Author Topic: 2020 STO Fall meet---Alleghany Inn / Sparta, NC Oct 9-11 (Read 7384 times)

tankhead · « **Reply #150 on:** October 09, 2020, 06:39:53 AM »

Quote from: garry on October 07, 2020, 12:12:55 PM

I'm out. I will be heading for the Catskills (Hancock) tomorrow for three days (Thu/Fri/Sat) and avoid the rain. The roads won't be nearly as interesting, but at least they will be dry and there might be some early fall colors in the mountains. I have zero confidence in the wet after my accident and Sat/Sun look to be all day rain in NC/WV.

Gary,
My wife and I were there 2 weeks ago and the colors were amazing. Camped in Phoenicia and drive up to Hunter Mountain to have breakfast on 214. Coming back down we took a road (Bloomer Rd). Then to Platte cove road south to Saugerties woodstock rd. Sheer drop offs and heavy on the breaks. Then we went up to Wilmington outside of Placid and the colors were even more intense. Whiteface was aglow.
Best of Luck.

Slides · « **Reply #151 on:** October 09, 2020, 08:49:13 AM »

Quote from: Mrs. DantesDame on October 07, 2020, 11:39:39 AM

Quote from: Slides on October 06, 2020, 09:00:12 AM
We just bought a cottage on Lake Chautauqua

Nosy Nellie here: Where abouts? My godparents had a place on Bemis Point and we used to spend a lot of time up there during the summers.

We are in Ellicott, on the north side of the southern tip of the lake. Bemus Point is only 10 minutes up the road and a great place for lunch or dinner. I'll more than likely hit the Ellicottville Brewing Company at some point this weekend.

zer0netgain · « **Reply #152 on:** October 09, 2020, 03:01:20 PM »

In Sparta. Took the long way and went to Tazewell then to Marion then from Damascus to Sparta. Good thing too. There’s a nice little store in Tazewell that has coffee, beer, gifts and frozen yogurt.

Mrs. DantesDame · « **Reply #153 on:** October 09, 2020, 03:13:56 PM »

Quote from: Slides on October 09, 2020, 08:49:13 AM

Quote from: Mrs. DantesDame on October 07, 2020, 11:39:39 AM
Quote from: Slides on October 06, 2020, 09:00:12 AM
We just bought a cottage on Lake Chautauqua

Nosy Nellie here: Where abouts? My godparents had a place on Bemis Point and we used to spend a lot of time up there during the summers.

We are in Ellicott, on the north side of the southern tip of the lake. Bemus Point is only 10 minutes up the road and a great place for lunch or dinner. I'll more than likely hit the Ellicottville Brewing Company at some point this weekend.

After I looked at the map I realized that Bemus Point was just the name I remembered, but not the actual location. The Godparents' house was actually at Point Chautauqua, near Dewittville. Oh well - it has been at least 30 years since I was there for more than just "passing by". Beautiful area though!

garry · « **Reply #154 on:** October 10, 2020, 05:15:47 PM »

Quote from: tankhead on October 09, 2020, 06:39:53 AM

Quote from: garry on October 07, 2020, 12:12:55 PM
I'm out. I will be heading for the Catskills (Hancock) tomorrow for three days (Thu/Fri/Sat) and avoid the rain. The roads won't be nearly as interesting, but at least they will be dry and there might be some early fall colors in the mountains. I have zero confidence in the wet after my accident and Sat/Sun look to be all day rain in NC/WV.

Gary,
My wife and I were there 2 weeks ago and the colors were amazing. Camped in Phoenicia and drive up to Hunter Mountain to have breakfast on 214. Coming back down we took a road (Bloomer Rd). Then to Platte cove road south to Saugerties woodstock rd. Sheer drop offs and heavy on the breaks. Then we went up to Wilmington outside of Placid and the colors were even more intense. Whiteface was aglow.
Best of Luck.

