Actually, the split rail fence is at the Apple Valley Kitchen.

 

I had to post some pictures that I took on the drive:

It was a beautiful day!


The Foothills Parkway was a stunning drive!


I shot some video, just like the above picture.
http://media.putfile.com/Scenic-Drive-at-MOTD-2006 (about 7 MB)

There were some very scenic places to stop along the way:


But then I decide to pull over to let the group get back together and it all goes wonky!


A passing motorist took video of the 'Great Escape'
http://media.putfile.com/Jango-Escapes-from-Mud (4.5 MB)

And Jango gets a bit dirty!



While everyone was pushing my poor car out of the mud, there was a video camera in the rear window, facing backwards! I've seen the footage and it's hilarious. I'll try and capture it soon.

Thanks to all who helped and participated in the drive. It was a blast!

Aaron

 

Aaron, thank YOU for arranging and orchestrating the whole thing. I'd love to do it again next year if it's gonna happen again.

 

I planned the route using Yahoo, Google and various paper maps that I could find. I pre-drove the route the day before the event and made note of a few last-minute instructions and got better mileages (to the 1/10th of a mile) for all of the turns and directions.

If anyone would like a copy of the updated drive instructions for future trips around the Smoky Mountains, they are available below. These new instructions also include a copy of the disclaimer, all of the maps/mileages and contact info/menu for the lunch stop, in case you are planning for a large group. These instructions took Rowdy and Bob (plus the 25+ cars following them) smoothly along the route when neither of them had done it before. The last page is the key.

PDF Version (1.2 MB): http://focusoa.bizland.com/LeaderDirections.pdf

The MS Word version is over 12MB and my web hosting service is balking at the file size. I can email it to you if you wish.... Just send me a PM with your email address!

 

In Bob's group a bunch of people missed one turn, but they showed up at the restaurant. It was only that one turn right at the beginning of the drive that confused everybody. I think about 1/3 of us got stuck behind a slow vehicle and got separated. It was a really pretty drive. I'd like to do it again and be the passenger so I can see everything.

 

It was a great event, and a good way to dive into all things MOTD. Enjoyed driving with everyone. Thanks, agranger, for setting it all up.

 

Here's DA MAN,



Thanx again!

 

My caption for the above picture: Which way do we go George? Which way do we go?

 

Here's a much more attractive picture from that day! (Courtesy of www.killboy.com)