Hey guys,
I KNOW there are a bunch of local and maybe not so local Fiero nutjobs like myself in the greater Knoxville TN area. I see lots of this type of meet and greet going on in other parts of the US so I thought I would PROPOSE a cool one here. If any of you have been to Gatlinburgh,TN you know how interesting a place it is. Well my family and I often go up there to see the sights and enjoy some of the cool restaurants. There is a Hard Rock Cafe there among other great restaurants. Our personal favorite is something called The Pancake Pantry. This place is just so cool and makes some of the best Pancakes and Waffles I have ever seen. It is also right in the middle of town and there is MUCH to see and do there. I am gonna propose an East Tennessee Fiero UNOFFICIAL casual breakfast meet and greet at this wonderful locale. It is about 45 minutes drive from my home here in East Tennessee and WE like to ride up through the Great Smoky Mountains National part into Gatlinburgh. I am gonna propose a date here( perish the thought) I am gonna say Saturday May 14th morning and meet at the Pancake Pantry at like 9:30 ish because I am NOT a morning person and even if I was it takes a little while to get there from here. I am gonna try to get a sitter for the kids and my wife and I will take my ULTRA cool yet kinda ugly faded paint job Fiero GT for a ride up there. Call it a date night for mom and dad or whatever but I am thinking it would be just AWESOME to see a whole bunch of nice Fieros Representing in the parking lots there. PARKING is a ***** there tho so we will play that by ear but I KNOW there are like two or three parking areas along the strip there and there is also a large parking garage at the Ripleys aquarium which is a REALLY cool attraction. They have all sorts of cool stuff up there to do as well after including one of those indoor skydiving things down in pigeon forge. This area is also home to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. About twenty minute ride down thru the gorgeous national park is a place called Cades Cove. There are picnic and camping areas there and the view and opportunity to see nature like wild brown bears and deer is amazing. Depending on how many show up we may plan a little trip thru the cove after breakfast. Words cannot describe how cool this place is....


So there it is.... Nothing OFFICIAL, Nothing too serious, just HOPEFULLY a bunch of cool fieros riding down thru the National park(which is just amazingly gorgeous) and enjoying a wonderful breakfast together chatting about our favorite two seater. If any of you are interested in going up there with us, just post here your intentions and if you are south of maryville TN area you can even meet me here at my home or another local place to ride together with us up thru the mountains. You will not regret it.... Hoping there will be more than a few nice fieros on this run.... and some DAMN good Waffles!! If you have any questions you can call me at 865-363-9218 Peace to all my Fiero Freinds....

Pete


To see what I mean here click the link and then hit Images on top there to see the beauty of Cades Cove...
http://www.google.com/searc...s=org.mozilla:en-US:

http://www.pancakepantry.com/

[This message has been edited by Pete Matos (edited 05-10-2011).]

Oh yeah,
Forgot to mention that the drive up thru the mountains is along the little river and is ALSO magnificent if you have never been there.... peace

Pete

Too bad i don't trust mine for that trip......

Aww come on man... You are only what maybe an hour and a half from Knoxville right??!! haha... I was seriously hoping that there would be some response to this on here. We are going to be going regardless but hopefully some other FIero Folks will come along. Just got back from a very nice evening camping not far from there last night. Went with some people from church and MAN was it a beautiful morning. Nothing better than fresh breakfast served over a warm fire.... Peace

Pete

it's at least 3 hours from knoxville... i have never had it on the road longer than an hour at a time and all though it is a daily driver and currently don't have any problems with it i really cant afford to find any problems right now either!!!! although i would love to come though.

Cool man... understand. Peace

Pete

quote Originally posted by awestfield: it's at least 3 hours from knoxville... i have never had it on the road longer than an hour at a time and all though it is a daily driver and currently don't have any problems with it i really cant afford to find any problems right now either!!!! although i would love to come though.

Not quite 3 hours unless you're driving a loaded truck. Not 100% on taking the Fiero there, Check Engine light is on again.

