Z faithful!

It's that time of year again. Well, almost. We're just a mere 115 days away from ZdayZ 2020! This year it's May 13-17. You know the place - Fontana Village, NC. Danger close to one of the best (if not the best) roads where the Z shines in all its glory through the twisties on the TN/NC border on the Tail of the Dragon. 318 curves in 11 miles! What's not to love about that?!?
As usual, I will try to post up all of the festivities afterward, but why not come out and join the fun! Come a stranger. Leave with new friends that treat you like family. Experience the great Smoky Mountains of NC and beautiful scenery! Show off your amazing putt-putt skills! Power through the chicanes of the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway. Break off from the pack and actually drive under a waterfall at Bridal Veil Falls in the Highlands! Try not to die while running a 5K/10K with over 400 ft of elevation change while supporting a good cause for our veterans! Show up to the Z1 deck party fully cognizant and wake up the next morning with a bad case of amnesia! Meet some of the people that post on this forum and actually put a face to the name! There's something for everyone!

Don't think about it. Just do it. Register now! See you there!

http://zdayz.com/

 

Thanks for getting the ball rolling my friend, had an awesome time cruising with you guys last year, you did a great job with pics! Reservations are locked and this time the "Other Black ZR" will be sporting a new V3. (Vortech).
Looking forward to seeing you again! (And garage-mahal pics).

 

Man I wish, we'll see.

 

I was close to the Tail back in 2017 when I did a 48 state motorcycle trip. I wanted to ride the Tail, but just didnt have the time. Someday!

 

Less than 80 days away! Almost 500 people registered so far!

Could the rumored Z35 be revealed at ZdayZ like the '15 Nismo Z34 was unveiled back in 2014???






 

Sup, Heel-
Def will be there, hope to see you! Still not clear whether I'll be showing in "Wild", are you showing your beautiful Z33?

 

Thank you for the kind words, but no - I will not be showing. It seems like too much to go through will detailing every square inch prior to the car show after tearing up some twisties in the days before. I still plan on checking out the show, but I think I'll use that prep time to play in the mountains.

What radio do you use? I'm thinking about picking up some kind of 2-way once the inevitable separation from the pack happens.

 

Well, the outlook on Zdayz this year is not looking so good. NC has not yet issued a shelter-in-place order, but I fear it is coming shortly. The governor has ordered all schools to remain closed through May 15 and no social gatherings exceeding more than 50 people. The Zdayz website states that it is "waiting and seeing." Previously, there was an update to the website allowing refunds if requested prior to March 20 for those that wanted to back out. I do love the twisties in the mountains and I was debating on still going up to Fontana regardless of whether Zdayz was going to be held or not, but the current state in NC has mandated that all restaurants are closed except for takeout and delivery. A large part of Zdayz is socializing, so it appears that this aspect would be removed from the event. Additionally, if a shelter-in-place is ordered, food would be an issue as only essential businesses would remain open. If you have not been to Zdayz before, there is not much up that way.

While this is disappointing and sad, I do understand the rationale behind it. Stay safe out there Z family!

 

 

Well, it's been a sad day. Instead of carving up some mountain roads with old friends, here I am stuck at home in front of a computer. ZdayZ 2020 is being pushed back to November of this year assuming the pandemic and stay at home orders are gone. I may take the Z off the float charger and the wife and I are going to try and go cut up some country roads this weekend, but it won't be the same. The Z isn't getting a lot of miles these days since it's not exactly an ideal vehicle to take to the grocery store and that's about the only time I leave the house. I doubt we'll be able to make it to November's event as that is going to be tough since there may be a 1-month old future Z driver around that time (wink wink). It will have to be 2021 before we make it again. I hope everyone is staying safe out there.

See everyone next year!

 

Well well well, let me be the first to wish Daniel and Liz a super hearty CONGRATULATIONS!!! Awesomeness in diapers!!

Way cool, cheers!!! It's past 5 in your neck of the woods so why not?! (Besides we start hittin' our Plineys at 3pm in California.)

And I'm late, dang it!!

 

Doesn't sound sad, Mozel-Tov my friend and congrats! Book your usual room at the Lodge, I'll be happy to babysit!

