July 23-26 It's Miata Time in Tennessee at the GAP Sponsored by the Sands     Don't be Bashful & Don't Miss the Hunt. There is no way to make this trip to the Smokies, without thoroughly enjoying yourself. Don't be left out of the fun, as over 400 Miatas converge on the Dragon in late July 2009.                                                                                      """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IT's MIATA TIME in TENNESSEE at the GAP    We are told that the Miata was born in Hiroshima Japan in 1989. But, I have it on good authority that Mazda bred the car for one specific roadway high in the mountains of East Tennessee. The original test track had to be a rigorous, undulating piece of asphalt with 318 curves in just 13 miles. And the Miata was born, bred and matched perfectly with every challenge that the Dragon at Deals Gap can dish out. The two were made for each other.   SO, we can't think of a better way to celebrate the 20th Birthday of our wonderful little car than "Zoomin" along the backbone high above the clouds on U.S. 129, a.k.a. The Dragon. This road is a little bit of Heaven and a whole lot of Hell. But our Miata is up for every switchback. If you've never experienced the pure match of road, driver & car, where you get into a groove and everything else seems to just fade away, you've never had a "clean run" through Deal's Gap.   We want to invite you to Join the Party in late July, when over 400 Miatas will descend on the Dragon. This is the 13th year of Miatas at the Gap, and it will be special, as we commemorate the Miata's 20th Birthday, appropriately in the mountains, where the car was designed and bred to run.   We'll be meeting up at the Mount Juliet Cracker Barrel (I-40 East at Exit 226) at 7 a.m. and taking off at 8:15 a.m.   We'll hang on the I-40 slab east (with a stop for a lite lunch around 1 p.m. EDT) all the way to Exit 440 to Cosby TN. We'll take a spin up the now "infamous" Cosby Road, which is almost a mirror image of the Dragon, with tight curve for almost 11 miles, but a bit more "uncivilized."   Then we'll head southwest out of Cosby into Gatlinburg for an early dinner around 4 p.m. EDT at The Bear Creek Grill, 1654 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN  (865) 430-1551 http://www.bearcreekgrill.com/.  Following dinner, we'll saddle up and take a run down thru the newly opened Foothills Parkway into Walland TN, where we'll continue on the Foothills Parkway to U.S. 129, for a late afternoon run along the fire breathing lizard himself, and possibly a short stop at the Crossroads of Timehttp://www.dealsgap.com/, before dropping into Robbinsville for some well deserved naptime at the Microtel, 111 Rodney Orr Bypass, Robbinsville NC (828) 479-6772 http://www.microtelinn.com . Non-Smoke rooms with 1 & 2 Queens at $68 to $77 per night.   The Tapoco Lodge will be "closed" all summer. So all organized activity will be centered at Fontana Village http://www.fontanavillage.com/. All vendor activity will move to a vacant spot previously occupied by the old Fontana Cafeteria. Dash Plaques will be available at Fontana on Thursday afternoon for the first 350 event registrants. Also,Thursday evening there will be a sunset ride across the Cherohala Skyway from the Phillips Motel, 290 Main Street in Robbinsville, leaving at 7:30 PM EDT.   On Friday morning a road trip is planned to leave the Phillips Hotel at 9:30 a.m. across Waynan Road to Fat Buddies, 311 Westgate Plaza, Franklin, NC (828) 349-4743 http://www.fatbuddiesribsandbbq.com/, featuring some great North Carolina BBQ'd Ribs, Beef & Chicken in Franklin NC for lunch, and then taking some great roads across North Georgia into Elijay, before returning to Robbinsville in the afternoon. We may order Pizza in for the entire MCMC group from PaPa's Pizza To Go (828) 479-2431 for dinner on Friday evening.   Remember that Robbinsville is totally "dry." Any adult beverages must be imported.   More beautiful mountain roads at the peak of High Summer in the Smokys on Saturday. Also, on Saturday, we are "officially" planning on participating in the Fontana Dam group picture as a club for the first time. All interested members will line up at the base of the dam at the Power Plant at 10 a.m., and a professional photographer, with special high lift equipment, will take an arial shot of all the Miatas, and a second shot with owners. Pictures will be snapped at 11a.m. and will be available to purchase at Fontana Village following the photo session.   There will be 350 "free" lunches to be given out at "home plate" on the Fontana Softball Field at 12 Noon on a first come first serve basis, following the photo session. Saturday night at 7 p.m., at the site of the old Fontana Cafeteria, there will be a Beer Swap. Remember, you have to bring unusual/good stuff to the swap, in order to receive good stuff. Will plan on dinner for Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Fontana Village Mountview Bistro, Hwy 28, Fontana Dam,NC (800) 849-2258, ext. 2108 http://www.fontanavillage.com/dining/dining.htm.   Sunday morning we'll saddle back up, around 9 a.m. EDT, and head west out through the Cherohala Skyway, one of the most beautiful routes across the southern Smokys, with wide sweeping curves and an altitude shift of almost 5,000 feet http://www.cherohala.com/. We'll take the back door into Crossville, then hit the I-40 Slab and be back into Nashville by 3 p.m.    If you've often heard "Tails of the Dragon" but would like to experience the old boy for yourself, first hand, do sign up for our annual trek to the Gap (www.tailofthedragon.com). Just RSVP and let us know when you will be Joining the Fun (Thurs, Fri or Sat) and we'll save you a room in Robbinsville. No need to call the hotel as the rooms will be held for you based on your RSVP commitment. Contact Gray at graype@bellsouth.net OR (615) 794-0852.   HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MX5! ! !