New Just for Fun Event – Middlesboro Kentucky – October 9th -11th.

[boatanchor]

Wouldn’t it be great if you could combine some of the great riding areas from two different STAR events and be able to enjoy them at a weekend Just for Fun Event? Well this October you can do just that! There will be a new Just for Fun Event in Middlesboro, Kentucky on the weekend of October 9th – 11th. The host hotel will be the Holiday Inn Express in Middlesboro, Kentucky (Phone number 606 248-6860). There are 15 double bed rooms that are available for the price of $93.00 plus taxes. These rooms will be held until September 9th at which time they will be released back to the public. If those rooms fill up with MSTA members before that time, there are also 15 more rooms with King bed rooms that are available on a first come first serve basis, but are not being held at this time. The hotel has a complimentary breakfast available and there are restaurants with walking distance if you so desire.
So now to the important thing, what about the riding in the area? Middlesboro sits at the corners where Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee come together in an area known as the Cumberland Gap. Well, if any of you remember STAR 2011 in Johnson City TN and did any of the rides up to the Northwest, you probably rode some of the good local roads that are near Middlesboro.  For STAR 2013 in Lexington KY, if you rode to the Southeast you probably were on some more of the roads that are near the Middlesboro area. 
For places to visit and an all-day ride, you can head to Breaks Interstate Park that was the lunch ride destination for STAR 2011. The Cumberland Gap Park is located right next to Middlesboro and is interesting to tour. The small town of Rugby is a good lunch ride destination and the Area of Big South Fork is worth a ride thru. State route’s 31, 66 and 70 in Tennessee will provide you with plenty of curves.  For those that would like to leave paved surfaces occasionally there is Daniel Boone National Forest fairly close by and some coal mining roads that will help wet your appetite for a little Adventure. The normal weather that time of year is mid-forties in the morning with highs around 70 or so and the leaf colors should be near their prime that time of year.
What more could you ask for with a Just for Fun Event—well one thing….after ride adult beverages. If you desire anything like that after a day of riding you are out of luck  J. Middlesboro is in the middle of a totally dry county, so leave a little room in your saddle bag for a after ride adult beverage, or sneak across the county line like a ‘moonshining bootlegger’ and pick up your beverage for after the ride.
I hope to see as many MSTA riders as possible there. If you have any questions please feel free to contact myself or Pat Mogavero.
I will post more information on articles that appeared in various motorcycle magazines regarding the riding in the area in the future.
Thanks,
Rick Giddish
MSTA East Tennessee State Director

[ipnman]

I'll be there with my neighbor(a new member)
Room reserved

[Patmo]

I'll be there as well, hoping to bring some newbies with me.  Will be doing some road scouting (hopefully)in the area next week.

[Tom S]

Thanks for putting this together, Rick.  The thought of October temps. have me feeling cooler already!

[HawkGTRider]

Thanks for putting this together, Rick.  The thought of October temps. have me feeling cooler already!

My better half & I took the last couple of days to visit Nashville for a dance program she wanted to see and to spend a couple of nights at one of Tennessee's state parks. On the way home today, the thermometer on the dash was indicating an outside temperature of 98! Dadgum...that's just about too darned toasty. October IS looking better and better.

[Patmo]

Have been informed by the powers that be that because of its status as a "just for fun" event, we can not supply attendees with "routes".  However, I still did some checking out of roads in the area last week and can report that there is an abundance of really entertaining roads in the area.  The terrain in the area northeast of Middlesboro is extremely rugged.  This has resulted in lots of elevation changes and lots of switchback type curves.  Much of this area is in the Daniel Boone National Forest and is very rural.  Only a few small towns in the area and gas/food is limited to the few larger towns, such as Harlan.  I caution people to be careful because if you go over the edge of some of these roads, and over some of the cliffs, you might never be found.  Long drops into really heavy brush.  Gravel in curves, especially from a driveway going uphill, after a heavy rain, is a real possibility.  But it's not that common and no problem if you are just aware that it can happen.  They just had some really heavy rains and lots of flooding in the area, and a few of the roads where being repaired.  Unless they have more weather like this in September, this should be no problem for us in October.  Traffic?  not much of a problem outside of town. The biggest problems will be "senior" drivers in pickup trucks going slow (bless their hearts), and stone trucks.  There are a few stone quarry's in the area and it is probable that during the course of 1-2 days you are going to be stuck behind one sometime during that period.  Just be patient and you will find a way around them usually pretty quickly.  We plan to have both Kentucky and Tennessee state maps available for attendees.  Some of the Kentucky roads I really liked are 190, 74, 192 west of I-75, 66, 221, 987, but there others that are excellent as well.  Check with me at the rally and I'll be happy to point you in their direction.

[HawkGTRider]

Have been informed by the powers that be that because of its status as a "just for fun" event, we can not supply attendees with "routes". 

It's true that we shouldn't be providing printed route sheets and such, but maybe there are options. Assume a few people are familiar with the area. If one or more of those persons described in advance a route they intend to ride, gave their intended departure time on a particular day, etc., perhaps attendees unfamiliar with the area would choose to ride with that person and could be accommodated. It's just a bunch of friends riding together. It would be sort of like the sign up sheets we used at STAR this year but on a much less formal basis.

If people still have their old routes from previous events, they could be tweaked and recycled. I know one route from STAR 2011 in Johnson City went to Middlesboro. And I'd also be willing to bet that with a little imagination and time, you could tweak some of the Lexington STAR routes to begin and end in Middlesboro.  I have routes on which I'd be willing to let a few friends ride along with me. I rode a 350 mile loop last week in that area on which I actually got a little tired of curves. Who'd have thunk it?

[Patmo]

Joe....I'm sure will be able to accommodate attendees in some way.....

[stevegrab]

I'm sure Pat will help people find the good roads, he's done plenty of that before and knows his stuff.

The last month or so I've done two 5 day rides including some areas I knew nothing about (SW PA) and was able to put routes together just using a motorcycleroads.com, my knowledge and stringing together the good roads with other stuff to make a route. Hopefully no route sheets won't keep people away. I might make it but weather will be the key.