Thanks, Bob. Maybe an offering to the Great Gatorhead would help. I'm fairly sure we'll see some rain, but I hope it's just spotty.
@Panhandle Bob posted:We will try and keep Helene from getting in your way.
Well, that depends on what she looks like.
@Lane Anderson posted:Thanks, Bob. Maybe an offering to the Great Gatorhead would help. I'm fairly sure we'll see some rain, but I hope it's just spotty.
I will go to the altar today and make an offering, say a quart of Brad Penn 20/50.
@Bob: IM S6 posted:Well, that depends on what she looks like.
I've got a feeling she is going to be ugly and have a bad disposition.
What is it with SOC events and rain? And I thought that was just a Carlisle thing...
I'm thinking of moving to the Left Coast - At least they get Hail mixed with their rain.
🌧️
As I said on Dave's thread, I am also about to get rolling, Helene be damned!
I'll see y'all this evening. Bringing some local brews and an espresso machine for the mornings.
How's it going? Been chopping trees to build an ark? Pictures??
We’ll, so far we’ve all become very familiar with the breakfast area in the hotel. As for driving, um, nope.
That said, the camaraderie has been great and a volume of refreshing adult beverages have been consumed.
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so we’ll do the Back of the Dragon, if it’s open.
Did the Presidential Limo arrive? I recall he was having some Engine Check light or something.
@Lane Anderson posted:We’ll, so far we’ve all become very familiar with the breakfast area in the hotel. As for driving, um, nope.
That said, the camaraderie has been great and a volume of refreshing adult beverages have been consumed.
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, so we’ll do the Back of the Dragon, if it’s open.
@Lane Anderson don’t think the roads will be clear with debris even though the road is open? “Back of the Dragon”. Safe drive and enjoy.
... there's always next year.
Gordon: Oh yeah. A little CEL means nothing to President Stan.
We took a nice, fun, relatively mellow run when the sun came out, but as I (and calmotion) predicted, we had to be vewy vewy careful because of road debris and downed trees. We eventually found the way blocked and had to turn around, but it was fun anyway - certainly much better than sitting around the hotel for another afternoon.
Tomorrow we will have to be equally cautious. Still, this is now looking to be something we can remember fondly. Oh, and Mike Warjas is going to post a really good picture of the Honorary VDOT road crew.
If your cars were bigger, someone could have packed a chainsaw, just in case…….
Glad to read that things are improving, Lane!
One of my biker friends, “Model A Dave”, is somewhere in western Tan-A-See on a National Model A event on the Natchez Trail. Haven’t heard how they’re doing, but there’s a lot of flooding near there, too.
Just read in our local newspaper a Tennessee lawman shot and killed a bear scavenging the body of a biker that had go off the Tail of The Dragon and was killed....
Not a good report.no news sounds to me like bad news. But I hope not.
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We'll have to await word from our road warriors, but WP reporting rural mountain towns around Asheville are an epicenter of flooding Saturday morning. That's about 20 miles east of Maggie Valley.
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Texting them now.
OK I CALLED THE HOTEL AND THE GIRL WHO PICKED UP SAYS EVERYONE'S FINE.
Wyethville town hall:
UPDATE 5:20 P.M. — Wythe County says the emergency shelter at Fort Chiswell High School is closed after conditions improved Saturday.
Officials say the New River receded about 9 feet since midnight. Many roads remain impassable.
They shared these reminders for residents:
• Road Damage Reporting: Do not call 911 for road status or to report damage. Instead, contact VDOT at 800-367-7623. To check the status of road conditions and closures, use the VDOT 511 Road Conditions Table at 511virginia.org.
• Water Conservation: Residents are urged to limit water usage. The Wytheville Water Plant and New River Regional Water Authority are currently operating at reduced capacity.
• Emergency Calls: Please use 911 only for emergencies. We are aware of reports of limited phone, internet, and cellular service across the county. Do not contact 911 to inquire about service restoration. Report electrical outages to AEP at appalachianpower.com.
Considerable road closings in the area as well. Looks like the driveway to the Smo hotel is one of the road closings.
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UPDATE: Per Stan Galat: all's well. They went for a "spirited" drive today. Roads much clearer but many trees down. "Great time, this is the first internet we've had. Full report when we get home."
We pulled out of Wytheville about 7:15 EDT, weaving the rig through about 30 Virginia Forestry Service trucks in the Holiday Inn Express parking lot. There was no consistent cell coverage until West Virginia, when we stopped for some coffee and gas. Inside the kill-zone, both had been in and mostly out from Thursday until it didn’t matter anymore.
Wytheville and surrounds were clear and sunny from Friday noon onward, but we’ve driven through steady rain as we head westward today. Looking at the maps, it looks like rain to one degree or another all the way.
The plan is take it all in one big gulp today, hopefully getting in before dark. Right now, we’re in Xenia, OH eating lunch.
Phil did an excellent job laying out some great routes, cut short by forces outside his control. The hotel was nice, and very clean (although it’s odd to see that “facilities surcharges” have made their way down to chain hotels).
I’d like to give a big shoutout to the guys who came, and especially to Michelle, Dianne, and Jeanie for being real troopers in a less than ideal situation.
