Early thoughts for Fall run in the Smokies

Wow..........memories
I had a spread in the Sunday travel section of the NY Times in 1988 on Carl Sandberg's home. And for a photographer, I had forgotten that Sandberg married Edward Steichen's daughter. His prints are all over the house.

These spots are nice, but THE IMPORTANT STUFF is where we eat. A year ago, I made Lane a disciple of "Picnics" on Merrimon Ave. in Asheville.

Now how in the hell did I come up with "Sandburge" instead of "Sandberg"?

Anyway, three years ago I made Tom a disciple of Tea Room in Biltmore Village. Even though I've been going there for years, I !$%#&* cannot remember what to replace with. ACK!!

Ok, it looks like we have the possibility for the largest gathering yet, particularly if the northeast contingent rides the Merklin Ferry down. If y'all are serious, please let me know as soon as you can so we have a rough idea of how many rooms we need to get set aside. I know plans can and will change, but we need a guestimate.

So far we have:
- Me (and maybe Pam)
- John and Sarah Hallstrand
- Leon and Margaret Chupp
- Jack and Alice Crosby (might your son be coming?)
- Nolan and Jan Scott
- Marty and Sandy G. (no, I won't try to spell it ;-)
- Richard Pascale and his wife (whose name escapes me - my apologies)
- Tom Blankenship and son
- Felix Bircher (and ?)
- Aaron White (and Linda?)
- Tom Raymond
And from the northeast (maybe)
- Alan and Kim Merklin
- Danny Piperato?
- Two more for the Alan's trailer?

Heck, it's 8 weeks to Carlisle and I'm gettin' stoked about the fall trip already. Woohoo!

Lane---yes, add Russ and Sean Crosby to the list--the Asheville area will be very attractive to them considering that it is that much closer to their home in Wilson, NC.

Lane - Will have an open right seat. Available if we have any extra passengers.

Hey Lane, no "e" in Blankinship :). You spelled it the normal way. My ancestors were illiterate, so I'm stuck with the odd spelling. I try to catch it early so that it doesn't prolferate. I've hand lots of nice gifts over the years with my name mis-spelled. I'm sure that you have the same problem with "sen" and "son.". Someday, I'm going to give in and change the spelling if my name :)

I'm serious about coming. I'll try to convince Bill Demeter to drive down too.

Tom, most folks get "son" correct, but they stumble all ovefr "Lane" for some reason. It's "Lynn" or "Wayne" or "Lance", but never "Lane". Or worse, they think I'm a girl.

Gents,

My wife and I had a discussion on all the things mentioned. I'll be listing things that I know about along with restaurants, museums, historic sites, real mountain craft stores, apple orchards, waterfalls, etc. Scenic views, food and fuel stops may be the most important. Some of the Speedys only carry 8-10 gallons.

Jack,

The Esmeralda is an old historic inn. The Inn has burned 3 times over the many years. It was a stage coach stop on the way from Asheville to Charlotte. It only has 14 rooms and a 68 seat restaurant. The current structure is about 5 years old and is a replica of the original. Food...near blowing Rock/Boone area is a restaurant that specializes in only wild game...deer, bear, boar, etc.

This site link will let you take a look at the Blue Ridge destinations.
http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/search/flash/attractions/#f=186.

Lane, I checked prices at Groove Park via their reservation/ availability on-line system ~ $215 to $400+, NC inns charge a 8% sales tax and also a heads-in- bed tax. Some increase rates in October.

Thanks, Aaron. It almost sounds like we could book most, if not all, of the Esmerelda, but that's risky for them. Hmmm... How far are they from you?

Oops, missed it the first time - the "Groove Park"? Sounds like a hippy hangout.

Aaron--thanks for the info on Esmeralda Inn. When I was in the Marine Reserves living in Charlotte we used to go to Lake Lure for weekend drills. There was an old place at the curve that had dancing and was very popular and busy the times I was there. Pretty large place. Do you know it and is it still there?

