Tellico River Road 2011

Paul, I would love to ride more, but currently my bent is getting a "face lift". Once I get it back I'll definitely ride more. However, I am picky about my rides and the days that I ride. giving notice ahead of time helps me too. I am planning on going on this ride, 'cause I have ridden it before and it is a very lovely ride.

 

No one's mad. But it is difficult to get a group together what with busy lives and rising costs. And consider the geographic separation of this forum. Very different from, say Knoxville, where the Smoky Mt Wheelmen have nearly 600 members and potentially dozens for local rides. Thanks for the offer, Keila. Will have to see; my wife has a huge family reunion that day. Remains to be seen if I can get out of it.

 

That is an issue, however, there are enough of us in any of the counties in the knoxville area that 2-3 getting together for a ride is better than none. Think about it, Dave, Buddy & Micky can ride together. Don, Jon, Rob & Terry could ride together...me, willie G, Ed, & paul could ride...then if we plan ahead like we're doing and give enough notice theoretically we could get have a really good group. Don't forget, save energy costs: CARPOOL. I am a member of the Warm Showers, and offer my home as a place for cyclists to stay when touring, but that doesn't mean ONLY touring cyclists. Heck if enough of you all came and stayed, we could have a big cookout, bon fire and a pajama party so to speak.

Choose wisely....family reunions can be a big deal & you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by not being there...

 

My wife is an only child. But her great grandfather had a wagon-load of children with three (!) wives. All those decades later it's a huge family. They rent an entire park in Grainger Co. for the reunion and use a full 4x8 ft. piece of coroplast with the family tree glued to it. And I don't know any of them, so my absence would not be noticed.

 

Don't be presumptuous...you never know.

 

Forecast as of Wednesday night for Saturday is partly cloudy mid 70s with no mention of wind.

Notes from last time there Sept. 15, 2007 (the 1700 ft. elevation gain sounds like a lot, but it's over 18 miles. Kinda like riding up Whitetop Mt. on the Creeper Trail, but it's all paved and therefore much easier to do). As I recall, the Visitor Center was closed but the restrooms were open:

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Sat Tellico river RocketRiders group ride; 10 riders. Buddy picked me up at home at 0615h; via I-75 & Hwy 68 arrived Tellico visitor center 0815h. Buddy & I rode the 4 miles from visitor center, met others at pull-off on Hwy 165, then 18 miles uphill and back; 1050 ft elevation to 2700 ft.

 

Shuttle concern

Meeting at the Visitors Center at 9:00 for a headcount seems odd. (1) We still won't know the status of parking at the upper (smaller) lot so if our numbers are as they presently seem it sounds as if we'll be the only ones being counted for the parking spots available. What if the lot is already full? (2) I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I pack heavy. Curious to know how my gear + trike is to be shuttled (if needed) along with everyone else? (3) If the upper lot is the beginning and the ending, and we have all shuttled, does that mean we'll have to wait until everyone has finished for the return shuttle?

Would the return ride from the upper parking lot back to the Visitors Center be cycling doable? Please help me understand this plan. Couldn't one just cycle the 4-5 miles where the shuttling is set for a last minute decision? Is it paved? I believe Paul is camping nearby and will likely get up early and hightail it up the hill on his trike but how will we know? After all, being a tram driver at Ober Gatlinburg, this is what he does!

I don't have a clue what the conditions are of that 4-5 mile connection, but it seems to me that if we individually get there early enough to scout out the upper parking lot and park there if available and wait until 9:30 to start, that this would be ideal. If on the other hand the upper lot is full, at least hope that someone is there to watch the unloaded equipment and drive back down for a 'body-only' shuttle?

Those of us on trikes could bring a tow strap and hitch a 'pull' (two at a time) from the Center to the upper parking lot if that ride is a higher difficulty! WHAT?

 

As I recall the ride up from the Visitors Center was relatively little traffic along a good, paved road. Don't recall if there are shoulders on the road, but early on a Saturday Sunday morning made it a moot point. It was a fairly easy 4 miles, and the ride back was downhill. If I make it to Tellico I plan to ride up to the overlook/pulloff/parking lot.

Disclaimer: I barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, much less bike ride details from 4 years ago.

 

Thanks

My preference at the moment is to ride up leaving the lower Center lot NLT 8:30 (Sunday morning); if you see my car in the parking lot, I'm somewhere up the hill. So please watch out for an old man playing in the road, or along it's shoulder smelling the dirt! In the case of the latter, take the peanut butter sandwich from my pannier and use it like smelling salts. If I don't respond, continue up the trail with the others and you can catch up with me later!

 

I hope to arrive near 0830. I'm camping in Bryson City, NC Saturday night, so that means I break camp at O-dark-thirty. My car will look something like this:



Looking forward to this ride!

Ohio tags

Rich

 

I see some posts in this thread seem to indicate this ride is Saturday but my calendar indicates the 25th is Sunday. I'm ready for Sunday but Saturday would be a no go for me. Assuming Sunday, I have a friend (not a member here) who will be coming so add 1 to the count. I'm really looking forward to this ride!