November 11-14: Brown Mountain Area, NC or Portsmouth Island

[GarnerFJ40]

OK, so it was brought up at our last quasi-club meeting at Greg's of switching the Brown Mountain trip (which is a pretty laid back easy going non-wheeling trail ride) to scout the possibility of doing some expedition style riding on Portsmouth Island.

I know I posted these trips in October of 2009, and some people may have already set aside the time to make this trip, so I'm going to open up a poll to vote. We'll take what ever wins.

Brown Mountain: Mild Off-Road Trail system, close to Linville Falls, Forest Roads in the area, Table Rock and other Hiking areas, could be cold

Portsmouth Island: 50+ miles of undisturbed beach, no settlements, self-sustained camping/survival (no showers or bathrooms), $75 ferry ride, could be cold, windy

 

[lt1fire]

While portsmouth sounds good i'm not down for another 8 hour drive right now.

Personally I think that posted events should not change 1 month before hand

 

[addicted56]

Browns Mountain isn't as bad a drive but Portsmouth might be worth the payoff...if you can deal with the weather.

 

[lt1fire]

Don't get me wrong being from CA i'm all about the expo stuff as just about every trail system out there except ones around major cities turn into expeditions just to get there. Portsmouth is just about the only game in town out here and even then not so much.

That being said i'm still not down for an 8 hour + drive with a few ferries inbetween (about a days travel time each way) on a one month notice when something is already planned that weekend.


I don't care though i'll go to brown mountain by myself if need be and everyone else can go out east

 

[S4Cruiser]

I vote Brown Mountain. Kinda looking forward to a relaxing trip that isn't too far of a drive.

Do we plan to camp at the same location as last summer? If so, I thought they did not have showers...but I could be remembering wrong.

Either way, the wife and I plan on attending the November event.

 

[mtweller]

We have a home football game, so you guys hash it out. Hate I'll miss either one, but it's homecoming too, soooooo.....

Have fun.

R

 

[Mtbcoach]

I agree that the original scheduled trips should be the priority.

Yet, for the record...the ferry is out of Morris Marina ~ 6 hrs from Charlotte, is one 20 min ferry to the island...

 

[lt1fire]

6 hours 19 minutes at 55 mph add in gas/bathroom/food stops pushing 7 hours.......... they need to invest in some high speed trains here with car carrying capabilities (that or invest in freeways that go in a straight line )

 

[mtweller]

6 hours 19 minutes at 55 mph add in gas/bathroom/food stops pushing 7 hours.......... they need to invest in some high speed trains here with car carrying capabilities (that or invest in freeways that go in a straight line )

Dude, NC ranks consistently in the top 40% in overall highway performance ranking. 4th in the nation in number of miles - we have good roads man, but the topography on NC doesn't lend itself to a grid style highway system. Not to mention our first roads were around way before any type of traffic engineering even existed, so NC has filled in around those major thoroughfares, expanding as urban sprawl and growth have exploded. It's a never ending battle to combat all the people relocating to NC.

R

 

[little_joe]

6 hours 19 minutes at 55 mph add in gas/bathroom/food stops pushing 7 hours..........

You could cut an hour or 2 off that if you had a 1FZE.

 

[lt1fire]

You could cut an hour or 2 off that if you had a 1FZE.

Yeah but then my head gasket or PHH would explode and i'd be stuck on the side of the road for a day

 

[lt1fire]

Dude, NC ranks consistently in the top 40% in overall highway performance ranking. 4th in the nation in number of miles - we have good roads man, but the topography on NC doesn't lend itself to a grid style highway system. Not to mention our first roads were around way before any type of traffic engineering even existed, so NC has filled in around those major thoroughfares, expanding as urban sprawl and growth have exploded. It's a never ending battle to combat all the people relocating to NC.

R

Buy land, dynamite, create grid system, keep old roads for scenic drive, rinse repeate.


And i'm not attacking NC here but I do find it ridiculous that I can drive from Sand Diego to San Fransisco in the same time it takes to get to the outer banks from Charlotte, and that I can driver from LA to Vegas in the same time it takes to get to wilmington or myrtle beach.

