Dragon Run 2011

[dt]

I'm part of a small group that's working on organizing a trip up to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina this Spring. I know it’s early, but based on some conversations with lodges up there, we think it’s probably a good idea to at least get the lodging reservations in sometime in the next 30-45 days. Although very tentative at this time, here’s what we’re floating to potentially interested riders.

Dates: [Updated] May 16th-18th. This is Monday-Wednesday. These are the days that we would likely plan out the loops and other group activities, so it doesn’t include travel to-from. Doesn’t mean you need to be there all three days. Doesn’t mean you’re riding all three days…they’ve got great hiking, kayaking, fishing and all that cool stuff too! We’re just broad brushing at this point.

Lodging: One thing is certain…lodging and amenities are sparse up there. However, it’s the Smoky Mountains and from what I understand, what they lack in amenities, they make up in lots of scenic, curvy roads. Right now we’re working on M’s recommendation of Fontana Village Resort. Not only did she recommend it (and we trust her implicitly), so far we’ve gotten feedback from several others who have stayed there and think it makes for a great place for something like this.

Address: 300 Fontana Road, Fontana Dam, NC 28733
Website
Mapquest (622 miles from Tampa)



Lodging Rates: (see fine print at the end)…Lodge Rooms-($79-$109; the extra $30 gets you a fireplace); Cabins-($79, $129, $189 for one, two, three bedrooms, respectively, and if I counted on my fingers properly, three in a three bedroom cabin costs $63 a head); Camping-($30-$35, former is primitive and the later is hooked). Fine print…rates do not include group discounts, which could range from 10%-15% with around a 25 headcount. We have twelve interested from another forum so far. Rates are quoted along with reservations, so those rates may not be “the” rates if reservations are pushed too far out. There’s no policy on reservations, but for May (to assure our northern buds can ride down) ASAP was the recommendation. A non-refundable deposit equaling the first night stay is required 30 or more days before the arrival date.



So, basically, I’m looking for general interest in making this trip within the next 30 days. Dates may change during this timeframe as we get additional feedback. We’ve spoken to this location, but it is tentative. And, of course, you can stay where ever you want. The real focus is getting reservations in. Interested?




Photos are stock I got off the web. I’ve never been.

[bagobones]

I'm up for it, just tell me when.

I have been twice, and it really is awesome. The best riding ever.

Here is one of my old posts about my last trip there in 2010.
http://bikerflorida.com/forum/index.php/topic,640.0/topicseen.html

[dt]

Looks like this may be moving up a week or two to mid-May.

Comments we're getting is that around the Memorial Day weekend the place jams up.

[v65infla]

Looks like this may be moving up a week or two to mid-May.

Comments we're getting is that around the Memorial Day weekend the place jams up.

If you wanted to keep your original dates, might I suggest the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground??
http://www.blueridgemotorcyclecamp.com/

Last year's rates are $45 a night for a single bed cabin and $15 a night for tent's.  There is also 2 units that have a larger bed with a built in shower and I think those were $60 or$65 a night.  There is no need for reservations for a tent but you need to call on March 1st. to make cabin reservations.    

I will already be there on the 18th - 22nd with the Honda V4 riders.  You are right, last year they were filled up the following weekend starting on about Thursday but I think Mon-Wed was pretty much wide open and that was when I was there in May.  I could have easily stayed another 3 nights in my cabin if I had wanted.

Last year was my first year but I think it was about an hour from the Dragon and of course there are plenty of good local roads that are as good if not better.  Great host's, nice place!  Also, because it is a motorcycle campground there is cage parking out front but only motorcycle's are allowed across the wooden bridge actually inside of the campground.  
If you haul your bike in a truck there is an off load ramp built in for you to back up to.  When you get there and check in if you drove the cage, they have a wagon for your to haul your provisions in with.  They also have a "Restaurant" on site but I am not sure how much it is open during the week, so you would have to ask.

If you all stay there, I would pretty much have no choice but to extend my vacation.   

[dt]

Thanks Jamie.

I’m pretty sure our date will be moving up into the middle of the month. Maybe the week you are there. I’m not getting a feel for what everyone is looking for, but camping doesn’t seem to be high on the list at the moment. I think everyone wants to ride all day and drink beer, smoke cigars and play poker in the resort bar all night. Not sure why that means you can’t camp, but there's lots of time to work everything out. Like apparently you and the V4 riders, I think its a good idea we get this worked out sooner rather than later.

[v65infla]

Thanks Jamie.

