Excellent video in the Tail of the Dragon from Killboy

Norm said:
I think if I had started on the motorcycles at 18 I could ride like that...in 10 years or so. I don't think there's any hope for me now though.

Eric, that's a fantastic photo.
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Now Norm! Never say Never!! We're not putting you out to pasture just yet!! If you want to know the truth, I think I ride better at 47 than I did at 27. I will definitely ride that dragon come hell or high water. I may not finish it in 11 minutes like in the video, but I will get a knee down there!! You can quote me on that one! You coming with me?????
 
FZ1riderNY said:
Now Norm! Never say Never!! We're not putting you out to pasture just yet!! If you want to know the truth, I think I ride better at 47 than I did at 27. I will definitely ride that dragon come hell or high water. I may not finish it in 11 minutes like in the video, but I will get a knee down there!! You can quote me on that one! You coming with me?????
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Let's do it!
 
Norm said:
Let's do it!
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That sounds great! Let me see what week I have this coming year for vacation. Although I have 10 years with the company, I'm still the last man there since then. Once I see what everyone else is doing, I'll have an idea of which week will be good for me. Unfortunately I only get a weeks vacation. I work for a small company (non union) and thats their policy.
 
Norm said:
It would be great to get a bunch of us FZ1'ers down there. I know Eric's always up for a good ride.
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I'm game provided we set it up well in advance so I can arrange for vacation time. I got plenty of time I can take off (over 5 weeks right now).
 
NJFZ1 said:
I was waiting for some type of comment to that post ;) I actually get 6 1/2 weeks of vacation a year, but who's counting :D
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I think it would be easier if you guys decide which weeks are good for you and then I'll get my name down and see whats going on. I'm also for planning this way ahead of time. Maybe others know which are the best times of year to go down and when the weather is generally most comfortable and dry. Really!! Let's do this. It would be a blast!!
 
Some thoughts on a trip to the Dragon:

Robbinsville is the place to stay. Two Wheel Inn is fantastic! You have your own two-bike garage per room.

Use weekends for travel and ride the Dragon on weekdays. A LOT less busy!! We rode it Tues, Wed and Thurs. It was GREAT!

Go before Memorial Day weekend or after Labor Day weekend. Anything between those dates is BUSY! Mid-May is great if you can catch good weather there. Mid Sept is about the same but a lot less pollen! (Allergy HELL there!)

I have several really nice routes for the GPS. There are many great roads to travel there and the Dragon, while great, is not the best IMHO. You have the Snake, the Cherohala Skyway, Indian Foothills Parkway, Rte 28, the Corkscrew, Wahlee (SP?) Road just to name a few!

Hydration pack is almost a necessity. If you do not own one, go buy a good one! If not, at least a tail bag to hold a lot of water in.

Make sure your bike is in top shape. Chain, sprockets, tires, brakes, cables lubed, etc... RMWL!

There is another great place that we can arrange. It's a house with a HUGE garage (the people own several!) and it is built for large groups. If you'd like, I can arrange for about 12 to stay in the one house as there are plenty of places to sleep. The FZ6 guys have done this twice and really liked it.

I am open for the middle of any month but prefer HEAVILY the middle of May or the middle of Sept. I can never go at a time where it involves the 1st through the 7th of the month because of Michele's job. Second or third week of the month is perfect. End of the month could cause us to travel into the 1st so I can't do that.

May 8th through the 16th or May 15th through the 23rd?

Sept 11th through the 19th or 18th through the 24th?
 
NJFZ1 said:
I'm game provided we set it up well in advance so I can arrange for vacation time. I got plenty of time I can take off (over 5 weeks right now).
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Though 5 weeks is great, you IT guys are never free from work, as long as there is an Internet connection nearby.
 
FZ1inNH said:
Some thoughts on a trip to the Dragon:

Robbinsville is the place to stay. Two Wheel Inn is fantastic! You have your own two-bike garage per room.

Use weekends for travel and ride the Dragon on weekdays. A LOT less busy!! We rode it Tues, Wed and Thurs. It was GREAT!

Go before Memorial Day weekend or after Labor Day weekend. Anything between those dates is BUSY! Mid-May is great if you can catch good weather there. Mid Sept is about the same but a lot less pollen! (Allergy HELL there!)

I have several really nice routes for the GPS. There are many great roads to travel there and the Dragon, while great, is not the best IMHO. You have the Snake, the Cherohala Skyway, Indian Foothills Parkway, Rte 28, the Corkscrew, Wahlee (SP?) Road just to name a few!

Hydration pack is almost a necessity. If you do not own one, go buy a good one! If not, at least a tail bag to hold a lot of water in.

