Modern Vespa

Caney Creek Village will disappoint, so be sure to avoid.

Would love to join y'all this year; guess I will always have the memories ...

Great tip, thanks! I actually had already penciled that campground in and a couple of others around Meadows of Dan. I'm going to be pretty wiped out that day, as it's looking like my longest of the trip - almost 500 miles. I may have to camp a bit north of Meadows of Dan and make the next day longer. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of "playing things by ear" on this trip - which is absolutely fine by me!

Sounds like a plan! I'm in! I'll have to leave either from work on Friday or just reschedule work so that I can leave Thursday! I'll likely try and plan something where Kevink, OAD, and myself ride down together.

that'll work

I would fill in a few blanks - but not many...

My Map

Cool BubbaJon - I'm soooo jealous. I've got to get over the whole "travel by myself" hangup and color up my own map instead of waiting for my very, very sweet stay at home hermit husband to go with me.

Depending on my work schedule, I would really like to do this and think it would be a blast!

It will be, if you never been in that part of the country, it's beautiful. It's well worth the trip, Robb and to anyone who makes the journey. Nothing but lush mountains and beautiful waterfalls and the nice feel of a biker's area with great camping and motorcycle only venues.

Sounds perfect. I will definitely see what I can do to make this happen!

So Luthor, are you the point man for all this? I know it's a ways off still, but it may be good to have one or two people in the area kind of coordinating things? Perhaps we could, offline, cycle a list of names and contact info or am I just getting way ahead of myself here?

I'll second that nomination.

K. Seems like I'm the most approachable....

So I'll be the official cat wrangler of this expedition...so here's the plan:

WHERE: Dragon/Helen area

WHEN: May 21-23rd or so...(some may come a day early, some may leave early)

WHAT: Riding, laughing, eating and drinking, chatting, and beautiful scenery

WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN GOING:

PM me with the following:

Name(real name)
Phone you'd like to be reached at(most likely cell)
Email so that I can send you the contact list once it's SET.
Any points of interest you'd like to be near or see
Any known places you'd like to stay at in the area(ones that you have first hand experience with are very valuable)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN THEN:

I'll try and keep this thread updated with current number of people that are planning on going. I WON'T list real names or phone numbers here. I'll also list current points of interest that people want to see and current places people would like to stay.

About 2 months out(so March 20th or so), we'll set the EXACT place that has been most popular to stay and we can all start making reservations there. This should give us plenty of time to reserve.

It'd be great if we can get a head count and try and agree on the one base camp point, because we might be able to get a group rate. I'll let everyone know before we reserve so you can choose to go with a possible lower rate or try and find a close place that is perhaps cheaper without any discounts.

If you have any comments or suggestions as to the way this is planned, please PM me. If you have any spur of the moment sites or ideas, just throw em up on the thread for all to comment on.

Hope to see you all in May!

LOL - that you are buddy.
Hey just as an aside - perhaps it would be beneficial for those never having been there - a list of what's available. For example - Indian Boundary Lake has a great camping area, it's halfway up the Cherohala Skyway (a great ride in its own right). It would probably require reservations that close to Memorial Weekend. I might just decide I gotta see y'alls ugly mugs again and bop over. Springtime in the TN-NC mountains is purely gorgeous!

Sounds like Luthorhuss was unanimously elected before I got around to adding my vote for him. Thanks for taking on the role. You may regret it when the rest of us start piling on input.

So here is some of mine.

1. We may want to start another thread with a title that is sure to get looked at by the highest number of possibly interested members. Perhaps something stating a May MP3 gathering in NC,GA TN area.
2. Additional threads in rally and general forums to catch others.
3. As to location and agenda I vote for whatever draws the most people as I found the meeting of others the best part of last year's get together in Chattanooga.

