ADV Old School Fall Rally

The ADV Old School Fall Rally was held between October 16 and 10, 2014 in Tellico Plains, TN.  The weather could not have been better!  It was a great weekend to see old friends and ride the great roads of eastern Tennessee.

The banner welcoming us to the campground.

The rally is held each year at the Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground.  On Thursday night just a few of us showed up with the majority arriving Friday.

Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground

 On Friday I took a long ride through east Tennessee.  I rode to Reliance, TN which is basically a gas station / post office.  It's kind of a landmark for motorcyclist in the area.

Reliance, TN

The rest of the weekend was spent reminiscing about rides taken this past year and plans for next year.  The Old School rallies are my favorite rallies of the year.  They are small (generally less than 50 people) and more like a gathering of friends than a rally.

Doin' what we do at these things

My campsite

 On Sunday I packed up and rode home in beautiful weather.  This will probably be my last event of the season.  I already have some plans for next spring so stay tuned!

Packed for the ride home

ADV Nottarally

The annual ADV Nottarally was held October 2-5, 2014.  I rode up on Friday October 3.  Despite having organized camping, meals, rides, t-shirts, stickers, etc. this is not a rally.  Hence the name "Nottarally" does not make sense to some.  Those of us that are "initiates" understand the reasoning behind this name and we prefer to leave it esoteric.

Packed and ready to go.

I left on Friday and got to the site in Del Rio, TN before the rain began to fall.  The rain was predicted, but it was supposed to be a couple of bands and then move out.  Friday night a third band moved through to our surprise.

Set up and ready for the rain.

Thanks to a few volunteers we had a hearty breakfast and then most of us hit the road or trails to ride the day away.

Volunteers cooking up a high protein breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Riders getting ready to get dirty

I had a great campsite with a little stream running behind the tent.  During the rain I just laid in my tent and read my Kindle.  I really enjoy the sound of rain an a tent or the sound of a stream nearby.

The stream behind my tent

As predicted the temperatures dropped on Saturday night and we woke up to a chilly Sunday morning.  Some people broke camp fairly early and had to ride as far as Pennsylvania or even upstate New York.  I'm not sure but I think someone mentioned that we had visitors from our neighbor to the north, Canada.

I arrived home before noon and took a well deserved shower and took a much needed nap.  I don't know how many more weekends I will be able to get out this season.  There is one more event I know of in two weeks, but it seems that fall has arrived early (and I am getting old).