The Fifteenth Annual Right Coast Ride
July 7-9, 2006

General Information

The RCR has happened every year since 1992 as a floating event, moving around to sites within the area bounded by the Mason-Dixon line on the north and the North Carolina/South Carolina border on the south. The return of the 2006 RCR to the site of the 2001 RCR marks its third visit to West Virginia, having previously been held at the Cass Scenic Railroad in 1993.

The New River Gorge area is a motorcycling dream. The Appalachian Mountains coddle miles and miles of nicely paved twisty roads for the street bikes, and plenty of adventurous exploring for the dual sports.

Oh, and that flood we experienced on Sunday of RCR X ... well, that was just a 100 Years Flood sort of thing, right? Should be smooth sailing! Wait, did I say sailing?

Lodging

We stayed at the ACE Adventure Center near Oak Hill and Minden, West Virginia. As described on the activities page, ACE is an excellent hub for enjoying the great outdoors of West Virginia. Directions and map links for the site are provided on another page.

There were three lodging options. All prices below reflect Friday and Saturday occupancy with taxes included. See the registration page for what space is available.

Cozy Cabins are the most luxurious choice. They are air-conditioned and feature a living room with futon, full bath, kitchen, bedroom with double bed, and a sleeping loft. They accomodate four people between the three sleeping areas of the bedroom's queen-sized bed, the full-sized futon and the loft's camp mattresses. Outside of each cabin is a charcoal grill and picnic table, and a whirlpool hot tub on the deck. All cabins are non-smoking. Cozy Cabins cost a total of $240, and eleven have been reserved with ACE.

Cabin Tents give you the camping experience but mean you can leave your tent and bedding at home. ACE says these "safari-style" tents are their most popular camping option. Each tent is mounted on a wooden platform and has a permanent tarpaulin roof above the tent's own roof. They have one double and one single bed each, and sheets, blankets and pillows are provided, though bath towels are not included. No smoking is allowed inside. Cabin tents cost a total of $75, and 12 have been reserved for the weekend.

Camping with your own tent costs $22 per person for the weekend.

All lodging, even self-tenting, is "no pets". I can't remember a pet ever coming to an RCR before, but thought you should be warned just in case. It isn't my rule, it's ACE's.

Indoor lodging is on a first-registered-and-paid, first-served basis, with a slight bias to first-registered unless you're taking too long (subjectively) to follow through with payment.

NOTE: The person who places a deposit for a cabin is responsible for the cost of the cabin. If you place a deposit for a cabin, it's up to you to sort out payment arrangements from the other occupants.

Food and Drink

Three meals were provided: breakfast on Saturday, supper on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. This was done cafeteria style in the camp's dining hall. You're on your own for supper on Friday and lunch on Saturday. For folks who arrive before dinner on Friday, Oak Hill is your best bet for finding a nearby restaurant, or head to Beckley for a greater selection.

The breakfasts include scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits & gravy, french toast, fresh fruit, cereal, danishes, milk, coffee, juices, hot chocolate and tea. Breakfast is served at the dining hall from 7am to 10am.

The Saturday supper will be barbecue chicken, roasted corn on the cob, barbecue baked beans, baked apples, salad and dessert. Vegetarian Lasagna (not vegan) is available for me and my fellow herbivores; let me know if this is your entree choice. Herding for the the group dinner will commence at 6:30pm with a small awards ceremony and group photographs after dessert.

All the meals and non-alcoholic beverages for the weekend will cost $25. For $1.50 per bottle extra, beer drinkers will get their choice of the usual assortment of brews as at past RCRs. These are mostly beerophile beers with a few cans of Bud and Coors thrown in for those of less snooty taste.

Registration

Attendance has varied widely from RCR to RCR, with barely two dozen when we had one out in western Kentucky to just over 100 for one of the Maryland retreats. 49 people made it to RCR X, and I'm hoping for 60 or more at RCR XV. (Final count: 54)

Mailing List

The mailing list for the event can be subscribed to by sending mail to [email protected] with the single line:

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