First of all, I doubt any of us will be slipping off solo like VFR Phil did years ago. Never go into the woods alone.
We have a standalone GPS for the Spyder plus a smartphone GPS. The standalone will get a map update the day before we leave.
We are also taking a week off. Two days down, two back, plus the 3 day drive, and maybe an extra day to visit Michelle's grandaughter in NC.
Carlos, I'm with Stan. BRING IT!
Hi Marty,
Last year we all left together on the runs and the faster cars went ahead and the slower group went along on their own pace.
I was in the slower group and whenever there was a turnoff or we changed directions, the lead group waited for us.
I was never worried about getting lost and never felt left behind.
That’s because we like you, Tom. Marty is on his own. 
We ain't goin' nowheres near Aintry, is we?
im hearing banjos in the distance...
Bob: IM S6 posted:We ain't goin' nowheres near Aintry, is we?
Somehow the pic I've conjured up of you speaking like that has me laughing out loud!
Hey! Just for my own edification, was
9/27 - TOD
9/28 - Parkway
9/29 - The Rattler
The final order or is that still in flux? I am only asking because we are going to try to make it down in time for the 9/27 ride. 😁
I suddenly have this recollection of one of our trips from South Carolina to the relative normalcy of Massachusetts, and leaving the West Virginia motel at 6am to get fuel for the tow-pickup for the rest of the day's trip. Kathy and the dogs are back at the motel, waiting for me to return to get back on the final day of our trip of hauling Pearl between her two homes.
I'm sitting at the service station just up the street from the motel and fueling my truck, slight chill with fog in the air and a whiff of sulfur from the local coal mines. The car hauler behind with "Pearl" sitting on top and the truck almost topped off, when this Pickup truck, West Virginia plates, slightly battered, fluttering exhaust note from a worn-out muffler, with a nice patina of surface rust and two women inside who, between the two of them maybe have a total of 9 teeth and a slightly disheveled look like they've been up and busy all night.
They enter the gas station from the road and circle the pump island, slowly, checking out this strange truck, trailer and sports car sitting there in the mist. As their pickup rumbles past, the passenger leans way out of her window and yells, "Hey! Ah really luv yo cahr.....!"
And I replied, "Hey! Thank YU Honey!"
I mean, what else you gonna say to two young, West Virginia beauties like that??
Got fueled up in record time and bugged out back to the motel, loaded the dogs and wife and got the hell outa there!
I can lead the Parkway/Deliverance run on the 28th or the 29th. I'm usually off those days.
If the planets align, I might even be able to join you guys for the Rattler. I've never been over that way.
I’m sure of the TOD on the 27th, but not certain of the order of the other two, not that it matters a whole lot. I THINK the Rattler (that y’all missed last year) is on the 29th, but I’m too lazy to check since I’m on my phone at the moment. I’ll get back to you.
Gordon Nichols posted:I suddenly have this recollection of...and two women inside who, between the two of them maybe have a total of 9 teeth and a slightly disheveled look like they've been up and busy all night.
They enter the gas station from the road and circle the pump island, slowly, checking out this strange truck, trailer and sports car sitting there in the mist. As their pickup rumbles past, the passenger leans way out of her window and yells, "Hey! Ah really luv yo cahr.....!"
And I replied, "Hey! Thank YU Honey!"
I mean, what else you gonna say to two young, West Virginia beauties like that??
Got fueled up in record time and bugged out back to the motel, loaded the dogs and wife and got the hell outa there!
You realize that with a fancy car like that on the trailer and a nice pickup they were checking you out as possible breeding material, gordon- you're lucky you're short or you would have never been seen again.
LOL 
Come on, Al. Short people make good breeders. You should know that...
I knew this thread was going downhill when Danny P started talking about SLOW PEOPLE!
So where do we go to order SMO T-Shirts? Here's one with a map for those without GPS!
There's this budget minded one too!
https://www.cafepress.com/mf/6...?productId=620406130
Bob: IM S6 posted:LOL
Come on, Al. Short people make good breeders. You should know that...
I know that, and you know that. Fortunately for Gordon, those 2 backwoods beauties didn't know that...
Stop it Gordon, my orange juice is coming out through my nose again!
I saw that on Main Street in Hyannis, on Cape Cod, a few years back and thought the photo would come in handy - over and over again.....
Just met a local Beck owner, Steve Edgington, who I invited to the Tour. He says they will be there.
Ok guys, the weather this summer has been anything but normal up there, with torrential rains almost daily. Y'all need to start working on your "no rain" dances. This means you, @Hoss.
I’ve had Maggie Valley weather on my phone since last year‘s tour. I’ve been waiting all summer for the persistent rain pattern to break (as persistent weather patterns always eventually do).
