Dragon Run Meet -- 2010 "Meet me at the Dragon" Event - Page 5

SonicBlue · 03-31-2010, 09:40 PM

I hope to.

I know rs16 was talking about a dry run as well, before the rockslide.

rs16 · 04-03-2010, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobrabitn

I think the skyway is the way to go...eating in town sounds good, too. Maybe if we can see how far on the dragon we can proceed, it might be worth it to stick with the original plan with the exception of eating at the pizza place.

We should be able to get through the best part of the Dragon, and turn around at the lake.

**cobrabitn** · 04-03-2010, 10:51 PM

Check out these photos by Killboy, it looks like they are making great progress!! Copy and Paste..

www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/photo.php?pid=3983730&id=189631058066&ref=nf&fbid=373206348066

Just keep clicking the photos to see the slide show..

SonicBlue · 04-06-2010, 08:46 PM

Darn Facebook! Can't see the pics without signing up.

So, I went to check out Cherohala Skyway and the Dragon on Sunday. It took a while to get there, but the Dragon is definitely closed right at the TN line, 1/2 mile above Deals Gap. The TDOT official and TN LEO that were there had no information, except to say the road is barricaded at the other end just below Happy Valley Rd - next to Foothills Pkwy. But, the guy at the Deals Gap store said he understood they were going to move the southern barricade up to just above the larger parking area below the rockslide - which would be perfect for our idea of running the Dragon both ways with a photo stop in between along the lake. (Click on pic to view larger.)

I also swung by Papas Pizza to-Go in Robbinsville. They were closed, but it looks like an ideal meeting place. There's a big parking lot there.

Meanwhile, running the Cherohala Skyway almost made up for no Dragon. That's always a fun ride - until you get stuck behind someone. Killboy and US129 and maybe zeefoto were set up in several places, as well. Maybe the snow will all be gone by the time we get there.

It took me about an hour and a half to reach the 411 from Papas, but I was pushing it and I didn't stay behind slower traffic very long. There are a few good spots to pull off and there's a decent parking lot at the Visitor's Center in Tellico Plains. And there's a real A&W Drive-In about two miles up on 411.

From there, Townsend would be another hour and The Diner in Sevierville would be another half hour - plus stops and traffic, of course. So, maybe it'd be four hours from Papas to The Diner.

All that's assuming we take the route I ran.

For the NC crew, it looks like a three hour drive from Hickory to Robbinsville - plus stops and traffic - including about 12 miles along Moonshiner 28. Unfortunately, that doesn't include Hellbender 28 near Fontana.

rs16 · 04-06-2010, 08:49 PM

Are we still eating at Calhouns in G-Burg Saturday night ??.......

**cobrabitn** · 04-07-2010, 12:49 AM

Sonic,

Sounds like you got all of your ducks in a row. Will the pizza place be open on Saturday afternoon? I agree with you with a noon meet at the pizza place and even if it took 4-5 hours, that would put us in Sevierville around 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Good time to eat and then go to the hotel and relax the rest of the evening. Thanks for doing a prelim run for us, that was extremely helpful.

Cobrabitn

SonicBlue · 04-07-2010, 10:17 AM

They will be open. And their buffet will run from 11:00 - 2:00.

Or, here's their menu and the coupons that expire the day after we're there.

**Cobra4me** · 04-07-2010, 10:20 PM

I need to organize a meet close to Hickory so I will need to know when and where to meet in Robbinsville. I have a couple emails that I need to respond to.
Thanks Robbie

lorahcobra · 04-10-2010, 01:05 AM

Re-opened part of the Dragon today...I'll try to get more details tomorrow...

rs16 · 04-10-2010, 05:15 PM

It's open to the lake where we can double back.

SonicBlue · 04-10-2010, 07:42 PM

TN.gov concurs:

Quote:

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will reopen an 11-mile stretch of U.S. 129/SR115 in Blount County known as “The Dragon” on Monday, April 12 at 8:00 a.m. The stretch of U.S. 129 from the Tabcat Bridge to the North Carolina state line will be open to traffic each day between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The section of U.S. 129 from just past the Foothills Parkway to the Tabcat Bridge will remain closed as crews work to remove a rockslide that closed the roadway in March.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will provide traffic enforcement and Graham County, North Carolina will provide emergency response along the open section of U.S. 129 during daylight hours. Motorists are advised that emergency response will be limited in the area. Law enforcement will have zero tolerance for traffic law violations and will diligently enforce the area. U.S. 129 will be closed to traffic at the North Carolina state line at 8:00 p.m. each night until 8:00 a.m. the next day. The roadway will remain closed to commercial traffic and large RVs.

