1-3 hours away may of played a part in that.

This meet could still happen but without a hotel to use as a central gathering, 24 hr. hang out point.
The only viable alternative for a three day event would be a campground and the nearest campground in the area would be at the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area.


* Cachuma Lake has 420 campsites none of which can be reserved in advance. (first come first serve only)
* Showers, Restrooms & Water
* General Store
* Coin Laundry
* Swimming Pool
* extrodinary Fishing
* and more kewl stuff too numerous to mention.

This is a top notch big lake campground that EOC members have used before on many occasions.
It's location is behind the mountains above Santa Barbara.

Personally I don't know if I'd be able to make this gig or not. Too soon to say for sure.
If the 2009 So Cal National Regional Combo Meet can manage to get off the ground, then Cachuma Lake and all of it's natural beautifulness is available.

But the real question is... are people still interested in doing a Regional SoCal National Meet?

Cachuma Lake Camp Info: http://www.sbparks.org/2007/Cachuma/cachumalake.html

I have been keeping track of the situation in Santa Barbara. At this time, the So Cal edition of the National Regional Meet can still happen, but, it may not happen in the form of the National Meets of the past. I will have a few ideas later this upcoming week.

I agree with everything that's been posted to date.:D






....

I have been keeping track of the situation in Santa Barbara. At this time, the So Cal edition of the National Regional Meet can still happen, but, it may not happen in the form of the National Meets of the past. I will have a few ideas later this upcoming week.



The fires in Santa Barbara (way up in the hills) are about out and won't be a factor in late June.
Please don't change the location or the dates - keep it in Santa Barbara.

I'm hell bent on doing a SoCal National Meet on the same scale that all of the other EOC National Meets are doing.
(anything less would be embarassing ) ;-):oops:

A campground at a huge, beautiful recreational park has been selected.
The park can be used as the base gathering point and serve as a staging area for both camping and non-camping activities.
It will accomadate the needs of campers and those who may just want to drive up from home for a single day of fun.
The park is all paved roads and a great place to show case tricked out Elements.
Cruise to the beach for the day then head back to the park for free showers and a huge EOC BBQ on Saturday Night.

So what else needs to be done?

http://www.sbparks.org/MAPS/cachuma_overview.jpg



Park Description: The adventure never ends here. Tent, yurt, and RV camping, naturalist-guided lake cruises, some of the best fishing to be found in the region, boating, hiking, picnicking, and more. The Area offers a multitude of activity options, plus the option of doing nothing at all.

Park Features: BBQ Grills, Benches or Picnic Tables, Bike Trails, Bird Watching, Equestrian Trails, Fishing, Group Picnic Areas, Hiking Trails, Horseshoes, Playground, Restaurant or Snacks, Restrooms, Swimming, Tent or RV Camping.

Location: From Santa Barbara take Highway 101 to the San Marcos Pass exit, Highway 154. The park entrance is about 18 miles from this point. From the north, take Highway 101 to Highway 154; Cachuma Lake is about 14 miles east.

Hours: Day Use - 8:00 am to Sunset

Rates: $8.00 day use fee.

Miss Ellie & Co., thank you for your suggestion.

The fires in Santa Barbara (way up in the hills) are about out and won't be a factor in late June.
Please don't change the location or the dates - keep it in Santa Barbara.
As far as I know, the location and dates of the So Cal National Regional Combo Meet has not changed. The meet is still planned for Santa Barbara.

I'm hell bent on doing a SoCal National Meet on the same scale that all of the other EOC National Meets are doing (anything less would be embarassing ) ;-):oops:.
Let us agree to disagree. I would think that given So Cal, not having a National Regional meet would be embarrassing. This So Cal National Regional meet does not have to be on the same scale as previous National Meets. In fact, it was suggested by T Mac, that smaller, mini meets would be okay also. I would not be surprised if others Element owners within the southern California Counties. Where two Element owners gather, as far as I am concerned, it’s a meet!

A campground at a huge, beautiful recreational park has been selected.
While I like your suggestion of having Lake Cachuma as a staging or gathering point for an activities, the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area is outside, and is not, Santa Barbara. This National Regional Meet has been advertised to be in Santa Barbara. Like you stated in your post, “Please don't change the location or the dates - keep it in Santa Barbara”. I would like to do this as not to confuse anyone who may want to attend this Meet in Santa Barbara.

