An Event Planning Committe has been developed. Over the course of the next week, we'll have an event planned, and will post info, likely in a new Thread.

 

Shoot, we ain't even got a city planned????

How about the Dragon's Tail again? No? We coming to NC? If so, that is cool, our July meet in Atlanta has been our biggest meet 2 years in a row.

 

I'm starting to like the idea of the Asheville area again, with a driving trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway.


Link to Great Smoky Mountains page

Link to GSM maps page

 

I'm with Dave on this as long as "Asheville area" includes photo ops at the Biltmore

 

I think it would be great to have it in NC. FYI, we have quite a few of us signed up for the Lexus SUV event at Stone Mountain Sunday May 3rd (is it)and planning on a meet at Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett, trying to get that done that Saturday, May 2nd to make it a weekend thing.


JULY, again is our 3rd annual Big Meet and have your CARS READY. More to come soon.

 

Saturday is the 3rd, the stone mountain meet is Sunday the 4th.

Have you got the Hennessy meet sewed up yet?

 

Just for imformation: I live in Greenville, SC and have spent much time in the Smokies North of here. There are lots of fun roads I've spent weekends on in sports cars and on my motorcycle. The Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful and great for a Sunday "stroll," but the speed limit, no passing zones, and slow pokes will drive you nuts. Also no restaurants, no bathrooms on the BRP except for the Pisgah Inn. Highway US 276 from Greenville through Brevard and up to Waynesville is a really great drive, reasonable speed limits, medium traffic, lots of curves, Looking Glass Falls, high mountain scenery. US 64 from Hendersonville to Cashiers is too congested. Is anyone familiar with fun driver's roads around Asheville? I think there are some good places between Charlotte and Asheville, like starting on US 221 near Spartanburg up through Forest City, then old US 74 through Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, and up into Asheville. Also a great drive on old US 25 from Traveler's Rest just North of Greenville up and around the Greenville watershed reservoir to Saluda. Saluda is a neat town, catering to bicyclists who congregate at a little bakery there each weekend. Also quaint restaurants, shops, etc. Guys coming from points South could take US 25 bypass aroung Greenville through Traveler's Rest to Saluda, then cut across to Forest City, then up old 74 into Asheville. For higher speeds, I-40 from Asheville to Knoxville is very scenic and great curves, and trucks have to stay in the right lane. Returning to Atlanta from Asheville, US 74 and US 441 are good routes back into GA. If it's overnight, staying in the mountains should be a good bit cheaper than the beach or Charleston. The Myrtle Beach strip is a parking lot on warm weather weekends. I plan to make this one, wherever it is (within a couple of hundred miles, that is). If anyone thinks any of these routes are appealing, I would make route maps and email them to anyone who wants them if "the committee" picks an itinerary I'm familiar with.

 

dipstick - great info; its much appreciated

We're in the process of fleshing out the details, on either the SMountains, or BRP/Asheville V2.0 trip currently. We hope to have some details hammered out by the end of this week. SMountains sound great to me!

 

Biltmore house and gardens would be a great photo op if they will let us drive to the right spots for pics. I wonder if they would. I will call to see if I can find out. It also will cost something like $20 just to get on the grounds. It is an impressive place, especially if you haven't been before. We go up every couple of years for their Christmas programs, and the spring is beautiful also. There is (imo) an interesting restaurant with good food on site, too, I think it is called the Tack House or Stable orsomething like that. It was originally the stables for the estate. Also, I'm sure there are interesting restaurant opportunities in Asheville, although I haven't done them myself in a long time. I don't know about night life. Honda Goldwing owners (not me) have an annual convention there, and seem to really like it. I have been up there to a downtown street festival they call Bele Chere a couple of times, sometime in the summer, and it is really outstanding. For drives, I think a ride through Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure would be a fun drive and maybe attract some attention along the way. This country is similar to the Deal's Gap area except not quite as squirrely. Also, US 276 anywhere between Traveler's Rest SC and Waynesville NC is a great drive. There is a restaurant in the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Pkwy near the US 276 intersection with grea mountain scenery.

There's a place called White Mountain near Columbus NC, not far from Tryon, that has a good paved switchback road that goes up about 1500 feet to the very top of the mountain, which would be a fundrive and a good photo spot, I think. I used to ride up there on my motorcycle, and it would give me that tickle in my stomach going up.

Since I have never done one of these meets, I'm not sure exactly what everyone is looking for, so don't get the impression I'm trying to steer you guys anywhere. Just providing information about places I'm familiar with. Actually, I was looking forward to Deal's Gap, but didn't have a GS then.

Just a few suggestions.

 

You mean like this?



Our Biltmore Trip in 01

I think we've decided on the SMountains, so now we are in the stages of picking a specifi town out of which to base, then lodging, then our schedule of events. Did you get my email?

 

Yeah, exactly. I had forgotten about that picture...very classy.

 

Scott, can you confirm the Spring Fling is the weekend of May 16-17-18? .

 

From that map it looks like Deal's Gap is RIGHT BY the Smokeys.

 

More details coming (we should probably start a new post on it), but we've selected the dates:

Friday May 16 (some will arrive Friday PM)
Saturday May 17 (primary day/night for our meet events) and
Sunday May 18 (breakfast together, potential morning drive & head home)

Day-trippers for Saturday only are welcome.

AND the location: the Great Smoky Mountains!

We're planning to make our base for the meet in the Maggie Valley. It's a pseudo-tourist town and there are lots of hotel options which should make our lodging costs go down. Convenient to many curvy roads for some challenging drives, scenic mountains for photo opportunities and the Blue Ridge Parkway for cruises with beautiful overlooks.

More details on exact logistics and meet details (drive routes, etc) coming soon.

Couple of pictures I found on the internet of the Maggie Valley area:

 

GREAT!! If I remember correctly, Car and Driver picked the area as one of the top 10 spots to cruise in. Should be excellent!!