SEVROC 2015 | The Beauty Around Us

Posts tagged ‘SEVROC 2015’

West Virginia and North Carolina Vacation – Day 8 of 9

If you have read my previous blog posts about our West Virginia and North Carolina vacation, you will recall that we traveled to Maggie Valley, NC to attend the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally. On Saturday, May 16th, we awakened at 6:30 am, showered and got dressed. Bob rode the motorcycle to a fuel station to fill up, in preparation for the day’s group ride. We ate breakfast at Pop’s Grits & Eggs, located on the motel’s premises.

At 9:00 am we departed A Holiday Motel en route Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Sandy and ‘Skid’ say goodbye.

I drove the car, with Sandy as a passenger. Bob rode the motorcycle, along with many others. ‘Skid’ led the ride. We made one stop along the BRP at the highest elevation.

SEVROC 2015 BRP Highest Elevation

Our final destination was MR Motorcycle in Asheville, where we were treated to a free BBQ lunch.

I obtained this photograph from MR Motorcycle’s Facebook page.

Complimentary BBQ at MR Motorcycle Asheville

The BBQ was very good. Thank you, MR Motorcycle for the free lunch!

MR Motorcycle provided a discount coupon for store purchases. Motorcycles were looked at, but I don’t believe anyone purchased a motorcycle that day. ‘Jax” of VROC and Mike of MR Motorcycle (top left photograph in the collage displayed above) set up the free BBQ lunch. ‘Jax” also organizes the SEVROC rally. He does an excellent job! ‘Skid’ in the top right and lower right photographs was the lead for the motorcycle rides that Bob and I participated in. ‘Skid’ did an excellent job leading the rides!

It was a beautiful morning/afternoon for a drive/ride. Bob, ‘Skid”, Sandy and I returned to A Holiday Motel at approximately 1:15 pm.

At 3:00 pm several of us girls went to the Seven Silver Seas, or what is popularly called the Purple Store by VROC ladies.

VROC ladies at the Purple Store
(Photo obtained from Susan, who is standing in the first row at the far right.)

The Purple Store has been a popular destination for VROC ladies, while at SEVROC. This was my first visit. I went to browse, not intending to purchase anything. As you can see from the photograph displayed above, I made a purchase.

I purchased this wind chime.

The wind chime is hanging on our front porch presently. I am thinking about moving it out to our picnic pavilion, where I can enjoy its melody more often.

After shopping at Seven Silver Seas, we stopped and got ice cream.

Bob and I didn’t eat dinner out on Saturday evening, opting to have a picnic lunch inside our room.

Later in the evening was the raffle and 50/50 for D.A.R.E. Bob won five chocolate chip cookies baked by Wanda, a knife and a VROC buff. We shared the cookies (Wanda is an excellent baker!); Bob gets the knife; and the buff belongs to me. Our raffle raised $600.00 for the local D.A.R.E. organization.

“Jax” and the local D.A.R.E. representative

“Skid” and Sandy with the local D.A.R.E. representative

I heard that the person who won the 50/50 contributed another $100.00 to the D.A.R.E. organization.

‘Jax’ arranged live entertainment for the evening. Ginny McAfee plays the guitar and has a lovely voice. One of our VROC friends shared the following video with the VROC FAcebook group.

Ginny performing “Ode to Popcorn Sutton”

With Ginny performing in the background, we said goodbye to our friends. Since Tuesday we had been visiting with friends, friends who are like family to us. I can’t believe our time together is ending. It seems like we just got here! The SEVROC motorcycle rally was a great time!

After saying our goodbyes, we finished packing and went to bed. We were in bed by 10:00 pm. I was awakened at least one time during the night. I don’t know what time it was. I heard Bill “Southern Draw” belting out a couple heartfelt tunes about SEVROC, which made me smile.

West Virginia and North Carolina Vacation – Day 7 of 9: Back to Maggie Valley

As I wrote in the two previous vacation blog posts, we spent the better part of 10 hours chasing waterfalls on Friday, May 15th.