Hey, Jack

The old Lake Lure Dance Pavilion is still here !!! It was next door to the Crystal Palace, a very up scale ice cream parlor and the local brothel. Later became Child's Corner a breakfast and lunch restaurant. Current gone the way of wonderful old 1920's buildings. It was torn down so that a bridge could be built. The State said they had no money to repair the beautiful concrete bridge, but had money to build an ugly new one.

The Pavilion is currently being restored (renovated). Most of the locals would love to see the dancing brought back. Live country bands or around on Friday nights, but it's a drive to Old Fort.

The Esmeralda is 2-3 miles away as the crow flies. They have a new manager. I'll bargain on the room rates, breakfast in mornings, hore- de-orses in the evening. along a with meeting room. The Inn is Chimney Rock...which is DRY. Best to BYOB. The ABC Store is in Lake Lure about 5 minutes away. List of things will be up later to night!

"Lake Lure Dance Pavillion" Yep--that's the place. Back in the day it was a total "Donkey Roast" if you get my drift. I never saw anything like it.

Froze my ass off too in the winter sleeping outside in a sleeping bag. When I think cold, I always remember freezing there. That's a great area in other seasons though and I'm glad we are looking at it.

Sweet! Thanks for the help, Aaron! I'll be giving you a call in the next couple of days.

Lane

Have not been able to speak to the inn's manager. They charge more than I do!!! New web site and rates that vary from $99 to over $200. Not that this is known as "rack rate". The rates looks like a season "raise the price" thing. I've never gotten into such.

I can accommodate 3 couples. I'll be posting an announcement that concerns SOC members in the vendor announce forum.

Just curious, has anyone checked on a group rate at the Biltmore? Better half says she looked and some rooms seemed to reasonable/, I'm just saying...Of course a rowdy bunch like us probably would not be welcomed.

Nolan, "rowdy" was 50 years ago. Believe me, we are NOT rowdy.

I plan to give them a call, Nolan, but when I checked last fall I was told something on the order of $200-250/night when NOT in the peak season. Unfortunately we have the event scheduled in the heart of peak season, so I am not expecting a price that all will feel comfortable with.

Rowdy plus 50 = Dowdy?

I resemble that remark Nolan.......!!!!!

Sigh... Don't most of us resemble it :(

The Esmeralda is OUT! New management quoted me a price of approximately $100/night, but proceed retracted when she found out that the date was 15 October (I told her that when I asked first thing). Standard pricing only...their high season I don't believe in basing rates on the seasons. You know "a bird in hand is better than two in the bush!" The inn according to the web site is now managed by a hotel group! BUMMER! I'll contact the Lake Lure Inn and all take a look at their web site! More later.

Ditto what Nolan said. We want the Biltmore if we can make it affordale for the group.

Lane,
I'm like you, the Pisgha Inn on the parkway would be a better place as we discussed. It has it all...Inn, Restaurant, a and Fuel stop next door. Of course, the date would have to be changed to 6 October. The rooms overlook the mountains and valleys.

The Esmeralda has another drawback..NO BYOB licenses. They have been scrutinize by the ABC.

I'll do some checking on rates and then poll the possible attendees regarding when/where. We may end up with two different hotels depending on folks comfort with the Biltmore, etc.

I vote for one venue for the entire group. We can certainly visit the Biltomre or even stay a couple of days after the event.

I never had a head table at any banquet event I ran either.

I'm, just sayin'

I spent last night at Aaron's B&B in Lake Lure, NC. Boy, he lives in Speedster driving heaven. We went driving in his car all over the mountain roads. He even offered to let me drive and gave me some great driving tips. I highly recommend the experience!

Ok folks, I'm about to start making some phone calls and some info regarding preferences would be helpfull. So far we have the following possible attendees:
- Me (and maybe Pam)
- John and Sarah Hallstrand
- Leon and Margaret Chupp
- Jack and Alice Crosby
- Ron Crosby and ?
- Nolan and Jan Scott
- Marty and Sandy Grzynkowicz
- Richard Pascale and his wife (whose name escapes me - my apologies)
- Tom Blankenship and son
- Felix Bircher (and ?)
- Aaron White (and Linda?)
- Tom Raymond
And from the northeast (maybe)
- Alan and Kim Merklin
- Danny Piperato?
- Cory and Teresa?
- Two more for the Alan's trailer?