I do not have a strong preference for loacation as I have been to eveywhere suggested so far. Some thoughts:
1. If the dragon is the main draw we should set up not too far from it. Robbinsville NC has some good accomodations. I have stayed at the Microtel several times. There is also a motorcycle hotel Luthorhuss has stayed in. Restraunt choices are limited and I recommend staying away from the Chinese. Another close location is Fontana village. Not sure just what accomodations they have.
2. Deals gap has both camping and some spartan rooms for upto 4 people in each. It is the start of the Dragon. There is a cafe there.
3. There are some accomodations around Telico Plains, TN. KevinK may have some input.
4. If Helen is a desired destination there are options in the area. Helen itself tends to have high priced accomodations with a large tourist draw. There are some state campgrounds close by. There is a campground near Hiawassee with some cabins. To do a ride that includes the Dragon, Cherohola and Helen all in one day will approach 300 miles of mountain riding. This is a full day and too much for those not used to it. We may have to make choices or extend the length of the event. On a nice weekend Helen can be a major pain to get in and out of with more traffic than the 2 roads and town center can handle. I have spent more than 30 minutes in stop and go getting into town.
5. I personally am a fan of 2 Wheels Only in Suches, less than 30 miles ride west of Helen. It has a great restruant, good camping and a few rooms that probably need to be booked early. Alcohol is BYOB from another county. If someone does not want to ride twisty mountain roads they will have to walk twisty mountain roads to get to Suches. It is at 3000' elevation so cooler temperatures. It is within reach of Dragon and Cherohola for a long day like we did last year. There is plenty of good riding in the area without going to the dragon which I think Georgia Girl can back me up on.

Everybody speak up on what you want in a get together and give Luthorhuss the input he needs to set things up. We all need to help.

I'm ok with anything. It would seem a shame to drive all that way and not ride the dragon, but I could be just sorely misinformed. Currently, my agenda has me arriving to the area sometime on Friday 5/21 and leaving Monday morning 5/23. Saturday and Sunday are filled in with the glorious letters "TBD" - so I'm up for anything.

oldspice even if the main group does not do the Dragon you will get a chance. If like last year most will arrive Friday with a significant ride on Saturday. Many will depart towards home on Sunday. At least a couple (Dirt and Luthorhuss) will have the Dragon as part of the way home if the meeting point is in Georgia or North Carolina. You would have time to ride with them and make it back to Georgia or just spend the night there allowing multiple trips on the Dragon if you want.

I for one might take another day off work if others are going to stay longer to ride.

Of course most may want to do the Dragon anyway.

I'm in and a hearty vote for Lutorhuss as point person. For acomodations there is a campground/cabin joint in tellico plaines as well owned by a friend of MySkyMizer's (something with a pig or hog in the name???). Couldn't reccommend it as I've never stopped, but we drive by it riding from Chattanooga to the Cherohala -- Hog Heaven, I knew I'd remember. I'll contribute however you all want. Suches/Blood Mtn/Ellijay are all fabulous rides, but I do think if people are coming from aways away they should ride the Dragon because it is recognized everywhere, just all of ya'll who live somewhere else - know that there are a million roads like that around here. My great-grandfather came here with the loggers around the turn of the century - they cut the trees and pulled them off the mountains scissoring back and forth with mule teams to pull the old-growth trees off the mountain. The tracks became roads that were eventually paved but are still at their heart the switchback trails the loggers used. We ride the ones that became roads and hike the ones that didn't (that is why most hiking trails around here are there-and-back, not circles). Fuzzy is right, the roads around N. GA are fabulous. A night at Fontana Dam and maybe a night at TWO?? That way you aren't looking at a big stretch of getting from one place to another. By May it might be clear, but the road down by Ocoee is currently under several tons of rock and mud, as are several other area roads. The amount of rain this year combined with a decade of drought hasn't been kind to the bluffs and ditches around here.

I'm game for anything!

Is anyone else thinking about going to Amerivespa? I was thinking about riding out to TX and just realized that its the next weekend (May 28-30). There's no way I can do both that close together, so I may be out.

So just a quick update,

I've got 6 people on the hook for the trip right now. 3 have Pm'd me, and there's the good, bad and the ugly of Me, OAD, and Fuzzy.

So far, there's a bit of interest in the Dragon area because of the out of state folks. I think if we plan it right, we could easily make the Dragon area one full day(like Saturday), and use Fri night/Sunday to journey to less crowded areas. We'll see. There's still plenty of time to get votes. I may even just start a poll or something. Either way, I'd like to have a definitive "We're starting here" and then "riding here on Saturday" thing sorta planned. Of course, once here, no one is stuck with the tour, but it's nice to know where the group is in case you want to rejoin them(right, Jerryw? ).

We have one person who's nominated them as official "group" photographer and has a video camera, camera equipment, and a donkey load of film. They've volunteered to take the "group action" shots and I nominate them too. There of course, will be plenty of time for your own shots, and the Dragon has professional crews along the roadside that take photos as you drive by and you can buy them online(in case you don't know that). I've bought a couple and I think Fuzzy and OAD have as well. There's Killboy photos and others that I can't recall at the moment.

