AOTH 2015--May 14-16

[Thirdchildhood]

Have my case of Vernors for the trip
Yeah that's right I am a teetotaler..Ed

I won't be drinking at all either, Ed.

[gcarter]

Me neither.

[Inferno]

Ed ... You better bring and drink all of your beer before you get in the 22+2 .. As your going for a ride like you never been !!!!!!!!!!! PS ..and don't forget ear plugs ...

[Ed Donnelly]

Ed ... You better bring and drink all of your beer before you get in the 22+2 .. As your going for a ride like you never been !!!!!!!!!!! PS ..and don't forget ear plugs ...

I thought an empty stomach would be a better idea.
Less mess to clean up....Ed

[Ghost]

Bananas. Same taste and consistency going either direction.

[Inferno]

Money is in the mail ...... Going to be fun "WAKING UP MY HORSES ON THAT LAKE"

[Jerry E]

Please get with Byron or myself if you haven't registered, we need a count on shirts by Sun. evening
Also Sysco foods will be having a food show in the restaurant 11:30-1:00 on Fri.. All are welcome. No charge.
See you all in less then two weeks.
Steaks on the dock Sat. night!!
Thanks jerry

[Jerry E]

Our auction will be on Fri. night. with a guest appearance of THE Tom West. It should be a good time.

[gcarter]

Would someone please post a tentative schedule for the event Thursday night? The starting time will have a large impact on when I need to leave the house Thursday morning.
Google maps says it's 680 miles and 11 hours w/traffic. So, do I need to leave @ 3:00-4:00 AM?
Also, how does the event work? Where to meet? In the hotel parking lot? Or elsewhere.
Any help would be appreciated.

[Ed Donnelly]

Yes George in the parking lot.. Rob and I will be there to help.
Not bringing the 16 as the power steering has not come together...Ed

[Phil S]

George and others....

Here's a couple of tips that hopefully will help anyone if it's your first visit to Jamestown. Pull up Jamestown Resort on Google Maps and switch it to satellite view and you may be able to follow my otherwise confusing writing skills. Zoom down pretty low on the satellite image. I'm not sure what the official "start time" is for the show n shine, but probably 5 to 6 ish pm. Keep in mind that Jamestown is in the Central Time Zone and I think that all the event times are in Central.

Rt 92 basically ends at the Resort / Marina. As you are coming into the park on the road (92) to the hotel...be watching for a small residential looking type building on the right (on the map, it's in the middle of the sharp left-hand bend in the road...see the tennis court on the right...its the next building blue roof on the right). There is NOT a very big parking lot at this spot, but this is the check-in / registration office. My suggestion is that you stop here first to get your parking pass, hotel keys and slip assignment. If you should happen to miss stopping here for some reason....do not fret, nor try to turn around to get back to it ! Jamestown Resort runs courtesy taxis (gratuity expected) from pretty much any location on their grounds.

After checking in, proceed on 92 down the hill to the next road on your right which is the entrance to the hotel and parking lot. THERE IS A SIGN HERE THAT SAYS NO BOAT / TRAILER PARKING. Completely ignore this sign and proceed with your boat / trailer into the hotel parking lot. This is where the show-n-shine event is held.

I don't recall them having luggage buggies, so if you have a bunch of stuff to unload to take to your hotel room, go ahead and pull up next to the hotel and unload your stuff onto the sidewalk or such before parking your truck / trailer for the show-n-shine. This might save you a few steps unloading. If you missed the registration office, my suggestion is to go ahead and park in the hotel lot and have the courtesy taxi take you back.

Friday morning...time to launch. If you are by yourself and need a hand launching just ask someone...this is one very helpful group of people and I'm certain no one will mind lending a hand. Refer back to the satellite image on Google maps. Rt 92 is a loop road. I have been able to pull out of the hotel parking lot road, and back straight down to the launch ramp, because there was no traffic coming up the hill. Technically though, you're supposed to make a left on to 92 out of the hotel road and follow the loop all the way around which puts you at the launch staging area of the ramp. If you're a "flat-lander", this is a fairly steep ramp, so be careful and go slow. IS THE PLUG IN ????

