RainyCamp wouldn't be that hard to get to, but the site isn't very amenable to small jams.   Unlike the cabins at Camp Adams, where Singtime Frolics (Oregon) is held, most cabins at the RainyCamp site either have no living-room or lounge area or have prohibitions against having food or drink in those areas.    And being in February, it's often - well - rainy. If not snowy.

I think it would be better not to piggyback our gathering on top of any large-size extant gathering.   (SunnyCamp would be great if Long Beach weren't so inaccessible.)

I'm sympathetic with those who are east of the Rockies, and distance-wise I'd have no problem with the gathering being in Denver or Elko or Wyoming or even the Dakotas.   But I think it makes sense to choose a location that's likely to have decent weather for the gathering.   IMO that makes western California, Oregon, or Washington preferable in most months of there, and it makes the Sacramento valley less than ideal in mid-summer. At the very least, let's try for a spot that is not likely to involve driving on snowy or icy roads to get there.   ((f you live where the roads are snowy or icy, you can't avoid that, but at least you can get away from the snow and ice as you get nearer to the gathering locale.)

I also agree that air travel can be a hassle for carrying instruments. But if I ever make it to "The" Mudcat Getaway, that's something I will have to confront anyway.