Round Up in Missouri

We just got back from the motorcycle Round Up in Columbia, Missouri. It wasn't the 2009 Round Up in Atlanta but it was a good show. We love the Round Up folks and in particular the Buffalo Soldiers we get to meet each year. They are a really good group of motorcyclists and so great to catch up with each year.

We got to try our new tent out and it worked really better than expected. We love it! It works so well on the "right" side of our trailer. We got to use our lights and radio which was really nice.

It was a long hot week. Temps were in the 100's and we got set up on a sand lot, and I really mean sand lot. The wind sand blasted us, all our products got covered in sand, and it will take us weeks to get ride of it all. We were sooo hot that just sitting outside felt like being in a sauna. Add a layer of sand on top of our skin and boy it was tough.

A tough part of the Round Up is the hours for vendors. Because it's so hot, folks don't even get about and about much before the late afternoon. However, you do have a few that do so you kinda have to open during normal business hours 9 to 7 but because the crowds only come out late, you end up staying opening up until 11pm or later which makes for a long day.

I'm thankful for our trailer, Optima sure makes a great living quarters trailer. As we go to shows, we park our trailer on site as part of our display. It costs us more for the space but it's really nice to be able to stay onsite with our stuff, be able to run in and out of "our house" and always have our kitchen with us which saves us a lot of out to eat money.

We sold alot of novelty helmets and not a whole lot of anything else. I think it was just too hot for anyone to be buying much.

Our last two shows have been slow compared to last year but Aunt Dee says it's just part of the "grind" that you have to do to get through. I'm already looking forward to spring and the good shows where the money is flowing and the cash register is ringing.