DRIVE CANCELED I'm an ex-MINI owner and a Dragon lover. I haven't been to MOTD in some 4+ years because I was living in San Francisco, but now I'm in Charlotte, NC... A mere 3.5 hours drive from Fontana Dam. We just moved to NC (I drove cross-country 3 weeks ago) and life is crazy with a new job and a house purchase under contract. It just wound up where I have a free weekend so I'm gonna make a Fri, Sat and Sun trip to the Dragon. Unfortunately, my status as a late-registrant (AKA: slacker) means that all of the group drives are full. IS ANYONE ELSE SUFFERING MY SAME FATE? DO YOU WANNA HIT THE ROADS WITH ME ON SATURDAY? I'm thinking of recreating my old Sunrise drive (Fontana to Foothills Pkwy, through the Smokeys on little river road, popping out in Cherokee and then back to Fontana). If we do it early (6am-ish), we might be back in time you to be in the group photo. If we left after the photo, you could sleep in, but the drive gets less spirited as the minivans start clogging up the roads.
Mr. Granger my friend!!!! Awesome to have you with us in North Carolina! My dance card is full, but hope to run into you sometime in Fontana. I'll be in the only GP Roadster.
Yep... I saw that you were leading a drive on Saturday. I would have signed up for that, but I'm a slacker and it was full! I hope to make it there in time for the Brewswap... I'm planning to bring some Old Meck offerings. The more I thought about it today, the more I'm craving an early morning drive. Little River Road is still my favorite place in the world when the air is crisp and the roads are empty. To anyone who wants to join me: I'll be at the Fontana Village store / ice cream shop / laundry at 6am, departing promptly at 6:10am. We will stop for gas, facilities and a quick breakfast (an IGA supermarket that does a good sausage biscuit) about an hour or so in and will hope to be back in time for the panoramic photo (will do my best... No promises). Aaron
Hello fellow non-MINI owner! Assuming I don't have any appointments that morning (I'll be there assisting Alicyn Drew Photography) I may be interested, I've been going to the dragon for over 10 years, but haven't ever been to Little River Road. I'll be in a black lotus Exige.
Also... if anyone is interested in the route: It looks like the official Sunrise Drive (held on Wed morning) is still using the route I established so many years ago (2006)... here's a link to their map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/35.435993,-83.824858/35.677221,-83.751744/35.436156,-83.824796/@35.3855564,-83.791881,11.02z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m6!3m4!1m2!1d-83.320494!2d35.441551!3s0x8859413be7ebd61f:0x9fa0575e6929b674!4e1!1m1!4e1!1m1!4e1!3e0?hl=en Our gas/facilities/food stop is different (quicker 15-20 minute stop), but the general path is the same. Depending on the wishes of the group and weather conditions, we might stop a couple of times for quick photo ops... the Foothills parkway is stunningly beautiful when weather permits and really shows you why they call them the "Smoky Mountains". Bring hats, scarves, gloves. The only thing that will keep me from going full windows down will be hard rain and it can be quite cold in the mountains.
FYI ~ My friends and I do not drive on Saturday as a rule. To many LEO's and idiots on the roads with tons of traffic and that's when all the accidents happen.
Well guys, this Dragon has changed for me. I have been diagnosed with lung cancer. I don't know what is happening yet...but I hope I will be there. With a dirty MINI....
If it is dirty, that just means it is well used! With that diagnosis, you definitely need to go windows open down Little River Road. Best of luck fighting that! I'm normally detailing obsessed, but my poor baby has been away from my detailing supplies since November and has only been washed by, eep, car washes since then. It was shipped cross-country in a blizzard (looked like someone had wet the car then poured a bag of ready-mix concrete on top when it was returned to me), so swirl-marks are at an all time high!
LOL. I haven't led that drive for years... now other people lead the drive named for me (or my car). Which is kinda cool. I'll be off making mischief with my posse, somewhere.
It's all about branding! This drive has been around since MOTD2005-2006... I should have called it "agranger's Smokin' drive"!
Hey Goldsmithy, You tell cancer to ****** Off!! You have a date with your friends at the Dragon. Everyone looks forward to seeing you there. :cornut:
One last bump for the Saturday morning Slackers drive.... No need to sign up, just SHOW UP! We will be pulling out from the General Store parking lot at 6:10am. Aaron
LOL! With all of the craziness of buying a home, it appears that I got the weekend wrong for my last-minute trip! I am the ultimate slacker. I rolled in an hour ago wondering where all the MINIs were! I'll be doing the drive, but a full week ahead of schedule and alone... I need that drive down little river road and now I don't have to hurry back to Fontana for a photo. Good luck all! DRIVE CANCELED
Lol... Yeah... Pretty silly mistake, but if you saw my calendar, you'd understand. Oh well... The beer I brought for the swap is going down very easily and soothing my ego. An early morning run, a nice lunch and a few runs down the Dragon will help.