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If you are making rally plans this year and need a change from Sturgis, try Smoky Mountain Bike Week held near Fontana Lake in North Carolina. The rally is held in October with about 1,000 riders attending in 2006. So there aren't the crowds and that makes for great rides and new friends.
The rally hosts at Fontana Village Resort make you feel right at home and create a great local feeling with the social events. Last year's highlights included: |
A music festival featuring local rockabilly and acoustic bands played their hearts out for you. In 2006, there was a lady carrying the name of Shawn James with a voice as deep and strong as nearby Fontana Lake that seemed to define the best musical moments over several days. Another band, The Chili-billys showed off their talents by playing all the southern rock that everyone knew. The crowd was encouraged to make requests.
· Rally Bonfires held in the large field near the music stage so people could gather together and enjoy the crisp fall evenings. In 2006 we had clear nights and a full moon for dancing and howling.
· Vendor access near the Lodge and rally grounds made it possible to ride in and shop, then step over to the pizza shop for beer and hot food. People chose to hang out, get a patch for their leather and eat North Carolina BBQ until it was time to ride again.
· A great choice of accommodations in the lodge with the huge stone fireplace, cabins in the trees or camping below the dam at Fontana Lake. The food is very good at the Fontana Village Resort restaurant.
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The people we met in 2006 included a family with their little girl riding behind mom on a pretty sweet trike. There was the father and son riding down from early cold in Minnesota. Dad wanted to give his son a few new memories after his return from Iraq. There were scores of people from all over the world riding through Hellbender, the Dragon and Cherohala. The fall colors were great and the traffic wasn't bad riding through Smoky Mountain National Park.
The 2007 rally will be held from October 4th through the 7th just in time for autumn to present its fall color lineup. In 2006, Smoky Mountain Bike Week was held concurrent with the Myrtle Beach Bike Fest so it was possible to ride from one rally to the other. The same is true for 2007. It's a great chance to ride thru the Carolinas from seacoast into the mountains. There are so many possible stops along the way it is hard to capture the options or even expect to arrive at your rally destination on time. The obvious stops along the way would be Hickory, NC - a bluegrass stronghold or perhaps Asheville, NC to visit the Vanderbilt mansion and then old town for a bite to eat. A detour along the Blue Ridge Parkway is another option, it would be a great ride and probably shared with other rally goers on the road.
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| The rally is held at the Fontana Village Resort located on State Road 28 known as "Hellbender28" and joins up with the infamous "Tail of the Dragon" on U.S. 129 at Deal's Gap, N.C. Fontana Village has a "pit stop" right on Hellbender28 with the look of a 1950's style gas station. Riders can fuel up their machines, grab a cold beverage and swap bike stories of the day. Since Hellbender28 is truly a great riding experience there is much to share. For riders at the rally, the pit stop was a place to hear about conditions on the twisties before heading out.
Riding Hellbender28 is like dropping down an elevator shaft and then it pops out along beautiful Fontana Lake and the Little Tennessee River. It is a gripping ride down through the trees and breaks out upon broad waters with quiet places to stop and enjoy the scenery. Hellbender28 climbs the mountain on the other side of the Little Tennessee River to intersect with the infamous Tail of the Dragon (US Hwy 129). The good news is that the dragon has a new tail meaning fresh pavement which gives a much smoother ride and more traction than the surface provided in recent years.
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Another ride is the Cherohala Skyway which runs for 31 miles along the Smoky Mountain ridges at an elevation of 5,400 feet. The high ridges give early color to the region punctuated by sweeping curves and broad vistas that are a pleasure to cruise. There are plenty of good places to pull over and you will be met by fellow riders sharing the same great experience with you. It is an entirely different experience from riding the Tail of the Dragon or Hellbender28, yet they are all close together. It is possible to combine the rides to make a wonderful day shared with others along the way.
The Fontana Village Resort knows what a great riding place their part of North Carolina is and offers great lodging, food and RV camping to complete your experience. If you can't wait until the Fall rally, Fontana Village is holding "The Dam Bike Rally" from May 31st through June 3rd. The rally is named for the highest dam east of the Rockies and was built in 1942. If you are a fisherman there is lake and trout stream fishing when you get off the bike. But that will be a tough decision with all the great riding. You can get more info on the May rally at www.dambikerally.com.
Safe travels. Life is best just cruisin'.
Matthew Allan is a moto-journalist living in Colorado and West Virginia. He keeps a ride in both places to placate the road demons that haunt him. He is the author of The Zen Guide to Motorcycle Riding and Iron Daze.
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| http://www.motorcycletraveler.com/JustCruisin/Smoky Moutain Bike Week--- Updated 09-13-07 |