**Cobra4me** · 04-10-2010, 09:02 PM

anybody that knows a good meeting place with easy on/off access to I40 west of exit 123 please post. The meet time will be 8AM on april 24th. The meeting place is still the question

**cobrabitn** · 04-13-2010, 10:34 PM

All,

We're meeting at "Sonic Drive In" on the morning of the 24th of April. We'll meet at 7:45 a.m. and I'd like to leave there no later than 8:15 a.m. Sonics' is a few miles off I-75 but they have breakfast sandwiches and parking available. Their phone number is 404-622-7735. The address is 1463 Moreland Ave SE, Atlanta Ga 30316. If we can leave by 8:15 a.m., we'll have a short amount of time to make a 15 minute stop along the way if we need to.

We'll travel just over 3 hours and our destination is Papas Pizza To-Go Of Robbinsville, NC. The address to the meeting location is 211 Tapoco Rd, Robbinsville NC 28871

We need to meet the other chapters at 11:30 a.m. at the Pizza shop in Robbinsville.

Please bring two way radios with you if you can borrow some of if you have some. Cell phone reception is spotty there and this is the way that all the clubs can communicate reliably.

Please reply to this e-mail so I know who is going and who isn't. This will be important to know who to look for or call on the 24th. Also, please let me know if you plan to stay overnight at Christmas Village or if you're driving back that night.

Please print this e-mail and bring it with you so you'll have times, addresses and my phone number in the event you need directions or run late.

John Tornow

(404) 372-5710

**cobrabitn** · 04-13-2010, 11:09 PM

Please check the first post and let us know if your name is correct and on the list. I do not know everyone's name by their screen name.

Thanks,

T

SonicBlue · 04-18-2010, 10:23 PM

Update:

Well, the Dragon is open all the way to the end, but not quite as far as we hoped. There's a little pullout on the right side about a quarter mile past the last curve - lined with No Parking signs. The new barricade is at the far end of the pullout. You can just see Chilhowee Lake past the barricade. So much for a group photo overlooking the lake. (see photos)

The good news is, there was hardly any traffic on the Dragon - and no LEO's! A couple of killboy (and/or ???) shooters were working.

Traffic on Cherohala Skyway was light too. And killboy still had one shooter set up there. But there's not much green up there yet. Here's the Santeetlah pullout (5,390 ft) as seen from the Big Junction pullout.

View Poll Results: Please select your preference below:
I can make it March 27, 2010	2	7.69%
I can make it April 24, 2010	13	50.00%
I can make either day, March 27 or April 24, 2010	11	42.31%
I can't make either date, I don't like cruising the Dragon.	0	0%
Voters: 26. You may not vote on this poll

04-03-2010, 10:51 PM	#63
cobrabitn Dr Jekyll on the street, Mr Hyde on the track Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rock Hill SC Posts: 14,650	Check out these photos by Killboy, it looks like they are making great progress!! Copy and Paste.. www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/photo.php?pid=3983730&id=189631058066&ref=nf&fbid=373206348066 Just keep clicking the photos to see the slide show.. __________________ Cobrabitn 2016 Ruby Red Metallic with Caribou accent F-350 Crew Cab Stump Puller! 6.7 Diesel Automatic with Chrome Package, Off Road Package, 3.55 Locking axles, and Ultimate Lariat Interior Trim Package! 2017 Shelby GT350 Coupe - track car! Mods: JLT True Cold Air oil catch can 2009 Vista Blue Shelby GT 500 Coupe - Garage Queen Tinted Windows JLT True Cold Air Kit Pro-Dyno Tune 526 rwhp - 511 rwtq 1994 Rio Red Indy Pace Car #22 "Runabout" Snake in the grill MGW shift knob 1996 SVT Cobra Wheels 1969 New Lime Mustang Mach 1 Sportsroof - Second owner - bone stock with shaker. One SVT Cobra, one Shelby GT500, one 69 mach 1, and a Shelby GT350 is better than nothing! Custom Data Plates for your Mustang or Ford! Buy "Cool Merchandise" at Data Plates Plus www.dataplatesplus.com See my MSR Video here!