Had a great trip. Colors were good pretty much everywhere in northern PA and the Catskills. Sunshine, fall colors, and not too much traffic. Good times on the bike. Bored stupid in the evenings eating dinner and watching TV (Best of Ancient Aliens) by myself.

sr1 · « **Reply #155 on:** October 10, 2020, 07:39:24 PM »

Well, just got home. The Alleghany Inn is just like I remembered. There were a few STO guys there, I think we had 4 bikes total? That hurricane messed it all up. Sean and I had a good Friday, but going back to Knoxville today was nuts. I thought we'd avoid the rain by heading out in the morning, but we hit it head-on. My word I've not ridden in rain like that ever. Glad to be home, still drying out...

zer0netgain · « **Reply #156 on:** October 11, 2020, 03:51:22 AM »

Quote from: sr1 on October 10, 2020, 07:39:24 PM

There were a few STO guys there, I think we had 4 bikes total? That hurricane messed it all up.

Agreed. Three were leaving Saturday morning by trailer and a birdie told me the other two were doing likewise due to weather concerns. I saw no point in sticking around since there was no “ride” planned. I only had a couple of hours to get home though. Left as soon as I was packed.

I had two competing events for this weekend. The one in Texas would have me coming home in a monsoon, but it went ahead as planned. Only complication is that I came down with the crud on Tuesday and was at the doctor’s office on Thursday...the day I had to leave for Texas. So, that option was buggered no matter what.

smoker · « **Reply #157 on:** October 11, 2020, 10:03:40 AM »

Quote from: sr1 on October 10, 2020, 07:39:24 PM

Well, just got home. The Alleghany Inn is just like I remembered. There were a few STO guys there, I think we had 4 bikes total? That hurricane messed it all up. Sean and I had a good Friday, but going back to Knoxville today was nuts. I thought we'd avoid the rain by heading out in the morning, but we hit it head-on. My word I've not ridden in rain like that ever. Glad to be home, still drying out...

Skee · « **Reply #158 on:** October 11, 2020, 11:48:04 AM »

Hard to read with the photo turned sideways - does that say No Pterodactyls

Glad everyone made it home OK. You know it's bad when cars are pulling off the road.

smoker · « **Reply #159 on:** October 11, 2020, 01:15:18 PM »

What a phenomenal week of riding.

Slayman, Doug and I loaded our bikes in Doug's trailer Monday night, and headed for Sparta at 7am on Tuesday morning.
Once we arrived at the Allegany Inn, we unloaded our bikes, and checked in to our rooms. As it was only 4:00pm we decided to gear up and go for a quick shakedown ride.
After that, we walked up to the Main St Pizzeria and Taphouse, where Doug proclaimed he had the best wings he's ever had. Then it was back to the Inn for a few more parking lot beers.

Wednesday morning after a quick breakfast at JB's, we checked out and geared up for the ride to Bryson City, where we would be staying for 2 nights.
It was all Blue Ridge Parkway today. I'm not one to stop and take a lot of photos, so Slayman insisted we stop every 50 miles or so and enjoy the sights.
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After arriving in Bryson City and getting settled, we tried getting into Jimmy Mac's restaurant, but it was not to be. The hostess crossed our names off and when we went back in to check on our place in line, she said she could put our names back on the bottom of the list. No thanks, we'll eat somewhere else. So we ended up at Nate and Nick's Pizza, and enjoyed our meals. Then of course, back to the hotel for parking lot beers.

Thursday morning after I found a cup of hot coffee on my bike, (thanks Doug!), we started our day loop, which went counter clockwise up through Cherokee to Rt. 441, where we found the most traffic we saw all week. A beautiful ride by the Little Creek on Fighting Creek Gap Rd. took us to Wears Valley, where we picked up the Foothills Parkway, aka the Missing Link.
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That ended at Rt. 129 at the North end of Deal's Gap. We rode the "Dragon" down to the store, stopped there for a sticker, and decided we didn't need to do another run, the pavement was not in great shape, and it's a bit of a zoo, so we rode south to the Cherahola Skyway, which all 3 of us enjoyed immensely. After lunch in Tellico Plains, we rode back the Cherahola, then back up to Deal's Gap where we picked up Rt. 28. That took us all the way down to Rt. 74 and back to Bryson City. A walk to Mountain Layer Brewing had us enjoying a few brews and some delicious food from a food truck parked out back. A couple more parking lot beers and we called it a night.