( done it several times, left at 07:00 with a full load behind a weak truck and was back by 15:00)

quote Originally posted by skuzzbomer: Not quite 3 hours unless you're driving a loaded truck. Not 100% on taking the Fiero there, Check Engine light is on again. ( done it several times, left at 07:00 with a full load behind a weak truck and was back by 15:00)

or unless you have a wife like mine who needs to stop every few minutes to pee or to get chips..i agree with you maybe not three hours but every bit of 2 1//2hrs.. "skuzzbomer" we need to get together sometime here in nashville....

[This message has been edited by awestfield (edited 04-30-2011).]

Im game to try for Gatlinburg... But I like the Nashville Idea...

The Pancake Pantry is a favorite of wife and I. Will try to make at 9:30 ish on 5/14. Probably won't bring the Fiero. Check engine light on and off. Won't have time to get it repaired. Probably won't be taking the trip around Cades Cove but would enjoy chatting with other Fiero folk(s) over some of the finest breakfast food around. I have never seen seating arrangements for more than 6 or 8 people there. Are we just going to meet out front and go from there ? You can just watch for a good looking woman with a short bald guy who has a somewhat enlarged nose. That would be me.

quote Originally posted by awestfield: "skuzzbomer" we need to get together sometime here in nashville....

Most just call me Skuzz... and yep, I understand your frustration there.

I was commuting between Nash and the Boro for several months while I was enrolled at MTSU. Kind of dropped it until work let's me have my sanity back (and a raise). If I was driving the right car, I could probably make it a quick drive until I hit the base of the plateau - those rigs can barely make it some days so you have to be careful.

Well Halcyon and Rocky top... Look forward to meeting with you guys there. Yeah I know the seating is kinda different in the PANTRY but honestly I have gone there with several family members before and they can kinda push tables together for you if you ask. I was thinking that if we had a commitment from enough people who were planning on attending I would call and make some sort of arrangements with the restaurant in advance. It sounds like Rocky top has been there and can attest to the great food and intereting atmosphere that the Pancake Pantry has there. That and the rest of what Gatlinburgh has to offer is pretty cool. If you have never been there ya might want to consider it... peace

Pete

Freindly, hopeful,reachin' out ta ya fiero nutjobs like myself BUMPAROONIE!!

Pete

I'll have to see what I can work out for that day. Wife is flying back in from Florida the evening before and probably won't feel like coming, but I'm sure my oldest son is up for a trip in the Fiero and some waffles. I just plotted the ride and it's about 3 hours to get there from here, but it'll be nice to hook up with some friendly Fiero owners from the area (since I'm so damn far away from everyone else LOL).

I'm not 100% in just yet, but I'll keep you posted as things progress...

Sounds good axe..... Hopin' more can come down. Nothing fancy or too formal just a nice ride and some DAMN good breakfast and HOPEFULLY some nice weather altho lately who the hell knows what mother nature is thinkin'. Typical woman right....haha Peace

Pete

Count me in. I love an excuse to drive my baby thru the mountains. I always seem to get stuck behind an RV though.

Andrew my good man..... Glad to hear you are comin' with us. Maybe we can meet near my house somewhere or on 321 and drive out to the mountains together that morning. SHould be cool. I am going to Chattanooga this weekend to help out with the Tornado and storm damage so the following weekend as I had planned is still a go for us. Again hoping that mother nature will co-operate. Ya know you are gonna have to let me sit in those nice brand new Mr. Mikes right...haha peace

Pete

Anyone gotten hold of Rob Finley to see if he's interested in making this?

So... This is more or less a bump.... but... Whats the word on this meet? Are we still on for this Saturday?

I'm still planning to make it. It's actually one of the brighter spots in my week.

Hey sorry guys,.....

Been having some troubles lately, been sick for about four days and then forgot to pay my Internet bill so I could not get on until we got paid again. Sorry for being out of touch. Yeah we are STILL planning on running up to the Pancake pantry Saturday morning. Should be fun. Hopefully more will come with us but we shall see... I got out and drove the Fiero today to meet some new members from our church who live up in Happy Valley area today and tried to help them get moved in. The car seems to be running nice but it sure could use a bath. Man I can't wait to be able to get this car painted.... Been coughing up crud all week it seems and I am about over it, ready to be feeling better again. Got some good machining done today out in the shop too. Hope to see at least a few of you guys there on Sat. It would also be nice to know exactly how many are planning on attending so I can maybe let the restaurant know that way we can no barge in on them too badly... Peace

Pete

I'm still planning on being there if I can get some logistics worked out..... *Hope* to be there, anyway!

