Action on the Dragon! CAC Oct 13 2006 TotD

[rascal_rascal_99]

This october, some of us southeast types have decided we need a get together for some fun driving and very scenic cruises in one of the greatest parts of the country, anyone able to make it along I'm sure will enjoy the trip, the countryside, and the company of fellow CAC'ers! If you can't make the whole weekend, feel free to catch up and cruise with us for any of it that you can make! This is what we have tried to come up with so far that we feel will fit most peoples schedules the best as possible, although idea's are still welcome and nothing is set in stone just yet.

More info will be updated as things clear up some and more of you have a chance to speak up about things such as places to eat or anywhere some people might like to cruise to in the area.

We do plan to have a T-shirt that will be available for ordering, more to come on this soon.

Dates: October 13th-16th

Friday Oct 13th - Dinner together for those who can get there on this evening.

Saturday Oct 14th - Breakfast, and first run down the Tail of the Dragon, plus cruising along the Charahala Skyway and some other surrounding roads. Lunch and a little more cruising, quite possibly an afternoon TotD run, before having a little late afternoon downtime to relax and end the evening with grilling out hamburgers and hot dogs, or anything else you might want to toss over some flames to cook up and chow down on!

Sunday Oct 15th - Breakfast and then a cruise up through the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest for a slower more relaxed but hopefully very scenic cruise up to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area.

Monday Oct 16th - Breakfast and checking out of the hotel, if the weekend has been too crowded by cruisers, don't be surprised by a farewell run up and down the TotD again for a last bit of fun, depending on how long we run into the day, possibly a final lunch before finally heading home.

Currently we do not have a block of rooms reserved anywhere, I'm not sure if we will have or not, but if you plan on coming, speak up here in the thread so we'll know who's coming! We would like to try to have people stay at Fontana Village (http://www.fontanavillage.com) which will probably fill up fairly quickly, so if you wish to stay there, please reserve your room asap! They have a wide range of choices from Inn rooms, to a number of different size cabins for rent, make sure you read through what's provided for the different cabins if you plan to stay in one as some have more things included in them than others. Obviously if you miss getting a room here, or wish to stay somewhere else, then you can stay anywhere you'd like to find a place and there are a number of other places to stay in Robbinsville. If you need help, holler out and myself or someone else will try to do all we can to help.

IMPORTANT---If you stay at the Fontana Village, when you first check in, ask to sign up for the DragonSlayer Discount! This will give you a 25% discount on Inn room rates, and 15% discount on cabin rates!

Looking forward to seeing anyone who'd like to come, don't forget to bring a smile and your camera!

[MsSchroder]

Charlie,
This will be fun!
Phil and I will be there. We've already been gearing up for it.
I will call Fontana today and make my reservations.

Tammy

[Rain]

alas, my other club (confederation of corvette clubs of Louisiana) will be there the following weekend - Yall have fun and warm it up for us!
Rain

[rascal_rascal_99]

alas, my other club (confederation of corvette clubs of Louisiana) will be there the following weekend - Yall have fun and warm it up for us!
Rain

Now we know some of who has the hotels all booked up for that weekend!! lol We'd considered that weekend, but a couple of places we considered staying at are either completely booked, or atleast near capacity. You sure you don't need to do a scouting trip for your other club? lol

[MsSchroder]

Hey I just noticed this image:
http://www.fontanavillage.com/restaurants.jpg

I'm thinking that I might be able to get a good martini there ;)

[Ripp 76]

I am going to have to really consider this. I have wanted to do this run for awhile now. I might just need to do this. The event is already marked on my calendar and I will keep my eye on this thread. Would really love to run with some of the best Corvette owners around (hope you don't mind a Camaro trying to keep up this time).

[MsSchroder]

Hey Ripp, don't worry, I'm vetteless too.
I'm thinking about trailering some bikes up there.

Come on along! But reserve your room soon, because they will fill up soon, I think.

Tammy

[rascal_rascal_99]

Hey I just noticed this image:
http://www.fontanavillage.com/restaurants.jpg

I'm thinking that I might be able to get a good martini there ;)

Now I see why it was so easy to sell you on the idea of staying at Fontana Village :L

Come on in whatever you have Ripp, I'm sure we'll all have a good time!

[Rain]

Now we know some of who has the hotels all booked up for that weekend!! lol We'd considered that weekend, but a couple of places we considered staying at are either completely booked, or atleast near capacity. You sure you don't need to do a scouting trip for your other club? lol


HAHA - wish I could afford it , but no - no scouting needed.
Been up down and around the Lizard before(couple years ago) and look forward to doing it again.
It's an annual trip for our club - but Katrina knocked out last year's run

[XLR8]

Of course y'all knew that but I figured I'd let the general membership in on the secret. ;) I've already checked, and I'm off that weekend. And I blocked the week before and after for vacation so work wouldn't come into play.