Friday morning, I walked out to find another hot cup of coffee on my bike, (thanks again Doug!), we packed up and checked out, ready for another great day of riding.
We rode from Bryson City to Marion via mostly highway so we could get to some roads that I wanted to do on my Saturday loop in case we got rained out.
A quick bite at McD's in Marion, then it was game on.
We picked up Rt. 80 north

, and about a mile after we turned onto 80, I saw a medium sized black bear run across the road. That was cool.
Rt. 80 took us to Rt. 226, then up Rt. 261/143 over Roan Mountain pass.
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A short jaunt up Rt. 19e to Rt. 91 found us at the Shady Valley country store at Rt. 421. We did an out and back east and then rode west up over the next set of twisties, then Denton Valley Road north to Damascus, where we picked up Rt. 58. We followed that to Mouth of Wilson, then Rt. 93 to Rt. 21 back to Sparta, for a total of 900 quality miles in 3 days.

Zer0netgain was there to greet us in the parking lot, soon after, sr1 and Sean pulled in on their beautiful S1000R's. They decided to head back out to find some good roads while Slayman, Doug and I got settled in our rooms. We looked at the forecast for Saturday, and decided before we start drinking, we better load the bikes in the trailer if we were to head home Saturday. After we loaded, it was time to get loaded at Laconia Aleworks. Then it was another walk to Main St. Pizzeria and Taphouse for dinner. After dinner, you guessed it, parking lot beers. There was a ham radio group using the conference room at the Inn, so Slayman and I sat at the entrance a greeted (heckled) the attendees as they walked in. It started to rain around 8pm just as sr1 and Sean returned from their dinner, so we retreated to the porch outside our rooms to converse. I learned a few things from Sean about India, and learned that he owns a hotel in Sevierville which could make a great spot to host a STO event in the future.

Saturday we packed up and headed for home in a warm, dry truck. I would definitely trailer to that area again, as we were able to avoid slogging our bikes down Rt. 81 with all the truck traffic.

This trip will go down as one of my favorites. I really bonded with the R1200RS, the handling and comfort was phenomenal. It's the perfect bike for this type of riding, and since I had the pterodactyl whistle option turned on, I had no issues.

jimmy · « **Reply #160 on:** October 11, 2020, 04:54:56 PM »

"There was a ham radio group using the conference room at the Inn"

Were they enjoying a "good reception?"

Wish I could have made it down there!

Skee · « **Reply #161 on:** October 11, 2020, 04:57:14 PM »

Looks like a good time was had by all. Think I found your photos on killboy.com at 10:50 AM

garry · « **Reply #162 on:** October 11, 2020, 05:09:21 PM »

Laconia Ale Works??? That's new. In/near that restaurant we used to go to?

Somehow, I don't think I've ever ridden 441 or the Foothills Parkway. I guess I need to put that loop on my TODO list for the next trip south.

smoker · « **Reply #163 on:** October 11, 2020, 05:31:41 PM »

Quote from: garry on October 11, 2020, 05:09:21 PM

Laconia Ale Works??? That's new. In/near that restaurant we used to go to?

Somehow, I don't think I've ever ridden 441 or the Foothills Parkway. I guess I need to put that loop on my TODO list for the next trip south.

Laconia Aleworks is right next to the Allegeny Inn.

Foothills Parkway was awesome, especially the eastern section. Highly recommend it.

Quote from: jimmy on October 11, 2020, 04:54:56 PM

"There was a ham radio group using the conference room at the Inn"

Were they enjoying a "good reception?"

Wish I could have made it down there!

Lol, we missed all you guys that couldn't make it. Hopefully next year yields more events!

sr1 · « **Reply #164 on:** October 11, 2020, 10:21:03 PM »

I wondered where the coffee came from. Thank you Doug. Very nice of you!

doc4216 · « **Reply #165 on:** October 12, 2020, 11:10:47 AM »

Quote from: Slides on October 06, 2020, 09:00:12 AM

I am out as well regardless of weather.