04-07-2010, 12:49 AM	#66
cobrabitn Dr Jekyll on the street, Mr Hyde on the track Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rock Hill SC Posts: 14,650	Sonic, Sounds like you got all of your ducks in a row. Will the pizza place be open on Saturday afternoon? I agree with you with a noon meet at the pizza place and even if it took 4-5 hours, that would put us in Sevierville around 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Good time to eat and then go to the hotel and relax the rest of the evening. Thanks for doing a prelim run for us, that was extremely helpful. Cobrabitn __________________ Cobrabitn 2016 Ruby Red Metallic with Caribou accent F-350 Crew Cab Stump Puller! 6.7 Diesel Automatic with Chrome Package, Off Road Package, 3.55 Locking axles, and Ultimate Lariat Interior Trim Package! 2017 Shelby GT350 Coupe - track car! Mods: JLT True Cold Air oil catch can 2009 Vista Blue Shelby GT 500 Coupe - Garage Queen Tinted Windows JLT True Cold Air Kit Pro-Dyno Tune 526 rwhp - 511 rwtq 1994 Rio Red Indy Pace Car #22 "Runabout" Snake in the grill MGW shift knob 1996 SVT Cobra Wheels 1969 New Lime Mustang Mach 1 Sportsroof - Second owner - bone stock with shaker. One SVT Cobra, one Shelby GT500, one 69 mach 1, and a Shelby GT350 is better than nothing! Custom Data Plates for your Mustang or Ford! Buy "Cool Merchandise" at Data Plates Plus www.dataplatesplus.com See my MSR Video here!

04-10-2010, 01:05 AM	#69
lorahcobra SCMC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: west knoxville Posts: 130	Re-opened part of the Dragon today...I'll try to get more details tomorrow... __________________ Steve and Crystal Lorah '03 Carroll Shelby Tribute Edition Yellow Cobra 'Vert "BrightSnake" 474rwhp, 476rwtq "Burn rubber, not your Soul"

04-13-2010, 10:34 PM	#73
cobrabitn Dr Jekyll on the street, Mr Hyde on the track Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rock Hill SC Posts: 14,650	Meeting for GA members... All, We're meeting at "Sonic Drive In" on the morning of the 24th of April. We'll meet at 7:45 a.m. and I'd like to leave there no later than 8:15 a.m. Sonics' is a few miles off I-75 but they have breakfast sandwiches and parking available. Their phone number is 404-622-7735. The address is 1463 Moreland Ave SE, Atlanta Ga 30316. If we can leave by 8:15 a.m., we'll have a short amount of time to make a 15 minute stop along the way if we need to. We'll travel just over 3 hours and our destination is Papas Pizza To-Go Of Robbinsville, NC. The address to the meeting location is 211 Tapoco Rd, Robbinsville NC 28871 We need to meet the other chapters at 11:30 a.m. at the Pizza shop in Robbinsville. Please bring two way radios with you if you can borrow some of if you have some. Cell phone reception is spotty there and this is the way that all the clubs can communicate reliably. Please reply to this e-mail so I know who is going and who isn't. This will be important to know who to look for or call on the 24th. Also, please let me know if you plan to stay overnight at Christmas Village or if you're driving back that night. Please print this e-mail and bring it with you so you'll have times, addresses and my phone number in the event you need directions or run late. John Tornow (404) 372-5710 __________________ Cobrabitn 2016 Ruby Red Metallic with Caribou accent F-350 Crew Cab Stump Puller! 6.7 Diesel Automatic with Chrome Package, Off Road Package, 3.55 Locking axles, and Ultimate Lariat Interior Trim Package! 2017 Shelby GT350 Coupe - track car! Mods: JLT True Cold Air oil catch can 2009 Vista Blue Shelby GT 500 Coupe - Garage Queen Tinted Windows JLT True Cold Air Kit Pro-Dyno Tune 526 rwhp - 511 rwtq 1994 Rio Red Indy Pace Car #22 "Runabout" Snake in the grill MGW shift knob 1996 SVT Cobra Wheels 1969 New Lime Mustang Mach 1 Sportsroof - Second owner - bone stock with shaker. One SVT Cobra, one Shelby GT500, one 69 mach 1, and a Shelby GT350 is better than nothing! Custom Data Plates for your Mustang or Ford! Buy "Cool Merchandise" at Data Plates Plus www.dataplatesplus.com See my MSR Video here!

03-31-2010, 09:40 PM	#61
SonicBlue Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: East TN Posts: 70	I hope to. I know rs16 was talking about a dry run as well, before the rockslide.

