I can attest to the economy issue.... But I should be back in action soon (this month or next) and hopefully make a run with you guys finally once I get some tires replaced. I've managed an online community for a 10 year span, it ranged from 10 to 200 members at a time. It can be a lot of work. I find the biggest problem is people expecting the organizer/leader to provide the "fun" - which is an emotional state rather than a tangible item
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I think 3-4 organized events per year is plenty, the rest can just be loosely organized by members asking if anyone wants to 'join them'. Personally, a day-ride isn't worth all the trouble trying to 'sell'. Just a simple post and a meeting spot should be good enough.
I'm the kind of person that doesn't rely on anyone else to provide the fun, I definitely don't like to plan out my rides start to finish, I like to explore everything unless I've already been there. I just like to have a general idea of the starting point and the time I need to get home and just make the rest up along the way. I don't have a GPS yet and honestly can't think of a scenario other than 'convenience' that I'd actually need one (still planning on getting a cheap one), I'm a compass/topo person myself and would rather have a sextant than a GPS. I like to hike and explore off-trail as well and wouldn't want anyone to feel like they had to wait for me to come back if I stumbled upon a buried treasure. My 'fun' is contained within and other than something bad happening to person or vehicle then it doesn't matter if I'm with a group or not.... I'M JUST HAPPY TO GET THE HELL OUT OF L.A. WHENEVER I CAN!
