As far as a meeting place, once you get to 411, getting to Chilhowee Dam is pretty simple. From 411:
Turn onto U.S. 129 (right turn if you are headed North on 411, left turn if you are headed South). If headed South on 411, you will see signs for Fontana Village and Robbinsville. Either way, you should see the Rite Stop Market at the intersection of 411 and 129. Turn there. After you turn on 129, go approx. 12.4 miles and you will see a large parking lot (parking area for a boat ramp) on the right. This is where I think we should meet up. Coming from the 411 end of 129, you will actually pass the parking lot before taking the right turn into it. Coming from 411, the parking area (Harrison Branch boat ramp) is before you get to Chilhowee Dam, so if you pass the dam, you have gone too far.
After leaving 411 and turning onto 129, some landmarks you will see include:
Punkin Center (on the left)
129 Motorcycle Shop, entrance to Highway 72, The Home Place Restaurant (all on the right)
The last three are fairly close together. Once you pass them, you are only about 1.5 miles from the parking lot.
Okay, for those who are interested, it looks like we are going to head over the Dragon this coming Saturday (Feb. 25, 2006). We plan to meet in a boat dock parking area near Chilhowee Dam (see directions above) around 9:45 AM and head out around 10:00 AM. We're keeping this simple and casual, so there is no set-in-stone itenerary. Our plan is to leave from the parking lot, head across the Dragon and stop in Robbinsville at the Brushy Mountain Smokehouse and Creamery for lunch. A couple of us plan to return via the Cherohala Skyway and stop at various 'overlook' locations for sightseeing, but some folks may choose to return via the Dragon or skip the sightseeing. Also, daylight and weather permitting, some of us will be taking a slight 'side trip' from the skyway to Bald River Falls. Again, folks are welcome to join us or skip the Falls and head on back.
The extended forecast calls for 40% chance of rain here in the Valley and a 'slight chance' of showers in Robbinsville. Unless we get a 'gullywasher', as we say in East Tennessee, we plan to take the trip, anyway. Failing an outright deluge, snow or ice are about the only things that are going to stop us, and the temps are supposed to be too warm for that but cool enough to discourage all but the most diehard motorcyclists. We're thinking (as Tripleblack said earlier in this thread) that if we wait too much longer, the Dragon will start to get really crowded - not to mention that visibility there is better while the leaves are off the trees. We hope some of our fellow AFM members will decide to join us. This trip should be fun and pretty laid back and is open to any and all Mustangs. Throw in some pretty good barbecue (Carolina style - the vinegar based sauce is their best) and ice cream along with some beautiful scenery and you pretty much have an idea of what this trip is all about.
Me and a buddy of mine are trying to put together a drive and meet and greet for Tail of the Dragon. 