So we're looking at 10-15 rooms, although the usual last minute drop outs makes me think I should just shoot for 10. Iif you know one way or the other, please let me know because I will have to use this to get a group rate.

As for location, it sounds like most folks want to be near the Biltmore. I will check hotels in the area, including the one on site, but they are likely to be a little more pricey than those further out. If you have an upper limit that you don't want to exceed, please let me know ASAP. I absolutely DO NOT want anyone cancelling their trip because we picked a hotel that was more than they wanted to spend. As soon as I have some rate info, I will post it.

The Pisgah Inn that Aaron researched looks like a nice idea with two caveats: It's a bit further out, and it is booked up for the weekend of the 15th. Can we move to the weekend before? I know that Richard Pascale and his wife can't make it if we choose the first weekend in October. Unless I hear otherwise, I will shoot for the weekend of the 8th. The Pisgah has the advantages of being on the Parkway, and being reasonably priced.

Once a place and weekend is picked, I will make the group reservations for the Friday and Saturday nights. Those who want a longer stay can set that up separately.

Lane per email

Count Becky and Richard among the attendees.

Copy that, Richard.

Ok, still waiting for a callback from the Biltmore Inn, but I have eliminated the Grand Bohemian just outside the estate due to a $359/night rate. Yeesh! I expect the Grove Park (another callback) to be similar or higher. I have gotten an excellent (for Asheville in October) rate of $179/night at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Farms. This is just a few minutes from the estate in a nice new planned mixed development. It's right off of I-26, so access is easy peasy. Given the convenience factor I am thinking this could be our best bet. I'll make a few more calls, but this one sounds good.

Ok, the Biltmore Inn is $329/night. That's a bit past my threshold of pain, particularly with my inlaws offering free lodging just a few miles away.

I did confirm that we can get a group discount on tour tickets whether or not we stay at the Inn ($40 instead of $60 each), and we can get a photo op in front of the house if we do it before the house opens at 9:00. We would need to coordinate with the Biltmore Folks, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

I put my vote in for staying at the Hilton (see previous post). What say yee?

As for activities, I have a few ideas. One day will include a visit to the Biltmore for those who want that (including me). That could be an all-day event, or just half a day. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds all through that part of Asheville, and we can jump on it for quick rides if we find we have some extra time. Aaron can find us some more challenging - and probably less crowded - roads for those of us who want that sort of fun. We'll certainly want one day focused on a longer drive, perhaps up to Mount Mitchell or Boone. I will arrive or Wednesday or Thursday and visit my inlaws. I will probably also stay with them on Sunday before heading home Monday. That'll mean lots of time in the area for cruising.

I'm with you Lane, you sure your in-laws have enough room for all of us?

Lane, Hilton fine with me. Did you arrange for Paris to be our host?

I'm there, but one of my cars would not look correct w/ your speedies
Should I start www.Iusedtoownaspeedie.com ??

So, did all agree on a confirmed date? If it's on the 15th, count me and my better half in.

Yup, let's do the 15th and 16th. S Teele, introduce yerself. Whatcha drivin'?

Marty: She said she'd come just for you. Not sure what you'll tell Sandy, tho'. I don't think I'd want to make her mad. She IS Italian, after all.

Tom: Either of your toys would look perfect. I drove the Carrera last year, so I would allow you to bring the R8 if (and only if) you let me drive it ;-). Of course the Carrera's top DOES go down.

I'm in for 10/15, if my new SAS CAB is finished. Teele's is in front of mine and SL says he should get both of them done by then.

Just think last year I was hoping to have my done for the Dragon.

I live about 45 mins from the Biltmore, but Beth & I would love to join the group.

So put us in for rooms and I will keep you posted on the build.

It does not look like Sarah and I will be able to attend. Too many irons in the fire this year.

Lane, I won't know until after we see how much we're going to spend on the house. Could go either way.