Is this the right place to post news of this event?
NOTE: Changed start time to 10:30 - better?

How about the windiest twisty roads you can imagine, the scenic splendor of our Appalachian mountains, authentic country life on the roads less traveled, and the crisp beauty of fall leaf color? - -

WHEN: Saturday, Oct 23, 2004
WHERE: Sugar Grove, NC (About 12 miles West of Boone)

TENTATIVE PLAN (Any and all ideas welcome!): We'll meet up at the Historic Cove Creek High School (home of the Doc & Merle Watson Folk Music Museum; see www.CoveCreek.net for map and info) at about 10:30 on the 23rd; start with a little bluegrass. I'll have some Doc Watson CDs for folks to play while on the drive so that you can feel in character! Then, up & around George's Gap Road and other twisties to the backside of Beech Mountain, down the front side of Beech to Banner Elk and a yummy lunch, then perhaps to Grandfather Mountain & the Mile-High Swinging Bridge, then possibly down the Blue Ridge Parkway to at least the Linville Viaduct. If you want to stay in the area on Friday night, I'll put as many as possible up at my place or can find you a really neat bed & breakfast! We do have motels too! - -

Please, CONTACT me with any questions, comments, etc!

 

Perhaps I should have introduced myself before posting on this forum. I sent my membershp form along with a $25 check to the address shown on the m2c2 website last week, and thought that made me a member. I apologize if I was mistaken. Anyhow, I hope that posting this event here won't be seen as too cheeky for someone so new to the MINI world.

 

Not too cheeky at all, MountainGal, and welcome to the club. I'm looking forward to the Leaf Rally; that should be a good time to get up into those mountains. Well, almost any time is a good time to get up there, really.

If you run out of Doc Watson CDs for participants, just tell them to tune their radios to WNCW, whose Boone repeater frequency is 92.9 FM. It's good music and would be appropriate after visiting the Folk Music Museum.

I hope you'll have lots of MINIs -- m2c2 members and others -- cruising through the mountains then.

 

Wooohooo,
Another drive. I might be able to make it.
Got run it by El Pres first and make sure.

Oh yeah and as long as it has LOTS of driving.....

 

Welcome to the club, and you did post in the correct location :smile:

Keep in mind that fellow motorers will have a few hours driving time just to get there. I would have to leave at 6 am just to hopefully arrive by 9, which is a little early for me..

 

Ok - what about 10:30 as a start time?

LJ - how did you get that post from me be one that's from you? This whole posting thing is confusing!! BTW, organizing an event, albeit small, seems to be a great antidote to the whole anxiety of waiting, obsessing with tracking thing!!

And, there will be LOTS of twitsy mountain driving! Plus some great socializing. I hope. Just give me your advice!! Thanks to all...

 

OK - I've changed the start time to 10:30 - how's that?

 

MoutainGal,

Welcome to the club!!! And thanks for organizing such a great MINI event. I've replied to your post on another message board but will do so again here. I am planning on attending! As this gets closer, I will let you know whether my wife will be joining me.

I think 10:30 is a good time to start.

Kevin

 

GREAT. I'm so excited about this! Hope that everyone will give me suggestions on how to help make it a super experience. - -

 

Can you give me an idea of how far Boone is from Raleigh?

Michelle

 

Our drive start location is about a 4 hour drive from Raleigh - depending on where you are in Raleigh. But why don't you come on in the night before? I'd be glad to host you here at our little mountain home, or find you a decent place to stay, your preference. It's so gorgeous here (IMNSHO), and such a great time of year to visit! You can go the Mast General Store & get unique Christmas gifts well ahead of time & really great winter sweaters (plus, I can get you 10% discount coupons)! Let me know how I can help.

 

Cool...how big of a place do you all have up there? Any kids I should know about? Don't mind kids...just need the mental prep since I don't have any. I don't want to feel like I'm intruding either on you or your family. Although, it will be nice not to have to get up even earlier than I did this past weekend to get to Greenville for our annual meeting!

