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xp
08-27-2004, 09:38 PM
I posted the information for this ride in the Rides/Events forum and in the Ohio X Riders forum. Countrygirl suggested I put it here and in the TN forum.

If anybody is interested, let me know, we can work out the details on how to hook up over Email.


Columbus, Dragon, Cherohala, Blue Ridge Parkway Group Ride

This ride will depart from The Cracker Barrel on Stringtown Road off of I-71 in Grove City, Ohio, on October 22th at 4:30pm. We’ll ride through Kentucky to The Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah, North Carolina where we’ll turn in for the night. Eat dinner before we leave. We’re only stopping for fuel on the way down.

On Saturday at 9:30am we’ll depart for the Tail of the Dragon: 311 mountain curves in 11 miles! We’ll ride The Dragon North, turn around and ride it South back to Highway 143. We’ll ride to The Dragon together, but the group ride will terminate until we meet up at the North end of the run – Tabcat Bridge. Terminating the group ride will allow the fast guys to go fast! Once everybody checks in, we’ll make a U-turn and do it again! At the South end of The Dragon—Highway 143--we’ll meet up again and take a group ride on the Cherohala Skyway Loop.

Highway 143 is the entry point for the Cherohala Skyway Loop which is 115 miles of sweeping turns through elevations up to 5390 feet. The loop terminates on Highway 129 where you’ll have the option of running The Dragon Southbound again, or taking a more relaxed route on Highway 28 back to the Ironhorse Lodge where we’ll meet for dinner. There are no events planned after dinner, so you can socialize with others or go in smaller groups, or on your own to explore the area.

On Sunday, we’ll load up and depart Ironhorse at 8:00am. The destination is Cherokee, North Carolina, where we’ll pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway for an 82 mile/2 hour ride to Asheville North Carolina. We’ll gas up and depart Asheville around 10:30 for the return trip to Columbus (about 7.5 hours).

We will stick to departure times so we can fit in all the riding. All of the other times should be considered flexible, and “padding” has been added to allow for gas-ups, lunch, breaks etc. You should have your bike gassed up and ready for departure on all three days. During the group ride portions we’ll travel about 100 miles between fuel stops. I suggest you keep a copy of the Itinerary on you so if you become separated for whatever reason, you’ll know where the group will be.

If you want to attend the ride, please RSVP to me at vtxrider1@hopke.net by Friday, October 1st so I can call the lodge and make reservations for the group. AFTER I MAKE RESERVATIONS, YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO CALL THE LODGE TO MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT. I WILL ONLY RESERVE A BLOCK OF SPACE, I WILL NOT MAKE DEPOSITS! YOU MUST MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO ARRIVAL. Cabin rooms at the Lodge are $50-$80 per night for double occupancy, so you’ll need to let me know if you’re going to double up so I can put together an accurate room count. You also have the option to rent a tent. Check the Ironhorse website for details on boarding options: http://www.ironhorsenc.com/rates.html

For more information about the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway, check this website out: http://www.tailofthedragon.com/dragon.html

If you have any questions about the ride, Email me at vtxrider1@hopke.net

Most of the riders will be VTX’s, but everybody is welcomed to come!

Looking forward to doing some miles with you guys,

John

Country Girl
08-27-2004, 10:05 PM
Thanks xp! I am trying to sweet talk hubby into making this ride. Hope you have a good turnout for this!

RIde safe!
Cheryl, aka countrygirl

xp
08-27-2004, 10:08 PM
Thanks xp! I am trying to sweet talk hubby into making this ride. Hope you have a good turnout for this!

RIde safe!
Cheryl, aka countrygirl

Man, tough crowd! I wish my wife would just get on my bike, but she won't. I'd be in Heaven if she tried to *convince* me to take a ride like this. You sure he's not playing hard to get?

Another thought, maybe sweet 'talking' isn't the answer :shock: