7/7/07 Cruise to Tail of the Dragon

[Al N.]

Wow. There's been a surge of forum members as well as registrants for 7-7-7. Thanks again all.

 

 

 

A few weeks back, I had a discussion with the primary host hotel to see what the max capacity (for cars, not guests...we hit that a long time ago) is and the figure I was given was 80.

 

 

 

Mazda and I are headed down this weekend and will confirm this. But, seeing as we are at 71 already, I think that it will be prudent to start the waiting list at the 80th car, so we have guaranteed space for 77.7 LSiS vehicles (there's only one non-LSiS signed up as of today).

 

 

 

We'll be sure to keep the folks on the waiting list in the loop for everything going forward and then, at least 2 months before the event, have a "are you really in?" deadine for the first 77.7 to sign up — if there are people who withdraw (expected and totally fine as long as you let us know in advance instead of bailing the weekend before), then we'll offer spaces to the people on the waiting list in order of registering.

 

Al Navarro2006-11-01 09:56:14

[Al N.]

X-post from RECON Thread.

 

 

 

A report from our Nov. 4 visit to TotD.

 

 

 

My initial and lasting impression is that the Tapoco Lodge is PERFECT for our needs. We can park lots of cars there, in the main lot and also up the access road to the cabins and quonset hut/theater. We were able to ask the owners lots of questions and get a lot of guidance on how we want to structure meals and meets and menus.

 

 

 

Right now, we're thinking about having 3 official group meals...Friday Dinner (burgers and portable foods so you can walk around and check cars out), Saturday buffet breakfast (including eggs and such), then Saturday dinner again (perhaps a pig roast, so it's more festive). For Sat lunch and Sunday meals, you're on your own (some folks are leaving early Sunday anyhow).

 

 

 

We're still discussing how to bill registrants for the meals — I personally prefer to not have to shell out for every little thing, instead paying a flat rate that includes all the stuff, including gratuties, etc. I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to just enjoy the time with everyone and not have to keep reaching for my wallet. Please post your thoughts on this matter here.

 

 

 

Another idea that came up on the visit was the notion of having movie screenings at night in their large quonset hut, a large building with vaulted ceiling that seats up to 150. Stuff like "The Prisoner", "Rendezvous", "Le Mans", "Grand Prix", etc. Al Navarro2006-11-04 13:56:35

[Al N.]

X-post from RECON Thread.

 

 

 

FULL DRAGON RUN VIDEO

 

 

 

In 5 parts.   

 

 

 

No sound, but all you're missing is Mazda and I talking about cars and corners.

 

 

 

PART 1:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4-a9t5Jd8Q

 

 

 

PART 2:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6slCqP6hM

 

 

 

PART 3:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXKP9RNK08

 

 

 

PART 4:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edBiQ-u-ecA

 

 

 

PART 5:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn3sjBkAhc4

[Al N.]

!!!MONTHLY ORGANIZER UPDATE!!!

 

 

 

Note that this email was sent to all 75(!!!) people who have registered for the event at the official registration page:

 

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/forum/eventregistration/index.aspx

 

 

 

I am posting it here as a courtesy for people who have not yet registered. It’s not my intention to rehash everything from the trip in this post. But I did want to share some observations about the area. Pardon me if I ramble:

 

 

 

For starters, it’s quite a beautiful part of America. And still, seemingly unspoiled (read: there is no Starbucks or Walmart in Robbinsville….yet). It’s also quite affordable, all things considered. For example, a 12 oz. bottle of soda at a vending machine cost me 75¢ — I was already pulling a dollar and change out to pay. A great meal for 4 adults (no alcohol) at the one Mexican restaurant in town was $40, with tip. You’d pay 50% over or more in my neck of New Jersey (and I live in a very rural part of NJ). I also saw gas under $2.

 

 

 

Speaking of no alcohol, Graham County NC is dry. Meaning they do not sell beer, wine, or hard liquor in stores. However, thanks to a grandfathered loophole that has to do with having a tennis court on site, the Tapoco Lodge can sell beer and wine. You can bring your own hard alcohol if desired, but please support the locals in your consumption of beer and wine.

 

 

 

All the people we met with were extremely nice. Alas, we were not able to get to Fontana Lodge on this outing — we just ran out of time and put researching possible auto-X sites first. Apologies to anyone who was looking for a POV on Fontana. The good news is that we will try to make one more visit in the Spring and will make Fontana a priority. If anyone who lives closer feels like taking pix of rooms and such for the group, that would be appreciated too.

 

 

 

Do not be fooled by mileage signs. Because of the general meandering of virtually every road in the area, it takes about twice as long to get where you’re going. So if something is 15 miles away, count on it taking about 30 minutes. Robbinsville is about 20 minutes to Tapoco, which is 30 minutes away from Fontana. There are serious elevation changes between Tapoco and Deal’s Gap and Fontana too.

 

 

 

While I’m on the subject of driving…even if the Dragon didn’t exist, this would be a driver’s/motorcyclist’s paradise. 129 from Tapoco to Robbinsville (technically not part of the Dragon) would be a prime blatting road just about anywhere else. Ditto Rte. 143, which takes you past Ron and Nancy Johnson’s house on the way to the Cherohala. An aside about the Johnsons…they have a gravel drive at their property, but they assure me that one of their rental homes (“The Ridge”) has easy access for sports cars, in addition to including a large barn that could house quite a few Sevens…so if you don’t have a place to stay yet (it’s about 30 minutes from Tapoco, in the opposite direction from Fontana) you may want to check it out.

 

 

 

Mazda and I stayed at the MicroTel, which is new and offered small and spare but clean and comfortable rooms. The only potential drawback to staying there (or the nearby San Ran) is that your car is visible from the main road. Not that that is necessarily a problem — there were a few high-end cars parked in the lot during our stay, including a GT3ish looking Porsche. If you are concerned and want a more private place to park you car, then choose Fontana or perhaps the Blue Boar Inn or Blue Waters Lodge (see tailofthedragon.com for links to the sites of these properties). People looking for more upscale lodgings should look into the Snowbird Resort, where we’re told Porsche has hosted several journalist junkets.

 

 

 

We thought about rain contingencies quite a bit over the weekend. And I think capping our numbers at 77.7 gives us an advantage because we can fit everyone into Tapoco’s quonset hut (seats 150) for meals. And should it rain for the bulk of Saturday, we will have some activities (slot and/or RC car racing, as well as movies) to keep the less hardy

[Al N.]

And just in case you haven't made yourself sick enough watching the videos above...whoop, here it is (a condensed version that flies through half an hour of driving in about 6 minutes):

 

 

 

Al Navarro2006-11-09 07:51:17

[powderbrake]

I am looking for advice on the best route to the Dragon.

 

I am coming from St.Louis, pulling a 16' enclosed trailer with a Tahoe, and I don't think I want to drive that combination through the Tail Of The Dragon. It appears to be very tight for a car-trailer combination, and I don't want to tie up the traffic in case someone is making a "Banzai" run.

 

I am staying at the Fontana Village, so if I come at it from the south, through Chattanooga, then hwys 64, 129,74,and 28, I can avoid the Dragon.

 

Can anyone advise me if this is a good route?

 

 

 

My Microsoft Trips & Streets says this is 606 miles for me, which is about 50 miles further than coming from the north through Knoxville and via the Dragon, but I want to experience the Dragon for the first time in my Se7en.

 

 

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

[Al N.]

Jerry-

 

 

 

I think Bill & Marcy P. would be best qualified ot answer...the Cherohala from Tellico Plains, TN (off of 40/75/411) may not be terrible either...see tailofthedragon.com for a map of regionl.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

-Al

[Al N.]

Folks...apparently the email I sent to the registrants earlier today never came through (I cc'd myself and still haven't received it!). I tried one more time just now but don't want to push my luck and start peeving people off in case they both come through at once. Rest assured that teh post above contains entirety of email.-Al

[Al N.]

NOW JUST ONE SLOT LEFT!!!