This is cool too since it's right after I get my house! My mom can check on my kittie for me! Oh and what is the weather like up there? I get cold real easy. Oh, by the way, welcome to our club!

Michelle

 

Michelle, I've sent you a private message about our house. There's room here for several others if folks want to have a MINI jammy party the night before the drive!

Will probably be chilly here by then, though we often have perfectly balmy autumns. Who knows - here's our best local weather link: www.raysweather.com.

Hey - it's starting to sound like a party! - -

 

Trainman,

Ummm....I did that last weekend! Nothing like getting up at 5:30 to meet Keith by 7 to drive to Greenville. ACK!!

Michelle

 

Guys would you mind an interloper from Alabama? I just took posession of a new 05 coop' this past weekend, and am looking for excuses to come see my son a student in nearby boone. I'll have to get up last night to make it.

 

And I bet you were almost asleep at the wheel when you got home, too! You should have come over to the house and crashed. I know the jacuzzi felt really good to me with all my aching muscles..

Enimenimini, I don't have a problem with you joining us on the drive... :smile: The more the merrier, I say!

 

Hey - no such thing as interloping among MINIs! Not sure what your last line means exactly, but why not come up the day before? We'd love to have you!

 

Yup, it was that last 30 minutes home, so needless to say, the tunes got cranked. I would have stayed, but I didn't have the things I needed for that, and my poor kittie would have been starving by the time I got home!

Give me more a heads up and I can swing it!

Michelle

 

This posting originally posted above by LJinNC, but it came out as being posted by MountainGal.

I think 9 a.m. might be a bit too early. I suspect several people will drive to your starting point that morning, rather than spending the night there. I'd have to be up and on the road pretty early to arrive by 9 a.m.

Different drivers want different amounts of driving on an event. I live in the mountains, so want the sociability associated with an event more than the actual driving. Others, who live in cities or flat areas, want as many miles of mountain driving as possible.

What do others think is the ideal amount?

LJ

 

Uh, yeah.. What LJ said... I live 10 minutes from the bottom of where 276 starts it's climb up to Caesar's Head.. I think I can do it blindfolded by now!!

 

OK, we did switch the starting time to 10:30 a.m. (and could start later if folks want to - we are the very soul of flexibility!). On top of that, folks are both welcome and encouraged to come up to our lovely neck of the woods the night before. We can handle another four here at our home if you want a bed that you don't share or a couch, plus more if you bring sleeping bags and don't mind the floor. There are also great places to stay around here that are VERY reasonable, and it's just simply an AWESOME area! IMNSHO...

Any input on just how long the actual driving should be? Is it ok to have an end point somewhat south of here? ANY other advice or ideas?

This is really kind of fun to plan... - -

 

Mountain Gal,

Just depends, I've been on drives that are only an hour and I've been on some that are about 2 hours or more. Just depends on your creativity and how long or much you want to drive! You'll find out that most people just want to get out an MOTOR time is not an issue!!!!! No one will complain about the drive time unless it's only 30 minutes! Looking forward to it!

Michelle

 

Most of the drives I've been on are about 1.5 - 2.5 hours with some planned restroom/scenic/points of interest breaks along the way.

Kevin

 

If we could get started a little sooner, or meet on the north side of Greenville, we could motor longer.. I know I was dead dog tired when I got home last Saturday, and Tweety's Mom was exhausted..

 

OK, Trainman, I'm now officially confused! I did switch the start time from 9 am to 10:30 due to your sensible suggestion of 8-29. I am completely flexible - just want folks ot have a GREAT time in our incredibly lovely neck of the woods! Is the later start time not a good idea?

If it's all the same to most folks, I'm thinking that we'd "end" a bit south of here, which will give you a headstart home. Or, stay here for another night of MINI sleep-over fun! Just let me know what's best for everybody.