Wednesday January 13

Good morning everyone, it is yet another cold day here at the gap. Good news is the sun is finally out and temps will get above 35 for the first time in well over a week. Roads have a lot of salt on them but are generally clear of ice and snow. As far as projects at the Resort goes we are about done with all the major stuff. Hotel got a new heating and AC upgrade and now every room has a regular central air unit that you can control the tempters. All the rooms except rooms 1 and 2 (the apartments), will now have a queen beds in them. This comes by request of Tank. He loves Room 3 but not so much the bed. Dan and Calvin have been painting everything in site and a new fence has gone up to protect the area around the fire pit. The gang is preparing for a few IMS shows and we will be at a few of the summer rallies this year as well, so we hope to see all of you soon. We got great news yesterday in that the Ashville Motorcycle Show in May has been announced and they are working hard to get it going. Here is the link to their site: http://www.ashevillebikefest.com/ so if you are going to be in western NC/ Eastern TN in may please go by and check them out. They are getting a very warm welcome from Ashville so should be a great event. Hope everyone is having a great winter….if there is such a thing…..yes I hate the snow lol. Brad

Wednesday January 6

Good morning everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! Welcome to 2010, and I hope your holidays were nothing short of perfect. Weather on the Gap is cold. Cold, snowy, salty and cold. The road is completely covered in salt, and the big rigs are using this time to get through without squashing any of us. Remember that there are 2 rock slides in the area that have effectively shut down 2 major routes north/south. Be wary of coming through the Gap.... day or night. Well the holidays went off without a hitch for all of us here at the Gap. We had a great closing staff party with everyone and all went well there. Brad and Beth moved over to Maryville, and all went well there. Brad turned 40, and all went well there. basically life is good for all of us here, and weve had some good downtime since we closed. Now we are ramping up for the new season, including upgrading heat and air throughout and getting the gas tanks/lines freshened up. Some other smaller projects as well will keep us going til March. We are going to do a few shows this winter too. IMS Cleveland, Minnesota and Chicago are on our list, and we hope to see many familiar faces at the shows. Remember to wear some Deals Gap swag to get a prize on the show tour. Been wearing the fishing out this time of year. Weve been doing very well fishing for Muskie in Melton Hill Lake. As I type Im 2 for 2 over 2 days. Good job Ben. Otherwise, all is well on this end. If you plan on riding, please check the weather before you head out, where ever you are coming from. If you need anything from me, Im just an email away. Please be safe. --- Ben

Tuesday December 1

Howdy folks. Just a quick note to say hello and that life is good. Its cold here but the road is clear and there are others out. If you plan on riding this time of year, please be sure to have many layers and to take it easy because the ground isnt as warm as it typically is in the summer. No traction !!!!

Otherwise, just got back from Toronto and had a great time. Much love and thanks to all our friends back home. It was a great weekend with even better people. I cant wait to do it again. Now, its on to do some serious fishing.

Hope all is well in your world folks. Be safe... --- Ben

Monday November 23

Well, here we are. The last day to really find people here at the store. While Im happy that we get some time off, Im sad for this day every year. Weather looks ok, and currently the road is semi-dry. We could see some showers today and the highs should only reach the 60's.

Bernies update: Ive spent some time at the hospital with him and hes in good spirits. Surgery went fine on this semi-local and hes on the road to mending as I type. Thanks again to all that got him up and out, as well as everyone thats been checking in on him at the hospital. He might be walking funny in a few months, but thats better than the alternative.

So now, we all get some time off. Not sure how many of you know, but we run pretty hard here in the summer, and dont get much time off through it. The 3 months in the winter give us time to recharge and hang with friends. Its a crazy work schedule, but one that is satisfying and non stop. I plan on taking this time to go back to Canada for a while as well as go hang with some friends on the left coast. California is always nice in the winter.

If any of you need anything from me, you can email me. I will keep up on it, and get back to you in a timely fashion. The online store is still open all winter too, for you swag junkies. Periodically I will post up with any cool updates I can, but please dont expect any regular inputs. If you are on Facebook, look me up. Ben Steinberg on the Toronto network.

