| Author | Message | ||
     Pwnzor |
Bourbon good. Me bring bourbon too... maybe some Scotch... | ||
| Etennuly |
Put me in the 'maybe' and 'trying real hard to make it happen' categories. I really want to make it. | ||
| 86129squids |
One bed still open in room 3, good buddy! | ||
| Etennuly |
So when is this shindig?? | ||
| 86129squids |
Ummm- last weekend in March, I've got room 3 for the 31st, 4/1, checking out 4/2. | ||
| Pwnzor |
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| 86129squids |
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| Pwnzor |
4 weeks left...  | ||
| Buellish |
Two Wheels of Suches opens for the season this Saturday! | ||
| Pwnzor |
We got some new blood... Mark Lunsford joining us this time around, will be in cabin #8. | ||
| New12r |
I'm sure I will be up, at least sat, on my other orphaned bike with a car tire on it. | ||
| Buellish |
I always said,Charlie's such a nice guy,taking care of those poor lost orphaned motorcycles the way he does. | ||
| 86129squids |
"car tire"? Dang, Charlie, now you're worrying me... I've SEEN the lean angles you carried last time, dunno if a car tire will allow that! I've heard both sides of the argument for car tires on the rear of a tourer, but I'd still rather have some good, sticky, traditional MC rubber out back. I'm sure you've sorted it out though, buddy. Get ready for some more Benton's dogs around a fire at TWoS... last time I did dogs here at the house, I cut some Famous Dave's "hot" relish with a fair amount of our own homemade hot pepper chowchow. It made everything right and proper!  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Saturday's Agenda. Breakfast at TWoS at 0800. Kickstands up at 0900. Ride to The Dragon  From The Dragon back to Jim's Smokin' BBQ via Cherohala Skyway. Late lunch/dinner at Jim's. Incredibly good BBQ for those who don't already know.  Sunday's Agenda: Breakfast at TWoS 0800 Kickstands up 0900 Ride The Gauntlet:  Back to TWoS by lunch time, and people generally part ways at this point. I've got Monday off, so I plan to linger around until it starts to get dark, and then head for home. | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey Matthew- unless we're REALLY hoofin' it, that's a little ambitious to cover that much ground on Saturday. You've covered BOTH routes I take up/down to Suches in one day! Allow me to suggest a plan B: Check out the GA60/TN68 route north, but run west on TN64 down along the Ocoee river to arrive in Reliance TN, along the gorgeous Hiwassee river. (I don't remember the highway numbers, but know it well- it's a loop from Tellico Plains, through Ducktown, and Reliance.) If we ran straight to Tellico Plains and made lunchtime, Tellico Grains Bakery is the shiznit! THE BEST woodfired pizzas and scratch sammiches. I led a group on this route years ago from TWO. The loop is great in either direction. Also, if we end up doing the Cherohala, a nice little side-leg is the short-ish run up to Bald River Falls. Once we get up there, I know a shortcut to get back on the main road quick... The loop from Robbinsville, through Fontana (the dam's something to see!), then the Gap is a great ride too. By no means am I poo-pooing your suggestions- just being mindful of the time we have. Given that you're the logistics expert, see what your programs say about my ideas. To my mind, a good bit of sitting/bullshitting time should intersperse with saddle time... not to mention feed-bag time!  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Tellico Grains Bakery is the shiznit! It's good. Jim's is better. a good bit of sitting/bullshitting time should intersperse with saddle time... not to mention feed-bag time! Yeah, we get plenty of time to BS back at the lodge. Breakfast is big at TWoS. For my part, I know it will sustain me until dinner. I'm not against eating snacks at fuel stops but I'm really focused on getting a lot of riding done. And Jim's is definitely where I'm eating dinner on Saturday. They aren't open on Sunday. that's a little ambitious to cover that much ground on Saturday. I'm an ambitious guy. I don't get to ride much, so I'm trying to get as much in as possible. Last couple of years we haven't really done much riding at Glitch Badness or Buelltober/Vemberfest. If we leave at 0900, we'll be at Deal's Gap no later than 1130. The Dragon is only 11 miles long, we run it a couple times or maybe just out and back... then hit Cherohala and find our way to Jim's and tear down some smokey beast flesh. From there it's only 20 minutes back to TWoS, and we can watch the daylight fade with our feet up on the porch. The night will still be young, and we can sit around telling stories until we run out of material. I'm completely open to suggestions, but I'm leaning hard in the direction of riding for the better part of the day. | ||
| Etennuly |
I totally agree with Brad. We have done these loops many times. I don't know who picked the time of travel on those maps, but I would suggest that you would have to be in flying mode to get near them. The Dragon is only 11 miles but average sustainable speeds are usually around 20 mph with traffic. It can easily take a half hour one way. I think the times listed are to get to the Dragon. From there a half hour through then about 45 minutes to Tellico. The Cherohala is one of my favorite rides. From Tellico to Suches can be a five hour ride. If you get to Jims too late you won't find much to eat in the area. BTDT! | ||
