My wife and I plan to celebrate or 25th anniversary by taking Liz out on the Blue Ridge Parkway on June 8th and 9th. We plan to do about 200 miles total. The idea includes a tent, cooler, a manifold cooker, our 16 and the Parkway.
Traveling from Lancaster SC, the plan is to get on the Parkway as near Black Mountain as possible but Cherokee isn't out of the question.
We have to find a place to stash the tow vehicle and trailer...any suggestions (other than Wal-Mart)?
How does a stock T usually handle the parkway?
What about climbing Mt. Mitchell in a T?
As far as I can remember, the highest speed limit on the Blue Ridge Parkway is 45 mph. I don't remember how steep the hills were, but I do recall the view was wonderful.
Here in Va., the parkway has pretty steep mountain climbs. I used to ride motorcycles from Amherst Va. to Floyd county on the parkway and you could smell hot brakes the whole way durring tourist season. Changes in elevation of 2000 feet are not uncommon.
I have rode the parkway in my A and T both and it is one of the best rides in the nation. Speed limit is 45 so anyone who follows you has to be going slow also. Plenty of overlooks that you can access to let traffic by and most hills are sloped gently, not to say some are not steep but you can traverse them in low and with brakes. I can try to get you a place to park but need to know how long you are going to be needing to park and what the dates will be.
BTW, I am in Asheville and can get you on the parkway right in town.
James,
We've rode parts of the Parkway many times but never in a T. I couldn't agree more. It is the most scenic road that I can access within a couple of hours from home.
We plan to haul Liz up there after work on Friday June 8th. We will head for home early Sunday morning June 10th.
We probably will have to get a hotel room Friday evening as we will most likely not be in the area until around 9:00PM.
I'm not really worried about our truck (older).
I would rather be fond of finding my trailer still attached to our truck when we return for our trip home though.
Mt. Mitchell can be done with a T. I made it.
Blue Ridge Parkway is a peace of cake.
Just dont be caught driveing anything with a commercial tag on it on the parkway.You will be told to get off it and quick or be given a ticket.A freind was useing his work truck for a weekend trip and had his wife and kid.Coolers in the back.Obvious vacationing.The law pulled him and escorted him to the nearest exit.
I have also been told that car clubs are not allowed to use it.But a single car should be ok I would think.
Dean I really dig your camper.
Mack....CAR CLUBS aren't allowed to use the Parkway?
What kind of stupid @ss rule is that that won't allow a few jalopies to putter around on the Parkway?
Why did they bother paving it?
Michael, I don't see any problem with you leaving your truck in the cul de sac where I live. Give me a call and we can work out the details. The phone number is on the top of this page.
http://www.model-a-ford-4bangers.com/
Craig,I dont know.I have just heard that circulateing around for quite a few years from different circles.And these were reputable people.
Model T clubs have toured the Parkway.
Neil
Michael,
You will really enjoy the Parkway. Take pictures to share on the forum. It is one of the best Model T roads in the nation.
I drove my 15 touring car on the Parkway when I lived near Boone. I remember shifting down the Ruckstell on some of the hills, but only to keep my speed up. You shouldn't have any problems.
Lots of places to access the trails off the side of the roads. Some of the best hikes on the East Coast. Hike up to the top of Grandfather's Mountain.
Neil
Michael Mullis,I live at the foot of Fancy Gap Mountian,at the 200mi marker 5mi from Blue Ridge Parkway,if you have any problems give me a call be glad to help you,HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! Model A clubs have toured,AACA clubs,Mdl T,no problem!
Our Volkswagen club has toured the Parkway some 40+ strong w/o issues.
Michael, if you unload in Cherokee make an easy drive to Robbinsville and take the T on the Tail of the Dragon :-) 35 MPH speed limit.
Glad to hear that it can be done.I hope the anniversary goes well!
Gary, I wouldn't take a T or any older car on the Tail of the Dragon because of the motorcycles there. There have been more accidents and deaths on that stretch of road than any in NC.
For those who do not know, like me, the Tail of the Dragon is located east south-east of Cherokee, North Carolina, where the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway starts.
Tail of the Dragon has reportedly more than 300 curves in 11 miles. No wonder it is popular with the motorcycle and sports car crowd. Looks like nice country.
Neil
Not to drift too far off topic, but don't forget the Tail of the dragon is a US route and travelled by tractor trailers and motorhomes alike. Has a strictly enforced speed limit of 35 MPH and lane drifting is also not allowed. A great road to travel on 2 wheeled or 4.
Now to go back to the "closed car" thread :-)
Here is some info about the Tail of the Dragon. Anyone who believes that motorcycles and sport cars will drive this road at the posted 30 MPH is living in a dream world. It is also not at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, it is close to the Cherohala Skyway.
http://tailofthedragon.com/dragon.html
Have done that experience before, pretty hairy.
Ran with our Corvette Club out of Jax, FL in 2002. We had CB radios, and the lead car would advise of 'traffic ahead' so you could pull back into the lane. You have to drift out to make those turns Is the speed limit 30mph? Never did look at the speedometer, just hands on the wheel and eyes on the road...whoa....what a rush.
Piloting a '96 Grand Sport, slowing down with camera in one hand
There is a little county store at the start of the Dragon which has a 'wall of misery', note the accidents and injuries.....dangerous place, and never a road for a Model T.
I live in N.C. and I've never heard of this place
Sounds like The Road to Hana on Maui.
The time I drove thru, there was a Park Ranger's with radar everywhere!
I made it all the way up Mt. Mitchell on my 1922 Coupe with 2 aboard. Easy and steady climb. No problems, but aux. brakes for the ride down is assuring.
Sorry I forgot to mention: I DID have to adjust the mixture a bit (lean) to get optimal performance as I approached the summit. Altitude DOES make a difference!
Willard, I hadn't considered altitude vs. mixture.
At least I will not be caught off guard. No aux brakes but never a problem stopping (anticipate, anticipate, anticipate). Not knowing Mitchell"s grade, I just make sure that the tank is full.
James, thanks for the cul de sac offer but we've settled on a campground near Mitchell.
A Model T, a manifold cooker, a pack of hotdogs, a cooler full of Coca Colas on ice, a tank full of gas, me and a purty girl (who loves Model Ts). I don't know how y'all do things up north or out on the west...... (make that) left coast but I think I've got a pretty good plan.
I might even get some sugar on the jaw!
And that dear children is what Me-Me and Paw-Paw do for fun.
Willard,
I understand the need to lean Lizzie's mix as you described but I have one question. Excluding Mitchell, do I still enrich the mix as much as ol' Liz can stand after I start to pass a hoard of ultra cyclists? (grin)
Two weeks ago the Blue Ridge Riders hosted the 22 annual t tour at the Kanuga Conference center in Hendersonville, NC. There were 20 ts in the tour. On two the the days we were on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had a lunch stop at the Pisgah Inn near Brevard NC. The drive north toward Ashevill is all down with a gradual grade. There are numerous long tunnels and good light are a must. A stock t should be ok for this section of the Parkway. With any mountain tour auxillary brakes are a good idea. The following day we visited the Folk Art Center and drove up the Parkway about 20 miles to Craggy Gardens Visitors Center. What a View! Lunch was at the Craggy Gardens Picnic area. Getting off the Parkway from Craggy was 5 miles of gravel road. Beautiful forrest and waterfeatures. Most of the descent was in Ford low pedal at 10 mph.
In the past we have gone to Mt Mitchel. The road up is some low pedal and it is a good idea to lean out the mixture to avoid fouling plugs.
The descent is steep and it would be catastrophic if a t got away from you going down this steep grade. Auxillary brakes are recommended.
On a tour to Mt Mitchell several years ago our group was ticked by the park service for impeding traffic. If you tour as a group keep your distances between cars and pull over when you can to allow other to pass.
Willard,
Can you post some more photos of your 1922 Coupe
I used to have one and wish I still had it!
It brings back so many good memories
-Don
When Anja and I moved to the US in 1977, we shipped a 1936 English Austin and toured the eastern part of the country on our way to St Louis (6,500 miles, camping, with an 18-month-old daughter, in a 1936 car). As we drove from Washington DC to Chapel Hill NC, we were on - as best I can remember - the Skyline Drive. Apparently that morphs into the Blue Ridge Parkway at some point, so I don't know whether we were on it or not. Whatever it was, it sure was scenic.
It was at a campground on that part of the trip that we heard a noise in the tent. I unzipped the sleeping part of the tent and shone a flashlight into the main tent. I don't know who was more startled - me or the skunk looking back at me. Fortunately, he chose to retreat.
Dick,
That story stinks.
I couldn't resist (grin)