 

 

 

Wow, I just saw that there are 78 people signed up as of this PM. Less Tony V's Elise, that's 77 LSiS cars. Throw in a point-seven (0.7) that gets rounded up (or covers a semi-complete car) http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif

 

 

 

As I mentioned on a recent post to the usa@se7ens.net list, we'll be keeping a standby list from car 80 on up. Before the end of 2006, we'll announce the reg. fee (will cover meals, insurance, some printing costs of maps, etc.) and start taking deposits, with a hard deadline sometime in the Spring, to give us time to offer any unclaimed/unpaid slots to people on the standby list.

 

 

 

Thanks again all for your interest and support.

 

 

[Al N.]

X-post from General Thread

 

 

 

Friends, romans, carntrymen...

 

 

 

I'm happy (and frankly shocked!) to report that it seems like we have met our full complement of 77.7 LSiS vehicles for the 7-7-7 Event down at Tail of the Dragon next July.

 

 

 

We will start taking names for the waiting list now.

 

 

 

Note that the cap on the number of cars is really based on wanting to have an organized fun event and not mass chaos.

 

 

 

On another note, we will be announcing the costs of the event (reg. fee) and what will be included for the reg. fee somewhere around Dec. 7, in our monthly organizer updates.

 

 

 

X-post from Events Thread

[Al N.]

!!!Monthly Organizer Update!!!

 

 

 

 

This email was just sent out to everyone who has signed up via the 7-7-7 registration page.

 

 

 

----------

 

 

 

Dear 7-7-7 Registrant-

 

 

 

Al Navarro again.

 

 

 

Time, it appears, is one of the only things that flies faster than a Se7en.

 

 

 

It seems like just yesterday when the East Coast Skyline group that Mazda brought together was sitting around a table poking around the idea of meeting up again, perhaps with even more Se7eners… at a certain road that traverses the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

 

 

 

That was over 6 months ago, and thanks to the efforts and interest of many, our little meet at Tail of the Dragon has grown to what I think will probably be the largest gathering of LSiS vehicles ever in the USA. And now is the time when the rubber truly meets the road.

 

 

 

Based on our recon trip to the Dragon, input from folks who have registered, and further discussion among the event organizers, we have established a registration fee for the event of $100/per driver. This fee will be collected via a secure online page that uses the popular and reliable PayPal system. You can pay with a PayPal account or any credit/debit card. The normal (and nominal) PayPal fees will be added to your total. If you would like to avoid these fees or prefer an offline transaction, an address to which you can send a check or money order will be provided. The online order form will be live on or around January 7, 2007 — we’ll send an email announcement.

 

 

 

The $100 fee breaks down as shown. Each line item is more fully described below.

 

 

 

$40 group meal package

 

$20 Annual USA7s Club membership — includes insurance

 

$20 Regalia (T-shirt and other souvenirs)

 

$20 Route Map/Event Booklet Printing and Misc. On-site costs

 

 

 

Group Meals

 

There will be 3 group meals.

 

 

 

- Friday casual dinner

 

(Outdoor grill: hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breast sandwiches, veggie burgers, assorted trimmings, non-alcoholic beverages)

 

 

 

- Saturday breakfast buffet

 

 

 

- Saturday Night Pig Roast

 

 

 

Non-alcoholic beverages will be included in the meal price. Beer and wine will be available for purchase at the dinners. For the sake of convenience, we have built in a gratuity for all meals.

 

 

 

The meal package is available separately for additional adults attending with the primary registrant. Because of the relatively small number of children coming, kids’ meals will be handled on an a la carte basis. Additionally, no official group breakfast has been scheduled for Sunday morning, as autocross participants may have to leave fairly early in the morning.

 

 

 

Club Membership

 

Building on the momentum of the USA7s.com forum, a fledgling national-level marque-inclusive club has been created. More details on the goals and benefits of this not-for-profit organization will be available in January.

 

 

 

The primary benefit of membership as it relates to this event is insurance coverage for the event organizers and attendees. Note that this protection applies to the PNW 2007 Tour organizers and attendees also — if you register for the 7-7-7 event, the membership fee is waived for PNW 2007, and vice versa.

