Some of the following info has been taken from the 8th Gen Civic forum.They are going to be at the Dragon, the weekend after us.Apparently this is a yearly event for them.So... since most of us are Dragon Virgins, I figured a little wisdom from our FWD i-Vtec friends could help us out.

Who - Nico Forum guys and guests
What - 1st Annual meet/cruise of the DragonWhere - Deals Gap/Tail of The Dragon/US-129
When - Sept 3 - 6
Why - Meet your fellow Nico RB members, check out each others cars, hangout and have fun.Plus ride the legendary TOTD.
How - Drive whatever you got. Trailer it or Drive the DD if your Nissan or Infiniti is down.

Ok, so when we get to TOTD, what are we going to do for about 4 days??Ideas anyone????
Car show - Nico Baller Award, Longest running Non-running Ride Award (probably me lolz), Farthest Travelled,Most Creative swap,
BBQ - They were talking about KOA Campground in TN, might be one closer to Robbinsville.
Photo shoot – Someone bring a wide angle lens!! Some HD video cameras
Cruise - The Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Pkwy, Fugitive Dam
Swap meet - Bring your extra parts & Bring your Cash!!

Accommodations

We'll be staying in Robbinsville, NC.It's the closest town.It has Gas stations, Drug Store, Grocery Store, etc..This town also has Verizon Cell Service.On the Dragon there is none.So 2 way radios or CB radios are going to be the only other way of communication.

The following are based upon group of ~40, Sept 3-6.

Fontana Villagehttp://www.fontanavillage.com/...ion/3

Qty Type of Room Price
10 Lodge Room - 2 Queen Beds $ 84.15
7 Lodge Room - 1 King Bed $ 84.15
8 Fireplace Room- $ 92.65
7 Hemlock Cabin - 3 Room $ 220.15
6 Hemlock Cabin - 2 Room $ 129.15


Caravans - Well it seems that the South Leg will be starting in South Fl (Ft. Lauderdale/Miami), Thursday night ~8 - 10pm.Then arriving in the Orlando area 3-3.5 hours later (~11 - 1am).Then making our way to the Discover Mall, to meet up with the GA people (~ 7 - 9am Friday).From there onwards to a weekend of fun (reach ~ 12 - 2pm Friday)

What to Bring? - Here is a list complied over the years from Dragon Vets on what to bring to have a enjoyable Cruise.
· FRS Radios (Family Radio Service) set to Channel 7 Subchannel 21
· CB Radio· Camera and Film· Ac/Dc power inverter
· Cash· Digital Camera & Extra memory card
· First Aid Kit· Roadside Kit: tire repairs, compressor, flares, etc.
· Tools· Duct tape· Zip-ties· Jack (not the scissor jack)
· 1or 2 Qt’s of oil· Booze (Graham County is a Dry County)
· Anti-nausea medicine for Passenger on Dragon
· Umbrella and/or Poncho· Good Attitude· Flashlight & Batteries· Folding Chair· Patience
· Detailing Supplies (you guys know who you are….not me
· Window Cleaner and Rags· Bug Spray
· Snacks and Drinks
· Batteries for: Camera, Flashlight, Etc.
· Laptop· Sunscreen
· Evenings can get a little chilly, bring something appropriate
· Wood if you want a bonfire

Nissan / Infiniti Prep Checklist
· Oil – Close to 5K mark on current Oil? Go for an early change.
· Check/Tighten your IC Piping coupler
· Zip-tie all Vacuum lines
· Under Hood Check –Look for leaks, broken/worn engine mounts, worn wires
· Gearbox Oil – If near 2 years or 50K miles - Change
· Brakes – Check Rotors for cracks (x-drilled) and Pads – Have at least 50% left
· Brake Fluid – If near 1 year or 25K miles – Change
· Coolant – If its yellow/green let it mellow, if its brown flush it down!!!
· Tires – Make sure you check your pressure!!! – check for uneven wear
· Wheels – Check Torque on lugs 83ft/lb 1st gen, 102ft/lb 2nd gen <----- Check your FSM for correct specs
· Wipers – Replace blades if older – It could be quite wet
· Lights – Check all lights to verify operation.
· Battery – good condition, make sure is securely fastened. Go to Autozone get a FREE Alternator and Battery check.
· Suspension – Check all bushings for wear, replace as needed
· Steering – Check for wear – replace anything questionable.
· P/S Fluid – Old and Nasty – throw in a cooler if you don’t have the loop.
· Exhaust – Secure with no leaks, check mounts· Heat shields – make sure you shield your BMC, wires and anything else near your manifold/downpipe/turbo etc…
· Wheel Bearings – Check for excessive play

Running The Dragon even at the posted limit taxes all the systems.
318 Turns in rapid succession will find the weaknesses if not attended to ahead of time.
Please be sure to check you braking system well.