Til the 1st of March, all of us at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort want to thank all of you for your continued friendship and support. There is way more to this place than trying to make a living and we are very fortunate to be able to have so many great friends. It is much appreciated. Our love to you all.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Special Quansa and Happy Holidays to all that didnt get covered in the above. We wish you all nothing but success, happiness and all around GREAT 2010.

Til the next daily...... Please be safe. --- Ben

 

Sunday November 22

Its Sunday, it just started raining, and I foresee a slow Dragon day coming. Morning everyone, hope this finds you well. Scattered showers have already begun and they are expected to stick around for the day, and possibly into tomorrow.

Well, yesterday was just like days gone by, with all the sport bikes out and around. Not many cruisers at all actually. It reminded me of the mid-90's when you would rarely see a cruiser around here. Just for your info cruiser guys, you have to thank the sport bike folks for putting this place on the map, and sport bike guys, you owe thanks to the cruiser folks for keeping us alive here to carry on. Anyhow, it was a great day with lots of smiles, right up til the end of the day.

Late in the day, a semi-local had a bad fall at the 3.6mm heading southbound. He went off the mountain and into a pretty rocky ditch only to stop on a downed tree. I ended up closing the store a bit early to help a downed friend but by the time I got there, everyone else had it covered. Special thanks go out to the Park Rangers, TWRA guy, THP, FD of BC, and of course Rural Metro for taking such good care of our friend. We met up with "crash" at the hospital and he was in better spirits after a couple pain shots. Broken femur in 2 spots and some broken toes was all it ended up being, but anyone will tell you, the femur is one of the most painful bones to break. Thankfully hes at UT under the watchful care of their great staff. Get well sooner than later Bernie.

Otherwise, thats our excitement here. Tomorrows the last day in the store, and we will be closed til March 1st. We may very well be here if a truck or two are in the parking lot, so if you need help with something, just bang on the doors.

Til tomorrow, please be safe. --- Ben

Saturday November 21

Welcome to it. Saturday is here, why arent you ??? Its beautiful out....

Nothing to report but a nice fall day and fabulous sunshine. Get out and do something.

Enjoy your day, and be safe. --- Ben

Friday November 20

Its Friday and its a cold am here with fog and cold weather. The sun is trying to burn through the fog though so it should be better in a couple of hours. It looks good for the weekend too, but Sunday looks like overcast with chances of showers.

Well, we are gearing down pretty quickly around here. The days are shorter, and the traffic is very thin. We are only a couple days away from closing and the weekend looks ok for riding, if you have the gear. Come on out and help us drain the gas tanks for the winter.

Got my little Bimmer back, and shes running strong. I was out playing last night in the cold, and had a great evening on the mountain all by myself. Theres nothing better than a couple back to back passes with no traffic to make you smile. I dont recommend that just anyone come out and play at night, but if you know how to control yourself and know the road, much fun can be had.

With nothing going on, theres nothing to report, so I will sign off. I hope you all have a great day. If your on Facebook, look me up. Ben Steinberg in the Toronto network. --- Ben

Monday November 16

Happy Monday to you all. Its more than likely going to be the last day of this glorious weather here at Deals Gap. Highs today should easily reach 70 with nothing but sun. Tomorrow is another story though, as there are chances of showers, and highs are only in the 50's, so it looks like Autumn is really setting in.

Yesterday was the last day for the Grill and the Motel, and it was plenty busy. Everyone was out to enjoy this weather and they all did just that. Thanks to all for making this last weekend one to remember. I look forward to seeing all our good friends in the spring.

Last night, on my way home I passed through some crazy carnage on the lake just north of the Dragon. Seems one of our local riders had passed away a few days ago, and everyone got together to spread the ashes on Chilhowee Lake. Well, everyone was about  150 people, and I guess after the ash spreading the locals started to get rowdy. There was drag racing, wheelies, and a fair bit of beer drinking. Turns out one of the younger guys in the group had a bunch of women in his car for a big rolling burn out but got messed up somehow and took out 5 other parked cars for the event. The driver completely totaled his 71' Stang and did a good number on the others as well. Thankfully not too many people were hurt. Ive got some shots of it on FB.

