2020 Tour de Smo' - after all

@LeonChupp posted:

Well  old age has caught up with me......  I'm in the middle of an apparent arthritic flare up with not much in the way of relief except non exertion.....  It comes and goes at random and when its here its no fun.....  Wish I could be there but long haul driving is a B@#%H.... Did a 140mile round trip to Gainesville Ga. and it took a day and a half to recover....  Like I said, NO FUN!!!    So I'll have to sit this one out.....  Best wishes for an enjoyable run through the mountains.....  Sorry to miss it....  

Super bummed about this, Leon. I was hoping to see you, my man.

@Stan Galat posted:

@MikelB--

How about you and Dianne? I'd love to see you again.

Hello Stan, we're working on it and have reservations down the street. The go no go is the hurricane season, we're 60 from the waters edge.

My carbs are craving cool air.

Stan....   If it were at all possible, I would be there for the companionship and good times.....   But the things I'm growing to miss the most are the GEEEEEEE forces you generate on the Rattler and the engine's howl,...

Leon, it really is too bad you can't make it. Lenny and I will miss you, my friend.

Sad to hear about the arthritis, Leon and that you have to miss Maggie Valley.  Hope you can find something that gives you relief and that the flare ups stop.  Take care, old friend.

@MikelB posted:

Hello Stan, we're working on it and have reservations down the street. The go no go is the hurricane season, we're 60 from the waters edge.

My carbs are craving cool air.

What hotel are you booked into, Michael?

@Stan Galat posted:

What hotel are you booked into, Michael?

Smoky Falls Lodge 2550 Soco Road 828-926-7440. It's just down the street, we ate there the first time we went to the mountains with the group. We didn't solicit the other hotel as this was on our list from the last trip.

It's less than a 1/4 mile and on the same side as the Creekside. It will be great to meet you Michael, and you too, Panhandle Bob.

Pete Ortiz, the buyer of my Speedster, is a “maybe.”  If he does make it he’ll be in his 911.

@MikelB posted:

Smoky Falls Lodge 2550 Soco Road 828-926-7440. It's just down the street, we ate there the first time we went to the mountains with the group. We didn't solicit the other hotel as this was on our list from the last trip.

I went to the website-- that's a nice place, and also has the fire pit/ picnic table set-up along the creek. We'll have to set up down there one night!

As far as the hurricanes-- you're gonna' be fine. You were under about 6 ft of water the last time we did this, so you've already done your stint for the decade. Looking forward to seeing you!

I don't know if any of you guys have been to Wheels through Time in Maggie Valley, but it is worth the stop!

@LI-Rick posted:

I don't know if any of you guys have been to Wheels through Time in Maggie Valley, but it is worth the stop!

Been there a couple of times and highly recommend it.  It’s on the same side of the street and no more than a quarter of a mile from the hotel - probably less.

Wheels Through Time opens October 1st! I believe it's been closed this whole summer.

Two weeks from tomorrow, we’ll be pulling out of the People’s Republic. Two weeks from tomorrow, we’ll be pulling in to my happy place. 

It’s not too late to make a reservation, gentlemen. Be there, or be square. 

Do we have a total number of peeps for the Saturday drive? I need to decide on where to have lunch.

I just got back from a back roads errand run. I've been tweaking the carbs and had the filters off, of course, if you mess with the filters you are going to get a clogged jet. Luckily it was 69 degrees and I was in the shade while I did what had to be done to get it happy again. I need to order those jet doctors.

Given the cool weather that is forecast for the southeast for the next 10 days I expect nice temps for this event.

I'm hoping that's the case Lane. We've had a few really nice days in between bouts of torrential rain. We're getting some of Sally tomorrow night and Thursday. Then we have a few gorgeous days. It's always a crap shoot around here.

We are getting hammered by Sally! Not the winds yet, but the rain, as we are on the eastern side. Folks in low lying areas are voluntarily evacuating. The local high school just became a shelter. We just got a flood alert and the numerous ponds where we live are staring to overflow. The bayous are the same, out of their banks and onto the roads in a couple places I was today.

We are fine at our place but the yard has become a bog.

Non stop mostly torrential rains since last night about 8:00 pm, after a day of repeated shower bands coming through.

The winds are starting to pick up now with gusts up to 25 mph Looks like we are going to go to 40 mph sustained.

They are predicting 15" to 20" of rain by the time this is over.

We are making orange/carrot soup and roast beef and provolone sandwiches and settling in for an evening of Netflix as the satellite has become unreliable today.

Stay safe out in Cali! You guys have it tougher than we do.

Stay safe, Bob.

Thanks Lane, we are good. Same back at ya! Looking forward to meeting face to face in a couple weeks. Long time coming.

So as it stands:

@Panhandle Bob    X1  ?

@Stan Galat  X2  Speedster

@DannyP  X1  Spyder

Me   X1  Spyder

@Chris MacDonald  X2  (in the SPYDER and his brother in the COBRA)

@Lane Anderson  X1  BMW

@MikelB  X?   ?

@Jimmy V. X?   ?

Just trying to get a number so I can arrange lunch on Saturday. I have 3 choices depending on number. I'm going to try and get a private room. Hopefully we have reserved parking, at least for the toy cars.

You guys keep sending all of these storms up to New England!

