We'll be meeting on July 24th at the Cracker Barrel in Murfreesboro at I-24, Exit 81B for breakfast at 7:30 AM and taking off for points east at 8:30 AM. Our route up will take us thru McMinnville, across Spencer Mountain. then thru Dayton & Sweetwater and onto U.S. 129 just south of Maryville. We should arrive at Tab Cat Creek early enough to take one or two passes thru the Dragon before moving on to the Microtel at 111 Rodney Orr By-Pass in Robbinsville, NC (828-479-6772 / http://www.microtelrobbinsville.com/) for the evening. Rooms rates will run from around $58 (1 Qu) on Thursday evening to $75 (2 Qu) on Friday & Saturday night. We are planning on having dinner on Thursday evening at the Mountain Bistro (828-498-2115 / http://www.fontanavillage.com/dining/dining.htm) in the Fontana Village Lodge.

Friday morning we'll either eat the continental breakfast at the Microtel or slip next door to Hardee's, before pulling out for the Dragon at 8:30AM, to join the all the other Miata maniacs in the mountains for the weekend. We'll spend some time at Tapoco Lodge, take in the action at the Cross Roads of Time and take a few shots at the Dragon. We'll probably have lunch at the Lodge.   
 
Then we'll join 30 or 40 other Miata owners for a late afternoon (5:30ish) run to Franklin NC on Friday, for a BBQ dinner at Fat Buddies (www.fatbuddiesribsandbq.com). We'll announce the time & point of departure on this trip later.

On Saturday morning, we plan on packing up and heading south to Blue Ridge GA, then thru Suches GA and across "The Snake" into Helen GA (http://www.helenga.org) for our final evening. We'll be bunking at the Best Western Alpine at 8220 South Main Street in Helen, GA (706-878-2111 / http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=11125). Room rate for Saturday evening in Helen is $$116.10. We'll have dinner either at Paul's Steak House or at the Heidelberg Restaurant. Then we'll look for some cold beer & music to finish off the evening in Helen. We'll head west out of Helen and out thru Dahlonega GA to I-75 & points north on Sunday morning.

As usual, we will be flexible with our trip arrangements & accommodations. You can plan on going up with us on Thursday, or come up on Friday to join the fun. And, if you wish to return to Nashville early, or you elect to stay in Robbinsville Saturday evening (and skip Helen), we'll work out the details, per your wishes & availability. You do not need to contact the hotels, as reservations will be coordinated by the event sponsor. No room deposits will be required. We would ask that, once you commit, if your plans change, please notify Gray or Candy. Otherwise the room is your responsibility.

So, do plan on joining us for the 11th annual trek to the road that Miatas were designed to run. One of the most exciting MCMC outings of the summer. Just let Gray or Candace know of you interest to "Enjoy the Ride" by contacting them at graype@bellsouth.net or (615) 794-0852 or (615)419-3943.