We've got a bed for Jay. It's just a question of whether anyone else wants to go because we are now at full capacity.

The last time I checked rooms are all booked up for that week and have been for some time now.

For anyone else that wants to come down that's not on the invisible list the options include:

1. fontana resort just 11 miles down the road. Great place to stay, very comfortable.

2. camping. there's a campground at the Deals Gap resort.

I /believe/ Sean got one of the bigger rooms.

"Remember, this is a prison cell minus the guards."

Not the Taj Majal I was envisioning, eh?
I am glad I got a bed. Very much looking forward to it.

Jay, if you're lucky they'll let out in the yard for an hour of "exercise".

They are the lap of luxury, the epitome of creature comfort. They are stocked with everything the discerning motorcycle traveler could possibly want including, but not limited to:

. white washed cinderblock walls.
. metal shelving for gear.
. wall hooks for gear.
. tasteful government building style floor tile.
. cold /AND HOT/ running water, true decadence.
. /ELECTRICITY/ ensuring that all modern inconveniences can be charged.

and much much more.

...not to mention ample space to store large bottles of alcohol that tend to mysteriously appear from time to time.

I just heard from Sean. He's got one of the normal rooms from the 19th to the 23rd and, if need be, would be willing to share. I don't think it'll come to that but it's nice to have the option.

Wanted to pull this thread back up to the top of the heap (because someone who shall go nameless has not segmented threads into logical categories).

We are now down to T-9 weeks until departure.  Definitely need to start thinking about tires, maintenance, gear, and single malt. 

FYI I was recently told that the Costco in DC carries liqueur. Just sayin...

My current prep plan is:
t-8 -- order new leathers
t-4 -- order new tires
t-2 -- install new tires
t-1 -- Full bike maintenance: oil/filters, chain, etc

I picked new rubber last week.  With 8 work weeks left (no riding next week - spring break at Grand Canyon) that's roughly 2,400 miles till our departure.  I have over 9,500 miles on the current set soooooo, we'll see. 

Will be perfect timing for oil and spark plug changes.  Bike is also due for 52,000 mile valve check but that takes a whole day.  Maybe in June.

I also just ordered tires (PR3s) and everything I need to do a complete service. Got half of it yesterday and should receive the rest tomorrow. Now it's just a matter of finding the time to do it. That's the hard part.

Yea, I hear ya. Instead of having a separate forum for trips there are going to be "trips" that you can schedule with their own comment threads. We can reference them in the forum but they will be searchable as a separate "thing". These trips (part of the upcoming ride planner) will have multiple tabs, dates, photos, a map, etc along with a comment thread so they will be very easy to find and will, hopefully, make coordinating trips MUCH easier.

I've been giving this some thought and I'm sorry to say that with this many riders going, we're going to need a plan. I suppose we can try to meet on Staunton but I'd like to not be riding by dusk so that means an earlier start than last year and an avoidance of parades

"Delays are proportional to the square of the riders involved." 

We'll need to give ourselves plenty of time. Realistically, we're likely to get an even later start this year because of the number of riders. It's just the nature of the beast. There are always crazy delays on the first couple of days of a trip like this. 

One year I got really stressed about it, we pushed it when we should not have and Bad Things(tm) happened and I swore never to make that mistake again. This is why we do the run down in two days instead of one. Some of us will be rusty or on unfamiliar bikes or it'll be their first time.  

We can meet in Staunton. We can meet at your house. We can meet in Front Royal. We can even meet in Wythesville. We can also meet down at the Gap. There's nothing saying that we have to ride down as one group, although I think it would be an interesting challenge. 

rshaugare you going to be trucking it down? That will have a big impact on planning.

I suspect bruce buffalo Jay and I will be riding down.

sharriman will you be joining us for the ride down? You are welcome to crash here at my place. Bruce will have the guest room but I have a pull-out sofa couch and covered parking for your bike.

The only reason I would truck down is if I were taking more than one bike, or we wanted to get there in one easy day. Otherwise I'm planning on riding down. Looking at maps and directions...for Josh and I we have a pretty good ride to 81, the folks from MD take a route to 81 that would seem to make Staunton a good rally point. 

There are also a couple of other elements at play. If the objective is to just get there I know that Josh and I could definitely get from here to the gap in one day on the bikes- stops for fuel/water, leave early, arrive late. I think that the trip down though is also part of the experience. We're taking time and flexing to a group schedule on purpose.  

jpcfjr we could look at doing two feeds to the Gap. You and I could go from here and if there are any adds between FFax and the Gap they could fold in with us. YermobuffaloJayand brucecan take their usual path down from MD. sharriman can hook up with whatever path works best for him coming down from ME. I know that we're likely to be ready earlier in the day. I'd be up for going all the way to Maryville on the first day (or stopping earlier as desired). We could also look at a rally point at the end of day one, somewhere like Bristol (or even Wytheville), stay overnight as a group and then head to the Gap en masse on day 2. 

If we do go as two groups and jpcfjr and I get an earlier start the VA contingent may think about doing part of the ride down on day 1 over the BR Parkway.

This is excellent discussion, exactly what I was hoping for!  I am digging the possibility of going through Charlottesville to 64 and then jumping on the brp for at Afton mountain.  Rob if you are into that we could meet the md group at wythville.  

Definitely a sound option.  As Yermo indicates, we can do whatever feels right at the moment.  Remember, we say that every year about this time.

I'm def up for that.

Ok I will be seriously ready to leave by 9 Saturday May 18th (hell, I'm ready now!).  I've been scanning the internet for a festival in Nokesville on that day and so far nothing.  NOT getting caught in that BS again.  If they have something I'll know about it before hand and re-route.

Also, could be leaving from the lake house which is set to close on April 15th.  Just a thought, could take or leave...also depends on where the family is staying Friday night.  I'm jonesed about the BRP and getting out early.

Just added to my to-do list for the bike by buying a complete set of braided steel lines for brakes and clutch.  Brakes have been feeling a bit spongy lately...not dangerously so but enough to annoy me.  So my current list includes:
New tires
New brake lines
New brake pads
Oil change
Rear drive oil change
If time I'll do the valve check which includes coolant flush.  I'm tired just thinking about all this.

Yea, I need to get started on the long prep-list to get both bikes ready for the Gap Trip ...

T-7 weeks, 6 days

There's not even a snowballs chance in hell that I'll have even a prototype of the app done by then. Bummer. Sorry guys.

YML, does Bruce have flight booked already?  Wondering how late he comes in and thus ramifications on start time for 18th.  No biggie, just wondering.  Don't construe this as any sort of pressure of any kind.

Clearly I am thinking about this trip, and thinking about this trip...and thinking about it some more. 

jpcfjr I'm assuming at this point that you and I will depart on the 18th from NOVA at ~9am and aim for Wytheville where we will meet up with the rest. Is that still the "current" plan? I was seeing our options *right now* as being:
1. meet the rest of the M-by-M team in Wytheville  at some point on Sat the 18th in the evening, departing as a group on the 19th for the Gap
2. same as 1 but meet up with the group coming from MD in Bristol
3. Go all the way to the Gap or to Maryville and meet up with the MD contingent there

I think 1 and 2 seem to make the most sense, and make for a fun relaxed ride. Then once we are all at the same place for the run to the Gap on Sunday it should be easier.