OK its Official!!!
Yesterday I've signed the contract for the Group Rate at Fontana Village.

Everyone!!, you can now call up 1-800-849-2258 toll free - (828-498-2211) and make your reservation.
MAKE SURE YOU MENTION "NICO CLUB 2010"
You will have to leave a Credit Card for a Deposit of the 1st night.

You MUST make your reservation BEFORE August 1st!!!
After August 1st you will not be able to get the group rate, and have to pay full price.
Yes, I know this is short notice....

Fontana Village
http://www.fontanavillage.com/home

Qty Type of Room Price
7 Lodge Room - 2 Queen Beds $ 84.15
7 Lodge Room - 1 King Bed $ 84.15
8 Fireplace Room- $ 92.65
3 Cabana room - King Bed $99.00
6 Willow Cabin - 1 Room $84.15
5 Hemlock Cabin - 3 Room $ 220.15
4 Hemlock Cabin - 2 Room $ 129.15

Try to make your reservations EARLY!!!!!!


I've booked Fontana Village for 40 rooms from Sept 3rd - Friday (check-in) ---> Sept 6th - Monday (checkout).
The Reservation dates are incorrect on the sheet, they have made the corrections in their system already.

Check-in time is 4:00pm, but if your room is ready they will let you check-in early.
Check-out time is 11:00am.

To choose which room you want, go to http://www.FontanaVillage.com

FYI : This place has plenty of parking and is also friendly to lowered cars.
According to the people at Fontana Village.

Google Maps to Fontana Village:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Fon ... 12&iwloc=A

Please post up and let me know if you have already made your reservation.
Also if you are bringing friends, who will be booking their own room LMK.
I may have to add more rooms.

ATTENDING (correct it if its wrong, add in your completion date if needed)
1. Sickness14 (July - Raleigh, NC) <---------------------Reserved
2. Coolwhip ( - Orlando, FL)
3. Cjmartz2k ( - Kernersville, NC)
4. S14-NEO ( - Vero Beach, FL)
5. TECHLINE08 ( - Raleigh, NC)
6. LargeKid ( - Indianapolis, IN)
7. Gawdzilla ( - )
8. Robbie2883 ( - Niceville, FL)
9. Boosted98gst ( - Marrysville, OH)
10. Kevwa ( - Manlius, NY)
11. RustspecS13 ( - Columbus, OH)
12. HVP014 ( - Wilmington, NC)
13. DFTsilvia ( - Buffalo, NY)
14. Darius ( - Iowa)
15. Sil240 ( - Ft. Lauderdale, FL) <------------- Reserved
16. Synergy
17. Jrock7885
18. Rbosacco
19. Koolkillerlook
20. Built2slide
21. Mott6904
22. EvilS14 <------------------------------Reserved
23. L0nestar (- Indianapolis, IN) <----------- Reserved
24. Meet07
25. StricNyne (NJ) <---------------- Reserved
26. Tmjhillz
27. TwoJayZee240
28. 240sxCoupeRB25
29. 240AceX
30. Mistaken
31. Neejay (Stockbridge, GA)
32. Lazyboi444 (Alpharetta, GA)
33. Nissanlover23 (Fayetteville, NC)
34. Cameron (Buford, GA)
35. Wanganwarrior (Mike - Birmingham, AL)
36. Thatbumguy (Thomas - Birmingham, AL)
37. Cidate
38. bRadical (Charlotte, NC) <------------------------------------Reserved
39. RalphsDiorama (boulder, CO)
40.D356bud <------------------------------------Reserved
41.toadx8u <------------------------------------Reserved

This is going to be an incredible meet! If you can figure out a way to get to this event, you will not regret it!

Huge thanks to sil240 and lonestar for planning and organizing this meet, and for opening it up to all of NICO. This was originally an RB forum idea, but it really took off, and they are opening it up to everyone on NICO to join!

However, please be aware of your car's limitations. It's a pretty serious test of your cars brakes and suspension and we'd hate to see anyone come out and have a problem with your car that might result in you or someone else getting hurt.
*In other words, if you just bought an S13 off craigslist, used duck tape and zip ties to get together, and it has 20 year old brakes and fluid, you probably shouldn't bring it out to this event.

Make those reservations ASAP to ensure you get a room, and a good rate!

We are gonna do the tail on Saturday... but not stay for the whole weekend, Booms day is that sunday and we CAN'T miss that.

That meet sounds incredible. I honestly wish I could go.

I'm definitely going to look into this. Hopefully I can make it!

Eikon - Thanks a lot!!
Did you get a chance to look over that word doc?


Yeah guys come on out!!!
This is going to be an incredible trip.
We'll have a one of a kind road, with all of your NICO family that you may be meeting for the first time. You'll actually be able to put a face to that screen name. Also there'll be thousands of rabid Nissan horses running around.