Make sure your bike is in top shape. Chain, sprockets, tires, brakes, cables lubed, etc... RMWL!

There is another great place that we can arrange. It's a house with a HUGE garage (the people own several!) and it is built for large groups. If you'd like, I can arrange for about 12 to stay in the one house as there are plenty of places to sleep. The FZ6 guys have done this twice and really liked it.

I am open for the middle of any month but prefer HEAVILY the middle of May or the middle of Sept. I can never go at a time where it involves the 1st through the 7th of the month because of Michele's job. Second or third week of the month is perfect. End of the month could cause us to travel into the 1st so I can't do that.

May 8th through the 16th or May 15th through the 23rd?

Sept 11th through the 19th or 18th through the 24th?
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Thanks for the tips Eric. What about $$$$$? Could you tell me about what it cost you for the week? I'm on a rather tight budget and would like to get an idea of what a week there would set me back. You don't have to include travel expenses. I have an idea of my gas, tolls, and food.
 
BroHay said:
Though 5 weeks is great, you IT guys are never free from work, as long as there is an Internet connection nearby.
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You got that right! However, I have a good group of guys here so when I'm off they can usually handle anything that comes their way...
 
FZ1inNH said:
...
May 8th through the 16th or May 15th through the 23rd?

Sept 11th through the 19th or 18th through the 24th?
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All very good suggestions Eric, especially since you're speaking from experience. I am not sure that I want to ride in a very large group as that becomes a real PITA sometimes. As for times I would strongly prefer September (either week works for me) since the kids are back in school and my allergies wont be bothering me :).
 
NJFZ1 said:
All very good suggestions Eric, especially since you're speaking from experience. I am not sure that I want to ride in a very large group as that becomes a real PITA sometimes. As for times I would strongly prefer September (either week works for me) since the kids are back in school and my allergies wont be bothering me :).
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September sounds good for me as well. My only regret is that my son wouldn't be able to go. I've never been on a vacation without him.

Anyhow, I already spoke to Jamie down at Two Wheel Inn. The rates for next year are as follows:

Weekly Rate:

Single Occupancy w/last night free = 431.76 a week (Tax Included)

Double Occupancy w/last night free = 513.18 a week (Tax Included)

If we book the trip before this Dec. 31rst they will give us this years rates which are cheaper. If not, then the above prices apply.

She will also offer a group discount but we have to let her know what the total amount of people will attend. They only have 18 rooms total in the place and will offer a big discount if we have enough to book the entire place. I'm looking forward to it for sure.
 
This sounds like a great idea. I will be there if i'm not working. We normaly have refueling outages around that time. If the outage is going on then there is no way i can make it but if not I'll be there!!
 
This is the place that I had also mentioned. See the first link for details about the place. The week would cost $1050 and Sept 17th through the 25th is currently available. Thoughts on that week? If we get 10 people, that is $100 for the week each. What the FZ6 folks did was a meal planner and went grocery shopping there. It ended up being another $40 per person for the week to eat breakfast and dinner with lunches out and about. They fit 12 people in the place easily. It has a 30'x50' garage to house the bikes and equipment. This would be cheaper than the Two Wheel Inn for all of us, as much as I love that place.

Tail of the Dragon Vacation Rentals near Cherohala Skyway and Deals Gap

Tail of the Dragon Vacation Rentals near Cherohala Skyway and Deals Gap

They even have a live garage cam! http://dragon129.axiscam.net:9000/view/index.shtml

There is also a hot tub there.... great for after burning up the roads and getting rid of soreness!
 
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FZ1inNH said:
This is the place that I had also mentioned. See the first link for details about the place. The week would cost $1050 and Sept 17th through the 25th is currently available. Thoughts on that week? If we get 10 people, that is $100 for the week each. What the FZ6 folks did was a meal planner and went grocery shopping there. It ended up being another $40 per person for the week to eat breakfast and dinner with lunches out and about. They fit 12 people in the place easily. It has a 30'x50' garage to house the bikes and equipment. This would be cheaper than the Two Wheel Inn for all of us, as much as I love that place.

Tail of the Dragon Vacation Rentals near Cherohala Skyway and Deals Gap

Tail of the Dragon Vacation Rentals near Cherohala Skyway and Deals Gap

They even have a live garage cam! http://dragon129.axiscam.net:9000/view/index.shtml

There is also a hot tub there.... great for after burning up the roads and getting rid of soreness!
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Eric this sounds fantastic! Those dates work for me so you can count me in.
Even if I couldn't go for the whole week I would still throw in my $100 (or more) since it's a bargain.
 
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