This Dragon Slayer is ready! And my co-pilot is marginally enthusiastic. ;LOL

http://roguewave.us/Corvette/vetwave_C5magred.gif Jane Ann

[Guy]

.......This Dragon Slayer is ready! And my co-pilot is marginally enthusiastic. ;LOL

http://roguewave.us/Corvette/vetwave_C5magred.gif Jane Ann

http://webpages.charter.net/ggwright/dram
;)
Guy

[1995 RedVette]

My wife and I may be intrested....Sounds like a lot of fun

Brett

[MsSchroder]

My wife and I may be intrested....Sounds like a lot of fun

Brett Terrific! :upthumbs

[XLR8]

http://webpages.charter.net/ggwright/dram
;)
Guy

;LOL Nah... she didn't need Dramamine. She was hanging onto the door handle so tight I heard the plastic creaking several times. :L I think it was fear that one of my "other" personalties would surface, take control, and floor it! :lou

Moi? http://bestsmileys.com/bat/1.gif

[MsSchroder]

I reserved my room :m
Sadly, the fireplace rooms are all taken.
They said to get the TOD discount, that you need to fill out a form at the desk when you get there.

Tammy

[rascal_rascal_99]

I reserved my room :m
Sadly, the fireplace rooms are all taken.
They said to get the TOD discount, that you need to fill out a form at the desk when you get there.

Tammy

Yes, this is correct...sorry if I wasn't exactly clear on it? When you check in, you'll just fill out an extra piece of paper (doesnt cost anything unless they change it between now and then, but I'd be shocked if they did...so it's a free sign up) and about once or twice a year, I get an envelope in the mail with a couple of flyers from local attractions, so there's really no downside to signing up...but there's a big upside to it being rooms are cheaper! :)

[c5y2k]

WooHoo! Checkin with the "Boss" now. I'm hopen I get the :upthumbs . I've wanted to do that drive for awhile now, it would be even better with some CAC friends a bunch o vetts.

[c5y2k]

[quote=rascal_rascal_99]

IMPORTANT---If you stay at the Fontana Village, when you first check in, ask to sign up for the DragonSlayer Discount! This will give you a 15% discount on Inn room rates, and 25% discount on cabin rates!

quote]

I just reserved my room and the reservationists Theresa told me the rooms where 25% discount and the cabins where 15%. Not that it makes that much of a difference but...

[rascal_rascal_99]

[quote=rascal_rascal_99]

IMPORTANT---If you stay at the Fontana Village, when you first check in, ask to sign up for the DragonSlayer Discount! This will give you a 15% discount on Inn room rates, and 25% discount on cabin rates!

quote]

I just reserved my room and the reservationists Theresa told me the rooms where 25% discount and the cabins where 15%. Not that it makes that much of a difference but...

I've talked to them twice in the last week or so and one told me the discount was as I put it in, (25% cabin/15% inn) the other one told me it was as you heard (15% cabin/25% inn)...and that's the way I'd thought I remembered it being from what I thought I paid before. I have a feeling that the first girl I talked to...and wrote down the discounts here from, may have been new or for whatever reason was confused on it.

I just recieved an email about this from them and it has it listed as you were told too...so sorry all for the confusion, I edited the first post to change the discount around.

[MCMLVII]

We did the Dragon in May. Stayed for a couple of days.

Stayed at the Blue Boar Inn. A little pricey but not a bad value. Down a dirt road about 3/4 of a mile. A little dusty but not too bad. Also looked over the Snow Bird Lodge, nice views. Stayed at the Tapico Lodge on another

[MCMLVII]

We did the Dragon in May. Stayed for a couple of days.

Stayed at the Blue Boar Inn. A little pricey but not a bad value. Down a dirt road about 3/4 of a mile. A little dusty but not too bad. Also looked over the Snow Bird Lodge, nice views. Stayed at the Tapico Lodge on another

trip. Ok, but the other two would be preferable.

Additional tips,

The county is dry, no beer, no wine, no booze. The Tapico Lodge gets around it by being a club, ( they have a tennis court.) You can buy beer and wine there. The Snow Bird Lodge did the same thing. Nice place to stop for a Cocktail, Sit out on a deck and enjoy a view. Blue Boar Inn -- bring your own.

There are a number of people taking photos on the dragon. One is Killboy.com another is ZeePhoto.com. Both post their photos on line, you can order shots for about $5.00 a shot. Excellent quality. Have blown some up to 20 x 36 with no problem. Make for a great memory. We did the Dragon three times before we found this out.

Cops, saw more in the area than on our trip from and to Michigan. Even had a road block, stoping all vehicles for Id etc. You can still give your car its head occasionally, but be careful.