So that's the update for now...keep those PM's coming...I'd love to roll into the Dragon with 20 MP3s!!

I'm taking off the weekend of the fifteenth for three days to go to a wedding, so there is no way I could take off long enough to ride down to TX - I wish

Almost forgot good ol' KevinK. We're up to 7!

The good news for me is that's actually coming home Yay! And Amerivespa was where I lived last year too. It was meant to be I tells ya....

I gotta think on it but I might be able to come over - I could even snag my son and we could ride back together as long as I wasn't overburdened with stuff....

Well one thing to consider is that we have a volunteer to do photos so you could just pack maybe a light camera and not your full setup and that would clear up some room. Also, likeOAD always says, it's prolly easier to mail your stuff home and ride carefree for a few bux for shipping.

And one Mana!

GeorgiaGirl.....you were very close with Hog name....good for you! It's....
http://www.hogheavenresort.com
Friends,...Don and his wife Judy own the grounds (all newly built cabins, everything). Don't know if it's open now....website states it's closed for season (guess they mean winter (?)
I would get involved and help you guys out, but I've been having some serious health issues (that some of you are aware of).

Kevink was kind enough to check out the "Hog" grounds back in Aug. '09 and seemed to like it.
Are ya out there Kevin?? Maybe you can add some info here about Piggly-Wiggly???? Just kidding Georgia!

Last edited by MySkyMizer on Fri Jan 29, 2010 11:54 am; edited 1 time in total

Can't forget the test rides.

You may leave me behind, but you won't forget me.

Hog Heaven is near the entrance to the Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains. Here are a few pictures of the place. There are three cabins built, the rest is for tent camping. The people running the place were nice and helpful.



The gourmet eating establishment.



The three cabins for papa bear, mama bear, and goldilocks.



An inside view.

hog heaven has a vote for me as a base camp. Luthorhuss was checking on blood mnt also.

I know the loading up gear is an issue, but is there any reason we couldn't do like a night at Hog Heaven and then do the Cherohala/Dragon/Foothills Plwy, NewfoundGap down into GA and then be in Suches that night and do Suches/Helen/NGA on Sunday??? It would let us have lots of good riding and not so much back and forth time.

Georgia Girl I googled the route from Hog Heaven, Cherohola, Helbender 28, Dragon, Foothills, Newfound Gap down to Suches. 280 miles. My question is how much are people able to do in a day and we may have some flatlanders in the group not used to the mountain riding and will have to take it slow. Of course any side trips like going to the falls adds time and distance. The size of group slows down. I think it takes 5 bikes 5 times as long to stop at a gas station as 1 bike.

A nother option would be to do a circle of Hog Heaven, Cherohola, Helbender 28, Dragon back to Hog Heaven, pick up gear and on down to Suches. This would let agressive riding without gear making rides top heavy but still get to Suches. 60 miles less distance. Hwy 60 from Telico Plains down to Suches is a nice ride.

Remember some if not most of us will be camping which increases amount of gear and weight to carry. Also last year a couple participants opted out of such a long day. If that is the case this year we could meet up with them back at Hog Heaven for the ride down to Suches.

I have not ridden Newfound Gap because so many have told me it is bumper to bumper slow moving motor homes.

Everyone speak up as to your wishes.

Attached are screen captures of the google routes.

Foot Hills Parkway, New Found Gap Route

Circle then HWY 60 to Suches route.

Agreed, your route will be better. Done Newfound Gap twice, once EARLY in the AM and it was awesome, curvy turny lovely. Did it another time later in a morning, early afternoon and it was wall to wall, but great road. Luthor, what do you think? What I was really meaning to suggest was two locations so we could minimize the "commute" to where we are riding. I'll bring camping gear or my daughter . So my daughter hopes we pick locations where we dont *HAVE* to camp, but I'm up for anything.

Well, I'm up for anything riding wise but here's what I think we should look for route wise/trip wise:


- 1-3 "key" choices in must see areas for the weekend. And then we should plan on hitting these at certain times during the weekend. What I would like to avoid is either a) a trip where we we are trying to hit 'em all in terms of all the great areas in the region or b) a trip where you feel as if everyone is doing their own thing and we barely even eat together once during the weekend.

- A route that allows for the "speedsters" to ride on ahead and get to point B and wait and enjoy the area while also allowing for the site lookers to pace themselves and enjoy the view. This is why I love routes like Cherhola because it's a decent little ride if you wanna cruise, but also not a bad slow ride either. Same for Hellbender.