Make sure to reserve your room ASAP. The deadline for the group rate is August 1st.

Be careful folks. You couldn't pay me to go there as I dont trust 90% of drivers on the road these days, let alone in a setting where the get rabidly reckless. There is no flagging and comm there, so no yellow flags to let you know you're coming up to a sector where there are issues on the road, nor will you have someone black flagging you if you have something wrong with your car that you can't see/feel.

-If you dont have AAA, get it. You may think you're a good driver, but so does the guy that will probably hit you while crossing over double yellow lines.
-If you have crappy insurance, bump it up, as if you stuff your car it'd be a shame to get pennies on the dollar because they wont cover your coilovers/motor swap/etc.
-If you have crappy cell reception, get a better phone or make friends with someone who has good reception.
-Bring water with you, you dont know if you're going to have problems and get stranded.

A nice set of........ twistes :-)

Awesome background

About 40 cars, but... we can beat that!!!

The Dam

Cool view

Fun!!!!!

Wet curves

Turn in, brake, yank the E, counter and power on!

WOW!!!

When's the last time you drove under a waterfall?????

Gravel for you rally fans


Fontana Village


The infamous Dragon

Cherohala Skyway

More cool scenery

flohtingPoint wrote:Be careful folks. You couldn't pay me to go there as I dont trust 90% of drivers on the road these days, let alone in a setting where the get rabidly reckless. There is no flagging and comm there, so no yellow flags to let you know you're coming up to a sector where there are issues on the road, nor will you have someone black flagging you if you have something wrong with your car that you can't see/feel.

-If you dont have AAA, get it. You may think you're a good driver, but so does the guy that will probably hit you while crossing over double yellow lines.

Anyone that is planning to come out and be apart of this group, WILL be SAFE.
Safety is the #1 priority for this trip, a lot of things can happen.

If anyone would like to do anything stupid, please have enough respect for the rest of the group and go ahead somewhere else.
If your old enough to drive and come out, your old enough to be responsible for your actions.
I will not be policing anyone nor will I be babysitting anyone.

Also there will be THP (Tenesse Highway Patrol) on the road, who will be policing the area.

I'm not saying that were going to be tooling around at 15mph, but this is a legal TN/NC road.
There will be a bit of spirited driving.
Most important of all DO NOT CROSS THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE!!!


This road is definitely not a stroll in the park, but it's not as bad as you make it to be.
If everyone comes out to have fun, respect the road and other Riders and Drivers, there will be no problems.
There are Thousands of Motorcycle Riders and Sports car drivers the ride this road every year.

Everyone should read this link at the very least before they hit the road:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/dragon_howtodrive.html

They give some tips and general information about driving up there.
Most of all Use your Common Sense!!!

I hate you guys!

No Nissan = Not invited :-/

Poormanq45 - This is a NICO meet. Infiniti's welcome too.

That's the problem. I only have a motorcycle

I believe that this meet will gonna be super nice. Good luck.

Sil240 wrote: This is a NICO meet. All are welcome except PMQ.

fixed...

flohtingPoint wrote:Be careful folks. You couldn't pay me to go there as I dont trust 90% of drivers on the road these days, let alone in a setting where the get rabidly reckless. There is no flagging and comm there, so no yellow flags to let you know you're coming up to a sector where there are issues on the road, nor will you have someone black flagging you if you have something wrong with your car that you can't see/feel.

-If you dont have AAA, get it. You may think you're a good driver, but so does the guy that will probably hit you while crossing over double yellow lines.
-If you have crappy insurance, bump it up, as if you stuff your car it'd be a shame to get pennies on the dollar because they wont cover your coilovers/motor swap/etc.
-If you have crappy cell reception, get a better phone or make friends with someone who has good reception.
-Bring water with you, you dont know if you're going to have problems and get stranded.

I go to the dragon every year and it isn't near as bad as your making it sound. It isn't a racing event, it is a public road that you drive at your own risk, People tend to drive pretty responsibly on it. You really have to be careful with the motorcycles honestly. They will do double the speed limit through there and when they meet you around a turn dragging knee and hugging the yellow line with their helmets passing 6 inches or less from your car makes it a bit distracting. I'm not saying its a problem because they are just out there enjoying themselves as we are. No one goes to deals gap to drive slow and look around unless they are using it as a through route to where they are going. P.S. there is no phone service on the dragon

My advice for you guys:
-Drive the dragon around the speed limit your first time down and back. Get familiar with the atmosphere. Take a look around and notice that if you lose it, you have a long way down the side of a mountain lol.
-Try not to get distracted and watch where your going.
-THP is lenient with cars. We passed them at 10+ over every time this summer. I feel like they are looking for the motorcycles going over double the speed limit
-Don't leave out the Cherohala Skyway, Hellbender, a visit to the Fontana Dam, and many others. There is a lot more to do than ride the dragon up there. Any questions, just e-mail me.
-Buy pictures from Killboy!
-Drive safe, have fun, don't kill yourselves!



