All of our standard tmac routes are great, but I'm looking to see if anyone has any suggested options or knowledge of areas we should avoid! I would appreciate someone taking lead at coming up with short(around 150) & long(around 250) route suggestions for both Friday & Saturday rides and the GPS mapping of each for everyone to download if desired.
Switchblade, the girl and I tried to find a suitable route up and back to Hot Springs but we kept running into dirt or closed roads. Gonna take a run down to Blood Mountain this weekend which shoudl be solid ride out of Franklin. I would need to look at the standard TMAC routes before suggesting alternatives so I guess I have some studying to do.
At least once a month I do the simple Knoxville to Frankiln run just because I can. Scenic and entertaining the ride is such a sensory overload I can't get enough of it. It gets interesting on the Foothills Parkway, then just gets better as we run the Dragon, jump on 28 and take it all the way to Cowee, just north of Franklin. Then we turn around and run it in reverse. Anyone who has done that ride would have to agree that it captures all the essential elements of riding in this area. Epic
[image: View Post]HispanicSlammer, on 22 April 2012 - 08:13 PM, said:
I tossed all the old tmac routes I still have saved into one GPS file, saved it as a garmin file and as a gpx file.
Not getting a lot of suggestion for Tmac route so I'm going to just leave it up to each group and their Lead to pick one. HS posted all we've run here(post #4) and there's been a few extras like Bill's 196'er and Davids 230 mile'r so check'em out and let me know what route you plan to run at the event.
Thanks
Here's a route different than I've ever done at TMAC.
1. NC28 to Deals Gap
2. US129/TOTD
3. North on the Foothills Pkwy
4. Right on TN73/Lamar Alexander
5. Left on Little River Rd/Old TN73
6. South US441 over the Smokies to Cherokee (a short detour could be taken a few miles north first for a stop into Gatlinburg if the group wants)
7. Then US441 south to Franklin (if group is tired and doesn't want to end technical or is behind schedule and needs higher speed) or you could go south on the Smokey Mountain Pkwy and then back to Franklin on NC28 for more tight twisties.
Total length about 190 miles if I remember right.
I did a route kinda like this one last August one day. We were staying in Cherokee instead of Franklin and we also went over and back on the Dragon and then did over and back on the Cherohala before heading back up US129 to the Foothills Pkwy. Did a big late dinner in Gatlinburg. Ended up riding over the Smokies on US441 in the pitch black in torrential rain and lightning. I had the pleasure of doing it in mesh gear. It was an experience.
US441 is a very scenic twisty ride over the Smokies. Can be a little crowded with cars on Saturdays so this would probably be a better route on Friday. Lots of good spots for beginner/scenic groups to pull off and rest on this route.
Another option would be to run up the BRP to Mt. Mitchell.
1. NC28 North
2. US19 North
3. US441 North
4. Blue Ridge Parkway North 115 miles to Mt Mitchell State Park at BRP mile marker 355.
5. Reverse route to come back. For a faster return route you could hop on I-40 West in Asheville and then come down US74 and then US441.
Total route length about 320 miles if you do the southern end of the BRP each direction.
Mt Mitchell State Park has a pretty decent restaurant to eat at and you can take a short trail hike to the summit to reach the highest point east of the Mississippi.
I know my suggested routes aren't too novel. There are some other routes I have had recommended to me but since I haven't had a chance to try them out I don't want to list them since road surfaces may suck or fun factor may be over hyped.
[image: View Post]Dutchy, on 28 April 2012 - 12:56 AM, said:
Yes they should (I have a Nuvi 510; the one with BT)
How did you load them. I have tried loading the files through Mapsource and also copying them directly to the GPS through Windows copy/paste. The GPS will not find them in custom routes. Any ideas?
Looks like some of the routes I posted are repeated routes from years before over and over with small changes, I just took those core routes and corrected them with the Microtel as the starting and ending point and removed some gps weirdness, ( way points off the road , double backs, and wacky turn around points that should not be there) - basically cleaned up the routes - got the new hotel in there - removed bad way points and deleted doubled up routes.
[image: View Post]007, on 07 May 2012 - 08:47 PM, said:
How did you load them. I have tried loading the files through Mapsource and also copying them directly to the GPS through Windows copy/paste. The GPS will not find them in custom routes. Any ideas?
I think you will need to save the .gpx files then open Mapsource and choose the import command and select the .gpx file to import. I'm going from memory here as I am on a Mac now.
Will try tomorrow nite (Tuesday Nite = Sauna Nite :tongue: ) with the routes here and the ones I received earleir. I also received a great MAD map fromwhich I will plot my Sunday afternoon-Monday ride from Little Switserland into GA/AL and reach casa Skuuter :tour:
[image: View Post]Dutchy, on 08 May 2012 - 04:20 AM, said:
I think that is how I did that too.
Will try tomorrow nite (Tuesday Nite = Sauna Nite :tongue: ) with the routes here and the ones I received earleir. I also received a great MAD map fromwhich I will plot my Sunday afternoon-Monday ride from Little Switserland into GA/AL and reach casa Skuuter :tour:
Let me know what Route You're gonna' use through Georgia and Alabama on Monday on the way to "skuuterville".....I might could hook up earlier with You Dutchy..... :fing02:
[image: View Post]Dutchy, on 08 May 2012 - 04:20 AM, said:
I think that is how I did that too.
Will try tomorrow nite (Tuesday Nite = Sauna Nite :tongue: ) with the routes here and the ones I received earleir. I also received a great MAD map fromwhich I will plot my Sunday afternoon-Monday ride from Little Switserland into GA/AL and reach casa Skuuter :tour:
Just an fyi: Those MAD maps tend to be for cruiser-types. Hawgs. Baggers. Wingers. Trikes. Not saying the routes won't be okay and have pretty scenery and photo opportunities of waterfalls and places to eat...but they tend to be a bit tame. Just sayin'....
I hope this is not a thread highjack, but it does apply to this trip, so please excuse me.
I've been warned to stay away from remote sideroads and such because some city-slickers go in and never come out. I do not know what to think about this. Rumor? Wive's Tale?
Any thoughts welcome.
I hope this is not a thread highjack, but it does apply to this trip, so please excuse me.
I've been warned to stay away from remote sideroads and such because some city-slickers go in and never come out. I do not know what to think about this. Rumor? Wive's Tale?
Any thoughts welcome.
Well I might not pull into a crack house single wide trailers lot way back in nowheres ville, but I wouldn't really worry about it.
I would be much more affraid of real threats like Timmy or Corner Carver in the hotel parking lot!!!! :ohmy:
Thanks BR. I was hopeing you'd say that.
At least in the parking lot I'll have had some idea of what I could be in for. I did survive 2008. But I won't press my luck too hard.
I've been warned to stay away from remote sideroads and such because some city-slickers go in and never come out.
You better stay away from Copperhead Road. :ph34r:
I've never ridden the section between Tellico Plains and the Dragon though, for in the past I've never managed to avoid the temptation to ride the Cherahala Skyway in both directions.
For those who may not have ever ridden this road, it truly is that good!
Not sure I appreciate my standard Saturday route being publicized to the world. :rolleyes: That stretch of 72 and 411 is pretty much a waste of good gas but it does let me balance tire wear a little.
Awesome run that never gets old.
KEB
End of thread · 44 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 24 May 2012