One week left folks. We will be here til Thanksgiving and thats it til spring. I hope we get to see you before we close. Til then, please be safe. If your on Facebook, look me up. Ben Steinberg in the Toronto Network. --- Ben

Sunday November 15

Howdy all, and welcome to Sunday. Wow, what a beautiful day its shaping up to be. Highs in the 70's and nothing but sun. The road looks good, and this is the last day for one of America's Top 10 Cheeseburgers, so get up here and watch all the action fly by.

Well, lets start the day with the disappointment known as Good Morning America. They did a piece on The Dragon this am, and of course they called it "The Tail". How sad is it that even a reporting agency does not fact check what they put on TV ?? Either way, it was a lame piece on an amazing area. Thanks for nothing GMA.

Yesterday was a good one with plenty of people moving around and having a great day. I was over in TN fishing a tournament, and came home with nothing to show. We did see 2 big fish but that was as close as we got. I did get boat envy from one of my competitors though. He built an aluminum platofrm that sat 6 feet high on the back of the boat for better visuals in the shallows. If any of you weld aluminum, please let me know, because I want one too.

Get up, get out and go enjoy. I hope you all have a great day, whatever you get into. Be safe. --- Ben

Friday November 13

Welcome to Friday the 13th. Its a georgeous day here on the mountain, and I hope the same for you, where ever you are. Weather is perfect for the coming days with highs in the 70's expected. GO DO SOMETHING !!

Well, today is a very special day here for us at the Gap. After our last trip to the GP in Indy, Brad went and purchased on 09' Honda 600RR to use as a grand prize for the Ride for Kids Lap of Champions at Indy for the 2010 race. How cool is that ?? Then he took it one step further and got all the bodywork painted pearl white, and got a bunch of drawings from the kids that Ride for Kids helps, and had them laid over the pearl. The bike looks great, and the bike is now sitting in the shop to be ogled. There is info on the homepage at the top of our site for the details on the raffle, but its not actually for the bike itself. Take a minute to check out all the details on the site for more info. The Ride for Kids big wigs should be here about 1 pm for pictures, and once we have those, I will post them up on the site.

Its going to be a busy weekend, so make sure you get out and socialize. Be safe. --- Ben

Thursday November 12

Well, its a quiet and beautiful am here on the mountain. Weather looks fantastic for the balance of the week with highs up to 70 in the right spot.

As the season winds down, its tough to find things to do with such few people out there. In fact, its kind of like pulling teeth here on slow days. Its been pretty slow the last few days, and we miss all you folks already.

#64 is now officially closed by Tellico Plains because of another rock slide in the area. This makes 2 big slides in the general area now, and the trucks are having to find other ways to get around. Please be wary of big trucks on and around the Dragon. These slides will take months to clean up so dont say we didnt warn you.

Well, I spent a couple of days fishing on my oftime. Tuesday, most of the day in the rain with nothing to show, but Wednesday Joe, Zee and I went out and saw a few. I raised 2 and hooked into 1 but lost him soon after from a crappy hook set. Good to know the fish are still around. Saturday Im getting into a tourny for Muskie on Melton Hill and I hope to come out victorious. Wish me luck.

Thats all I have. Be safe. --- Ben

Monday November 9

If its your Monday, then it has to be my Friday !!! Howdy all, hope this finds you well. The overcast is setting in and it may very well get a bit sunny today, but highs are only expected to reach the mid-60's. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow with the storm thats about to hit Florida, but we wont know for sure til we see it. After that, we resume a pretty day schedule with mostly sun and warmer days.

The weekend went very well, and it was great to see so many familiar faces coming through the Gap. Almost everyone was trying to get the last days of nice weather in, and it was great that they shared with us. Not to sound too sappy, but it will be a sad winter not interacting with everyone. GOod news is the Deals Gap Crew is hitting the road for a few bike shows, and food fests. We will be at the IMS shows in Cleveland, Chicago and the Twin Cities along with a showing at Americade. Come out and see us, and remember that if your wearing any of our swag you will recieve a prize.

This am, I found an 18 wheeler parked at the Wall around the 1.6 with all the rear wheels blown on the passenger side. The driver is from Robbinsville, and knows the road well, but someone snuck up on him and caused him to try to stay in his lane more than he could. The end result was dragging the trailer through the ditch and the rear tandems hit a rock face causing the driver to lose all the trailer tires on the passenger side. Driver was fine though, and already had help coming, so no worries there. Im sure he will be back on the road by noon, if not sooner.