(Thats me in green up top)

Anyone and everyone is welcome.
Car or bike even if your rocking a Scooby or a Civic.
I don't care, as long as everyone has a good time and is safe.

Grilled cheese. Are you gonna come out? ???
Thanks for the info! !
5 more days till the reservation deadline! !!

Sil240 wrote:Anyone and everyone is welcome.
Car or bike even if your rocking a Scooby or a Civic.

You might regret saying that if PMQ shows...

Enjoy!

Bubba1 wrote:

Sil240 wrote:Anyone and everyone is welcome.
Car or bike even if your rocking a Scooby or a Civic.

You might regret saying that if PMQ shows...

Enjoy!

What? TOtD??

Eikon, thanks for the request to open it up, we are much obliged.

Brian, thank you for spear-heading this event and taking the initiative to get the momentum moving. I can't wait to meet you.

PMQ, don't feel bad.. I'll be rocking my 2J there. I would love to take my RB, but well, it's loud, offensive, and not fun for long distances.. What was that.. A trailer you say.. hmm..

omg. how silly would it be if i brought the sentra.
i.
need.
to.
come.
do.
this.

Sil240 wrote: Anyone that is planning to come out and be apart of this group, WILL be SAFE.
Safety is the #1 priority for this trip, a lot of things can happen.

Most of all Use your Common Sense!!!

Sil240 wrote: Turn in, brake, yank the E, counter and power on!

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things doesn't belong...

lol....it's only contradicting if you're an idiot with no car control.

well, except that public roads part....

That's why I wanna do the New Foundland Targa once in my life.

Sil240 wrote: Grilled cheese. Are you gonna come out? ???
Thanks for the info! !

Not a problem man. I won't be making it. I go up there for a full week with my friends every year in May. Plus, my newly purchased "Project S14" will not be ready by then haha.

hell, I'll probably wind up out there...I can take my bone stock EP3. Maybe I'll have worked on the front end some by then. Right now it still hurts to properly play with myself.

Mr1der wrote:lol....it's only contradicting if you're an idiot with no car control.

well, except that public roads part....

That's why I wanna do the New Foundland Targa once in my life.

That's a coincidence. A good friend of mine and I recently discussed trying that New Foundland Rally (he's been working on his bucket list).

Bubba1 wrote:

Mr1der wrote:lol....it's only contradicting if you're an idiot with no car control.

well, except that public roads part....

That's why I wanna do the New Foundland Targa once in my life.

That's a coincidence. A good friend of mine and I recently discussed trying that New Foundland Rally (he's been working on his bucket list).

Same. Soon as I finish my MR2 and give it a half of season of shakedown on it, I'm going to cage it for SCCA Improved Touring Class B. From there, Targa. It's a three year plan I'm working on due to mass averted funding for a complete class change of the Corolla..

Sentrastace - Bring it out!!! If my 240 wasn't going to cooperate with me, I was going to throw a set of coilovers on my Altima and bring her out.


Charlieo - You know were gonna shut down the mountain and do it up Tokyo Drift style. I'm bringing my RB26 powered Stang!!! (sarcasm) J/K LOL

Newfoundland... if I was still in NY I would be down for that.
FL is probably about 2-3 days drive straight from there.

EP3- how is that shifter up on the dash???
I've always wondered about that....
Seems a bit strange to me.
Bring it out!!!!!

Grilled Cheese - Ok, well if you feel the urge to bring that WRX out LMK. I <3 Un-equal manifolds!!! Sounds soo badass!!!

Were the first group scheduled to be up there for the month of Sept.
Let's do this big everyone!!!!
Check it out:
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/calendar.html

http://www.killboy.com/calendar.jsp?act ... &year=2010


Only 4 more days till the Reservation Deadline!!! Aug 1st



P.s.- Thanks go out to Biggie for re-posting this up on Carolinanissans.

Still wished I could make it, but good luck and safe journey to everyone who is.

Biggie - If anything it looks like your somewhere in the area, come out for the day.

Sat we're going to have a BBQ/car show/swap meet that day.

Either way we'll have tons of cameras out there and video. After, I'll try to organize all the pics and vids into 1 place or at least the links to them.

3 More guys Reserved last night.
1 or 2 guys camping out.
Come on everyone, get it done!!

Sil240 wrote:Biggie - If anything it looks like your somewhere in the area, come out for the day.

Sat we're going to have a BBQ/car show/swap meet that day.

I already had plans for that Saturday else I would drive over there. Sunday is just a bad day for that long of a 1 day trip.