I’m pretty sure our date will be moving up into the middle of the month. Maybe the week you are there. I’m not getting a feel for what everyone is looking for, but camping doesn’t seem to be high on the list at the moment. I think everyone wants to ride all day and drink beer, smoke cigars and play poker in the resort bar all night. Not sure why that means you can’t camp, but there's lots of time to work everything out. Like apparently you and the V4 riders, I think its a good idea we get this worked out sooner rather than later.

Our get together up there has been going on for 7 or 8 years although last year was my first.  They have made this camp the fixture place and the BRMC does not take any reservations until March 1st.  One guy doles out the available cabin's by first come first served starting a certain time every year through personal message and uses the web site time stamp to clarify.  He then collects all the money up front for your cabin over the next 30 days and he makes the call on the 1st every year and reserves everyone's cabin at the same time.  Since we go there every year, the campground will not take anyone's reservation until they hear from our guy.  Last year my email was time stamped 4 seconds into the official time and 8 people were ahead of me on the list.  Good thing there are 16 cabin's.  

I had my poker set with me since I drove the truck up but everyone was too busy bs'ng to get a game together.  

We like the campground setting because it gives a lesser expensive option to those that can't pay the $45 a night and it is more social, since you step out of your cabin and there you are.  

[maureen]

I'm so excited to see this! I'll do all I can to make it. There are MANY folks that I know in the ATL area that would probably ride up and go for a few runs with us too! I'll warn you now though...the FL riders are the butt of many jokes. 

Can't wait!

[dt]

We have landed on May 16-17-18 as the window (M-T-W). Over the next two weeks, I’m looking for commitments for rooms at the Fontana Village Resort. See the first post for details and links. There’s absolutely no requirement that anyone has to stay there. As the group lead, all I’m trying to do is put a somewhat secured lodging solution in place for those who want one. If you’ve got your favorite Bed n Breakfast in the Smokies, stay there if you want. Where you sleep at night isn’t going to get in the way of creating new, long-lasting friendships, which this is all about.

I already have a group contract in place with Fontana Village on a block of rooms, which I had to do to secure the rates. In the absence of the contract, the rates would have already gone up! However, I need to firm everything up with them in terms of number and types of rooms in the next two weeks. Let me know if anyone wants a room and what type. Once I do that, each person who commits will get the “secret code” and will have to call the Village by March 15 to move the reservation to their name. At that time the first night $$ is required as a deposit. Again, this is just the lodging solution…take it or leave it, and then I’d like to move on and work with those going on plans for the fun stuff.

fwiw, my sense is that when the dust settles we’ll have about 15 riders. At the moment, we have seven commitments (eight when Bag commits) who are riding either XR1200 Sportsters or Sportbikes.

I'll warn you now though...the FL riders are the butt of many jokes.  
 

I shall do my best to raise the bar…to a whole new level of jokes. 

[bagobones]

OK I'm in.  

That week is good because it's the week after final exams at the college where I teach.  

I'm working on getting some or all of my family to go too- at least get them to Gatlingburg or maybe to my friend's place in Maggie Valley. The fam could hang out in the Smokies for a few days while I join you guys at Deal's Gap. Perfect!!

And if it comes down to it, I'll go by myself and meet y'all there. I'll have plenty of time to sharpen my skills on the SV before then-and lots of time to choose the color of mohawk for my helmet. There may be an age limit on the purchasing of said suction-cup-mohawks and I am certain to have exceeded it. I'll have to leave my helmet on so nobody will see my gray hair.

C'mon Mr. Bones. Figure out how to make this trip. This is going to be GOOD. Dont make us break your back and make you humble.

[dt]

OK I'm in.  

That week is good because it's the week after final exams at the college where I teach.  

I'm working on getting some or all of my family to go too- at least get them to Gatlingburg or maybe to my friend's place in Maggie Valley. The fam could hang out in the Smokies for a few days while I join you guys at Deal's Gap. Perfect!!

Awwwwwesome. 

[dt]

Hey M (or anyone), need some help from someone who know this area…

I’m working on trying to identify some cool and scenic locations for extended stops along the daily loops. Specifically, some places that will make the overall trip more memorable for everyone, scenic, cool photo ops, maybe something to do, stuff like that. One of the places I’m looking at is Chimney Rock Park. It looks like it’s about 2.5 hours out to the east from Fontana Dam. Do you know of this place and, if so, what do you think? Any other ideas.

Another place on my list, although I haven’t looked at it yet, is the Cherokee Reservation.

