Hey guys,

I never have gotten into the habit of posting much here on NAM, but those of you who have attended MOTD in the past may have met me, as I tend to work registration & man the door for dinners, etc. I made the following post on Sunshine MINIs and decided I should probably repeat it here as well...

With the possibility that 129 may still be closed when we arrive, I want to make a public appeal to everyone in our group. The folks down at the Deal's Gap Store have been very accommodating to us in the past, even going so far as to donate raffle prizes for our events, etc. These folks count on tourism for nearly 100% of their income. With 129 being closed, they could be hurting severely, just when business should be picking up for the Summer.

With our group being one of the largest to visit the area all year, we can make both a difference to their bottom line, and a statement of support by going to the Deal's Gap Store whether 129 is open or not. Their restaurant serves cheap meals, and they have all sorts of souvenirs available- shirts, stickers, license plate frames, etc., etc. (They even have some MINI-specific stickers, in case you weren't aware)

So, here's to hoping that 129 is open by the time we get there. But even if it's not, I think I'm going to hit the Deal's Gap store once or twice MORE than usual, just to make sure I've done my part to keep them up & running. Who's with me?

 

It's my first time to the Dragon (or at least near to the Dragon), so I want to take as much in as possible. Count on my son and I to stop in!

 

A couple of our Texas MINIs are staying at Deals Gap so we will be there a bunch! And they do have cool swag to buy!

 

Don't forget to visit the tree of shame there, too. Definitely worth a picture or two. Oh, the stories it could tell.

 

 

I will definitely second what Bill said. The folks at Deal's Gap have always been very cool. It is one of the best places to go grab a sandwich in the area. The restaurant of Fontana Lodge is expensive and a bit hoidy toidy for my taste. Deal's Gap is inexpensive and good.

There's other reasons to visit Deal's Gap: the Hellbender!!

The run between Deal's Gap and the Fontana Lodge is called the Hellbender. It's not as curvaceous as the Tail of the Dragon, but it is also a higher speed run. Personally, I like the Hellbender better than the Dragon.

So, go for the Hellbender run, eat and shop and Deal's Gap, and run the Hellbender back. As Cartman would say: Super Sweet!

 

It will be my first dragon too and I will definately stop by there and support the area.

And the Hellbender sounds awesome. I did not know anything about it!

 

A lot of folks don't realize that there are TONS of fun roads and scenic drives in the area. The Dragon may be the namesake for our event, but it's certainly not the only fun drive to be had. You may have to wait for your second trip to experience the Dragon itself, but I bet you'll be hooked on the experience the first time thru, even without that particular 12-mile drive.

 

I am staying very close to Deals Gap so I will give them all the business I can!

 

I will be staying there so they will get some money from me!

Glad to hear they have MINI stuff as well.