cuengineer

The last few days have been beautiful and seem like Spring has arrived early so had to take the '88 Vette for a drive each day. Yesterday and today, my wife and I went for a drive of a couple of hours in the local area, and they got me to thinking, "What is my favorite drive in the Vette?" And what makes a favorite drive for me or others?

My frequent short range drives are local country roads up into the edge of the mountains. We often drive up along Lake Keowee with vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. We frequent moderately curvy roads through picturesque areas and with elevation changes, too. We have been checking out the car in anticipation of going to the Corvette Expo in Sevierville, TN in a few weeks. Looking forward to the several hundred miles fun drive to and from in the mountains of NC and TN. And before that, I plan a trip down along the beach in SC. Done all of these before but enjoy them every time.

So how about you? What is your favorite drive -- local or longer and why? By yourself or with someone else or with a group? Is there some particular trip that really stands out as a fun drive, or at least memorable?

Ron B C4

You have lots of good places up their.

About the only is A1A beachside Daytona Beach. Just don't have a lot exciting roads here.

antfarmer2

I love the mountains you will be going by my place off exit 447 on your way wish my wife would move there.

N42375

Another vote for the Blue Ridge Parkway

chevyman_ky

I live in the mountains of southeast ky, a lot of good roads here. hard to choose a favorite. two I like a lot are hy 160 up to the top of black mt, highest point in ky. another one is hy 987 to Cumberland gap. my wife and I plan on being at the expo on Friday well be in a 85 silver/gray vette.

cuengineer

Ron, we were down in Daytona a few weeks ago for the Rolex 24 although another couple was with us. Took time to ride out to the Space Center. Had not been there in years since my younger sister worked on the space shuttle and international space station. Yes, the roads might be kind of boring for a Corvette drive with few curves and flat topography. The most interesting road we found was US 1, but it was because of the beach and historical sites.

It probably is hard to beat the Blue Ridge. Antfarmer, I will have to figure out where exit 447 is though. BTW, one of these days, I plan to make a side trip up to the Wheels through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. Seems like a neat place based on what I have seen on TV.

cuengineer

Chevyman, we lived in Lexington, KY in the late 70's while I worked at UK and got my Ph.D. on sediment control from surface mines in eastern KY. We frequently drove down to Knoxvile, TN and Asheville, NC on the way home to SC. Occasionally, we would drive down to Lake Cumberland or some of the scenic/historic areas of KY. Many of the country roads would certainly be fun in a Vette, and what makes it even better is that they are safely at legal speeds!

1993C4LT1

Temps above 70, night cruise with targa top off. And a nice smooth road.

skullandbones

My wife and I take the vert up to the arboretum about 25 miles east of us in the mountains. We have to go over Gonzolez Pass and some nice curvy roads to get there. The elevation is not as great as some places but we are at about 1500 ft in the valley so it is a nice cruise. It's nice to visit for a while at the arboretum with various trails and different bioms. The best part is having the Corvette drive on both ends. I will do more adventurous longer trips when I work out some of the small issues we have with the car.

Thanks,

WEK.

cuengineer

Smooth roads make any drive noticeably better. Seems like I have been having a more and more difficult time finding them locally.

PLRX

cuengineer

Oh, yes. The classic Corvette road is clearly the Tail of the Dragon. I was disappointed not to be able to make it to the Corvette Expo where hundreds of Vettes drove the Tail of the Dragon last year. It surely looks like it would be a fun drive. I was actually within 30 miles or so of it a few weeks before the Expo drive. Hmm..., maybe I will look into a detour on the way home from Sevierville in March if the weather is nice.

crowz

My favorite drive is when I don't get stuck going out the driveway. All of them are good drives after that

Renfield

Tail of the Dragon is okay. Mostly a camaraderie thing since TN lowered the speed limit and set up an ATM in the form of papering everyone - except the semis that use both lanes. Because, you know, it's all about safety.

The Parkway tends to clog with tourists, but the views are amazing.

I have more fun on Hwy 28 getting to the Dragon.

A shorter trip to Caesar's Head, Highlands or even Lake Lure can be fun too, as the Dragon is pretty much an all day commitment.

I'm looking forward to revisiting all these roads to see how the 'vette compares to my Yamaha.

Lots of good choices around here.

IacobucciB

Route 202 from Western MA to the central part of the state is a fun drive. Lots of corners and elevation changes. Even a Tahoe can be a fun drive on that stretch. Also the Kank up in the White Mountains of NH. It's closed in the winter and usually packed with tourists on Harleys but on some cloudy days the road is nearly empty. Beautiful view of the mountains and a fun, tricky drive with several VERY tight banked hairpins.

cuengineer

We frequently take a ride up to Highlands, Cashiers and Caesar's Head areas and also over on several different roads beyond Toccoa, GA toward Helen, GA. I'm not familiar with western MA, but we are tentatively planning a trip up the east coast to Maine this fall. Originally, I was thinking about doing US1 since we had lots of fun doing much of Route 66 last September. I am now thinking a combination of US 17, US 301 and US 1 depending on the sights along them. One or the other typically parallels I95. Probably will not drive the Vette on this trip though.

Paul Workman

You live very close or among some of the best rides in the country!

Here's a link: info@americanridesmaps.com a company that specializes in fantastic rides all over your area, NC, GA, TN, including "The Dragon", "Devil's Triangle, Moonshiner's Run, and many more.

And, incidentally, the Mountain Run #4 is in the final stages of planning. It is an all Corvette gathering based in Gatlinburg, TN May 8-11 which culminates in Bowling Green for the C4 Gathering.

For more info, look for the "MR4" post on this FORUM or go to the ZR1 NetRegistry forum under the General Topics for the latest details.

FASTAZU

Anytime I can just get out in the country and drive.....

856SPEED

Just moved to the prettiest part of St. Charles County in Missouri; the heart of wine country in the rolling hills. Hwy. 94 cuts right through it along the MIssouri River, no doubt a lot of hills and curves, wine and scenery ...

PLRX

huh-Huh

I've never done that one.