I have a thing I'm looking into. A coworker has a sign posted for a cabin he owns on Bear Mountain. It's near Gatlinburg. I KNOW that's a bit of a trek, but I'm trying to find out exactly how far away. Why? It sleeps 6, has directv, fireplace, pool table, all amenities, etc. and he want either $200 for the weekend or $500 for the week. So at 6 ppl for $200 it might be worth it. Dunno, just found out about it.

I like the Hog Heaven, but to answer GA girl's question(and Fuzzy know me anyways ), I don't want to camp. If we did Hog Heaven, I'd like to try and reserve at least one cabin, prolly more.

I really enjoyed my stay at Two Wheel Inn in Robbinsville. One thing that many people don't know and it's rarely mentioned is that EACH ROOM COMES WITH AN ADJACENT LOCKED GARAGE FOR FREE. This is big enough for two motorcycles and you can walk around in it. The people were friendly, and it only allows bikers, no cars driving around. At $70 a night or so, it was not bad solo and for two folks would be very reasonable.

It's still early, but I understand if we want to book early...that would be wise.

So my plan by the end of this week(probably on Sat/Sunday) is:
-Put up a finalized master "places that have been mentioned to see"
-Put up a "places we might want to see that haven't been mentioned"
-Put up a head count with screennames
-Put up a "places we're considering staying"

Once all that's done, I'm gonna put up a temporary agenda. The way I think this would work best(and hence the cat wrangling comes into play) is to come up with THREE and ONLY 3 things on the agenda each day:

1: A time and place for breakfast to discuss stuff for the day/things we did yesterday...greet, etc.
2. A single "We will be HERE today at X time"...like saying "We're all gonna meet up at such and such at 2pm". This can be lunch, or a ride, etc.
3. Finally, a day's end meal with a time/place to chat about the day, call it a night, etc.

I figure there's no point in getting too involved with details of per hour where we're gonna be. I think some may want to ride the Dragon or head to so and so. This is kinda why I like the basecamp idea. I think(and again I'm just one person's opinion) that trying to move each day will take away from knowing as a rider that even if I want to go off and do something different, I can catch up at the evening meal at so and so.

We could make the evening meal at a different place each night and of course we could "knock out" some of the key places to see. I'm sure that the bkfast with everyone there would hammer out many of the "what will we do today?" questions. What do you guys think?

sounds like a plan in the making.

so far some really great ideas.
I like the hog heaven thing, I think it would give us some great options for rides from there for 2 days and also if some one wants to come in early fri. As far as security of having the scoot in doors I don't think that would be a problem there.
The other choice of two wheel in robinsville that would be great also. the daily rides from there are just as good.

I like also what luthorhuss has suggested as well with the gatherins in the am for coffee, lunch at place X then final meet up back at somewhere for diner prior to going to the base camp.
As far as moving from 1 place to another I would be ok with that but not my favorite option.

Luthorhuss this is why we put you in charge.

Hog Heaven has a few cabins so asuming this is the base camp, as we zero in on a date those not wanting to camp need to book the rooms. There are also according to Google search 3 hotels in town:

The Hotel 503 Veterans Memorial Parkway
Tellico Plains, TN 37385 423-253-2644

The Lodge At Tellico 9436 Hwy 68
Tellico Plains, TN 37385 423-253-2506
Fireplace, Whirlpool/Hot Tub, Room Service, Restaurant, Cable/Satellite, Internet, Meeting Facilities, Breakfast, Pets Allowed. www.lodgeattellico.com

The Sunflower Inn 507 Veterans Memorial Parkway
Tellico Plains, TN 37385 423-253-2623 Pets Allowed, Cable/satellite.

All sounds fabulous to me . Wherever, whenever. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge sort of suck your will to live with traffic, but they have the advantage of many dining/lodging options. I don't know exactly how long it takes, but it didn't seem like long on the Foothills over to Pigeon Forge last time we were up that way. You know me, good friends, good food, and a nice long ride and I'm a happy camper.

There's a back way available through Cades Cove that you can miss Gatlinburg altogether (mostly true anyway ) There's nice campgrounds all across there especially near Cosby in the state park - also cabins are cheaper near Cosby as the folks want the convenience of Gatlinburg.

That was weird - got a server error then it posted three times...

Last edited by BubbaJon on Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:42 pm; edited 1 time in total