| 86129squids |
OK then. I get wanting to RIDE, my friend! Take a look at a shortcut through the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest instead of going through Robbinsville- as long as everyone has enough fuel to make Tellico Plains, I've always headed that way. Usually I carry enuf food and fuel to skip through. Heck, I could be the mobile snack bar if need be. Another suggestion: Once we know how many of us are gonna mow down some Jim's BBQ, it would be prudent to call ahead early in the day and tell them to reserve us some. Just in case the ETA is SNAFU'D. I'm not riding my XB9SX anymore, I aint as fast as I used to be. | ||
| 86129squids |
What Vern said. It's deceptive to trust a computer plotted timeline on any of these roads. My first time to TWO was with Vern and Jeremy, HAULING AISS. We did the Gap, then the Cherohala- as we got there we were losing light. Rolling down TN68 we started depending on Jeremy's HID to lead us... I'd never been on such a long, extra twisty ride in the dark. Pitch dark. I remember thinking to myself, "dang, these must be great roads in the daytime..." I was right.  | ||
| 86129squids |
As Graham and I start down Friday, I'm planning to pick up some victuals at Benton's Hams in Madisonville TN. I'll have some killer hotdogs, sausage, et cetera. I could easily figure a plan B for grub, whatever the day/weekend brings. I'll hope to give Mary and the TWoS crew some moolah, but I'm trying to be $$$ cheep. I'm looking SO forward to riding, but not beating the clock anywhere. I'm still a little bit fast, but my BMW makes me sane. | ||
| 86129squids |
There's a lateral shot of a highway off TN68N, eastbound, that will quickly pick back up to 129. Above Ducktown, below Turtletown. The Hiwassee River dam, and some other great roads are a day's ride from home... I've not yet remembered the highway numbers. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'll take a look at some shorter routes later tonight...  | ||
| 86129squids |
Cool beans, buddy! I've been digging the capabilities of those programs, keep us posted on what you come up with. I had an idea last nite about perhaps doing a Friday afternoon/evening potluck dinner... once we get closer to the date and know an accurate-ish headcount, let's think about it again! Whether I cook them or not, I'll have a frozen case of 25 killer hot dogs, some breakfast sausage, and other assorted awesome pig products from Benton's... my corner-carver is also my grocery-getter. OTOH- if anyone happens to find out what Mary and her crew have devised for the 2017 TWoS lodge menus, do tell. I still remember back when GT and Britt ran the kitchen... DANG but they did have some scrumptious eats! | ||
| Etennuly |
Mathew these can be done but best to do Dragon one day then Cherohala another. It is quite deceptive real time wise. Either is no problem for your day trip. Some how when you link the two routes together (other than the additional deceptive distance) everybody looses about four hours of actual travel time vs maps. Be it traffic, gas stops, bathroom breaks, lunch, what ever it is, when you try both on the same day it becomes laborious and lacks the fun you seek. Go ahead and run either one for your plan. If I were to estimate a time frame to run the Dragon from Suches and back I would figure six hours with a couple breaks as needed. The Cherohala I would guess about seven hours + up and back with breaks as needed. Both of these would be at a permagrin fun pace that would have a fast chrome couch grinding foot boards. Go ahead plan one it is well worth the ride! I think Brad can confirm these estimated times. | ||
| Pwnzor |
My neighbor and I rode from Sugar Hill GA to The Dragon and back via Cherohala, in both directions in about 9 hours, which included stopping at Jim's for BBQ. I guess we were just motivated. I'm too tired to plan routes tonight, and this week looks to be exhausting as I am breaking in a new assistant dispatcher. I'm not using any special software, just Google Maps. I don't think the menu has changed at TWoS, but maybe Buellish can tell us if there's anything new. | ||
| Etennuly |
Maybe I am just getting old. Maybe I have cruised these great rides too many times, if that were possible. I have done them nearly nonstop flying the whole way. As I have matured I have found going fast is still great fun, but stopping to take in the grandeur and beauty of these mountains is just as important as knee dragging. Yep, I'm getting old! Dammit! | ||
| Buellish |
The lunch and breakfast menus are pretty much the same,I'll have to ask about the evening menu. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I figure the menus already have a good standard fare. My guess is they switch up dinner entrees every once in a while, to keep it economically viable, while offering some variety. My philosophy: If it's better than prison food, we're doing alright! | ||
| Crusty |
Jim's Smokin' Que is better than prison food. | ||
| Tootal |
I heard Jim's Smokin' Que was sold. I believe my friends in Elijay, Ga. told me that. Anybody confirm? |
