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2013 Dragon Run (early summer) (Read 3578 times)
Oldfeller--FSO
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2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
01/02/13 at 05:50:18
 

OK, we got a September run to go visit WD and we got some people wanting to go visit the Dragon in the earlier summer months so as to not conflict with the WD trip.  

This gives something for everybody for this year, you pick which party you want to go to (or go for both, as some will undoubtedly do)

Ring in and declare if you can go on each of the trips so people know what to plan for.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #1 - 01/02/13 at 05:50:41
 
Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 01/01/13 at 14:33:04:

So, when do you want to go visit the Dragon again?  I'm up to split a room with you and Dave might want to come to make it a threesome (1 small room full up).

Here is your weather tool for the area so you can pick you a time with some good weather.   Last week of June gets too too durn hot lately with global warming and all (causes rear tire damage to the bikes it does).  

If you aimed your Dragon run on the early side of hot, it wouldn't interfere with the WD run in September -- and some of us might well do both (lacking all forms of good sense and all)


Smiley


http://www.usa.com/28716-nc-weather.htm



Next, what'cha got for a bike now-a-days?   Have you bought it yet?





I'm free just about any time. I am unemployable. Investigation after strokes revealed connections with medical problems mishandled while I was in the service. I'm 100% permanent. Military disability benefits have me taken care of. I get my kids every other weekend, 1/2 the summer and doctor appts about twice a month. Other than that I'm pretty much free.  My wife is awesome and tries to find ways to get me out of the house and doing stuff with others.

As for my new wheels its an '04 Kawasaki Mean Streak 1600.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #2 - 01/02/13 at 06:09:40
 
I'd like to make another dragon trip but can't confirm until dates are set. Should be able to go just about any time but not if it conflicts with coworker vacation. So keep this thread updated. Not sure which bike I'll bring. I'd like to bring the C50 this time (prolly won't keep up with the savages) but we'll see.

AL
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #3 - 01/02/13 at 06:42:27
 

Ok,  best temperatures around Deal's Gap start in late May and get too hot in late June.   So we are tentatively aiming around the first of June for a time frame.  

Deal's Gap Dragon Hotel gets restrictive about weekends (you have to pre-pay for the entire weekend with no leeway at all on early departure) so if we stay at the Dragon let's try to get us a shorter trip planned such that we will all be there all of the days.

Another thing that has worked is staying at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle place with the little 2 man cabins.  

Cost is equivalent (if the room is full) with the Dragon being slightly better accommodations and, after all, it is the Dragon.   Blue Ridge is nice enough, it has a nice lounge area but you have to walk to the bathroom at night.   We've done good trips out of both locations.

Another thing we have done in the past with 2-3 people groups was to split a hotel room near some attraction.  When we went to Wheels through Time harley museum we stayed at the Maggie Valley MicroTel Inn with a 24 hour heated pool and a hot tub and a free breakfast for what the Dragon 3 man room would cost us.  

We have also stayed in Gatlingburg NC in a $29 a night HotWire.com room (Hotwire can generally always get you into Gatlingburg for $29 a night as surplus rooms are always around in Gatlingburg).   This puts you close to Pidgeon Forge and all the Bass Pro Shops and Rocky Mountain Knifeworks and the other super outlet type stores.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #4 - 01/02/13 at 07:05:19
 

With a Mean Streak and a C50 in the group we won't be going Black Lining or doing really hard riding, so you guys pick some things to want to go visit and we can see what sort of trip we can put together that connects all those dots.

One of the bad things about going anywhere from the Dragon is that it is an all day affair just to get someplace and then get back again.

Based from the Blue Ridge Cabins, everything touristy you try to go to is much closer, that gives you more linger time and a less hurried pace to the trip.   The Blue Ridge Cabins are user friendly in that they will let you deramp your bike, park your car and trailer, then go off somewhere else for a day or so and wind up back there for a night before you pack up and leave.


======================


Pace on these trips matters, and I think this will be a slower paced trip.

I'll give you an example of slower pace -- last trip Lancer and I got separated from the main group when we went back to locate Serenity when the group got separated.  

Once we got that straightened out, we leisurely stopped and ate a very nice lunch at a really cute little cafe place, we leisurely rode back to the Dragon Lodge and then we worked on our bikes all afternoon.   Serenity did a rubber plug job on his head and Lancer and I rejetted my bike and we drank some beer while we did that and we relaxed.   Lancer even got in a short nap.  

Leisurely ain't bad, we are all getting too old to play speed racer all the time.

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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #5 - 01/02/13 at 08:30:18
 
I look good from May thru the first half of June.  (heck, i look good all the time but that's a different story  Grin).  

The weekend before Memorial Day weekend may be too early for some but I've found that to be a great travel weekend.  Most places have everything cleaned up and ready for the holiday visitors yet the crowds haven't yet arrived.    

Some of us may be able to go anytime while others might need to anchor it with a weekend, such as a 3 or 4 day weekend.  I'm game for going up midweek and then meeting up with other folks that show later.

If I ride up there and back, I may need to bookend the trip with a little recovery time.  What I mean is that after riding 5 1/2 hours to get there I may not be ready for 6+ hours of the Dragon without a little rest.  Nor after riding around the Dragaon for 6+ hours on the final I may not be ready for a 5 1/2 hr ride home.  However the need for said recovery time can be greatly minimized if I trailor my Meanie up there.  Just might need a helping hand to get it off and back on.  
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #6 - 01/02/13 at 09:19:36
 
I would really like to get in on a Dragon trip but I might be limited to say a Friday night drive up and then ride Saturday and part of Sunday and have to leave Sunday afternoon.  I'll prob end up having to trailer up there and back and might possibly be able to bring a buddy on a vs700 if that's cool with all (course that all depends on if we have it on the road). Just keep us updated and I'll be able to let you know if we can lock down a date.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #7 - 01/02/13 at 17:02:14
 

Ok, sounds like Diamond wants to show up around Wednesday and Newriver wants to show up on Friday.