And if that wasn't bad enough, the Californians are sending all of their smoke this way, too!  Look at the weather RADAR and you see nothing.  Look outside here, and the sky is clouded over gray/white from all of the wildfire smoke from the west coast.

 It looks like this, at 11am with zero clouds on the Radar and low humidity:

That ain't blue sky!

Not affecting my allergies, yet, but the weather people are cautioning us to stay inside if we have asthma or seasonal allergies.  Still, this is one helluva lot better than what you all have in California!  Stay safe out there.  Stay safe on the Gulf Coast.  We all want you guys to continue to be regular posters on here.

At this moment it is both me and my bride. Assuming her back doesn't flare she will along. I'm coming either way.

Also, I think Greg Seitz and his bride are in as well.

@Gordon Nichols posted:

You guys keep sending all of these storms up to New England!

And if that wasn't bad enough, the Californians are sending all of their smoke this way, too!  Look at the weather RADAR and you see nothing.  Look outside here, and the sky is clouded over gray/white from all of the wildfire smoke from the west coast.

 It looks like this, at 11am with zero clouds on the Radar and low humidity:

That ain't blue sky!

Not affecting my allergies, yet, but the weather people are cautioning us to stay inside if we have asthma or seasonal allergies.  Still, this is one helluva lot better than what you all have in California!  Stay safe out there.  Stay safe on the Gulf Coast.  We all want you guys to continue to be regular posters on here.

Thank your lucky stars Gordon, if I go outside for more than 10 minutes I start coughing, due to my asthma. I can barely walk the dog. We had 3 fires start within 50 miles of me on Sunday. 

Really sucks because I'm burning up the beautiful fall driving days. (Pardon the pun) 

@Carlos G posted:

So as it stands:

@Panhandle Bob    X1  ?

@Stan Galat  X2  Speedster

@DannyP  X1  Spyder

Me   X1  Spyder

@Chris MacDonald  X2  (in the SPYDER and his brother in the COBRA)

@Lane Anderson  X1  BMW

@MikelB  X?   ?

@Jimmy V. X?   ?

Just trying to get a number so I can arrange lunch on Saturday. I have 3 choices depending on number. I'm going to try and get a private room. Hopefully we have reserved parking, at least for the toy cars.

Brother isn't coming. I am rolling solo. 

Carlos, Chris's brother is not coming. However, LennyC is coming with me. Same difference for seating. 

Thanks, man. 

Two weeks and counting!

Sorry to hear that, Chris.  A Cobra, and another “McDonald” would have been fun.

Carlos - Marty and Sandy Gryzcmnskdhjuffbccxz May be joining us,  MikelB will have Dianne with him, weather permitting, and I don’t think Jimmy will be making it.

@Carlos G

My wife and I are going to have to bail.  Our condo on Santa Rosa Sound (NW  Fl) really got hit by Sally starting last night around 3 am.  Condo is okay but 2/3 of 500' pier is gone.  Laura was just a week or so ago - some pulled their boats off lifts but we got NADA from Laura so this time no one bother to pull their boats!  Land fall for Sally was expect to be 160 miles West but ended up moving to just 15 miles west of us - so we got the East side wind/rain.  2 more storms right behind this one.  I'll post separate topic on this.

BLUF - if any needs a room at Maggie Valley Creekside - I'll be calling to release mine.  It's 2 Queen beds @ $99/night.  I have reservation 1 Oct with check out Sunday 4 Oct (not thru Monday like others).  PM me and when I cancel room - I'll ask to have your name put on it - provide me email/phone in PM.

Bummer Carlos. I was looking forward to meeting you. Good luck with your condo

Sorry to hear that Wolfgang.

Chirs, I don't know what Carlos your talking about, but this Carlos will be there, even If I have to drive my 4runner. I lived in south Floriduh for a bit and dealt with all that storm crap and too many people. I left and never looked back. A herd of wild elephants on crack with their nuts wrapped in barbed wire couldn't drag me back.

Chris, are you about 3/4 through a fifth of whiskey, my friend?

Wolfgang/Greg Seitz can't make it. I'm sorry for your troubles Greg, see you in Carlisle?

I'm hoping Panhandle Bob is still coming.

Carlos, looking forward to this BIG TIME. Lenny is looking forward to meeting you.

@Chris MacDonald posted:

Bummer Carlos. I was looking forward to meeting you. Good luck with your condo

Chris - sure you will miss me too!

Not whiskey but close. Sorry. Read Carlos

I'll be there Danny, unless something more catastrophic happens.

@Panhandle Bob posted:

I'll be there Danny, unless something more catastrophic happens.

Shoot, Danny-- @Panhandle Bob is only on number 1 of the 10 plagues. He's still got frogs, lice, flies, death of livestock, boils, firestorms, locusts, 3 days of darkness, and the passover yet to go.

Ain't no thang.

Stan - you forgot hanging chad!

Now I'm depressed.

@Panhandle Bob posted:

Now I'm depressed.

That, I'd have to see to believe. You are the most relentlessly positive man I've ever met.

As long as the boils you mention refer to shrimp, lobster or crawfish boils, I can handle the rest.

Getting excited for the trip. I hoped to have my wheels blacked out before the drive but I had other fish to fry. 

Currently, the weather is mid-60's and no rain. I'm a little glad the Spyder isn't coming with. I love my heat.