Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Report
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2nd Gear
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 61
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From: Frederick, MD
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Report
What I did on my summer vaction.
By Filet 0. Fish
Last week I went on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) tour hosted by the Tar Heel Mini Motoring Club (THMMC). This was my first road trip in my Clubman and my first bunch-of-minis-driving-in-a-line trip. One of these days I'll make it to a run closer to home.
For those who just want pictures and not a novel, just go here: http://www.tarheelminis.org/gallery/...ry.php/cat/534
My trip began on a sunny Thursday morning. I departed Frederick and headed out on 340 winding through the virginia and west virginia countryside. I ended up in Front Royal, Virginia for a quick lunch before jumping on skyline drive. Skyline drive was great, although the speed limit could be a bit higher. I took my time and stopped at a bunch of the overlooks for pictures. I felt a bit odd since most people were taking pictures of the scenery and/or thier significant others whist I was photographing my Mini. Overall, traffic was light, wildlife was visible, bugs were killed, and the scenery was great. I followed skyline drive to its end in Waynesborro where I first met up with the THMMCers who were organizing the trip. There were also motorers from southern Virginia, St. Louis, and Conneticut.
Leg 1: 178.2 Miles, 36.68 mpg (Hand calculated)
Friday morning we took a few photos of the around 16 or so Minis in attendance. We then headed out for the parkway, and made our first stop for a big group photo by the "Entering Blue Ridge Parkway" sign. Moments later we finally hit the parkway and began to tackle the curves. Fueled by fears of federal speeding tickets, the pace was kept fairly slow, but increased steadily throughout the trip. What is normally a very beautiful road was made even better by the addition of a line of minis drafting nascar style over the hills and through the curves. We made a few stops, but I was too busy enjoying the drive to pay attention to the names of the places we stopped. By lunch time we had picked up a group of three more Minis, which helped make our line of minis more impressive. After lunch at Panera, we made our way back to the parkway and headed towards our next destination, Sparta, North Carolina. The drive along the BRP continued with sunlight filtering through trees onto a twisting thread of asphalt. It's hard to put into words and I was too busy steering through curves to attempt any photography. The day ended in the little town of Sparta (it took all my self restraint to keep from making a bunch of "300" jokes) with a nice slice of homemade coconut cream pie.
Leg 2: 247.6 Miles, mpg grouped with next leg
Saturday began with the wiping down of cars as we had a bit of overnight rain. I learned quite a bit about detailing and cleaning my Mini from watching others on the trip. Heading onto the parkway, the opening chords of "Ironman" by Black Sabbath rang out over the radios. The pace continued to quicken and the curves got faster. The plan was a leisurely drive, but it is hard to keep a mini slow once it hits the kind of roads it likes. The best way I can describe it is that my clubman drove happy. The happiness was contagious as evidenced by the onlookers who would smile and wave as we drove by. At lunch we left the parkway and split up with radio instructions to meet back at the parkway at a given time. Wandering around typical urban sprawl looking for food was quite depressing. Along the parkway was just nature and minis, here it was walmarts and SUVs. After regrouping we continued along the parkway to a couple more "attractions" such as Linville falls. The highlight came a few hours later as we motored up to the top of Mount Mitchell (See http://www.flickr.com/photos/18558688@N02/2618898068/). The summit was 6000 something feet and offered an amazing view. The route down the mountain is where things got interesting. The BRP was closed on the other side of Mount Mitchell, so we were required to make a little detour. This came in the form of route 80, the steepest and twistiest road I've ever driven. I quickly learned the limits of the cornering abilities of my clubman and put my driving skills to the test. My grade would probably be a "C", made it safely down the mountain, but no points for style. After snaking around some flatter twisties at the foot of the mountain, we picked up the interstate and headed for Ashville, NC. The group had fragmented a bit thanks to the decent and the local traffic, so the interstate was a great chance for everyone to regroup. It felt like a scene from the italian job with minis popping out of nowhere an weaving through traffic.
Leg 3: 231 Miles, mpg for legs 2 and 3 was 32.34 (Sport mode on, lots of hills)
Sunday I headed home while the rest of the group made the last leg of the BRP into Cherokee in Tennesee. When I made my trip plans, Google maps advised my it was a 7.5 hr drive home from asheville and a 9-10 hour drive from Cherokee. Going on to Cherokee would require an extra day off work and tougher drive home. However, once it came time to part ways I really wanted to continue on. It was much harder to leave the group than I expected as I had grown attached to the other drivers. So I waved goodbye to the line of minis, currently around 20 strong, and pressed the home button on the GPS. Once on the interstate heading north, I set the cruise control, put my feet up, and took a nap. Ok, I only did one of those things, but the drive was so boring compared the roads I'd been driving for the last three days. The great part of this leg was:
Leg 4: 464.9 miles, 38.7 mpg! In an S Auto Clubman!
So the trip was great. It was the perfect escape from work and everyday life and exactly what I needed. Mark (aka Twister) from THMMC did a great job planning the trip. There is already a lot of chatter on the THMMC site about doing a similar trip next year. If so, I highly encourage everyone to try and make this trip.
Ok, it's getting late and I need to stop typing.
By Filet 0. Fish
Last week I went on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) tour hosted by the Tar Heel Mini Motoring Club (THMMC). This was my first road trip in my Clubman and my first bunch-of-minis-driving-in-a-line trip. One of these days I'll make it to a run closer to home.
