April 26 - 28 (965 miles)
Trip Report by Tony and Jill Barcia
We left on Friday morning, our route was 74W turning at Polkton to 218N onto 485 Outer, 85S and back onto 74W. From there the roads are scenic with beautiful mountain views. 74W joins I-40 for some miles and separates back to 74W again. 28N takes you to Fontana Resort which is where the rally headquarters, lodging and dinners were.
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We had wonderful weather for the ride to the resort but by Friday night the rain was with us.
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| Beautiful day at Fontana Lodge |
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| Friday evening the rain has arrived |
Friday night the MOA hosts gave a reception and we enjoyed meeting everyone and getting to know some of the directors of the MOA and learning more about the Salem, Oregon rally. We also found out where the 2014 rally will be held ... Minneapolis, MN.
Escorted rides were planned for Saturday each with a lunch stop, but the weather was not looking good. Saturday morning was wet and overcast but not raining ... yet. Because of the weather forecast the decision was there would be one escorted on-road ride and two off-road rides. The Thunder Road route would keep us out of the high elevations which might keep us from too much rain or fog.
Before we started that route we took a side trip to Fontana Dam, a few miles from the resort with our friends Bill & Nancy from Knoxville.
Their club is BMW Riders of Knoxville (ROK) and if you want to attend their rally it is at Two Creeks camp in Del Rio TN. Sept. 6-8. Check it out in the May BMW ON.
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| Tony, Nancy and Bill |
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| View from the overlook at Fontana Dam |
The dam was built in 1942 because of the urgent need for electric power during WWII and was finished in 36 months. There are some wonderful views from the pullouts and the top of the dam.
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| Arriving at the visitors center at Fontana Dam |
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| That's the appalacian trail crossing the dam |
The Thunder Road route was a beautiful ride through the Nantahala Forest and along the river. Despite the weather there were many people canoeing down the rapids, some of which were quite treacherous. We ate lunch at Lakes End Diner overlooking the lake and marina.
Just as we went in for lunch the rain started. Unfortunately, from there on it never stopped. Fortunately for those on ride the rain was manageable and we were back in an hour to a cozy warm resort for our dinner, door prizes and fun. Both Friday and Saturday we could test our skills on the road safety simulator in the reception room.
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| Back from Saturday's ride |
Saturday night's dinner was pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, beans and cobbler (very filling and tasty). Lots of door prizes and fun after dinner with our great MOA hosts and all the other riders.
While at the rally we saw Bob Snipes and George and Judy Bridger from our club.
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| Bill ( BMW ROK) Bob (CCBMW Riders) |
Sunday we left the rally in moderate to heavy rain. The rain never stopped and after 3 hours we got to Shelby. By then our rain gear had mostly given out and it was time to stop. There are not a lot of motels so we stopped at the first convenient place. Two of the best developments of that rainy day was that we were able to park the LT in the covered hallway between the buildings and there was a guest clothes dryer. We spent the rest of Sunday drying clothes and watching the still pouring rain.
Monday morning we left on wet roads and very overcast skies. To our amazement we made it home without any more rain. It was a great ride with periods of sun and 70 degrees. A nice ending to a very good rally.
A great trip report, Jill Barcia. It's shame the weather was not better for the event. It looks like everything was still in bloom in the mountains -- beautiful!
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