Gauging Interest: Blue Ridge Parkway cruise - Western NC

[Tray]

For the past 9 yrs I've hosted the Blue Ridge Rotary Run ("B3R") each October for mainly the rotary group - rx7s, rx8s, etc... This year's trip is the 8th and 9th. We meet up in Asheville, NC, grab breakfast and then cruise the parkway down to Cherokee, NC. For lunch, we drop down the parkway on NC276 into Brevard. Once in Cherokee, we setup camp at Smokemont Campground in the Smoky Mountain National Park. Start the fire, grill some burgers and dogs followed by enjoy the evening of hanging out. Next morning we grab breakfast in Cherokee and wish others well on their trip home.

We aren't trying to set any speed records and we do get stuck behind other tourist while we cruise along with trying to find enough parking at various overlooks. Just a nice, relaxed trip for about 80 mi on the parkway.

I am just wondering if folks on here would be interested in this trip, probably in the spring - April or early May time frame? Or would folks be interested in a gathering at Deals Gap (aka Tail of the Dragon)? I love giving people an excuse to get out and enjoy their cars with other enthusiasts.

and just for more info, though I've not updated this in a few years - Blue Ridge Rotary Run

 

[Grady]

Tray
I saw the Devils Courthouse sign and thought I'd provide you with some historical information that you probably don't know.

Across the Parkway road from the Courthouse sign is a 125 acre forest area planted with 125,000 Red Spruce trees (Confederate Memorial Forest). The trees were originally planted by the Daughters of the Confederacy over a three-year period beginning in 1940, planted as a living memorial to the 125,000 North Carolina Confederate veterans (40,000 were lost and is the largest loss of any state). Those seedling now 75 or so years old have grown tall and reseeded the slopes of the surrounding mountains. Most of which was burned in forest fires in the 1930s. They rose again.
If you walk up the Courthouse trail, you will walk through them. Enjoy the scent.
Grady

 

[Tray]

Thanks Grady, I had no clue about the forest.

 

[Steve Smith]

I would be interested, been too many years since my last Tail of the Dragon run. Beautiful drives up there. Only thing though is the concern having of rain and the 40 leaking like a sieve! Would it be OK to bring my 90 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo instead? I'll tape a picture of the 40 on the windshield.

 

[Tray]

hahaha... Steve, any car would be welcome, I'm not a 40 owner at this time so I would most likely be in a mazda.