 

Whatcha talk'n bout Willis! LOL

Actually this is the first time I had a cart full of stuff in the Z but I was pleasantly surprised how much space it had. Of course this is a single man's shopping cart. Taken April 22.

ZGG aka Z Grocery Getter

 

I moved my reservations to November and said "Hey, it might be fun in the Fall." With the temps here pushing 90 already it's hard to imagine cold weather right now. Somehow this morning I decided to check on historical average temps for Fontana, NC in November. They run about 60 to 33.
A lot of the roads there do not get direct sunlight so if we add in the additional variable of precipitation we're looking at possibly being iced in until noon if it's just a few degrees colder. Even then the beautiful mountain roads may not be suitable for spirited driving (which is a major draw for this location).

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/fo...ather/12139_pc

To make things even more interesting The Lodge owners have taken tremendous losses this year due to the pandemic and have returned ownership and management of the property back to TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority).

https://www.fontanavillage.com

Just trying to be realistic, I'll keep an open mind. More updates as they develop.
Dragon 1. jhc 0

 

Another interesting turn of events... ZdayZ will no longer be held at Fontana, but it has been moved to Blowing Rock, NC. http://zdayz.com/

Also, it's being held October 2-4, which unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) is the week when our family will increase to 3, so I'm still out. However, would it be so bad to tell your child you were born at a Z car meet? My wife might have a different opinion on the matter.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this since Blowing Rock is not quite as isolated as Fontana. There's cell reception, plenty of restaurants, lodging, etc. Sure, I see the reason for the move as Fontana was less than ideal as far as accommodating the masses of Z enthusiasts, but one of the main things I liked about ZdayZ being in the middle of nowhere was just that - It's literally in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. No distractions from your phone and having the option to check your email or missed calls, texts, etc. I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I truly enjoyed being able to unplug and get away from civilization where it was only you, your Z, and the twisties with other fellow Z enthusiasts.

I also saw where Fontana is apparently refusing to refund money for reservations. Yeah, we'll see about that...

 

Interesting that ZdayZ is being scheduled on October 2-4, which are the same dates as the start of the 2020 SCCA Runoffs. But we'll be off in Wisconsin at Road America and while I've qualified and entered, there's still some question whether Covid-19 will shut us down. You'd think that road racing Z cars on a 4.1-mile circuit would be a "low-risk" activity, you've never seen the carnage around a corner like the Kink or other parts of the track. Good luck to all ZdayZ participants!

 

Congrats and all the best for the little one, Heel!
Advancing the dates does help with possible icy weather but hurts re the pandemic (obviously). Not surprised Fontana (aka TVA) isn't allowing refunds, they're bleeding money. With reservations for both November and next May I'll definitely need to stay on top of this!

I'll look into all things Blowing Rock through the lense of "YOLO." A luxury/specialty vacay when 40-100 people are succumbing every day in GA doesn't sound like odds I like. Live to drive another day.

 

Thanks, J!

I'll keep you posted on my dealings with TVA about the money situation. It may require a "special kind" of correspondence if they push back. If successful, I'll be sure to pass along what works. Or, maybe we'll just go to Fontana for our own trip.

Blowing Rock is definitely fancy-pants. I've been up there many times since I used to live in Winston-Salem in high school and we would go up to Boone to go skiing on snow days. Also, I had some friends who went to school at App, so I would visit them in college.

We definitely won't be able to engage in the typical shenanigans like out in Fontana. The Blue Ridge Parkway is close and the views are amazing, but the speed limit is 35 mph and strictly enforced. I don't think there are going to be many opportunities for us to drop a gear and push 80 like on the Cherohala cruize. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback after October. Sorry we can't make it!

 

ZdayZ is this weekend! Any forum members attending?

Attendance is down for this year which is understandable. I'm hoping that some on here will be able to go and post up some pics and share their thoughts and impressions of the new venue. Have fun and drive safe!

 

Worth noting-
Long time sponsor Z1 Motorsports isn't listed this year, and I don't see the gents I know signed up to attend. Kinda hard to be enthusiastic to play in a year that's seen 200K Americans perish from what would have been termed a "plague" long ago. From what I'm hearing the travel industry is down 85% atm.
Hopefully Brian can resurrect things for next May.