Hey guys and gals,

it's that time of year again

We have a group leaving out of Wilmington DE (right near route 95) the morning of Thursday, April 18th. Exact time is to be determined.

As always, we plan to drive down to DGRR throughout the day, arriving in Bryson City NC late that night. This allows us to sleep in a bit on Friday and relax as everyone arrives.

Many of us have attended this event five year's running, and have found this to work the best. The caravan will include many rotary enthusiasts equipped with lots of tools and spare fluids, and we welcome all to join us

If there is a group leaving from the NYC area and heading down as was the case last year, we can arrange to meet up and then continue south.

If interested, be sure to post up..... April isn't that far off

 

Hey, if you want to carry some fluids. You can carry me some E85 fuel.

I’ll be down with the cruise. I will be coming from Suffolk, Long Island.

 

I'd be able to meet up in NJ since I'm comming from Boston.

 

Hope I can make it these year..

It will be my second year going

 

A small group of us will be leaving from Baltimore that morning also. Depending on the timing we might be able to work something out as far as a meet up.

 

Sounds good guys, the more the merrier

 

I'm assuming you guys are using the tpike to get down to DE? I can meet up around the rest area by exit 6 I think it is?

 

Well seeing that last year it took us 20 hrs to get down to Deals Gap from NJ taking 95 down - I think we are going to be taking 81S down for the majority of the way.

 

95 is a possibility going around DC..... we went THROUGH it last year and it was a NIGHTMAREEEEEE. Never again

 

81s to 40 is the fastest way that ive found down there. Im from NePa and actually moved to Bryson city and still havent got to the rally Hopefully next year since im back in Pa now.

 

20hrs!!!???

I think we took 81 last year.....
GPS had it at 13hrs.... without pit stops

 

You DON'T want to take I-95 thru the Baltimore & DC metro areas if you can possibly avoid it.... Traffic always sucks, and it will slow you down big time.

My route from Elkton, MD (1st exit on I-95 south of DE border) is I-95S to B'more beltway west, hop on I-70W, take that to US340W/S to VA Rt 7W for a bit until it hooks up with I-81S in VA for the next 334 miles. Then onto I-26W/US23S/I-40W until you hit US 74W which takes you right to the lodge. Mapquest says this route will take 10 hrs 37 minutes.

Last year, I was supposed to link up with the NE caravan / Speed1 guys, but they had a late start and/or some mechanical issues that slowed them down, so we never linked up and I pressed on ahead. Left my house around 0630 to avoid the worst of the B'more beltway/I95 traffic, and made it to the lodge in just about 11 hours. That time included a relaxing 30~40 minute stop for breakfast, a refuel/fluids check and a late quicky lunch in VA, several quicky stops to stretch legs and/or take a leak along the way, and a final stop to refill the tank in Bryson city.

If you guys are leaving early enough to punch thru the worst of the B-more beltway traffic, and have a good enough plan to get us there NLT 7PM or so, I'd be interested in linking up somewhere along the way. PM me to exchange contact/phone info.

 

T-minus 1 week and counting guys..... we're leaving from the NYC area at the crack of down Thursday morning. Who is still interested ?

 

I'm down. Do you know what route your taking yet?

 

Lookin at 78 into PA and then 81 on down south

 

a small group of us are meeting at 6am thursday morning at the Sonic outside the baltimore beltway off the liberty road exit. Anybody interested in meeting up let me know. we will have motorola radios with us, still need to decide on a channel to run on.