Not much else to report. Its going to be a great couple days coming up, and Im even in a Muskie fishing tourny this coming Saturday. Wish me luck. Til Thursday.... please be safe. --- Ben

Sunday November 8

Sunday is here, and so are we. Its going to be a perfect day on the mountain so get up and get out. Highs are expected to hit the 70 mark and there is still a bit of color on the lower altitudes to check out. Not many leaves left here though.

Driving over the mountain this am, I found the road is great shape with minimal leaves on it. Its looking like a beautiful day out there. Weve got a few clubs around, including some S2000's, Vettes and other assorted imports. Many bikers were already out when I was on my way in, but it looked like they were headed home.

GP Sunday. Its the last race of the season and although we close at 5, I plan on watching the races here. They start at 5 and go til 7 so if you want to come out, please do. Myself and a few others will be here, so just knock on the window and we will let you in to watch with us. If you plan on eating first, remember the grill will be closed by 5 so eat early.

Had a great day here yesterday. So many great people came out to enjoy one of the last beautiful days of the 09' riding season, and they came bearing gifts. We got muffins, cookies, gift certs and ironically a ton of .45 ammo. Thanks for the bullets friends. You never know when they will com ein handy. :)

Little dog is doing well, and I think I might try to put him on the boat this week. Hes a bit eager, like all little dogs, but I think we can calm him down enough to enjoy a couple hours on the lake. If you are in need of a small tan dog that loves people, Ive got the dog for you. Hes not fitting in with my pack, and cant stay here forever. Get with me if you have a loving home for Little Chico.

Dont forget, the Grill and motel are closed as of the 16th, so if your coming up past that date, pack a lunch. Til tomorrow, please be safe, and enjoy this beautiful day. --- Ben

Saturday November 7

Welcome to it folks. Saturday is here, and we expect a busy day. Its still pretty cold out this am, but highs are expected to hit the 70's so get up, get out and go do something. Tomorrows much the same, or so the weather guessers are saying.

Weve got a couple of small car groups in this weekend including the S2K kids, a group of Vettes and some other imports. I got my beemer out yesterday and came out to play for a while. Man, I love that little car. It surprises just about everyone, including sport bikers.

Little dog update: The little dog(Lil Chico) got all his stitches out last night. Hes pretty happy about it, and is coming back to life quickly. Hes doing well, and we are getting ready to find him a home. If you are interested in a smaller dog that seems to be a great companion, please get with me.

Short days make for boring ones. Come on in and say hello if you are up this way. Til tomorrow, be safe. --- Ben

Friday November 6

Morning everyone. Hope this finds you well on this very cold am. Its only 32 here right now, but the sun is out and I would hope we will see 60+ today. Weather for the weekend is looking good too with highs up into the 70's expected on Sunday. Sunday is also the last GP of the year, so if you are in the area, come out and watch with us.

I am very privilaged to report that Im sitting next to a legend as I type this. Rick, aka Yellow Wolf is here for a few days riding around with some of the best Wingers on the eastern seaboard. How cool is it to see an old friend and catch up. For those of you that dont know Yellow Wolf, he is legend in some online circles. Rick is the only guy I know that has ever run 1000 miles on the Gap in 24 hours. Great to see you Rick. I enjoy our time, every time I see you.

Heres a nugget sent to me from the great Itchybro. Phil passed this on so I could post it here for all the sportbikers to see. Check it...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VruWHHEnZGw&feature=player_embedded

Well, we hope you all get out and enjoy the outdoors this weekend. If you come this way, you will catch the last of the fall colors. Be safe out there. --- Ben

Thursday November 5

Howdy all, and welcome to Thursday here at the store. Its been pretty slow here lately even with all the good weather. Highs the next couple of days are looking good in the 60's and possibly more if your sitting in the sun. This is a great time to be out in the mountains.

Well the weeks traffic was less than anyone imagined, both with bikes and people looking for alternate routes to and from TN to avoid the rock slide. Thats good because now the truck traffic will slow. Now, my only question is, where are all the riders ??

