PivotPoint

I'm planning a road trip from SW Connecticut (close to NYC) to Amelia Island, Fl. I usually fly and stay at the beach for two weeks. Always wanted to take the 911 and deceided I'm going for it. Bringing my son who's off to college in the fall and he's excited for some seat time behind the wheel. Roughly 1200 miles total and I'm sure I'll be willing to give up the wheel for some of it.

I just got back from the dealer on Monday. I had miles left on my tires and would have prefered fresh shoes after the trip. Fear of a flat with no spare forced me to order new rubber. Dealer installed a new set of Michelin Super Sports and had the car on the rack for alignment, changed the oil and it's ready to go. I already used the search function and read some of the posts about this area. Most were dated, but found some good info. Went to Tail of the Dragon site and read all the storys and news. Haven't locked down a route or hotels yet. Hoping to mention my options and possibly get some feedback or advice.

Fastest route of course is hitting I-95 south. I plan to swing West of the city and head down I-81 South. I could drive about 9hrs and spend the night in general area of Blacksburg, Va. Then continue in the morning towards Knoxville and then do a loop of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway and then continue South down Moonshiner 28 into Georgia and proceed to Fl. I also looked breaking off I-81 South to 77 south and spending the night in Mt Airy NC (Andy Griffith show). In the morning I would continue down 77S then 40W to Ashville and loop the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway and exit to Georgia on Moonshiner 28.

I would love to make it from NYC to Asheville or alternate route to Knoxville, but 12 hrs in the seat doesn't count stops, food and pics and is probably pushing it. Would prefer 9 hr drive and stop for dinner. It would be nice to have some local food and check out some music, then hit the sack and be fresh for the Devils triange area after breakfast. Would love to get any advice from people familiar to the area on things not to miss or input on routes. Hoping to post some pics and comment on the tires when I'm done. Considering not making reservations and seeing how it goes. Easy to use the iphone, google map with hotel locator and just calling to get a room for the night on the road. Most of us are pretty **** and need to know exactly where we are going and where we are staying. My son is pushing for me to be more flexible. I'm back and forth on that idea. Thanks in advance for any input.

okbarnett

this has everything there is ;

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/index.html

PivotPoint

Thanks, okbarnett. I've looked over that site many times. I'm very familiar with the site and what I want to do in the devils triangle area. My son showed me this about a week ago. Real eye opening pics and reminds you to be prepared for the worst. The 997 is a great handling car, but nothing is going to navigate around these type of obstacles. Will have to revert back to motorcycle defense mode.

http://tailofthedragon.com/dragon_trucks.html

I was hoping to get lucky and have someone say if your driving by this town make sure you eat here, or continue to Knoxville on I - 81 , not missing much with Asheville and so on. I even checked Guy's diners,drive-ins and dives to see if anything is on route. Sometimes the best roads and scenery are a little off the radar. Even wondering how everyone keeps their cars so clean for posted photos on roadtrips in the forum. Guess a bottle of quick detailer, couple microfiber towels and some glass cleaner in the boot, will have to do. Maybe it's just me, but my car is a bug magnet, bright lights and speed aren't helping matters.

fjpdds

Downtown Knoxville "Market Square" area has a many independent restaurants, bar and grills, and outdoor patio places. Laid back and tasty stuff. Micro brews etc. Some decent rooms nearby. I'm not real knowledgeable on breakfast spots, but I'll check on it. PM if you like.
Sounds like a cool and memorable trip

okbarnett

The problem you are going to face is that it is in season for that area. Motorcycles are in season in the summer. Better to run thru the area in the winter. But youre going so make the best of it. I would think a good route wound be to find the Blue Ridge Parkway up north and go down to Ashville then go west on it to Cherokee. Then south to Robbinsville and go around the circle from there.

http://www.mbworld.org/forums/sl55-a...nksgiving.html

PivotPoint

Thanks. I read that the Devils Triangle can get real busy on weekends. I'm leaving Sunday morning to miss NYC metro traffic. I've targeted hitting the Tail of the Dragon on Monday to miss the weekend warriors that still believe they have nine lives. Just have to watch out for the 18 wheelers.

That was a nice confirmation on Cherohala skyway road conditions on the link you included. I had toyed with diverting off I-81 South and running parallel South down the Blue Ridge Parkway. I ruled out getting off I-81, for time reasons and thought I'd focus more drive time in the Triangle. Motivated me to reconsider and take some extra time on Blue Ridge. I found a great link that has attractions and mile markers identified. Here's the link for others that might want to hit that road.

http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=61023

Home page

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/index.php

PivotPoint

fjpdds, Thanks for the Market Square info. Sharp looking GT3.

p-cardriver

I have stayed at the Pisgah Inn which is rustic but close to Rte 151 which is a nice little drive that has no traffic (usually). www.pisgahinn.com will get you there.