I shared photographs and videos from Cullasaja Falls, Quarry Falls, Dry Falls and Bridal Veil Falls in the blog post dated June 5th. In the blog post dated June 7th, I shared photographs and videos from Silver Run Falls, Toxaway Falls, Batson Creek Falls and Looking Glass Falls, as well as a few photographs from a lunch stop in Brevard.

Soon after leaving Looking Glass Falls, it started to rain. The rain came down hard during some of our driving along U.S. Route 276 and the Blue Ridge Parkway, en route Maggie Valley. I am happy that we took the car, not the motorcycle, on our waterfall tour!

When the rain ceased, we stopped at a few overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The views were incredible after the stormy weather!

Graveyard Fields Waterfall

From the Blue Ridge Parkway we took U.S. Route 23/74 to Waynesville and U.S. Route 19 to Maggie Valley.

If you have read my previous blog posts about our West Virginia and North Carolina vacation, you will recall that we traveled to Maggie Valley to attend the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally. The SEVROC Meet & Greet, held on Friday nights, was at the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center’s Rendezvous Tiki Bar from 6:00 until 7:30 pm. The location was the same as last year’s Meet & Greet. We missed this year’s Meet & Greet, as we didn’t get back to A Holiday Motel until 6:50 pm. I heard that this year’s meal, the food as well as the service, was an improvement over last year’s meal. The dinner was served family style this year. Last year the dinner was served buffet style. I am sorry that we missed the Meet & Greet. “Jax”, the rally organizer, said 45 people signed up, and 60 people went to the Meet & Greet. Bob and I would have made the total 62. I didn’t hear any complaints about not enough food, so plenty of food was provided.

I took several photographs, after everyone returned to A Holiday Motel from the Meet & Greet.

It rained in Maggie Valley for the first time since we arrived. It was very nice to have the use of a large party tent this year. The main activity inside the party tent was the sale of tickets for the next day’s raffle, which benefits the local D.A.R.E. program.

West Virginia and North Carolina Vacation – Day 5 of 9

On Wednesday, May 13, we went to Bryson City with “Skid” and Sandy and “Lucky Al” for breakfast. “Skid”, “Lucky Al” and Bob traveled by motorcycle, with “Skid” in the lead. Sandy rode with me in the car. There were three other motorcyclists who left A Holiday Motel with us. I thought they were going to Bryson City as well, but they turned off at Country Vittles located within walking distance from our motel.

Byson City, NC is located a little less than 30 miles west from A Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley, NC. It was a nice drive to Bryson City. It was the first time that Bob and I had ridden to Bryson City. Shortly before reaching Bryson City, we stopped at Two Rivers Lodge, where another rider was supposed to join us for breakfast. “Skid” knocked on one of the hotel doors. A man stuck his head out and said that his alarm had not gone off and that he would catch up to us later (but he never did). By the way, Two Rivers Lodge looked like a very nice hotel. It is located alongside a river. What I saw from the parking lot looked quiet and peaceful.

In Bryson City we ate breakfast at the Everett Street Diner. We ordered the special–2 eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast for $4.25. The food, service and company were excellent.

After breakfast, I turned my car around and waited while “Skid”, “Lucky Al” and Bob got on their motorcycles and backed out of their parking spaces. I was watching the backing up through my rear view mirror. I saw “Skid’s” motorcycle fall over, as he was backing out! “Lucky Al” and Bob hurried over to help, but “Skid” had the motorcycle upright before they reached him. All this happened within a few seconds. When I found my voice, I told Sandy, who had been looking straight ahead, that “Skid’s” bike had gone down. She was out of the car faster than lightning! Thankfully, neither “Skid” nor the motorcycle were hurt. We returned to Maggie Valley without incident.

Jim “Skid” Robinson also writes a blog about his and Sandy’s travels. Please visit “Skid’s” blog post about our ride to Bryson City. In “Skid’s” blog post (the first six paragraphs) you will find more details about our ride, along with photographs. At the end of his blog post is a map showing our route.