Im not really expecting many riders this weekend and that would be a great time to get your scoot on. Get out there people.

Thats all Ive got. If you are on Facebook, look me up. Ben Steinberg on the Toronto network. Be safe... --- Ben

Wednesday November 4

Hey Gang If you are not here this week you are missing perfect weather for sure. We are n a small warming trend and highs will be getting close to 70 by the weekend. I will be off riding today as soon as this is done, to hell with work lol. The shock if I-40 being closed seems to be over as we are seeing a lot less traffic as folks have figured out the many routs they can take to get into TN. This is the same for semi traffic as none have passed by my window today and we have seen them thin out as well over the past few days. It is official, the Talbott's are new residence of Blount County TN as of yesterday. House has closed now the moving begins uggggg this will be my first move that the government has not paid someone to do it so it is going to suck. But on the other hand we are moving to a great area, Beth will no longer have to drive the gap 2-5 times a week to take the kids to school, DR's ect. And the real bonus....a ambulance will really show up when called, how cool is that. As for the bad news...I will have to force myself to ride the gap everyday.....oh darn. Not much going on at the store this winter, small changes like upgraded AC/Heating for the rooms some small changes to the Dragon's Den but nothing drastic. We will be on the road this winter to four shows for sure and we may add a 5th but not sure yet. Remember to wear your Deals Gap Resort Dragon shirts to the shows we always bring small stuff to hand out to all those with a shirt, hat or pin from the resort. Well enough of this PC crap off to go ride, hope everyone has a great week. Brad

Monday November 2

Its Monday and its another cool am here on the Dragon. Weather looks great for the week, with highs in the 60's and nothing but sun in the forecast.

The weekend went well and everyone was enjoying the cooler weather and the changing leaves. Because of the cold snap  and all the wind it seems that the leaves are falling faster than usual. The color is almost gone here but still look good at lower altitudes. It wont last long though...

Thanks to all the groups that came out this weekend. There was a group of Vettes, the Crossfires, some smaller groups of imports and of course the Two Lane Blacktop guy with all his old skool car buddies. Its always great to see all that classic muscle in the lot. Thanks for coming out guys and gals.

We are running new hours now folks. 9-5 Sunday through Thursday and 9-6 Friday and Saturday. With the shorter days, we dont see much traffic in the evening, so its only reasonable to do it. Im usually around a bit later, so if you see a light on, dont be afraid to knock.

Thats all I have. If your on Facebook, hit me up. Ben Steinberg on the Toronto Network. Til Thursday.... B. Ben

Sunday November 1

Dont forget to turn your clocks back if you havent already. Morning everyone, and welcome to a brisk and still wet morning here on the mountain. Its expected to be a nice day that should be pretty busy, so get up, get out and go do something with your time. Highs are expected to be in the high 60's, low 70's. Dont forget to have an extra layer as it will cool off quickly once the sun goes down.

Well we had quite a few cars rolling around yesterday, including a Crossfire group and a Corvette group. Some nice rides for sure, even if the weather wasnt being very nice. If you are a car driver running with groups or following others, remember to keep your air intakes/grills free of leaves to keep your toy running cooler than it would all stuffed up. With all the leaves on the ground, its easy to get a grill full in no time, so check it every time you stop.

Motorcyclists, there are still tons of leaves out there and pine needles too. While the sun and wind should have the road dry sooner than later there will still be piles of leaves/needles all over the place, so please be weary of them. This is not the time of year to try to go really fast, so please keep that in mind when riding today.

Today will be our last day open late, and from here on in we will be here from 9 til 5 daily until we close on the 23rd. Its been a great season even with the recession and we are very thankful for all the continued support of our customer base. Met some great people this year too, and thats what we love most. Its never a boring day around here. If your one of our cheeseburger fans, please note that the grill will close sooner than the store itself. Come and get 'em.... Did you guys and gals know that we were rated one of the top 10 cheeseburgers in the US this year ??

Thats all I have today. Remember, if you are on Facebook, look me up. Ben Steinberg in the Toronto network. Til tomorrow, be safe...  --- B. Ben

 

Saturday October 31

Morning to you, our avid readers. Wow, what a mess the road is this am. Weather isnt to good, with semi-high winds and lots of debris on the road. Rain is falling and is expected to continue through the day, but tomorrow and the following days are looking good.