Get a decal for your driver side window. There are some 1 1/2" square that has a DRAGON and US- 129. Not too flashy, but generated a lot if interest back home.

Have fun you guys.

MCMLVII

Some day I want to introduce the little Black Car to the Dragon.

[XLR8]

Found my photos on killboy.com but looks like zeephoto.com is offline.

http://www.zeephoto.com/

[rascal_rascal_99]

Have fun you guys.

MCMLVII

Some day I want to introduce the little Black Car to the Dragon.

October 13th-16th is "some day(s)"...lol

Thanks for the extra tips, I'd forgot it being a dry county there. I think I'm remembering being able to buy beer and such in Robinsville, but no hard liquor, I'll see what I can dig up on this to let people know for sure about it.

EDIT : They do not sell anything alcoholic at all anywhere close in stores, so plan on bringing along any kind of beer/liquor/other with you.

[c5y2k]

I'm planning on bringing some of my homebrew. I was thinking of only bringing one batch (2 cases) but in light of the dry county issue I might bring 2 batchs. Now where to put the clothes?

[rascal_rascal_99]

I'm planning on bringing some of my homebrew. I was thinking of only bringing one batch (2 cases) but in light of the dry county issue I might bring 2 batchs. Now where to put the clothes?

Clothes I'm sure you can find to buy there! ;LOL

[MsSchroder]

I'm planning on bringing some of my homebrew. I was thinking of only bringing one batch (2 cases) but in light of the dry county issue I might bring 2 batchs. Now where to put the clothes?
Clothes are lower priority than home brew.
I have a number of extra CruiseFest steins. This sounds like just the occasion to hand a few more out ...:beer

[rascal_rascal_99]

I edited the above post...but to try to save any possible confusion I might be capable of causing (my blonditous can be contagious sometimes)...

Stores do not sell anything alcoholic at all anywhere close, so plan on bringing along any kind of beer/liquor/other with you.

[MCMLVII]

Found my photos on killboy.com but looks like zeephoto.com is offline.

http://www.zeephoto.com/

Sorry,

Try zeefoto.com

That seems to be working.

MCMLVII

[XLR8]

Sorry,

Try zeefoto.com

That seems to be working.

MCMLVII

Thanks! I found more pix of my car! :)

:w Jane Ann

[Zippy]

Wow, sounds like FUN!

My wife and I are moving to Mt Juliet, TN within the next few weeks.
Obviously, we'll have a lot to do with re-locating, but we might be able to join everyone, and meet new friends.

Need a little help with where this starts and ends at.

Thanks!

Tony (aka Zippy)

[rascal_rascal_99]

Wow, sounds like FUN!

My wife and I are moving to Mt Juliet, TN within the next few weeks.
Obviously, we'll have a lot to do with re-locating, but we might be able to join everyone, and meet new friends.

Need a little help with where this starts and ends at.

Thanks!

Tony (aka Zippy)

Welcome to TN, hope you enjoy it here!

As for where it starts and ends at...it starts at Fontana Village and ends there too...with a whole lot of twisted curving driving inbetween! lol Not trying to dodge your question really, but other than having the dates set and a general plan of how to try and have fun for the weekend, there's not really an exact set route laid out other than the sunday trip up to Gatlinburg.

[Zippy]

thanks for the info....since I'm from Michigan, I still need help...I have no idea where Fontana village is. Is that the name of a town, shopping area etc?

It would be more helpful to have a city, and state name so I can locate it on a map.

Thanks again,


Zippy :) :)

[XLR8]

Hey Zippy! Welcome to the SE region!

Hope you and the Mrs. can join us on the Dragon. Here are some links you can explore if you would like to do a little reading.

The Tail of the Dragon refers to a section of US 129 which runs along the Great Smokey Mountain National Park between TN and NC. It is a favorite destination for car and motorcycle enthusiasts alike because of its curves and twists. It is not a road to be taken lightly, and many have paid a price for thinking they could conquer it at "speed"! There's no time for sightseeing - you have to keep your eyes on the road and leave the sightseeing for the tamer Cherohala Skyway further south. I'm certainly not an authority, I've only driven it one time. Rascal has driven it many times and I'll include a link to another thread in which he posted some very good advice on driving it.