The park is all paved roads and a great place to show case tricked out Elements.
Lake Cachuma may be a great place to show case tricked out Elements. I am hoping that this Meet would allow us to see and showcase stock, un-modded, lightly-modded and camper inspired Elements. Would we want to deprive the citizens of Santa Barbara a caravan up State Street, on our way to another gathering or staging point? I don’t think so!

So what else needs to be done?
There are a few things that need to be done. Barvel, RdE_Rnr and I, are planning a drive, with meeting/gathering points along a prescribed route to Santa Barbara for Saturday. Sort of like a Tour d’Elegance. We think that it would be fun to meet and greet other potential meet attendees like this and caravan to Santa Barbara. Once we get to Santa Barbara, as a previous post suggested, we could all gather in the morning at one of the parking lots at Santa Barbara Community College. This would be a great staging location for us all, meet up, take some photos, and then head out to our planned or un-planned activities. As you suggested, a beach cruise is a good idea, one that we all can agree on, a great photo op. We hope to share with you and others a few more ideas for Saturday activities and gathering spots.

In addition, we are working on designing event badges and freebies to pass out to everyone

As far as lodging accommodations, your suggestion for the Lake Cachuma Recreation Area, for the campers is great. I hope that those who enjoy camping will consider this option. Miss Ellie & Co, please feel free to coordinate this effort. You have provided the information, and I am sure that those who choose to camp will appreciate it.

While you stated that the hotel room reservation has fizzled out, the deadline is quickly approaching. Come May 20, rooms will no longer be available to reserve. I will turn them back to Ramada SB. Those that chose not to camp out will have to find their own lodging accommodations. I suspect that there will be a quite a few Day Trippers coming to this meet. I may be one of them! This may be a moot point when it is all said and done. In addition, I would not be surprised if some of us have made other lodging accommodations.


I know that it can take a little or a lot of time planning any meet. I have seen what you have done with the camping meets you suggested and planned, and they are impressive. I would like to think that I have done just as stellar a job with the meets that I have suggested and planned. I took it upon myself to start this effort because I like to meet other E Owners, and I wanted us to share in the excitement of having a smaller National Regional Meet, along with others across the country. I know that the No Cal Chapter is planning their meet for Monterey, and they are still working on their lodging accommodations also. While this is a So Cal National Regional Meet, for all members of the So Cal Chapters of the EOC, ROC and CR-VOC and others under the Owners Club affiliation, I, along with a few others, are working to put together a meet to be enjoyed by all.

I am still working on a few items for this event and will share them with you and others as the weeks progress.

Your suggestions and support are greatly appreciated.

JSm00th

Jsmooth -

I'm good with all that.
The camping option at Cachuma Lake Recreation Area will allow (for those who wish it) one, two or three days of hanging out in Santa Barbara and an easy juant from there to planned activities schedualed downtown, at the college or beach.

Note: The campgrounds at Cachuma Lake cannot be reserved in advance.
They are on a "First-Come First-Serve" system.
So anyone wishing to camp should show up Friday (early as possible) at the lake to bag a campsite.

I still have no idea how many people will opt for camping but it's there if they want it.
Other than that there's not much else to do.

As you may have read in one of the first posts here, I had reserved 50 rooms for our So Cal National Regional Combo Meet in Santa Barbara at the Santa Barbara Ramada Inn.

To date, no one has reserved any rooms. Thus, this afternoon, I have called SB Ramada and asked that the remaining 30 rooms be unheld, and thanked them for holding the rooms for us.

While planning for the National Regional Combo Meet is still proceeding, those that may want stay in Santa Barbara will have to find their own lodging. In addition, those that may want to camp near Santa Barbara, the Lake Cachuma Recreational Area has been selected. See some of the previous posts for additional information. My understanding is that this campground is on a first-come, first serve basis.

I, along with barvel and RdE_Rnr are working on a few items and will be posting soon regarding this meet. Thanks for your consideration.

JSm00th

Just out of curiosity, how many people are planning to camp at the lake? I would love to camp at the lake; however, I don't think I can leave anytime earlier then 3 pm on Friday. If anyone campers can help me to secure a spot, that would be nice.

How many are going so far?