Here are some webshots from Chimney Rock:

[maureen]

That park looks great! I haven't been there but will do some thinking/research and get back on here with some info. The Cherokee reservation is...interesting. Neat to see, that's for sure. Last time I was up there, I just camped for the night. The cherry cola ---er I mean, Cherohala Skyway is a MUST for this group! http://www.cherohala.com/ Fantastic ride and there are great potatoes at the other end. ....Just trust me. 

[bagobones]

I'ma little cynical about the Cherokee reservation. If you have ever been to the Wisconsin Dells, it's a little like that. SUPER cheesy and commercial. It's a little embarrassing, actually. Of course the scenery is great, but it's great everywhere in the Smokies. I went fly-fishing with a guide and a few friends back in August, and we were very disappointed when our guide was a tree-hugging red headed hippie wannabe from upstate New York instead of an actual Cherokee. How naive of me.

I will say though, that the road North from the Cherokee res. to Maggie Valley is AWESOME. Back in August it had just been repaved,and I felt like I was the first person to ride on it. Since I was the only person on the road in either direction for the entire trip, I felt like the road had been paved through the mountains that day, just for me.

What about a stop in Maggie Valley for the "Wheels Through Time Museum"? It's supposed to be great. I missed it last time, be I did run into the owner and operator very randomly at a gas station nearby. Crazy guy.

[dt]

What about a stop in Maggie Valley for the "Wheels Through Time Museum"? It's supposed to be great. I missed it last time, be I did run into the owner and operator very randomly at a gas station nearby. Crazy guy.

THAT...is exactly the type of stuff I'm talkin' about!

http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/

[dt]

I need to finalize the Group Contract with Fontana in terms of number of rooms this Thursday (12-23-2010). If anyone is going and needs a room, let me know before then. Thanks to those who already responded. The headcount right now is ranging in the 10-15 range; about half are staying at Fontana and the rest are getting lodging elsewhere.

I’m heading out on a two or three day boondoggle tomorrow morning so if there are any questions, you might not hear back from me until mid week…but I will get back.

[dt]

The headcount for this trip stands at 14 confirmed and 3 tentative.

The group contract is now in place with Fontana. Of the confirmed, 11 will be staying at Fontana Lodge and Cabins and the others are staying elsewhere in the area.

I worked out with the Lodge to reserve an additional block of lodge rooms for anyone that might decide to join later, so they can still have the group $79 per night rate. These rooms will get released on March 15 or sooner if the Lodge needs them.

Gotta tell you...the folks at Fontana Village Resort have been awesome to work with.

[v65infla]

What about a stop in Maggie Valley for the "Wheels Through Time Museum"? It's supposed to be great. I missed it last time, be I did run into the owner and operator very randomly at a gas station nearby. Crazy guy.

THAT...is exactly the type of stuff I'm talkin' about!

http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/

Wheels Through Time is awesome, just don't think you are going to pop in for an hour though.  It always rains at least one day while we are up there so that makes a great afternoon.  I think I was almost 3 hours and felt like I could have taken much longer. 

[dt]

Wheels Through Time is awesome, just don't think you are going to pop in for an hour though.  It always rains at least one day while we are up there so that makes a great afternoon.  I think I was almost 3 hours and felt like I could have taken much longer. 

I’m thinking (*dangerous*) that everyone is going to have different objectives for a trip like this. Some are going to want to just ride and ride. Others are going to want to see the sights and take in the Smokies, particularly those like me who live in Flatistan…and rumor has it that you can’t enjoy the roads and the scenery at the same time. Perhaps, do you think I should put together alternatives? Such as a bunch of mapped full-day loops for the hardcore dudes and the scenic loops with three hour stops at Wheels through Time for those that want to go that route. That way each person could choose. What say you?

[v65infla]

In my experience you do not want to plan anyone's time for them, especially ride routes.  You will drive yourself absolutely crazy if nothing else just trying to stick to the "Planned Route".  BTDT and it takes the fun out of YOUR day.  

There are two good options.  The first one is just every man for himself and let those whom want to ride together go and figure it out.  The second I like a little better and that is to have a "Riders Meeting" every night at a designated time back at the Lodge.  Right at the end of dinner is a good time before the drinks start flowing too heavily.  

At the riders meeting you are looking for three leaders.  One for the slow enjoy the scenery group, one for the medium 5mph to 10mph above the speed limit group and one for the fast group.  Two rules right up front are; (1) No man gets left behind & (2) At every single turn off of the current road the entire group stops and waits for the last rider to get there.  This way no one feels they have to ride over their skill level to keep up and takes us back to rule #1 if someone should have a break down.  You can retrace back to your last turn if they don't show up within a reasonable time.  