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Stan, so glad you guys made it out of all that unscathed. Maybe a bit soggy now but headed for higher ground and the warmth of home. I wonder why there was no communication, now we know the cell service was spotty. Safe travels
Glad everyone is safe and sound. Finally heard from my buddy in Asheville. He didn’t float away but he’s without power and water. For who knows how long.
How did you make out up on your mountain??
I left the hotel a little before 8:00 and got home a little before 1:00 with no lunch stop. Tip: Avoid the Arby's reuben. I had one Yesterday at the only stop with power and food, and had indigestion the rest of the day. Despite that, yesterday's drive was epic! Thank you Phil!!
Weather was perfect for driving all the way home today - a little cloudy but dry.
I tried to reach Carlos via text several times over the last few days and just received a reply a few minutes ago: "We survived but it's a monumental $hitshow here!" I'm sure cell service has been sporadic and internet probably nonexistent. My heart goes out to him and his neighbors as the reports I've heard from that area are tragic.
Gotta figure a way to do this and NOT invite a hurricane. Two years in a row now ...
Picture of the front yard of our family's home place 30 mi north of Asheville on Friday. Water between the bushes is over 10 ft deep. No power or Internet, but the home place still uses gravity fed water from a spring up the mountain.
Everyone is fine and my sister who drove up from Tallahassee to avoid the storm (oh boy) finally got the driveway to her house cleared and is headed home today. That whole region is going to be digging out for quite some time.
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I just reached out to Pieter van Rossum. He lives up in the NC mountains in Robinsonville. I'll update y'all if/when I hear back.
Jeanie and I are home just now. We drove through rain from 10 minutes north of the hotel through WV, OH, and half of IN. It’s dry as a bone here, and hasn’t rained since we pulled out in a drizzle last Tuesday afternoon.
Sleep well tonight, Stan.
Home. Lots of commitment from folks coming long distances knowing that their reason (one of the reasons) for coming will be limited. Let’s just say it was memorable. Thanks guys …and girls. In some ways it was kind of badass.
I didn't take a lot of pictures (too busy driving when possible) but I'll post those few I have tomorrow.
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Stan, such trips remind us that, be it ever so humble, there's no place like Morton, Illinois.
I have, at times, been equally grateful to be back in our parched and provincial little corner of paradise.
Relax, put your feet up, pop open a favorite beverage, and savor the moment.
You can peel the blue tape off tomorrow.
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We got home around 7:30 p.m. Traffic and congestion due to rain and scared drivers made it take a bit longer. Throw in some lane closures for good measure.
Goodnight folks.
"Epic" seems to be the word down there in and near the Smokies. One such drive is better than none; happy to hear something happened. However, Can't say that about a flood of epic proportion, where none is better than any at all. Sounds like safe trips home for all of the POR crew who made something out of this . Waiting patiently for pix, and word that Pieter and his folks are all OK.
So, can we assume, since you had a lot of time to commiserate, that you folks arrived at decisions as to the best motor oil, best transmission gearing, best tires, Type 1 vs. Type 4 and the relative merits of diamond tuck vs. pleated seat upholstery?
We await your decisions.
I'm collecting folks' pics from TdS 2024 and will post here when I gat a few more.
@Panhandle Bob posted:So, can we assume, since you had a lot of time to commiserate, that you folks arrived at decisions as to the best motor oil, best transmission gearing, best tires, Type 1 vs. Type 4 and the relative merits of diamond tuck vs. pleated seat upholstery?
We await your decisions.
Best motor oil is the oil INSIDE the crankcase vs. OUTSIDE.
Best gearing is in your working transmission.
Best tires are the ones on your car that are round and not flat on the bottom.
Since 3 type1 cars were there vs. ZERO type4, umm, yeah.
Pleats vs. tucks all sounds very anal retentive, doesn't it?
The roads of Western VA and Eastern WV are EPIC! They were smoother than NC roads by a good amount. The Back of the Dragon is VERY, VERY cool. Sweepers, then a bunch of tight stuff, then more sweepers ,then tight stuff, then some sweepers, then more tight stuff. Then it opens out and you're at the Back of The Dragon pizzeria/souvenir shop.
I will DEFINITELY go back there. BIG thanks to Phil for ride-planning. The hotel in Wytheville(pronounced with-vill) exceeded expectations, that place was run very well. Clean and efficient. We liked the town, there is very good variety available for food. Seven Dogs Brewpub with the live band covering the Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower" was unbelievably great. NICE town for sure.
Who all actually made it and ran the BotD? Having done that with Phil last year, I'll agree w/ Herr Piperato, a great run. Even bought the T-shirt. And yes the pavement where Phil has scouted seems much better than the roads seen in and around the Maggie valley area from years past. In our runs last year, i did not see one axle- breaking pot hole.
Attendees were:
- Stan and Jeannie (IM Speedster on engine #42)
- Danny and Michelle (Vintage Spyder)
- Mike and Dianne (Early IM Speedster)
- Ron Mullis (Porsche 911)
- Route planner extraordinaire, Phil (Fiat 500)
- Wrenn Smith and his buddy Ennis, aka Stimpy (1st gen Audi TT Spyder)
- Me (Das Blaue Biest)
- And some witch (with a 'B') named Helene