2020 Grand Tour - Ride plans, photos, general conversation

[StarWolve]

Since we had a 2019 Grand Tour Thread, I thought I'd start one for 2020. The 2020 Q&A Thread is here, but this is the place to post your plans, pictures, etc.

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I'll kick off the thread with some general thoughts and plans.

First, I really like the idea. It's going to be harder to plan, and maybe a bit longer for some to ride to the locations, but the intent is solid. Get out and ride some of the best roads in the country!

Living in Charlotte, NC, we have some amazing roads nearby... most of them with nicknames like the Dragon, Diamondback, Hellbender, Moonshiner, Devil's Whip, Cherohala, etc., and some of those are scenic byways. Aside from the Dragon, the one that most people associate with this area is the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). The BRP runs from Cherokee, NC, to Rockfish Gap, VA, spanning 469 miles of curves, overlooks, and mountains. I've ridden ALMOST all of it, but this year I'm out to change that.

I'm planning a 3 day GT ride for the summer. The first day will be riding to Western NC, and picking up a few points around the Cherohala Skyway and Eastern TN. An overnight in Cherokee, NC, for an early start to our BRP Attack Run! Day 2 will be an attempt to ride the ENTIRE length of the BRP, from South to North! Day 3 will be Skyline Drive, and a few other locations along the route to rendezvous with family before heading up to NY to visit from friends. We should easily be able to finish the GT on this trip, but the real goal is to complete the BRP in a single day.

My father (#521) is planning to ride with me, and I'm trying to talk Reaver (#139) into riding down from NY to join us. (If he does, we will be riding in the rain. It never fails.)

Anyone else have any epic rides planned?