2016 Tellico Plains TN Fall Event JFF

[rideandfly]

I've still got your dates on my calendar, but I may only be able to ride down for part of the day on Friday and all day Saturday.

Hope to meet you there!  Will try to attend other events this year, too!

[rideandfly]

We have two cabins, two RV sites, and plenty of tent sites left.

Five cabins reserved so far! 

[HawkGTRider]

We used to have a road event in Townsend, TN the 3rd weekend of September. Some years it was still a little on the warm side, but over-all, temperatures were pretty moderate. I'm really looking forward to riding in October. Average temperatures in October appear to range from low 40s to near 70, and I find those conditions to be superb (assuming it's dry).

[rideandfly]

Agree, hoping for 70s and beautiful fall colors at Tellico Plains this year!!!!!! We plan to visit there during September, too!

[NinjaBob]

Great place! Camped there in 07 I think. There is a little stream running along the tent area. I'll be in Kansas for granddaughters birthday on the 18th but might be able to get there.

[rideandfly]

NinjaBob, Hope you can make it!!! We stayed there, rode the Vstrom last October and really enjoyed it!!!!

[rideandfly]

We have two cabins, two RV campsites and plenty of tent campsites left at this time! Five cabins reserved so far.

[Brick]

We used to have a road event in Townsend, TN the 3rd weekend of September. Some years it was still a little on the warm side, but over-all, temperatures were pretty moderate. I'm really looking forward to riding in October. Average temperatures in October appear to range from low 40s to near 70, and I find those conditions to be superb (assuming it's dry).

I think you should rejuvenate the Townsend event. Just start with a JFF.. No BBQ no catered meal. But we gotta have your pancakes in the morning.


Let's Ride!
Brick

[NinjaBob]

We used to have a road event in Townsend, TN the 3rd weekend of September. Some years it was still a little on the warm side, but over-all, temperatures were pretty moderate. I'm really looking forward to riding in October. Average temperatures in October appear to range from low 40s to near 70, and I find those conditions to be superb (assuming it's dry).

I think you should rejuvenate the Townsend event. Just start with a JFF.. No BBQ no catered meal. But we gotta have your pancakes in the morning.


Let's Ride!
Brick

Oops forgiot the link. What a Maroon!
here it is:
http://www.highlandmanor.com/the-inn/about-us.htm

[HawkGTRider]

We used to have a road event in Townsend, TN the 3rd weekend of September. Some years it was still a little on the warm side, but over-all, temperatures were pretty moderate. I'm really looking forward to riding in October. Average temperatures in October appear to range from low 40s to near 70, and I find those conditions to be superb (assuming it's dry).

I think you should rejuvenate the Townsend event. Just start with a JFF.. No BBQ no catered meal. But we gotta have your pancakes in the morning.


Let's Ride!
Brick

I still have the griddles we used back then, and I thought about resurrecting them at TriSTAR.

You're right...a JFF event might be fun. I'll ponder over that and check out some possible motels.

Thinking back...As I recall, the Indiana guys used to come down for a weekend later in the year (usually when it was getting close to being cold) and they'd spend a weekend at the motel at Deal's Gap. It was the Ron Maudlin Memorial Ride which I suppose morphed into the Ron Maudlin bike wash area at STAR. Ron was one of the good guys that stepped up to volunteer as treasurer of the HSTA for several years.

For TN-STAR I remember writing up route sheets that included riding from Townsend to the Foothills Parkway on US321, and over to US129. From there you went north to TN72 and then south on US411 to get Vonore. TN360 was the best way to Tellico Plains (it still is the best way from Vonore to Tellico Plains). From there you could ride up to the Tennessee/North Carolina state line on TN165/Cherohala Skyway, but you were taking a chance riding any further. North Carolina hadn't finished their side of the Cherohala Skyway, and it was only a rough base coat of pavement that went a few miles past the state line...and you weren't really supposed to be on that part of the road. You COULD get all the way to Robbinsville, but it meant riding 10-11 miles on a gravel road (Big Santeelah Road) that sort of paralleled what was to become the rest of the Skyway. Most of it was decent, but there were 2-3 miles near the Skyway that were a little on the "bouncy" side.

John and Patty Swatzell used to help a bunch in cooking the pancakes and such. But then they sold their ST1100 and bought an American made cruiser. It suited them better, and it was a perfectly fine bike. But they didn't feel like they fit in with the MSTA any more. Too bad...they were good folks and would have been welcome just as anyone would on any kind of bike.

[HawkGTRider]

And while the topic of riding in East Tennessee is on my mind, here's some interesting and good news...