I’ve got no idea what’s actually occurring on the ground, but my phone reports rain (or thunderstorms) every day. That’s not an exaggeration, that’s the forecast for every single day since May. There are two days in the next 10 with no forcasted rain.
That’s a lot of rain.
Your right Stan, every damn day. Actually, this weekend, looks nice.
Transylvania county is at about 30" of rain above normal so far. We normally get about 66" per year. We're past that point now. Just West of us in Highlands, they've got 77" so far. This might be a record breaking year. They're saying we might hit 100" by the end of the year.
It ain't no fun driving a light topless car in a torrential rain. That's the way we've been getting it too. No light drizzle here.
Mmmm, I think I see a new kayak in my near future...…………...
But Stan, like you said, the weather pattern will eventually break. The heavy duty heat/thunderstorm cycle is about done up here. We're over a month out from SMO. Don't worry folks......
The end of September is usually primo weather for the entire east coast.
key word: "usually" You pays your money, you takes your chances.
This will be my 6th time to the Smokies during the last week of Sept. Only one really rainy day that I can remember. The mountains are always unpredictable but I've always had a lot of luck that time of the year.
Keep on hitting us with those positive waves, Danny.
Hey, with Phil, Ron, you, and me, we'll have 4 Spyders and all current manufacturers on hand. Nice!
Agree. Pretty cool.
1. Vintage Motorcar suby, mine
2. Vintage Motorcar type 1, Danny
3. Seduction type 1, Carlos
4. Beck suby, Ron
If anyone wanted to get a good look at spyders from different manufacturers with different power plants this is the place.
Just to increase the positive vibe a bit, if you looked at weather for Charleston since May you’d see at least 20% every day, which is normal here in the summer. What isn’t normal is how often that 20% turned into torrential rain.
Yeah, but the raininess usually tapers off in September to really nice weather for the rest of the year, doesn’t it? Or did it just change because we arrived down there?
Just got back from a few days up in New Hampsire “lake country” and then the Maine coast. We were coming south from North Conway where we watched the start of the Mount Washington bicycle hillclimb (No, there is no way in Hell that I am gonna do that race...) and headed to Tamworth, NH, to see a Summer Stock play and got on NH RT 113 headed west. It’s not the TOD, for sure, but is a roller coaster ride for mile after mile at 50 - 60MPH and for the hour we spent on it, NO COPS! We were in my Rogue but it was one helluva lotta fun! In fact, it was SO good (and we were a bit early for the show) that we went about 20 minutes past the playhouse and then came back!
At the B&B that night, a few Bikers arrived, the kind who are professional people who ride Harleys, and I asked where they were from to find that they lived in Rutland, VT, and wanted to take the slow way home so I told them about RT 113 west.
I really hope they took it. I would love to get Pearl up there to do a BIG loop round northern New England. 2 days, 4 states, Infinite smiles.........
You're right, Gordon, in that the rain tapers off in September. October is usually one of the driest months of the year down here and in the mountains as well. That's what I'm banking on. Rain or shine, I will be there, although in a somewhat more weather proof car than a Speedster.
Oh yeah...
Jack Crosby has floated the idea of making a dinner trek into Asheville to see some live music since folks have mentioned the subject, albeit more focused on 'round the campfire, I think. He found a place about 35 miles from the hotel. I'll let him provide details, but it's up to y'all. Some folks can go, some can hang by the fire, it's all good to me.
So how wet has it been Here in New Bern,NC?
Looks like you need a bigger bird feeder.
weather only a duck would enjoy.
My drive is 8.5 hrs - I65 to I85 thru Atlanta. Wife won't sit in cramped MX-5 for that long so dictates an overnight. 6 hrs puts me just around Atlanta. Looked at stopping at Calloway Gardens but it leaves another 4.5 hrs the next day. Helen GA (a pseudo-Bavarian Village in mountains of GA ) is about 2.5 hrs from Maggy Valley plus Octoberfest starts 14 Sep. There are also a few Dahlonega wineries en route - anyone familiar with any of them that could make a recommendation on which one and a B&B near it? Or another stopover idea (we have been to Stone Mountain but could visit it again).
We were going to do Biltmore and dinner/lunch at Sierra Nevada Brewery on Thursday since she won't do another all day drive the first day. I'd be up for dinner with Jack - and am flexible.
Ron and Maddie know Helen, GA pretty well. We're actually talking about that area for the 2019 Tour de Smo'.
@Lane Anderson, how about posting an updated attendee list?
To the best of my knowledge we have:
) (NC)Please chime in here if you're coming and I left you out, or if I mistakenly included you.
Hey! It looks like Illinois is the winner of the "Most Attendees" award.
@Lane Anderson, you don't have me and JianPing on the list.
Whoops! Corrected.