For those who just want pictures and not a novel, just go here: http://www.tarheelminis.org/gallery/...ry.php/cat/534
My trip began on a sunny Thursday morning. I departed Frederick and headed out on 340 winding through the virginia and west virginia countryside. I ended up in Front Royal, Virginia for a quick lunch before jumping on skyline drive. Skyline drive was great, although the speed limit could be a bit higher. I took my time and stopped at a bunch of the overlooks for pictures. I felt a bit odd since most people were taking pictures of the scenery and/or thier significant others whist I was photographing my Mini. Overall, traffic was light, wildlife was visible, bugs were killed, and the scenery was great. I followed skyline drive to its end in Waynesborro where I first met up with the THMMCers who were organizing the trip. There were also motorers from southern Virginia, St. Louis, and Conneticut.
Leg 1: 178.2 Miles, 36.68 mpg (Hand calculated)
Friday morning we took a few photos of the around 16 or so Minis in attendance. We then headed out for the parkway, and made our first stop for a big group photo by the "Entering Blue Ridge Parkway" sign. Moments later we finally hit the parkway and began to tackle the curves. Fueled by fears of federal speeding tickets, the pace was kept fairly slow, but increased steadily throughout the trip. What is normally a very beautiful road was made even better by the addition of a line of minis drafting nascar style over the hills and through the curves. We made a few stops, but I was too busy enjoying the drive to pay attention to the names of the places we stopped. By lunch time we had picked up a group of three more Minis, which helped make our line of minis more impressive. After lunch at Panera, we made our way back to the parkway and headed towards our next destination, Sparta, North Carolina. The drive along the BRP continued with sunlight filtering through trees onto a twisting thread of asphalt. It's hard to put into words and I was too busy steering through curves to attempt any photography. The day ended in the little town of Sparta (it took all my self restraint to keep from making a bunch of "300" jokes) with a nice slice of homemade coconut cream pie.
Leg 2: 247.6 Miles, mpg grouped with next leg
Saturday began with the wiping down of cars as we had a bit of overnight rain. I learned quite a bit about detailing and cleaning my Mini from watching others on the trip. Heading onto the parkway, the opening chords of "Ironman" by Black Sabbath rang out over the radios. The pace continued to quicken and the curves got faster. The plan was a leisurely drive, but it is hard to keep a mini slow once it hits the kind of roads it likes. The best way I can describe it is that my clubman drove happy. The happiness was contagious as evidenced by the onlookers who would smile and wave as we drove by. At lunch we left the parkway and split up with radio instructions to meet back at the parkway at a given time. Wandering around typical urban sprawl looking for food was quite depressing. Along the parkway was just nature and minis, here it was walmarts and SUVs. After regrouping we continued along the parkway to a couple more "attractions" such as Linville falls. The highlight came a few hours later as we motored up to the top of Mount Mitchell (See http://www.flickr.com/photos/18558688@N02/2618898068/). The summit was 6000 something feet and offered an amazing view. The route down the mountain is where things got interesting. The BRP was closed on the other side of Mount Mitchell, so we were required to make a little detour. This came in the form of route 80, the steepest and twistiest road I've ever driven. I quickly learned the limits of the cornering abilities of my clubman and put my driving skills to the test. My grade would probably be a "C", made it safely down the mountain, but no points for style. After snaking around some flatter twisties at the foot of the mountain, we picked up the interstate and headed for Ashville, NC. The group had fragmented a bit thanks to the decent and the local traffic, so the interstate was a great chance for everyone to regroup. It felt like a scene from the italian job with minis popping out of nowhere an weaving through traffic.
Leg 3: 231 Miles, mpg for legs 2 and 3 was 32.34 (Sport mode on, lots of hills)
Sunday I headed home while the rest of the group made the last leg of the BRP into Cherokee in Tennesee. When I made my trip plans, Google maps advised my it was a 7.5 hr drive home from asheville and a 9-10 hour drive from Cherokee. Going on to Cherokee would require an extra day off work and tougher drive home. However, once it came time to part ways I really wanted to continue on. It was much harder to leave the group than I expected as I had grown attached to the other drivers. So I waved goodbye to the line of minis, currently around 20 strong, and pressed the home button on the GPS. Once on the interstate heading north, I set the cruise control, put my feet up, and took a nap. Ok, I only did one of those things, but the drive was so boring compared the roads I'd been driving for the last three days. The great part of this leg was:
Leg 4: 464.9 miles, 38.7 mpg! In an S Auto Clubman!
So the trip was great. It was the perfect escape from work and everyday life and exactly what I needed. Mark (aka Twister) from THMMC did a great job planning the trip. There is already a lot of chatter on the THMMC site about doing a similar trip next year. If so, I highly encourage everyone to try and make this trip.
Ok, it's getting late and I need to stop typing.
3rd Gear
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 197
Likes: 1
From: Oak Grove, Virginia
Was fun motoring with you Josh! Mandy and I hated to leave the group after just one day too. We had planned on taking to the highway for an express trip homeward, but opted to retrace our tracks along the Parkway for the more enjoyable drive.
Reliving the event through your post reminded me of what a cool sight it was from the rear of the pack on one of Fridays legs. Seeing 18 MINIs in front of us snaking along in unison, evenly spaced and winding though the curves up and down the rolling hills was awsome!
Reliving the event through your post reminded me of what a cool sight it was from the rear of the pack on one of Fridays legs. Seeing 18 MINIs in front of us snaking along in unison, evenly spaced and winding though the curves up and down the rolling hills was awsome!
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City, MD
Wow...... 
Thank you for the write up, I wish I knew about the event earlier.
The event was set at perfect timing, after schools' done. I'll definitely join the event next year. Please keep us update.
This is definitely a great event.
Thank you for the write up, I wish I knew about the event earlier.
The event was set at perfect timing, after schools' done. I'll definitely join the event next year. Please keep us update.
This is definitely a great event.
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