Soon after returning to A Holiday Motel from Bryson City, Bob and I went for a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway to its highest elevation.

En route the Richland Balsam Overlook,
we stopped at the Woodfin Cascades Overlook (Elevation 4535 ft.).

Richland Balsam Overlook (Elev 6053 ft)

We departed the Blue Ridge Parkway via North Carolina Route 215, along which we saw a couple waterfalls.

Waterfall #1

North Carolina Route 215

Waterfall #2

We took U.S. Route 276 into Waynesville and ate lunch at the Sagebrush Steakhouse. Bob ordered fish and chips. I ordered chicken tenders and French fries. We ordered dessert too. Bob had a peach cobbler with ice cream. I had an apple cobbler with ice cream. Our lunch was good. The service was a BIG improvement from the previous night!

We returned to A Holiday Motel after lunch and spent rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out with our VROC friends.

We went to bed at 10:00 pm. As happened the night before, I was lulled to sleep by the talk and laughter of our friends.

West Virginia and North Carolina Vacation – Day 4 of 9

On the morning of Tuesday, May 12th, Bob awakened about 4:30 am and read the newspaper. I slept for another 45 minutes or so. We had showered, dressed and eaten breakfast by 6:30 am.

We talked about heading out for Maggie Valley, NC the day before. We had seen all we planned to see in the New River Gorge area by mid morning. Because of the strong possibility that we would hit rain if we departed West Virginia on Monday, we stayed put for a day. It was a good call! I read Jim “Skid” Robinson’s blog post about his and Sandy’s trip yesterday from Grove City, PA to Maggie Valley (They arrived in Maggie Valley a little after 6:00 pm.). “Skid” and Sandy drove through torrential downpours, thunder and lightning. “Skid” wrote he was happy to be trailering the motorcycle.

There was threat of rain, along our route, but only in the early morning hours. We departed the Comfort Inn Oak Hill (West Virginia) at 7:30 am, en route Maggie Valley, NC. We arrived at A Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley around 1:15 pm. We didn’t see any rain during our trip!

Welcome SEVROC 10th Year in Maggie Valley

A Holiday Motel is headquarters for this year’s Southeast Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally, which begins officially on Thursday and lasts through Sunday. Our reservation was for 4 nights, Wednesday through Sunday. Rob and Gabi, motel proprietors, were able to accommodate us a day early. We did the same thing last year. We reserved a room for 3 nights and arrived a day early. We have the same room as last year, room 5, next door to the motel office.

We weren’t the first rally attendees to arrive at A Holiday Motel. Several VROC friends arrived ahead of us.

Across the street from our motel is a country wedding chapel that I didn’t notice the previous two times we have attended SEVROC. I walked across the street and took a few pictures of the chapel and the waterfall behind it.

Miss Carolines Country Wedding Chapel

Miss Carolines Country Wedding Chapel is a nice setup for a wedding!

We ate dinner at Sagebrush Steakhouse in Waynesville. Besides the two of us, fifteen others ate dinner with us.

Dinner with friends (some of the 17 of us who ate together) at Sagebrush of Waynesville.

Bob and I chose to order from the 2 for $28 meal selections, which included several full-meal entree selections with an appetizer to start. For an appetizer we ordered Blossom Petals, crisp onion petals served with a tangy dipping sauce. Bob’s main entree was an 8 oz NY Strip Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and Broccoli. My main entree was Tenderloin Tips with sauteed peppers and onions and a Side House Salad and a Loaded Sweet Potato topped with Cinnamon Sugar, Butter and Toasted Marshmallows. Service was very slow. Our meals arrived hot, whereas some other peoples’ meals arrived cold. No one sent back their meals, as no one wanted to wait any longer to eat.

Upon returning back to A Holiday Motel, we stood around talking about a variety of subjects with our friends for a while. Bob and I went to bed at 10:30 pm.