All - MOTD is coming up fast and we are working on finalizing some plans. Much to my dismay my real job has gotten in the way so I will not be there until essentially Friday morning. However @Goldsmithy has offered to help with the tent (thank you!) The concept here is the tent will be more of a lounge with chairs, some drinks, some sort of whiteboard so people can post messages/meet up locations etc. We are even trying to figure out a way to get a few computers and/or tables connected to the WiFi and some drinks. Love to hear your thoughts on this and if there is anything you would like to see.
Hey Teddy, I will bring you a cold beer. Maybe I can sit for a few hours and sign autographs for people.
Who is to say there won't be cold beer in a cooler there.... just saying. (at least on Friday when I get there).
Tue 5/1 66°/45° 0 IN 0 IN Sunshine 73°/45° Wed 5/2 70°/47° 0 IN 0 IN Here is the extended forecast for the Dragon: Clouds and sun 73°/45° Thu 5/3 68°/43° 0 IN 0 IN Brilliant sunshine 74°/45° Fri 5/4 70°/47° 0 IN 0 IN Times of clouds and sun 74°/46° Sat 5/5 74°/50° 0.11 IN 0 IN Mostly cloudy, a little rain 74°/46° Sun 5/6 73°/51° 0.16 IN 0 IN A shower and t-storm around 74°/46° Mon 5/7 75°/52° 0.22 IN 0 IN Partly sunny 74°/47° Tue 5/8
That may work then... if you are leaving REAL early. Plane lands at 9:45. Ideally I will have my car at the airport packed... but I don’t really like driving it to the airport. People drag their suitcase etc down your car and don’t care... but lets assume so. Leave ATL Airport at say 10.. 3.5 hours later puts me in at 1:30. However if your are a night owl and staying up late. We may catch each other.
Oh... now I’m even more disappointed I wont be there the entire week!! Looking like a beautiful weekend!
Wow. A 1 month out forecast for Fontana weather? I don't think the forecasters could get the weather right at Fontana one minute in advance if they were stripped naked and forced to stare up at the sky. I do like that forecast though... I'll take several days of sun and leave the nasty stuff for Sunday's drive home.
Fontana weather changes day to day hour to hour. It could be rainy at Fontana and sunny and dry on the Dragon. I have seen it rain at Fontana and on Hellbender it drys up 1/2 way to the Dragon.
True - its the mountains... but its fun to think its looking to be sunny (1 month out)... hopefully no big storms leading up into it again..
I've also seen tornadoes... well... I heard about 'em. Somehow (fueled by a beer pong game at the brew swap) I slept through it while out in my tent.
We'll probably leave after breakfast on Friday [around 9 or so], but actually, it will depend on the weather. Last year, with the storms, we even left a day earlier and ate the cost of the already-paid-for room. It was a mess on 129, as we had to clear 2 fallen trees on the Dragon [right after Deals Gap] to even get to Marysville. However, if we had stayed and waited for the storms to clear out, we'd have been stuck in Fontana until the trees had been cleared and the power at the Lodge restored. this year, we are bringing saws and stronger tow ropes, just in case. So, unless you leave Atlanta at night, arrive in Knoxville and spend the night before coming in, about our only chance of meeting will be on 129 as we are heading out and you are heading in.
Yea last year was a mess.. I got there late Thursday night also. No light, no water.. fingers crossed the weather is what is currently forecasted! Thanks for clearing the trees though, roads I drove Saturday were clear.
I remember the Tornado’s they were awesome. We were drinking on our porch for a while and kept saying damn it’s getting windy. Then we watched Chads (DT) tent get blown down. Next thing we see is JAN and Colin driving in from California in Jan’s GP race car. They just came up the Dragon in the storm with trees falling everywhere. That was a good night of drinking.
The 2 we cleared were about a mile on the hill just before the observation point. Those other trees were whipping about like serpents while we tugged and pushed the fallen ones aside enough for us to squeeze through and GTH outta there. and then, as we were starting down 129 just after leaving the observation point, along comes a TN Hwy. Dept. pickup with a huge chainsaw in the back....go figure.