Here's a map from the Tail of the Dragon website:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/freestuff/map_640.jpg
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/freestuff/map_640.jpg


The official Tail of the Dragon website:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/index.html

This is the Maps page from the Dragon website:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps.html

Fontana Village website - where we've made reservations for our October get-together:
http://www.fontanavillage.com/

This guy sits on the side of the Dragon and takes photos on many days, then posts them on his website. Drivers can locate their photos and order copies from him.
http://www.killboy.com/

CAC Tail of the Dragon Thread:
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81422

And last but not least - MsSchroder's combination thread:
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85780

Hope some of this helps!
:w Jane Ann

[MsSchroder]

Zippy,
Congratulations on your soon to be move to Tennessee.
Driving the Tail of the Dragon would be a great way to get started out there...hope to see you in October :m

Tammy

[Zippy]

Allright!!!!
I appreciate all the helpful replies, and hope to join everyone for this challenging trip! :)

Tony

[Vetteforfun]

I ran the Dragon last year but not in my Vette. I was in a Miata and it was still a blast. I was all excited about this trip until I realized it's the same weekend as the Charlotte race. It's a tradition that I go to the race, so I'll have to miss going to Deals GAP with you folks. But I can tell all of you that haven't been on the TOD, you will have fun. A few rules: Stay on your side of the road. Watch for on coming traffic cutting corners and getting onto your side of the road. And watch for your ass trying to pass your face in some of the turns! As far as cops go, I never saw one on the TOD the entire weekend I was there. Watch for bikes, they're crazy. Have fun!

[MsSchroder]

Zippy, I added you as a "maybe" in the head count thread here (http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85780). Keep us posted when you know for sure.

Tammy

[Zippy]

Allright!

Thanks Tammy:upthumbs

Tony (aka Zippy)

[vett boy]

I'm getting excited,only 47 more days of bed-wetting and i'll be heading south.It's only a 19 hour drive for ''old dog" and I. Steve

[rascal_rascal_99]

I'm getting excited,only 47 more days of bed-wetting and i'll be heading south.It's only a 19 hour drive for ''old dog" and I. Steve


And getting closer every day....barely a month to go now, looking forward to meeting ya'll!

[MsSchroder]

I should have a vette by then :_rock , so now I don't have to worry about being an outcast with a bike or a non-vette car :L
Looking forward to it! I guess since Mr. S is going in with me on the vette, this means he'll want to drive some ;LOL

[gmjunkie]

I should have a vette by then :_rock , so now I don't have to worry about being an outcast with a bike or a non-vette car :L
Looking forward to it! I guess since Mr. S is going in with me on the vette, this means he'll want to drive some ;LOL Well Tammy while your in the neighborhood,Maybe I can Fly by ya in Yavette and blow the silver off to the Yellow Primer!!!! Then you'll be right at home!!!
Congratulations on the New Ride!!:lou :lou

[c5y2k]

Gratz Tammy, I knew you wouldnt be vett-less for long. :D

[MsSchroder]

Well Tammy while your in the neighborhood,Maybe I can Fly by ya in Yavette and blow the silver off to the Yellow Primer!!!! Then you'll be right at home!!!
Congratulations on the New Ride!!:lou :lou
Come on! :upthumbs

[rascal_rascal_99]

Just a friendly reminder, our weekend for fun is just a matter of a few weeks away so it'll be here before long at all...if you're wanting T-shirts, sweatshirts or whatever (sorry vette_boy, but I don't think they offer speedo's)...there isn't much longer to order them if you want to have them for the weekend! If you need help at all with working Zazzle just send me a pm and I'll do what I can to help. Don't forget too, that 10% of shirts sales will be going back to CAC!

(cross posted because I know there's people subscribed to this thread but not the t-shirt thread)

[Zippy]

Zippy, I added you as a "maybe" in the head count thread here (http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85780). Keep us posted when you know for sure.

Tammy

Update 10-6-06: We're in Mt Juliet, and love it! 98% of our stuff is unpacked. Starting to feel like home. Took a drive to Nashville Superspeedway, Grand Old Opreyland hotel (talk about large!), Hunter Long state park, Starwood ampitheatre,.

Not sure yet if I'll make it next weekend. The NCM has their final weekend event of the year the same time....we'll see.

Zippy :) :)

[XLR8]

...Not sure yet if I'll make it next weekend. The NCM has their final weekend event of the year the same time....we'll see.

Zippy :) :)

Zippy,

The folks at the NCM are very disappointed they scheduled an event which conflicts with our plans, thus keeping them from participating with this way totally COOL group. Better not miss your chance! ;)

:w Jane Ann

[Old Dog]

Zippy,

The folks at the NCM are very disappointed they scheduled an event which conflicts with our plans, thus keeping them from participating with this way totally COOL group. Better not miss your chance! ;)

:w Jane Ann
---------------------------------------------------------------
If it comes down to the NCM or this CAC outing, it isn't even close. :(

The NCM will have events all next year, the CAC affair is a once in a
life time opportunity. :D

[Zippy]

Our daughter, and 2nd oldest grand-daughter drove down from MI to spend Sat-Tuesday with us, and we're enjoying having them stay with us. Matter of fact they went to an outdoor concert at Starwood Theatre near us to see Sheryl Crow Sunday evening.

I'm still seriously thinking about the TOD trip!!!
Sounds like a great group of Vette crazies are going....we'll fit right in! :)

Tony :) :)