MickOpalak
07-13-2009, 01:50 PM
No, its not a race but a multi-day mountain drive. And its not just about enjoying the local scenery but also good food and fun times with good company. I've choosen to do this in the middle of the week, as traffic and police are a lot lighter then. We'll use Fontana Village, NC (Fontana Village Resort)as our base camp because it's in the middle of the best mountain roads in the southeast, has free WiFi, a general store, a bar, a pool, a nice restaurant, a burger joint, a gas station and is pet friendly. Its surrounded by lakes, hiking trails and tons of outdoor activites for spouses or children who don't enjoy the mountain drive experience.
Each participant is responsible for booking their own room at Fontana. I recommend a room in the Lodge but cabins are also available. I've already got my room booked. What are you waiting for???
Here's the schedule:
Monday, August 24 - Check in at Fontana Village with a participants orientation meeting at the lodge bar that evening at 7 PM.
Tuesday, August 25 - Pisgah or Bust! We'll drive east from Fontana Village attacking the Hellbender (Hwy 28) then continue east to Cherokee, NC where we'll pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway and follow it to the Mount Pisgah Inn for lunch. Excellent food and a breathtaking view from the dining room. After lunch we turn around and take the Blue Ridge Parkway back west to Cherokee, but here we head north through the Smoky Moutain National Park. Continuing west we'll take the Foothills Parkway south into Tennesse, then take The Dragon back to Fontana Village for dinner in the lodge. All of this followed by the day's wind down around the pool.
Wednesday, August 26 - The Devil Went Down to Georgia: this will be an intense day of twisties. From Fontana we'll head south toward Robbinsville via Hwy 28, taking Wayah Road across the Nantahala National Forest where we'll head south stopping for lunch at the Waffle House in Blairsville, GA. No trip is complete without a stop at the Waffle House. From here we dive south into Northern Georgia and tackle the most exciting roads Georgia has to offer including 180, Blood Mountain and the Richard Russell Parkway. We'll head for home passing through Franklin, NC and arriving back at Fontana Village via the Hellbender! Again we'll have the post-drive wind down around the pool.
Thursday, August 27 - Journey to the Devil's Triangle / The Carrera Cherohala. Theme Day! Participants who take today's drive dressed in a costume of some sort will be eligible for a prize of great value! The more creative and funny the better. We'll start the day with a group photo at the tallest damn on the East Coast, followed by a run on The Dragon. From there we head northwest to the Devil's Triangle in Tennessee. From there we head south to Tellico Plains where we pick up the Cherohala Skyway back to Robbinsville. Upon returning to Fontana Village we'll have contest night around the pool where prizes of incredible value will be awarded to participants.
Friday, August 28 - Check out and embark for home sunburnt and smiling with a camera full of memories.
Mark your calendars now and go ahead and ask the boss for those days off. Don't forget your sunscreen and camera. Stay tuned here for coming updates.
Each participant is responsible for booking their own room at Fontana. I recommend a room in the Lodge but cabins are also available. I've already got my room booked. What are you waiting for???
Here's the schedule:
Monday, August 24 - Check in at Fontana Village with a participants orientation meeting at the lodge bar that evening at 7 PM.
Tuesday, August 25 - Pisgah or Bust! We'll drive east from Fontana Village attacking the Hellbender (Hwy 28) then continue east to Cherokee, NC where we'll pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway and follow it to the Mount Pisgah Inn for lunch. Excellent food and a breathtaking view from the dining room. After lunch we turn around and take the Blue Ridge Parkway back west to Cherokee, but here we head north through the Smoky Moutain National Park. Continuing west we'll take the Foothills Parkway south into Tennesse, then take The Dragon back to Fontana Village for dinner in the lodge. All of this followed by the day's wind down around the pool.
Wednesday, August 26 - The Devil Went Down to Georgia: this will be an intense day of twisties. From Fontana we'll head south toward Robbinsville via Hwy 28, taking Wayah Road across the Nantahala National Forest where we'll head south stopping for lunch at the Waffle House in Blairsville, GA. No trip is complete without a stop at the Waffle House. From here we dive south into Northern Georgia and tackle the most exciting roads Georgia has to offer including 180, Blood Mountain and the Richard Russell Parkway. We'll head for home passing through Franklin, NC and arriving back at Fontana Village via the Hellbender! Again we'll have the post-drive wind down around the pool.
Thursday, August 27 - Journey to the Devil's Triangle / The Carrera Cherohala. Theme Day! Participants who take today's drive dressed in a costume of some sort will be eligible for a prize of great value! The more creative and funny the better. We'll start the day with a group photo at the tallest damn on the East Coast, followed by a run on The Dragon. From there we head northwest to the Devil's Triangle in Tennessee. From there we head south to Tellico Plains where we pick up the Cherohala Skyway back to Robbinsville. Upon returning to Fontana Village we'll have contest night around the pool where prizes of incredible value will be awarded to participants.
Friday, August 28 - Check out and embark for home sunburnt and smiling with a camera full of memories.
Mark your calendars now and go ahead and ask the boss for those days off. Don't forget your sunscreen and camera. Stay tuned here for coming updates.