 

 

 

Some of the annual membership fees will go toward the hosting costs of the USA7s.com site — which I think has proven to be a valuable resource to all LSiS enthusiasts. Additionally, the costs of incorporation and non-profit status registration for the club have been shared among a core group of founding members and we’re planning to reimburse these guys as dues revenue allows. Again, look for an announcement in January 2007 about this exciting new club for LSiS owners and fans.

 

 

 

Regalia

 

Based on replies to our registrant survey, we will have a custom T-shirt printed for all event attendees — with some additional shirts available for purchase or order at the event. A dash plaque or some other keepsake may also be created.

 

 

 

Printing and Misc. Costs

 

When Mazda and I were down at TotD, Ron and Nancy Johnson (tailofthedragon.com) pro

[Al N.]

NOTE: The following email addresses bounced back to me:

 

 

 

anthonyseven@mac.com

 

 

 

JglenG@jimgunther.com

 

 

 

peterhallinor@judgefite.com

 

 

 

PLPerryiii@prdigy.net

 

 

 

alkitch@microntransformers.com

 

 

 

If you are one of these people and would like to keep getting the monthly event updates, please email Mazda E. or I with an updated email address or chime in here.

 

 

 

UPDATE: I've gotten corrected email addresses for the first 3. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

Al Navarro2006-12-14 06:14:05

[DeanG]

Finally made our reservation at the Fontana Village Resort.

 

 

 

Dean

[Al N.]

A point of clarification:

 

 

 

I got a reply from one registrant who asked what the costs for spouses/significant others would be.

 

 

 

My response to him was that you'd have to simply pay another meal package ($40). He also asked about getting a t-shirt for the spouse/significant other to help them feel like they're more part of the event. I'd like to know people's opinions on including a t-shirt for spouse/significant others with the additional meal package — we were trying to keep the prices as low as possible and decided to handle the additional t-shirts a la carte. Please chime in if you have any opinion on this.

 

 

 

A second point of clarification:

 

I want to point out that Mazda and I are merely "Acting" President and Treausurer of the USA7s Club. In the paperwork for the incorporation and not-for-profit status, a minimum of 3 officers had to be noted. Jerry E. is the Acting Secretary. Elections will be held sometime in 2007, after the Club membership gets some critical mass.

 

Al Navarro2006-12-12 13:17:36

[Boxologist]

make an extra meal package/t-shirt option. there may even be some gray market aparel. apparrel. in peril? clothing, whatever.

[mr2dux]

In the post above, there is a breakdown of costs of the $100 registration fee. Seems to me simple enough to allow a second participant in the same car to choose what additional features they want. My passenger will definitely want the Regalia (T-shirt and other souvenirs) option, and may want a book. I'm happy to pay the additional $60 for the food and stuff options, and think that would be an easy way to handle it. FWIW.

 

Mark

[slngsht]

We'll make it happen http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/cheers2.gif

[solder_guy]

memorabilia? USA7s.com keychain??

 

 

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

 

 

[Al N.]

Rob-

 

 

 

We're still sorting out the non-t-shirt mementos...got a good lead on panoramic photography from one registrant and lots of good feedback from others.

 

 

 

Our January email should be going out by Mondayish...keep an eye on your in boxes.

 

 

 

One note I'd like to make is for all the manufacturers/distributors who have signed up or who are interested to email me (al@mintadv.com). I have an idea that I'd like to bounce off you all and want to make sure I'm connecting with the right people instead of guessing from your names on the list.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you in person in July.

 

 

 

-Al

[Al N.]

A thought...

 

 

 

Since everyone has a different level of tolerance for g-forces exerted while driving their seven on the street...it might make sense to let people self identify for the 7-7-7. That way, people can hook up with people who drive at a similar pace and won't feel like the odd person out.

 

 

 

For example, I'm a total softy compared to Mazda. Perhaps we have sign up boards with A, B, and C groups...where Mazda is an "A" and I am more of a "B" or "C" if I've got a passenger!

 

 

 

Just a thought. Would love to know what people think. Also...note that the organizers will not technically not be leading or organizing individual group drives, but will allow for attendees to find other attendees and drive pre-mapped routes, starting out at mutually convenient times.