I will be there... I ran into a small glitch with Renea yesterday... apperently the bushings in the shifter mechanism are going bad, cause its getting harder to slide it from one side to the other... If I dont get it fixed before friday, I'll just have to remember to bring a can of WD40... lol

Hey Pete, do you have the address to this place we're going to meet up at, so I have it handy for my GPS? Just want to make sure I'm not the only Fiero where ever it is that I end up, you know!

Hey man,
sure can...here ya go....!!!

http://www.pancakepantry.com/

Wife and I are still planning on attending. 9:30 a.m. Saturday. However, won't be bringing a Fiero. There is a candy factory/store adjacent to the restaurant. Outside in front of the big glass viewing window might be a good place to gather.

Hey! My wife and I would love to come but we already have plans this weekend. There is a motorcycle thing going on in Asheville, NC so we are going there to try to ride the new Yamaha Vmax. We did a day trip to Gatlinberg a few weeks ago and went to the Ripley's Aquarium. We had a great day and found an AWESOME pizza place in Pigeon Forge. I think it is called Smoky Mountain Pizza. If you go, try the garlic knots!!!

I just recently got my daily driver running again and it seems to be cured. I would definately like to bring it down. If you're planning a drive, the road from Cade's Cove to Townsend is listed as one of America's top 10 most beautiful roads. Once in Townsend, you're almost to the Foothills Parkway wich is also a gorgeous road with plenty of areas to stop and pull off for photos, etc. At the other end of the Foothills Pky, the Dragon's Tail begins! 318 turns in 11 miles or something like that. Great place to drag a knee on your motorcycle or put your Fiero through its paces. I've been there a few times with my motorcycles but never have taken my Fiero.

Definately try to contact Rob Finley. He runs a North East Tennessee Fiero Club. He is on this forum as RobsFieros, I believe. He's in Athens, TN.

Please PM and e-mail me for the next meet!

Jonathan

Boost...

Yeah man thanks for the information, that is basically what I have been trying to tell everyone here. I LIVE right off the foothills parkway and I am about ten minutes from Deal's gap, My family and I go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon forge at least once or twice a month. As for the ride from Cades Cove to Gatlinburgh basically what we were hoping to do is run it in reverse IE eat breakfast at the Amazing Pancake Pantry and then ride down thru the mountains and head into Cades Cove by early afternoon. Meeting at the area in front of the candy store adjacent to the pantry is not a bad idea either. Again this is all just gonna be a nice leisurely ride thru the mountains and a real nice breakfast with some nice fiero Folks.... I am a big Yamaha fan and have owned MANY sportbikes over the years. I can understand if you would rather ride but if you change your mind feel free to meet up with us there. What really sucks tho is myself, my wife, and now my kids have been sick all week. I am just starting to get over it now but I am still coughing up crud from it. I am REALLY hoping we are all feeling better by the weekend. Should be fine as I was only REALLY sick for a day or two....

All are of course welcome and I look forward to meeting some of you and seeing some cool fiero's....peace

Pete

All I really want to do in Asheville is ride the new Vmax. If I find out that I can't, or if the weather is bad, we may change our plans and come your way. PM with phone number sent.

Jonathan

Hey Boost, it's good to see you on here, and nice to know there are more Fiero owners closer to me than Maryville. I was starting to get a little concerned that there weren't any forum members from the Tri-Cities on here. You don't by chance own a White 4.9 Fiero, do you? A relative of mine seen it at a car get together in Abingdon this past Saturday, so I've been wondering if the owner might be a forum member or not...

Sure hope the weather gets better before Saturday...storms blew through here again last night, but not as bad as a couple weeks ago. Need more sunshine!

Ax

Ax,

I'm not the only one here. There is a guy in Erwin who makes wiring harnesses and another guy, Jason, lives closer to me but not sure if he's inside the Kingsport city limits. He goes by Crazydragn. He's a martial arts teacher. He's been over several times to buy parts from me and I put a starter on for him. He's a really nice guy.