 

[GarnerFJ40]

Well, I've done some looking on Mapquest and from San Diego to San Fran takes roughly 8 hours (500 miles from what Map Quest says) and Charlotte to Frisco takes 7. Charlotte to Frisco is about 85 miles shorter at 415, so CA roads are not that much better. The difference is Interstate compared to State Roads.

Now LA to Las Vegas is 4 hours at 270 miles and Charlotte to Wilmington is 3.5 at 198. Compare that to a round trip from Raleigh to Wilmington and back at 4 hours for 264 miles and it's pretty much like the drive from LA to Vegas... Both of those are Interstate roads...

I think all in all it's pretty comparable. Now if you were getting to Vegas from LA in like 2 hours, I'd say there was something messed up with our roads...

 

[Fort Knox]

Wish I could make either of the rides, but my wife is having surgery on November 4th and will be recovering at home for 4-6 weeks, so no way am I going to leave her a week later. Y'all have fun and take lots of pics, whichever destination gets chosen.

 

[GarnerFJ40]

I vote Brown Mountain. Kinda looking forward to a relaxing trip that isn't too far of a drive.

Do we plan to camp at the same location as last summer? If so, I thought they did not have showers...but I could be remembering wrong.

Either way, the wife and I plan on attending the November event.

We can stay either there in the group camp, which I need to confirm if it is open or not. All the individual campsites are taken, but group camp is not on the list to reserve, so I'll have to call. The second option is staying at Lake James State Park, which does have showers and facilities, and is only about 15 miles away. All their sites are showing available from their website. It's a little closer to the OHV site, and may be a little more up our alley...

 

[little_joe]

Well, I've done some looking on Mapquest and from San Diego to San Fran takes roughly 8 hours (500 miles from what Map Quest says) and Charlotte to Frisco takes 7. Charlotte to Frisco is about 85 miles shorter at 415, so CA roads are not that much better. The difference is Interstate compared to State Roads.

Now LA to Las Vegas is 4 hours at 270 miles and Charlotte to Wilmington is 3.5 at 198. Compare that to a round trip from Raleigh to Wilmington and back at 4 hours for 264 miles and it's pretty much like the drive from LA to Vegas... Both of those are Interstate roads...

I think all in all it's pretty comparable. Now if you were getting to Vegas from LA in like 2 hours, I'd say there was something messed up with our roads...

Sux when facts interfere.;p Also that little thing about OBX being actual islands, guess we could have the sounds paved so NC is more like CA.

 

[shellb]

Brown Mt for me as well.

 

[Mtbcoach]

Without continuing the sillyness of debating various state's roads...my large friend from CA failed to share the best part of CA roads, particularly, LA/Orange county roads, you can have stop and go traffic 24/7.

I had the pleasure of driving from Santa Cruz to Mission Viejo (where the in-laws lived) for the first 10 years of our marriage, to close to fly, far enough of a drive that it sucked. No road compares to driving on I5 where the big rigs are doing 90 in the slow lane.

In as much as theory dictates a driving time, in CA, traffic will almost always add an hour, even if its from San Jose to SF...

 

[lt1fire]

Without continuing the sillyness of debating various state's roads...my large friend from CA failed to share the best part of CA roads, particularly, LA/Orange county roads, you can have stop and go traffic 24/7.

That would be LA city roads not county........ I can drive through LA county faster than I can drive through Charlotte. (not starting anything just a fact, ask any transplant to charlotte what drives them crazy and it will be the time it takes to get anywhere)

 

[lt1fire]

Sux when facts interfere.;p Also that little thing about OBX being actual islands, guess we could have the sounds paved so NC is more like CA.

Not exactly. If I was on a rocket ship I could make it to frisco in that time. Done it three times every time was no where near 7 hours. Done the San Diego to San Fran run about 10 times and each time it was a little under 8 hours (6 once, but I won't get in to that) Higher speed limits and more lanes on every road will make a longer distance go by faster.

It's funny how riled up everyone gets on here when someone says that NC roads aren't great at getting anywhere fast. The number one thing every transplant to the state talks about is how long it takes to get anywhere fast. In fact the number one thing I heard about NC before I moved here was don't expect to be in a hurry and get anywhere.

And pave the sounds to make it more like CA??? do you know how many unpaved roads there are out there?


Anyway i'm going to drop this and try not to mention anything negative about NC in any of my posts anymore.