Ideally you want to keep groups small of four to eight riders maximum, it helps with getting through intersections altogether and at the all important lunch break you will get in and out faster.  Also the leader needs to find out whom has the lowest fuel range and keep that bike in mind when looking for fuel stops, which of course should be done either at the end of the day or before leaving the next morning.

Groups can and probably should change some every day.  At least in our group we all talk all year on-line like here so it is great to get to ride at least one day with different people once a year.

Other than that, we have found the most fun is just to explore the roads and take them as they come. (Most have GPS to get back at the end of the day)  At our spring get together we did have a "Group" that went to the Dragon at least three of the four days, sometimes guys went more than once, others like myself once was enough and if I am in the area I would do it again but would not make a special trip there.  Ehh, maybe one more time.  

I will also ad that I led a small group of three for an after dinner ride in the dark on our "Last Night" and riding the mountains in the dark is probably one of the best rides I had there.  We only went about 40 miles but it was totally awesome, especially once out of town where it was totally black out.  It was really cool see the outline of the mountains against the blackness of the sky.  

In reference to the Museum a bunch of guys had mentioned they wanted to go but know one really wanted to give up riding to do so.  Then as luck would have as it does every year it rained.  Me and a few others were lucky enough to have caged our bikes there so we just piled in and went for the afternoon.  Others rode in the rain but as my luck would have it, the sun came out while in the museum, my bike was 20 miles away which in mountain time is forever and since I was in charge of "Steak Night" and still had some grocery shopping to do, I lost a whole day of riding.  

One last general rule of thumb for group riding and this is mostly for the "Fast Group".  If someone should have the experience of having to have a little "Chat" with law enforcement, the entire group keeps going until they can find a safe place to hang out and wait for them to catch up.  Cell phones come in handy for this one.  Too often they can only stop one at a time but if you all stop, well hell let's just ticket everyone.  I can speak from experience on both sides of the law.    I guess I should also say that last May I encountered four different law enforcement agency's (NC Highway Patrol, TVA, City Officer & County Deputy) and I was treated with professionalism and respect by every single one in that area.  I didn't actually have the contact directly with the NC Highway Patrol, I was in the group that kept on going but my buddy said the Trooper was awesome.    Yes, he got a "Performance Award" but he could have taken a ride and had his bike towed.  

[dt]

Thanks for taking the time to write that Jamie. It's all very helpful. Glad you joined here!

I'm going to read it again later and let it sink in more...when I get back from the dentist. 

[v65infla]

Thanks for taking the time to write that Jamie. It's all very helpful. Glad you joined here!

I'm going to read it again later and let it sink in more...when I get back from the dentist.  

No sweat, all I needed was one more web site to distract me from work.    If anyone finds any info I contribute useful, I have zero pride and I do accept donations.  I even take PayPal.

 

Ps, if you have mostly "Harley" riders you can eliminate the "Fast Group".   
  

[v65infla]

I just looked back at found your "Settled on dates".  Your ride is the 16, 17 & 18 and the Honda V4 spring get together is the 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st & 22nd.  Mmmmmmmmmmm  Wonder if I go that long, I will still be married when I get back???

[bagobones]

In my experience you do not want to plan anyone's time for them, especially ride routes.  You will drive yourself absolutely crazy if nothing else just trying to stick to the "Planned Route".  BTDT and it takes the fun out of YOUR day.

DT, I think v65infla has laid it out for us, and it all sounds good. That's pretty much a "bible" for group rides. Well said v65infla! I'm pretty exited about this trip. I need a time machine to make it happen sooner.

[v65infla]

In my experience you do not want to plan anyone's time for them, especially ride routes.  You will drive yourself absolutely crazy if nothing else just trying to stick to the "Planned Route".  BTDT and it takes the fun out of YOUR day.

DT, I think v65infla has laid it out for us, and it all sounds good. That's pretty much a "bible" for group rides. Well said v65infla! I'm pretty exited about this trip. I need a time machine to make it happen sooner.

The plot thicken's.  First I mapped it and the two get together's are only 80 miles apart.  And, the wife said no problem, if of course we can afford it.  I guess after almost 19 years together she still hasn't figured out that we ALWAYS can afford it if I want to do something bad enough.     I may just have to invite myself along.     Let me mull it over for a day or so but I can tell you which way I am leaning.   

[dt]

I still have some lodge rooms at Fontana under our group contract for $79 a night. All my cabins were taken, but I'm sure I could still get another at our group rate of $79 for single bedroom cabins and $119 for two bedroom cabins.