ECFR 2017 Sept 15-17th, Tellico Plains, TN

[ddlewis]

Headquarters for the 2017 ECFR is moving back to Tellico Plains this September.  Not Bryson City.   Make your reservations accordingly.

[Capn Ron]

Headquarters for the 2017 ECFR is moving back to Tellico Plains this September.  Not Bryson City.   Make your reservations accordingly.

This may have been discussed elsewhere...or maybe the info is well known to the regular ECFR attendees, but when is this rally?  

[ddlewis]

Hey Cap.. normally the third full weekend and the week leading up to it.  Sept 16-17 it looks like.

Most will probably stay at same campground you came to last time.  Wayne and Kellys place.. "Cherohala mountain trails" I think.  Hope you can make it.

[racerrad8]

Ron,

The date is on the back of your rally shirt too...

Randy - RPM

[Capn Ron]

Ron,

The date is on the back of your rally shirt too...

Randy - RPM

Oh...good point!

[Capn Ron]

Hey Cap.. normally the third full weekend and the week leading up to it.  Sept 16-17 it looks like.

Most will probably stay at same campground you came to last time.  Wayne and Kellys place.. "Cherohala mountain trails" I think.  Hope you can make it.

Damn...timing is just a bit off.  I'll be running the Dragon the weekend before...and should be in Iowa by the ECFR dates.  Enjoy!

[Bill_Rockoff]

You don't "run" The Dragon on a weekend, you "watch" the Dragon on a weekend. It's a Harley parade. It's a fun scene, but if you want to lean over in corners at all, you will want to stick around until a weekday. (Or, choose from one of the dozen better FJ roads in the area.) And as a bonus, if you stick around a day or two into the next week, you'll start to catch the early FJ attendees.

[rvnmaniac]

You don't "run" The Dragon on a weekend, you "watch" the Dragon on a weekend. It's a Harley parade. It's a fun scene, but if you want to lean over in corners at all, you will want to stick around until a weekday. (Or, choose from one of the dozen better FJ roads in the area.) And as a bonus, if you stick around a day or two into the next week, you'll start to catch the early FJ attendees.

yeah what he said...... I like watching the circus on the weekend but ride the Dragon one day during the week...

[FJ1100mjk]

You don't "run" The Dragon on a weekend, you "watch" the Dragon on a weekend. It's a Harley parade.

Exactly. It's more of a zoo, than it ever has been.

[Capn Ron]

You don't "run" The Dragon on a weekend, you "watch" the Dragon on a weekend. It's a Harley parade. It's a fun scene, but if you want to lean over in corners at all, you will want to stick around until a weekday. (Or, choose from one of the dozen  :sorry:better FJ roads in the area.) And as a bonus, if you stick around a day or two into the next week, you'll start to catch the early FJ attendees.

Yeah, that advice is often offered up at the mention of the Tail.  I've done it on weekends, weekdays, in the rain, sunny days, alone and with "FJ" rallyers and have enjoyed them all.  I'll take what I get on whatever day I'm rolling though.

On additional roads...I've run the tail, Cherohala, Fontana Dam and the length of the BRP.  Any othe "hidden Gems" or favorites you might recommend?

[FJ_Hooligan]

28 from HWY74 down to Franklin, then Wayah Rd and 129 back to Robbinsville

All the roads in the north Georgia mountains.  Look for Suches, Ga on the map and everything around that area and east is great; 60, 180, 19, 348, etc.

[Capn Ron]

28 from HWY74 down to Franklin, then Wayah Rd and 129 back to Robbinsville

All the roads in the north Georgia mountains.  Look for Suches, Ga on the map and everything around that area and east is great; 60, 180, 19, 348, etc.

Thanks...didn't want to steer too far away from the thread topic, but this seems like great local info!

[rlucas]

You don't "run" The Dragon on a weekend, you "watch" the Dragon on a weekend. It's a Harley parade.

Exactly. It's more of a zoo, than it ever has been.

One more vote for this view of the Dragon. Whenever I tell people I'm going to the Blue Ridge, they always ask, "Are you gonna ride the Dragon?" and I tell them, "If you're in the area, go there, see the circus, take some pictures, buy a t-shirt, then leave. There are far better roads in the area, and you don't even have to pick a route...just pick a general direction."

[Bill_Rockoff]

I haven't gotten to ride with him in far too long, but John The Beer Scientist used to say "Avoid any road that has its own t-shirt." Especially on weekends. Then again, maybe he and I were both a little cowed by how quickly his step-dad was able to ride away from us on his Sportster; Ralph would pass slower traffic where neither of us would, probably because *everyone* was "slower traffic" to Ralph but not necessarily to me and John.

I like all the roads around there. I'm a fan of TN 68 south from Tellico Plains, but part of that is that I always associate it with East Coast Fall Rallies. 441 runs parallel to The Dragon to the north, connecting Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC, although on weekends that's likely to be worse than Deal's Gap. Andrew and I took a terrific trip last weekend to Asheville and found 178 north to Rosman and then 215 north toward Asheville to be as pretty as ever going north; we took 64 west to 60 south to get home.

Like Rock says above, it's hard to go wrong in that part of the world, it's all good riding. That's why Andrew settled in Rome GA after college; good motorcycle roads everywhere, and he'll be close enough to Tellico to join us for dinner most nights and then go to work the next day.

[ddlewis]

.. 441 runs parallel to The Dragon to the north, connecting Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC, although on weekends that's likely to be worse than Deal's Gap. ..

It's a trap!  It looks like super curvy mountainy goodness on the map, but don't fall for it.  Far as I can tell it's a never ending 24 x 7 caravan of 25mph campers and RV's in both directions     

maybe if you could catch it at the right time.  Off season, if there is one..  It would be a cool road if not for all the traffic.