A scattershot arrival like that means we need to stay at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Cabins as that minimizes the $$ bite for the early and the late people -- and BR doesn't suddenly inform you of penalty charges, etc that you owe them like the Dragon folks do whenever you get all raggedy at the ends of things like we always do.  Just never commit UP FRONT to the room beyond when it will be known to be full -- they will always let you stay an extra day as they are never full up.

Plus, we have done this trick in the past -- you book cabins by the pairs of people, and when you get a leftover 3rd person he can sleep on an air mattress on the floor rather than spring $45 for his own separate cabin.  Just be careful not say anything about it and remember not to step on him when heading out to the bathroom in the middle of the night.





general info at http://www.blueridgemotorcyclecamp.com/#

They do serve meals at Blue Ridge but ask that you tick a list on the kitchen door in advance so they can plan the meal better.   10 minutes north is Bethel which has a 7-11 and a good sized cafe which is a good place to eat.  7 minutes south is Big East Fork which has a gas station, so no matter which way you go you can get gas and a drink inside of 10 miles.  There are vending machines in the lounge area for your late night perusal.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #8 - 01/02/13 at 18:58:01
 
How far is that from the Dragon? an hour and a half of thrilling approach roads on Fontana Dam Road, etc. You spend an hour trill riding to get to the big thrill  And the sooner we can nail down a date the better for me so I can get it in to work (I work for a small company...by small I mean it's me and one other guy working for the company).  Also I have to try to plan around my drill weekend for the month but I usually find out about that about two months out...can see what I can find out in the tentative months.

The rest of us are flexible -- you tell us the weekend you are going to show up.  Your choices are June 1st weekend, June 8th weekend.   Memorial day is over on May 27th, so the place should be free.  Get up with your people and you tell us when you can finagle the weekend off.
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« Last Edit: 01/03/13 at 09:54:41 by Oldfeller--FSO »  

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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #9 - 01/03/13 at 04:56:56
 
I am already missing not making this ride and it hasn't even happened yet !    Huh
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #10 - 01/03/13 at 10:25:19
 

Yup Lancer, in respect for the old bodies we won't go blazing all over the place all the time, but I suspect NewRiverJunkie might want to play go fast a little bit on a rare occasion or two.   He's young at heart.

Fontana Road will warm him up pretty good, I think.   Diamond and Al will be riding bigger bikes, so they will play Toymaker for us.

I think we will start out in the morning after breakfast, Dragon until noonish and then sit down at the BBQ sandwich place for lunch, then mebbe do a Cherohola Skyway or some other loop to get back home.

I'll jest have to take them on the Road to Nowhere, all the way to the Glenn of the End as everybody needs that experience.

Do you remember the name of the little road that goes up the mountain through all them little switchbacks then turns into dirt at the crest?  I have forgotten the road's map name .....  If Dave comes, we might go do that on Savages as the bigger bikes need not apply for that one.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #11 - 01/03/13 at 16:00:13
 
Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 01/03/13 at 10:25:19:

Yup Lancer, in respect for the old bodies we won't go blazing all over the place all the time, but I suspect NewRiverJunkie might want to play go fast a little bit on a rare occasion or two.   He's young at heart.

Fontana Road will warm him up pretty good, I think.   Diamond and Al will be riding bigger bikes, so they will play Toymaker for us.

I think we will start out in the morning after breakfast, Dragon until noonish and then sit down at the BBQ sandwich place for lunch, then mebbe do a Cherohola Skyway or some other loop to get back home.

I'll jest have to take them on the Road to Nowhere, all the way to the Glenn of the End as everybody needs that experience.

Do you remember the name of the little road that goes up the mountain through all them little switchbacks then turns into dirt at the crest?  I have forgotten the road's map name .....  If Dave comes, we might go do that on Savages as the bigger bikes need not apply for that one.



I do not remember the name of the road or even how we got to it now.  It sure was a fun road going up the mountain though.  180 deg turns with many having a turn radius of 3-5' made it a wee bit challenging.   Grin
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #12 - 01/03/13 at 17:06:36
 
Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 01/03/13 at 10:25:19:

Yup Lancer, in respect for the old bodies we won't go blazing all over the place all the time, but I suspect NewRiverJunkie might want to play go fast a little bit on a rare occasion or two.   He's young at heart.


I do like to twist the throttle a little hard on occasion...but also enjoy leisurely rides.  I'm starting to get geeked about this trip.  Already cleared it with the wife so I'm good on that front. Like I told OF I should be able to have an idea of when I can slip away after this weekend so I'll update all as soon as I can.
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #13 - 01/03/13 at 18:03:28
 
Man I'd love to join you guys but between a 40/hour a week job,the chicken farm and a wife......... Sad
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Re: 2013 Dragon Run (early summer)
Reply #14 - 01/03/13 at 18:37:33
 
I am probably in for a Thursday through Saturday kind of thing....more specifically arrive late Wednesday and leave early Sunday.

Accomodations are flexible for me - I can bring a cot and sleep in my trailer if there is no room at the inn!  Just a bath and shower are needed.
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