!! Cancelled. !!
Old timers on the forum would know that the group has historically held a motorcycle gathering in the Smoky Mountains area of western Tennessee/eastern North Carolina (USA) in mid to late may. The group that shows up ranges from around 10 to 20 people, some on NCs and some on other machines that vary from year to year. The origins of the gathering go back to an old Honda Nighthawk group, then a member on the forum here invited the NC group, and now it’s a mixture of old friends and newcomers on all kinds of street bikes.
The gathering was always centered around Kickstand Lodge, Stecoah, NC ( www.kickstandlodge.com ). However the COVID pandemic caused us to miss 2020, then in 2021 Kickstand opened later than usual. We had a gathering last year that was fun, but people were overnighting in several different locations so it was difficult to meet up with others in the group.
The timing has always been the weekend prior to the weekend that involves Memorial Day. So for 2022, that would be about May 19-22. The problem right now is we don’t know if Kickstand will open at all this year, or when they might open. The web site has not been updated for 2022. I emailed the owner in the past and I emailed them again today, awaiting response.
With all that said, I’m posting today to gauge interest in the outing, and get ideas for alternative dates or locations in case Kickstand Lodge is not available.
My personal thoughts:
1) Going the weekend after the Memorial Day weekend is fine with me if that allows us to be at Kickstand.
2) As for other venues, I will not stay at the nearby Iron Horse Lodge ( https://ironhorsenc.com/ ) as they changed ownership and in my opinion they are overpriced and offer poor service. We can operate the gathering from there if people wish, but in that case I would probably camp at Fontana Dam.
Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground over by the Blue Ridge Parkway got washed away in a flood last year and is not open yet. https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Ridge-Motorcycle-Campground-253493794663049/
Then over on the western edge of the foothills, at Tellico Plains, TN, there is a motorcycle campground that shows promise, but I have not stayed there https://smittyslodge.com/.
Over in the east, we could look at the touristy town of Maggie Valley. It offers plenty of hotels, but really no tent camping or a hang-out place. There are a number of RV resorts in that area.
Old timers on the forum would know that the group has historically held a motorcycle gathering in the Smoky Mountains area of western Tennessee/eastern North Carolina (USA) in mid to late may. The group that shows up ranges from around 10 to 20 people, some on NCs and some on other machines that vary from year to year. The origins of the gathering go back to an old Honda Nighthawk group, then a member on the forum here invited the NC group, and now it’s a mixture of old friends and newcomers on all kinds of street bikes.
The gathering was always centered around Kickstand Lodge, Stecoah, NC ( www.kickstandlodge.com ). However the COVID pandemic caused us to miss 2020, then in 2021 Kickstand opened later than usual. We had a gathering last year that was fun, but people were overnighting in several different locations so it was difficult to meet up with others in the group.
The timing has always been the weekend prior to the weekend that involves Memorial Day. So for 2022, that would be about May 19-22. The problem right now is we don’t know if Kickstand will open at all this year, or when they might open. The web site has not been updated for 2022. I emailed the owner in the past and I emailed them again today, awaiting response.
With all that said, I’m posting today to gauge interest in the outing, and get ideas for alternative dates or locations in case Kickstand Lodge is not available.
My personal thoughts:
1) Going the weekend after the Memorial Day weekend is fine with me if that allows us to be at Kickstand.
2) As for other venues, I will not stay at the nearby Iron Horse Lodge ( https://ironhorsenc.com/ ) as they changed ownership and in my opinion they are overpriced and offer poor service. We can operate the gathering from there if people wish, but in that case I would probably camp at Fontana Dam.
Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground over by the Blue Ridge Parkway got washed away in a flood last year and is not open yet. https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Ridge-Motorcycle-Campground-253493794663049/
Then over on the western edge of the foothills, at Tellico Plains, TN, there is a motorcycle campground that shows promise, but I have not stayed there https://smittyslodge.com/.
Over in the east, we could look at the touristy town of Maggie Valley. It offers plenty of hotels, but really no tent camping or a hang-out place. There are a number of RV resorts in that area.
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. I'm pretty sure I'm in - will commit (or not) once date is final.