We just bought a cottage on Lake Chautauqua and it just closed Sept. 25th. I've been there the last couple weekends but there's still plenty of demo to do before they take the dumpster away. I couldn't do some of the tear out that I wanted due to some electrical work I was waiting on, but that will be done this week and I just extended the dumpster through Monday.

Hope the weather holds off for you guys and it's a fun weekend. Next summer maybe I'll host a little gathering at the cottage. Bikes, kayaks, boats?! I know the riding in western NY isn't as twisty as our typical events, but there's still pretty good options.

Congratulations on the cottage! My BIL just closed on a house on the same lake! We are hoping our next assignment will be Cleveland, Buffalo, or Boston to be able to explore that area also.

miles · « **Reply #166 on:** October 12, 2020, 11:25:45 AM »

Quote from: doc4216 on October 12, 2020, 11:10:47 AM

We are hoping our next assignment will be Cleveland, Buffalo, or Boston to be able to explore that area also.

I scratched my head at that for a moment and then I realized that yes, Cleveland and Buffalo DO have coasts that need to be guarded from those fearsome Canuckistani pirates...

radon222 · « **Reply #167 on:** October 12, 2020, 11:56:22 AM »

Prubert · « **Reply #168 on:** October 12, 2020, 01:35:12 PM »

Smoker, I think I saw you guys at the Shady Valley store on Friday! I was on the blk/orange SMT parked by your bikes...

We got some riding in on wed-fri and got soaked heading home on Sat. Nice while it lasted!

smoker · « **Reply #169 on:** October 12, 2020, 03:43:36 PM »

Quote from: Prubert on October 12, 2020, 01:35:12 PM

Smoker, I think I saw you guys at the Shady Valley store on Friday! I was on the blk/orange SMT parked by your bikes...

We got some riding in on wed-fri and got soaked heading home on Sat. Nice while it lasted!

I remember seeing your KTM, sorry we missed you!

We had a great 3 days of riding as well.

zer0netgain · « **Reply #170 on:** October 13, 2020, 03:59:58 AM »

Quote from: smoker on October 11, 2020, 01:15:18 PM

After we loaded, it was time to get loaded at Laconia Aleworks. Then it was another walk to Main St. Pizzeria and Taphouse for dinner.

Wish I had known. Since you implied you’d just be drinking, I headed off to see what there was to eat. Most places were shut down. It probably would have been better than what I ended up with.

sodapop6620 · « **Reply #171 on:** October 14, 2020, 06:11:45 AM »

The BMW can lean all the way over until the head touches the ground. Keep going Smoker. We have faith in your ability.

Vulcanbill · « **Reply #172 on:** October 14, 2020, 08:02:05 AM »

Quote from: sodapop6620 on October 14, 2020, 06:11:45 AM

The BMW can lean all the way over until the head touches the ground. Keep going Smoker. We have faith in your ability.

All motorcycles can do that. The trick is to do it while moving.

I've been riding with guys on heavy bikes where the tires would slide before getting hard parts down or to the edge of a tire. I don't think the BMW weighs as much as an old Connie or an ST1300 but it is possible that given the tires and the road surface and camber, one simply might not be able to get to the perceived limit. Just sayin'

doc4216 · « **Reply #173 on:** October 14, 2020, 09:32:39 AM »

Quote from: miles on October 12, 2020, 11:25:45 AM

Quote from: doc4216 on October 12, 2020, 11:10:47 AM
We are hoping our next assignment will be Cleveland, Buffalo, or Boston to be able to explore that area also.

I scratched my head at that for a moment and then I realized that yes, Cleveland and Buffalo DO have coasts that need to be guarded from those fearsome Canuckistani pirates...

LOL. Not just the pirates but the stoooopid boater who think its "just like a car." They can buy one and the next day be on the water. It's one of the few recreational sports that you don't need a license for, just enough money to buy all the required equipment.