Well, its not really looking like a great day to be riding or driving but if you are, please be very careful. Wet leaves and pine needles are a major factor today. In some places you cant even see the road because of the leaves and debris, so again, please be careful.

This weekend the rain seems to be spoiling a scooter group that are in the area. I hope you guys have a enjoyable and safe weekend.

Tried to fish yesterday, and got 5 hours in but no big ones. I did see a few but they had little interest in what I had. More to come on that next week.

Thats all I have. Be safe please. --- B. Ben

Friday October 30

Its another beautiful day in the mountains folks. Morning to you and welcome to Friday. Weather this am is interesting, because the winds are high and the sky was red at sun break. I would think we will see some rain today, based on how it feels outside. The leaves are seriously covering things up this am, so please be careful out there.

Yesterday was big trucks getting stuck day here on the Dragon. Seems we had some Russian drivers here on a work visa and the GPS told them to come this way. Well, they got stuck once at the 3mm, but got loose. Then they hung the trailer up at 1.8 and needed assistance to get it out. After an hour and a half closure the truck was freed and the traffic carried on. Thanks to all from BCSO and the THP for getting it all cleared up. Im sure this will happen again, as the I-40 closure is sending trucks scrambling to find a way over the mountain. Please be very careful and stay on your game as you never know if you might meet a big truck coming through.

Man, the leaves are cranking out right now. With all the high winds there are a ton of leaves and pine needles on the road. So much so, that this am, the lanes were completely covered from 6mm north to the lake. It made for a pretty drive this am, but it could be scary for bikes if trying to hold any speed.

The Little Chico Saga: Took L. Chico to the vet again last night and had his drain tubes pulled. Hes healing up nicely and seems much happier than he was just 6 days ago. Hes started to eat again, and wants to play with the rest of our dog pack, but they are still pretty unsure of the little dog with a big attitude. I figure another week and I can get all his stitches out and we will be looking for a home for him. If you want pictures, please get with me so I can send you some. He really would make a great pet for someone.

This will be our last weekend on regular hours. Once the time changes, we will go to a 9-5 through the week and 9-6 on weekends. We will be closing on the 23rd of November, and that means no gas or food/snacks. Come get it while its here folks.

Thats all I have. If your on facebook hit me up. Ben Steinberg on the Toronto Network. Be safe. --- Ben

Thursday October 29

Howdy everyone and welcome to Thursday. Weather looks great for the day with highs in the 70's and mostly sunny. There is a chance of rain moving in for the weekend, but its slim right now. The leaves are perfect on the Dragon with a full array of colors, and it made for a great drive in this am.

EDIT: As of 1 pm today, there is a southbound truck stuck at the 1.8 mile marker. We dont expect it to be totally cleared til after 4 pm but bikes and cars can get by til the tow trucks come out. Please be very aware as you are riding. With the rock slide issues on I-40 we will see an increased presence of big rigs for the coming months. Please be careful.

Well, the long hour weekend sare almost over and things are headed towards winter around here. With the upcoming time change, we will be scaling the hours back at the store, so dont come out too late and expect us to be here. Keep in mind too that we will close on the 23rd of November til roughly the beginning of March. Yay winter.

Please be weary of slow moving traffic this time of year. The leaf lookers are out in full force, and rightfully so. There are some great views happening right now, and even I, who is up here every day have found myself stopping to inspect the beauty known as the Fall Colors. I feel very fortunate to be able to live in this area.

Little dog update: weve called him Little Chico and he seems to be doing better. There are still a ton of stitches and a couple drain tubes, but Little Chico is getting his bounce back. I think that I will look for his family in the coming days, but if I cant find them( I dont think I will) we will have a little dog that could use a good home. If you are interested, I can send pics on to you. He really is a very sweet dog.

Went fishing all day Tuesday in the rain. Didnt catch a thing either. I finally stopped when my Ipod battery died. I didnt even really see any fish, but it was a great day none the less. Like they say, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work.

If your on facebook, check me out. Ben Steinberg in the Toronto Network. Til tomorrow, be safe. --- Ben