Sunrise Drive around the Smoky Mountains

Howdy all!

I'm just checking in to remind all registered participants of the drive and the early start time (6am).

The Schedule:

We will start the morning with a very brief driver's talk, focused mainly on the topic of 'downshifting', either in a manual or an automatic (see below). We will then split up into 2 or 3 drive groups (depending on the speed each driver wishes to take) and head out.

We will make 1 stop along the Foothills Parkway (about 45 min into the drive), 1 stop for gas/food/bathrooms about 30 min after that and then we MIGHT stop once more on the way out of the Smoky mountains for a quick photo opportunity (at the leader's discression based on timing, weather & other factors).

The Saturday drive will be a bit more pressed for time... I promised Snooter (Barry) that we would do everything that we can to be back in time for the panoramic pic. It's going to be tight, but if we don't dawdle, we can make it with no problem. On Saturday, we will be leaving VERY PROMPTLY at 6:05am, so please be there a bit before 6am to get your map packet

Being Prepared:

What do I need to bring, you might ask? Here are some ideas:

• Enough gas to drive ~60 miles. We will stop at a gas station (It was a BP the last time I was there)
• Snacks/Beverages: The gas stop has a grocery store (larger than a Quick-E-Mart but smaller than a Kroger/Safeway). They make a good sausage biscuit at the Deli counter.
• An empty bladder: It's gonna be an hour and a half until the gas/food stop. I recommend against 3 cups of coffee. It will also be 2-3 hours after the food stop before the next decent bathroom, so I recommend against getting the Super Big Gulp with your biscuit!
• A FRS Radio: It's nice to be able to hear instructions from the drive leader. We will be using a channel with no sub-channel (sub=0), so even the cheapest of the cheapie radios will work. If you need help setting it, find me before the drive in my all Pepper White MINI and I'd be happy to help get you set correctly.
• The maps are better if you have 'em in color. I'll be bringing a handful of black and white print-outs if you don't have access to be able to print 'em, but if you have access to a color printer, you might enjoy the download here: http://www.minisonthedragon.com/files/Sunrise_Smoky_Mountain_Drive_2011.pdf

I'll be in the lead car of the first group, but will have a full-sized spare tire, a compressor w/ Slime and a patch kit, a handfull of tools and a first-aid kit. If you need any of the items, please let me know. I'm happy to share.

Downshifting 101:

Many folks who learned how to drive in flatter areas of the country have never learned about long mountain decents. As you are driving down a long, steep road, only using your brakes to control your speed will cause you lots of problems. If you are constantly using your brakes for 30 minutes (or 3 minutes, for that matter), the heat will build up in your brakes, boiling your brake fluid. This will cause your brake pedal to feel very mushy and will prevent you from being able to apply enough force to your brakes to stop the car when you really need to! You can spot drivers who have this problem with your nose... there will be a trail of 'burning rubber' smell behind them (and probably in the cabin of the car as well).

How do I slow the car down without using my brakes, one might ask? You use the engine. By choosing a lower gear than you would normally use at a given speed but not applying gas, your engine will help slow the car down without overheating your brakes. Your engine will whine and the RPMs will be high (3000-5000 range is FINE... your engine can take it), but you will feel the engine slowing your descent. If you are behind me, you will definately hear my aftermarket exhaust burble and pop as I downshift, so listen to the cars in front of you for a clue on when to downshift.

Drivers with automatic transmissions can do this as well, using the "1" and "2" gear positions that are past "D" on the shifter. While you are moving or at a stop, you can move from "D" into "1" or "2" at will. If you have never used these gears, I recommend that you try 'em out before you get to the Smoky Mountains.

NOTE: I did NOT tell you that you shouldn't use your brakes! You will definately need to use them. I did say, however, that you shouldn't "ride" your brakes (stay on them for long periods of time). Use your brakes to slow you down when you need to, but do your braking then get off of them. If you have your foot on the brake pedal for more than 15 seconds, you need to be looking for another way to slow yourself down... downshift and then, if safe, come off of the brakes and let them cool down.

I'm a manual transmission guy... Here is a nice article on downshifting with an automatic transmission. The author talks about the smell of brake dust, where it's actually the smell of cooking brake fluid, but otherwise he/she does a nice job of explaining things: http://thefuntimesguide.com/2005/07/downhilldriving.php

 

Note: sorry for the typo... We will be using channel 7 with no sub-channel on this drive.

If you don't have a FRS radio, I may have some spares to lend... First come, first served before the run.

 

Photos!!!!!!

On the epic 7+ hour Thursday run, I was too busy trying to map a new route to take many pics, but here are a few!









The Saturday morning drive had a bunch of folks that bailed (hung over from the Brewswap, perhaps? ), but the roads were clear and we made it back to Fontana by 10:15am (instead of 1:10pm)