Refer to satellite image again...you'll see a long boardwalk / dock on the starboard side of the launch ramp. You can tie her up here while you park your truck if you like. Drive back up to the hotel parking lot and park there and take the courtesy van back to the ramp.

Back at the launch ramp area, let's assume you are tied off along the boardwalk with her bow facing the launch ramp. See the rock embankment ahead of you just left of the ramp ? Untie her and head straight for the rocks, making a hard port turn around the end of the covered docks and follow this narrow, (but deep) waterway all the way around to the waterfront side of the hotel. As you make the last turn to starboard, a) you'll be staring at the infamous steps, and b) your slip will likely be in the row along your port side.

This dock area is pretty much the event "Headquarters" for the weekend. In the past, Byron or someone with the MWDC will have a table set up here for last minute event registrations, and for picking up your event bag of goodies. This is also where the Driver's meetings will be held before the organized runs on Friday & Saturday.

To get to the main body of the lake and/or the fuel station from here....head back the way you came towards the launch ramp, except continue on past the end of the boardwalk and make a starboard turn around the end of the covered dock on your right. Then it's a straight shot out to the main body....or loop around to the right to get to the fuel station. MWDC has provided the latitude and longitude coordinates for both Jamestown Marina and Lees Ford Marina in the past. Obviously, this is good spot to mark on your own GPS / plotter if you have one. This is a big lake !

That's all that I can think of that may be of use to someone on their first visit. Jerry, Bryon, or anyone else....please correct me if I've made a mistake or given out some bad advice here.

I sure wish we could make it this year, but we just aren't going to be able to make it happen. I've had a blast each time I've attended, and enjoyed meeting everyone and making so many new friends.

Hoping everyone has safe travels, a safe boating weekend, and a great time !

Kind regards,

Phil S.

[Ghost]

What Phil said (nice work!)

Pull up the lodge/hotel on Google Maps now, as a reference as you read, and all the good info Phil gave will make sense much more quickly.

The hotel/lodge and its parking lot are on a little island. When first pulling in, I recommend crossing the causeway and dropping your trailer in the parking lot below the hotel/lodge. And then taking your truck sans trailer through the narrow upper loop adjacent to the lodge to unload stuff in your room. Just because it's easier than taking a truck and trailer through that narrow loop. Can be done, but it's tight. Especially after a long drive.

DEFINITELY do what Phil said about looking at the layout on Google Maps. Of the hotel and its lot, the ramp, and how to get to the slips and back out to the lake. And of the lake itself, where the dam is to the west, and where Lee's Ford is way off to the east. Knowing the layout will make life a LOT easier when you first arrive.

If you want anything alcoholic, plan your drink and drink your plan. The county is dry and re-supply is hours away. Figure out what you want and bring all of it.

If hauling the boat with an empty tank, there are several large gas stations on the last few miles through Jamestown. Easy to buy a cheaper first tankful there. Also a self-serve car wash, suitable if you want to shine up the boat.

if you have a handheld GPS, recommend bringing that. Lots of parts of the lake look similar. Good to be able to concentrate on driving and not be distracted, worried about navigation.

There are usually a few times during the weekend when a small, hand-carry cooler is helpful. And a cozy or three.

it's a friendly and helpful group. If you're short handed, don't be shy about looking around and asking someone to lend a hand, especially for launching/pulling at the ramp. As Phil described, you can handle it solo, but two makes it FAR easier. And saves a lot of walking. When you do it just right, one person takes the boat to the slip while the other runs the trailer back up to the hotel lot.

Have you looked at the satellite view on Google maps yet?

[Ed Donnelly]

Phil; will miss you at the Awakening. Hopefully next year.Ed

[Phil S]

Thanks Ed. Hope you have a safe, uneventful trip down from Canada my friend.


One other thing I should add. You all are probably already aware that the lake level is either at or above full pool this spring. This is good news as far as those stairs are concerned. The stairs take you from the hotel down to the dock & slips. The higher the lake level, the fewer the stairs. However, they are still stairs. My suggestion is to load your boat in the parking lot before launching it, and try not to forget anything you plan on taking down to the docks when you leave your hotel room.

Phil S.

[Ghost]

Here's a pic of how folks usually park in the hotel lot.