There are several white Fieros around here that I know of. I'm going to try to buy one of them. I haven't seen the one with the 4.9. I did see one with a 4.9 but if memory serves, it was maroon. I've got that guys name on a slip of paper somewhere.

One day while I was working in Elizabethton, I had to drive to Butler. Isn't that in your direction?

Jonathan

quote Originally posted by Boostdreamer: I'm not the only one here. There is a guy in Erwin who makes wiring harnesses and another guy, Jason, lives closer to me but not sure if he's inside the Kingsport city limits. He goes by Crazydragn. He's a martial arts teacher. He's been over several times to buy parts from me and I put a starter on for him. He's a really nice guy. There are several white Fieros around here that I know of. I'm going to try to buy one of them. I haven't seen the one with the 4.9. I did see one with a 4.9 but if memory serves, it was maroon. I've got that guys name on a slip of paper somewhere. One day while I was working in Elizabethton, I had to drive to Butler. Isn't that in your direction? Jonathan

Cool....nice to know there are several more around. Just wish they were on the forums (or more often) so I'd know who to talk to in the area. I like Pete's idea of getting together occasioanlly just to shoot the bull, compare notes, talk about Fieros and share resources, etc. There just isn't enough of a Fiero presence out there due to the age and availability of the car, so good, reliable info is hard to come by on a firsthand basis. Be nice if we could round up those other guys and get them in on a weekend get together like this...

Sounds like you were on your way up to Mountain City...I'm about 20 miles past Butler on Hwy 67. I know of one other Fiero up this way, a gold coupe, '87 I think. I'll have to check with that guy and see if he's on here at all...

Robert (Ax)

Ax,
Hey man there are indeed quite a few fiero fellows on here from this area. I hope to be able to enjoy more meetings like this with nice people like yourselves and I hope the weather this weekend will be nice for this occasion. The area is really amazing and is one of the major reasons why we moved here. The Great Smoky Mountains national park is just breathtaking and if some or all of you can come down there with us after we eat and take a little ride thru the mountains and into cades cove it will be worth it that is for sure. The only real hitch here again is the parking in gatlinburg. There are a few small parking lots along the main drag where the pancake pantry is located and I USUALLY park in there somewhere and there is a small parking fee. There is also parking at the Ripley's aquarium but it is a bit of a walk from there to the Pantry. There is also parking behind the MALL that is across the street from the pantry. SO if any of you that are familiar with the area have any better ideas about the parking situation feel free to give a shout.

if anyone that is planning on attending has any questions you can call me directly at 865-363-9218. I will be watching the weather and hoping for a nice morning.... Peace

Pete

I sent a PM to Rob Finley to see if he had noticed the thread, or if he was planning on attending....The way I figure it, the more we can get involved, the merrier!

Ax,
Thanks man altho I have already posted it on the Georgia forum as well as this one and most of those guys get on either here or there. Again this is supposed to be a NON-Official, casual, and enjoyable get together without any affiliation or other nonsense. All Fiero afficionado's, nutjobs, or connoiseur's are invited regardless of where you are or what you do or anything else for that matter. I should be a good time assuming Mother Nature co-operates... Lookin' forward to seeing everyone there.. peace

Pete

Alrighty guys,
with this get together looming large on the horizon I wanted to get on here today and see if I could get you guys that are planning on coming for sure to post here and that way I can get a count. If there are more than a few I will call the restaurant and give them a little heads up to make sure they can get us all in and seated close enough to matter. Looking forward to it guys... peace

Pete

well... bad news... looks like the problem is worse then I thought... I got the shifter all cleaned up and looking nice, reinstalled it to see if I fixed the issue....... no luck... so now its either the Trannie, or the cables, I have a set of cables on there way but Im praying its not the Trannie...

.... So... it looks like Renea will not be joining us this weekend. I'll see what the wife has planed and maybe I'll still be there...

Tis is a sad day...


Chris Finley

I want to, but according to weather.com the weather looks like it's gonna suck for most all of East TN and I've not had the Fiero out in rain since I've owned it. Looks like that bad front moving into Arkansas right no will be looming over the region on Saturday. Wishing for better chances of sunshine....

Do we have a backup date / plan?

[This message has been edited by Axdrenalin (edited 05-12-2011).]