STAR 2023 / STAR '23

[HawkGTRider]

It was announced last night that STAR 2023 will be held in Knoxville, TN! Dates will be June 10-15, 2023, so put it on your calendar.

For you eagle-eyed folks that notice that's a day longer than typical, yeah, that's right. We've been having so many people show up for STAR on Saturday and even a few on Friday, it's been decided to go ahead and make Saturday an official day of STAR '23. That may not be a permanent change, but it will be this time. The opening ceremonies may also be on Saturday...we'll see.

Knoxville is my home town, and along with the other MSTAers that live in and around the area, we're excited to help make STAR '23 a great success.

[stevegrab]

Knoxville will be a great location, looking forward to it and all the special roads and destinations that get included. Will be nice to get back there again after my recent trip to ride the area following Tri-STAR. Richard and I enjoyed a short visit at Fontana Dam, I've been in that area several times and never made the stop there.

Being a local you are probably familiar with this, the road that goes past Bald River Falls is in need of repairs (bridge replacement), and there have been delays getting it done for the past couple of years. Hopefully it isn't closed during our event, as that is a must see, and an easy stop off the Cherohala Skyway.

[RichGrab]

All I can say is YIPEEEE. Can't wait. Adding to my calendar now.

[HawkGTRider]

Details about the Tuesday lunch ride during STAR are now ready...
Catered by Buddy's B-B-Q from Knoxville, the menu is:
HICKORY-SMOKED PULLED PORK BAR-B-Q
BAR-B-Q SAUCE ON THE SIDE
PULLED CHICKEN
BAKED BEANS
POTATO SALAD
POTATO CHIPS
HAMBURGER BUNS
ICED TEA - SWEET & UNSWEET
LEMONADE
WATER

With both pulled pork and pulled chicken, I'm hoping that most everyone will find something to their liking.

The location is a county park a couple of counties from Knoxville...the Roane County Park just west of Kingston. (The original plan was to go to the Smoky Mtn National Park, but they've instituted a parking fee for anyone stopping for more than 15 minutes...collectively, that would have cost us near or more than $1,000.) It's a nice place right on Watts Bar Lake with a large, relatively flat paved parking lot right next to the pavilion....plenty of space for us. You "could" get there by riding 32 miles with 27 of them being interstate, but that's not what you're expecting. "Backroads Roger" White has put together a lunch route that meanders all the way over to the Cumberland Plateau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Plateau) and back....good stuff. Wikipedia says the Plateau is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Knoxville lies between the Plateau and the main part of the mountain chain.

[STLTHMSTA]

Good Deal, thanks to all in the planning process. TM

[NinjaBob]

Looks like a good choice for the lunch ride spot.

[HawkGTRider]

And just to clarify one thing...there will be pulled pork AND pulled chicken along with the sides and drinks. The sauce will be served on the side...probably mild and hot. Personally, I like it all.

[NinjaBob]

And just to clarify one thing...there will be pulled pork AND pulled chicken along with the sides and drinks. The sauce will be served on the side...probably mild and hot. Personally, I like it all.

That will make both myself and Stacie happy!

[HawkGTRider]

If you haven't put STAR on your calendar, do it NOW!  It's going to be FUN!  Welcome meeting will be Saturday night (rather than Sunday) since so many of the attendees have started showing up "early". Routes are done but being checked and rechecked to make sure they do what we want them to do. Backroads Roger White has a fine collection of routes and I've added one (watch for the "BS" route) because he can't have all the fun. The lunch ride Tuesday will be catered by Buddy's BBQ and will serve pulled pork AND chicken, sides, and drinks. What a deal for only $15!!  Routes will include Deal's Gap/Tail of the Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway, the Foothills Parkway, the Devi's Triangle, and so much more!

It's only 2 months now until STAR. I'm looking forward to seeing you here in my home town...Knoxville, TN.

[Rayk86ss]

Slightly off topic question for the TN people.  What's the deal with McCloud mountain.  Google says the restaurant is closed.  Can I still ride up there?  It looks like a fun place to visit on the way to Star.

[HawkGTRider]

I've been up there for lunch 3 times. The first time Roger White and I were told at the bottom of the  mountain they didn't allow motorcycles up the mountain. We left disgusted. Later we heard they WERE now allowing motorcycles. I've had lunch there twice since then. Great view. Mediocre lunch. I hadn't heard one way or the other about being closed...I'd rather eat fast food.

[HawkGTRider]

I went by the Holiday Inn today to pick up the bike and return it to the dealership. Done.

While there, the folks at the HI told me they'd found a set of headphones and I have them. They are black with a different color trim. And since this unit is equipped with a microphone as well, I'm thinking it must be for a phone or some other communication device. It has a double plug for USB and a round stereo plug...the round plug seems to fit my phone.

If you lost such a thing at STAR, let me know.

[STLTHMSTA]

I for one, had a great time at STAR and thought that everything went very well. The folks at HI were very accommodating and helpful. The staff was great and banquet was very nice. I enjoyed every minute I was there and sure appreciate everyone's efforts.
If you didn't make it you sure missed a good one. The weather in east TN mostly cooperated and when it was not raining (just a low number of riding hours) it was just beautiful !!! Of course the scenery and roads were just fabulous, without saying.
Thank you so much to Geoffrey G. and the STAR committee for a job well done.

[Buckeye56]

I will second that!

[HawkGTRider]

I for one, had a great time at STAR and thought that everything went very well. The folks ar HI were very accommodating and helpful. The staff was great and banquet was very nice. I enjoyed every minute I was there and sure appreciate everyone's efforts.
If you didn't make it you sure missed a good one. The weather in east TN mostly cooperated and when it was not raining (just a low number of riding hours) it was just beautiful !!! Of course the scenery and roads were just fabulous, without saying.
Thank you so much to Geoffrey G. and the STAR committee for a job well done.

We ride, and for the great routes, we HAVE to acknowledge Roger White. He laid out all of the street routes except S11 (I take the blame for that insanity). Roger is our local routing guru for sure! Norm Kern massaged the routes to be consistent with what we've done in the past...nice! And one of our local friends, Kenny Haynes, was involved with the adventure routes...he wasn't around during STAR because he was probably out doing a BDR or the TAT or something. He's one of those guys that dances aboard his "too big" adventure bikes and rides them like they are real dirt bikes. And to double and triple check the routes, some of our friends were coerced into loading the early versions of the routes on their various gps units to hopefully find any anomalies as we rode and re-rode the routes.
Diana Davis did the ride boards. And the "STAR" balloons that were suspending the signs above the ride boards got moved into the banquet Wednesday. Rather than popping those balloons prior to the banquet, they added to the festive feelings of that dinner as well as they floated around. I thought that was cool.
The national STAR committee did great! And none of this, and I mean NONE, could have happened without the many folks who stepped up as volunteers to do whatever needed to be done. My hat is off to each of you.