PRE BG MOUNTAIN RUN.

[Gunny]

UPDATE ... and a request for "updates" from those of you who plan to make the mountain run.

A winter storm did significant damage to the road between Gatlinburg & Cherokee ... i.e. a full blown rock slide closed the road near mile marker 13 or 14 north of Cherokee. The recommended detour added over 1 hour to Monday's drive plus caused us to miss seeing one of the more outstanding vistas on the whole trip (i.e. big photo op). Originally scheduled to be closed until mid May, I'm happy to report that after 24/7 efforts by the road crews, the road has been cleared and re-opened as of 5 days ago ... I'm now breathing a sigh of relief as I didn't want us to miss this particular stretch of road since it was an important part of the Smoky Mountains Loop.

So everything looks like a total "GO" now ... at this point I need to know how many participants to expect on the mountain run. Following Monday's run we want to have everyone come over to our mountain home following dinner for some coffee, dessert, and fellowship ... the boss said to get a number so that she would know how much to prepare and so I would know how many coffee cups to wash .

Once I have the list of participants I plan to send emails to everyone sharing last minute information, etc. It will probably be a good idea to share cell phone numbers (just in case). It you have an FRC walkie-talkie, be sure to bring it (those with spare radios, please bring them to share with anyone who doesn't have one). One caveat on cell phones ... we will be driving through several areas where you will be hard pressed to get any signal ... if you start to hear banjos playing, just drive faster

If you've never driven the roads in and around the Smoky Mountains you're in for a real treat ... all the roads are fun (and challenging) and even with 3 days we're only touching a small portion of what's available. The Tail of the Dragon is particularly "famous" and you can find plenty of YouTube videos if you wish ... click HERE to see a run I made on the way home from BG in 2009 ... 16 minute run in the rain ... not sure I want to do that again. If your passenger is prone to motion sickness, get some Dramamine or one of those pressure bracelets available at sporting goods stores. My wife has never made it through the Dragon without getting car sick; the only time that I "rode" through the Dragon, I got car sick ... doesn't seem to affect drivers but passengers sometimes have a hard time.

Please confirm that you are a definite and how many will be in your party. Thanks.

George