The Knoxville News-Sentinel is announcing this morning that an additional section of the Foothills Parkway is closer to being completed. The Federal  government has announced that a $10 million transportation grant will be funded and will be matched by $15 million from the state of Tennessee and $10 million from the National Park Service. This money will go to complete the section of the Foothills Parkway running from Walland at US321, just up the road from Townsend, to Wears Valley near Pigeon Forge.

I can think of a lot of places I'd like to avoid, and Pigeon Forge is one of those. But this section includes a number of miles that are already graded and ready to be paved as well as the "missing link". The "missing link" is a 1.65 mile section that, according to local folklore, got missed during the initial surveying. Preparation and grading was begun from Walland and from Wears Valley and they two sections were supposed to meet. However, they didn't. The 1.65 mile missing link turned out to be an incredibly rugged section of the mountains, and it's going to require 9 bridges to connect the already prepped sections.

When all of this is completed in 2018 (not that far away, but it is just the projected completion date), the Foothills Parkway will run from US129 all the way to near Pigeon Forge, and will total nearly 40 miles. 40 miles of beautiful and curvy roads is a GOOD thing in my book.

The new section of the Foothills Parkway will probably pick up some traffic from folks wanting to bypass Townsend, but that's ok too. US321 between Pigeon Forge and Townsend is a pretty nice road that is, unfortunately, pretty traffic choked right now.

If a person happened to be in Townsend for, let's say a motorcycle club get together, a pretty amazing ride would be to take the Foothills Parkway to US129, ride through Deal's Gap into Robbinsville, go over the Cherohala Skyway to Tellico Plains, ride TN360 and TN72 back to US129 to the Foothills Parkway and all the way to Wears Valley, and then turn around and redo that new section of the Parkway to US321 and back to Townsend. That would be one of the finest 195 mile rides ANYWHERE. And that's only one option. There are other roads that parallel some of those roads that could eliminate some of the backtracking if desired (Happy Valley off US129, East Millers Cove, and more). Holy komoly...my mouth is watering!

[HawkGTRider]

Oops forgiot the link. What a Maroon!
here it is:
http://www.highlandmanor.com/the-inn/about-us.htm

That might be an option, but even the pre-autumn-colors rates seem high to me (I'm a cheapskate). September rates range from $90-$130, but I can almost guarantee you'd be lucky to get a room for less than their published maximum. But I haven't talked to them, and it's all about timing. If we could find a weekend that doesn't have a home UT football game (lots of places in Townsend fill up with people coming into the area for UT football games), we'd have a better shot of having more reasonable rates.

[rideandfly]

If a person happened to be in Townsend for, let's say a motorcycle club get together, a pretty amazing ride would be to take the Foothills Parkway to US129, ride through Deal's Gap into Robbinsville, go over the Cherohala Skyway to Tellico Plains, ride TN360 and TN72 back to US129 to the Foothills Parkway and all the way to Wears Valley, and then turn around and redo that new section of the Parkway to US321 and back to Townsend. That would be one of the finest 195 mile rides ANYWHERE. And that's only one option. There are other roads that parallel some of those roads that could eliminate some of the backtracking if desired (Happy Valley off US129, East Millers Cove, and more). Holy komoly...my mouth is watering!

Geoffrey,

Looking forward to riding these roads next October while at Tellico Plains! Appreciate the information!

[NinjaBob]

Oops forgiot the link. What a Maroon!
here it is:
http://www.highlandmanor.com/the-inn/about-us.htm

That might be an option, but even the pre-autumn-colors rates seem high to me (I'm a cheapskate). September rates range from $90-$130, but I can almost guarantee you'd be lucky to get a room for less than their published maximum. But I haven't talked to them, and it's all about timing. If we could find a weekend that doesn't have a home UT football game (lots of places in Townsend fill up with people coming into the area for UT football games), we'd have a better shot of having more reasonable rates.

We were there on 8/28/14 and the rate was 79.50, 91 total with tax and fees. Only a handful of other folks there that night,had the pool to ourselves.

[rideandfly]

"Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground"

Please contact Wayne or Kellie directly and let them know you are with the MSTA group when making reservations.

Owners: Wayne and Kellie         
http://www.cmtrails.com/                                   
423-253-6061
cherohalatrails@gmail.com

Seven Cabins, sleeps 1-2 people. Cabin Rate $50 per day + tax. Cabins include: 2 twin beds (memory foam mattresses, two pillows each bed). All bed linens supplied, ceiling fan, heater/air conditioner, boot and glove dryer.

Two RV Sites with electricity only, no sewer or water rate: $25 per day + tax Site includes: Picnic table/ Fire ring and all camp amenities!

Tent site rate: $10 per person/per day + tax Site includes: Picnic table/ Fire ring and all camp amenities!

This campground has a nice grill, restrooms/showers, and pavilion.

Looking forward to seeing everyone and riding this area during October! As you can see from previous discussion, eastern TN offers great areas to ride on and off pavement!