04-06-2010, 08:46 PM	#64
SonicBlue Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: East TN Posts: 70	Darn Facebook! Can't see the pics without signing up. So, I went to check out Cherohala Skyway and the Dragon on Sunday. It took a while to get there, but the Dragon is definitely closed right at the TN line, 1/2 mile above Deals Gap. The TDOT official and TN LEO that were there had no information, except to say the road is barricaded at the other end just below Happy Valley Rd - next to Foothills Pkwy. But, the guy at the Deals Gap store said he understood they were going to move the southern barricade up to just above the larger parking area below the rockslide - which would be perfect for our idea of running the Dragon both ways with a photo stop in between along the lake. (Click on pic to view larger.) I also swung by Papas Pizza to-Go in Robbinsville. They were closed, but it looks like an ideal meeting place. There's a big parking lot there. Meanwhile, running the Cherohala Skyway almost made up for no Dragon. That's always a fun ride - until you get stuck behind someone. Killboy and US129 and maybe zeefoto were set up in several places, as well. Maybe the snow will all be gone by the time we get there. It took me about an hour and a half to reach the 411 from Papas, but I was pushing it and I didn't stay behind slower traffic very long. There are a few good spots to pull off and there's a decent parking lot at the Visitor's Center in Tellico Plains. And there's a real A&W Drive-In about two miles up on 411. From there, Townsend would be another hour and The Diner in Sevierville would be another half hour - plus stops and traffic, of course. So, maybe it'd be four hours from Papas to The Diner. All that's assuming we take the route I ran. For the NC crew, it looks like a three hour drive from Hickory to Robbinsville - plus stops and traffic - including about 12 miles along Moonshiner 28. Unfortunately, that doesn't include Hellbender 28 near Fontana.

04-06-2010, 08:49 PM	#65
rs16 SCMC Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Powell, Tennessee Posts: 14	Are we still eating at Calhouns in G-Burg Saturday night ??.......

04-07-2010, 10:17 AM	#67
SonicBlue Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: East TN Posts: 70	They will be open. And their buffet will run from 11:00 - 2:00. Or, here's their menu and the coupons that expire the day after we're there.

04-07-2010, 10:20 PM	#68
Cobra4me R&R4ever Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hickory NC Posts: 1,148	I need to organize a meet close to Hickory so I will need to know when and where to meet in Robbinsville. I have a couple emails that I need to respond to. Thanks Robbie

04-10-2010, 05:15 PM	#70
rs16 SCMC Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Powell, Tennessee Posts: 14	It's open to the lake where we can double back.

04-10-2010, 09:02 PM	#72
Cobra4me R&R4ever Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hickory NC Posts: 1,148	anybody that knows a good meeting place with easy on/off access to I40 west of exit 123 please post. The meet time will be 8AM on april 24th. The meeting place is still the question

04-13-2010, 11:09 PM	#74
cobrabitn Dr Jekyll on the street, Mr Hyde on the track Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rock Hill SC Posts: 14,650	Please check the first post and let us know if your name is correct and on the list. I do not know everyone's name by their screen name. Thanks, T __________________ Cobrabitn 2016 Ruby Red Metallic with Caribou accent F-350 Crew Cab Stump Puller! 6.7 Diesel Automatic with Chrome Package, Off Road Package, 3.55 Locking axles, and Ultimate Lariat Interior Trim Package! 2017 Shelby GT350 Coupe - track car! Mods: JLT True Cold Air oil catch can 2009 Vista Blue Shelby GT 500 Coupe - Garage Queen Tinted Windows JLT True Cold Air Kit Pro-Dyno Tune 526 rwhp - 511 rwtq 1994 Rio Red Indy Pace Car #22 "Runabout" Snake in the grill MGW shift knob 1996 SVT Cobra Wheels 1969 New Lime Mustang Mach 1 Sportsroof - Second owner - bone stock with shaker. One SVT Cobra, one Shelby GT500, one 69 mach 1, and a Shelby GT350 is better than nothing! Custom Data Plates for your Mustang or Ford! Buy "Cool Merchandise" at Data Plates Plus www.dataplatesplus.com See my MSR Video here!

04-18-2010, 10:23 PM	#75
SonicBlue Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: East TN Posts: 70	Update: Well, the Dragon is open all the way to the end, but not quite as far as we hoped. There's a little pullout on the right side about a quarter mile past the last curve - lined with No Parking signs. The new barricade is at the far end of the pullout. You can just see Chilhowee Lake past the barricade. So much for a group photo overlooking the lake. (see photos) The good news is, there was hardly any traffic on the Dragon - and no LEO's! A couple of killboy (and/or ???) shooters were working. Traffic on Cherohala Skyway was light too. And killboy still had one shooter set up there. But there's not much green up there yet. Here's the Santeetlah pullout (5,390 ft) as seen from the Big Junction pullout.

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