ABR Anniversary Weekend

This is a long one, y’all, and honestly, it should be. What. An. Event. Atlanta Breakfast Rally celebrated one year of planned drives over the Labor Day weekend and decided to celebrate the only logical way you could imagine- a 2 day event filled to the brim with touring down some of the best driving roads and prettiest scenery offered near-ish Young Harris, Georgia. A HUGE “Thank you” must be given to those who supported the event and helped put together something for each participant- Bridgemoto Cafe, Antrieb and Detailer’s Products helped make each gift a little more special for each person. The official start to the weekend launched in Cleveland with a lunch meet up at Ol’ Clyde’s Table and Tavern, allowing everyone to mingle, get to know each other and enjoy some tasty food, including possibly the largest cheese sticks I’ve ever seen, before we set off for the first drive.

From Cleveland we headed to make a large arch, whipping through some of the more well known roads on that side of the state, making certain to hit Blood Mountain (big shout out to the folks giving plenty of warning about GSP’s heavy presence) and Richard B Russel, stopping for a leg stretch and photo op at the large overlook. We stopped at a repeat from the May event, Brooks Lil General Store, for a beverage break then enjoyed the area near Lake Rabun- Lakemont in general feels greatly like every 80s and 90s summer house location featured in a movie scene with its picturesque dock houses dressed in vibrant colors suspended up out of the lake, poised on their stilted legs with paths winding up to houses that ooze of understated elegance. We ended this stint in Young Harris, allowing folks to check into hotels and get a little freshened up before dinner, which was hosted at Brasstown Valley Resort.

After dinner the group headed back out for an evening and night drive with a stop off between dusk and dark at Bridgemoto Cafe. You already know, if you’ve been reading since the start, what great fans we are of Alan and Rachel and all they do, but I’m going to take a moment and mention that they also rent out Bridgemoto for events, something we took advantage of with a bonfire and s’mores board. They set the Initial D cabinets up for free play and the Sim was ready to go for anyone who wanted to give it a try, and they graciously let us all wander about and do a little shopping too. After everyone had their fill of roasted marshmallows and bonfire smoke we headed back out, finishing the end of Wolfpen, then hitting a few other winding roads before looping back to Young Harris – those of us staying at Brasstown Valley opting for a nightcap on the expansive porch before heading off to bed tired and happy.

Sunday morning the group opted to get started before breakfast so we worked our way towards one of my absolute favorite little towns for a stop at a fantastic little coffee shop tucked away in Clayton. We also made a stop at this shop, White Birch Provisions, back in May and I was just as happy with our choice this time as I was then. We worked our way north from here, getting a taste for roads we hadn’t driven fully yet, then worked our way to Highlands, North Carolina to get some more group shots at Bridal Veil Falls, which was very busy this particular day given it was a holiday weekend, but still absolutely beautiful. We worked up to Bryson City then through to stop for lunch at Lakes End Café and Grill, then we all headed towards home, some of us traveling the same direction and others opting for the most direct route.

Of course, this is all just my perspective on the weekend, and the feedback we were given was all positive- seemingly everyone had a fantastic time, but I still wanted to ask the founder of Atlanta Breakfast Rally, Josh Proctor, to give his thoughts on the event. It was the first big, premium, two day event that required a lot more moving parts than the usual monthly drives, and I wanted to give him space to express what it meant to him to coordinate and pull off a weekend of well planned good times. We did a little Q&A to capture his thoughts and feelings on the event.

Octane: What has the last year meant to you in terms of ABR?

Josh: It has been a lot of fun, it has taken a lot of focus and work, but it has been very rewarding and enjoyable along the way.

Octane: What was this event like for you? Was it everything you hoped for?

Josh: The planning phase was a little challenging, I wanted to provide a truly premium experience but I honestly didn’t really know how to go about it. I spent hours debating what I should or shouldn’t offer, and how to build value in what I was trying to put together.

I know that I had an incredible time, and I made memories that will last a lifetime over the course of the weekend.

Octane: What was your favorite part of this event?

Josh: The night drive and dessert stop at Bridgemoto Cafe. I was so excited to do a spirited drive on my favorite road and share a bonfire and dessert with the other drivers. I am so incredibly thankful for Alan and Rachel for everything they do, but especially staying late to open their doors to us and host the group late into the evening. This evenings memory is one of the absolute best I could have ever hoped for, and I cannot wait to do it again.

Octane: Was there a low point for you or anything you’d like to change in retrospect?

Josh: I hated that we had a driver that was unable to do the second day due to an issue with their vehicle.

Thankfully he trusted his intuition and decided against trying to drive the second day as we had 300+ miles of driving scheduled and he later found out that he had cracked a wheel which could have been a dangerous situation. Safety is always a consideration, we’re driving on public streets and things can become unpredictable without any notice.

I am still looking for a GPS that offers all of my needs without some of the bugs and issues I’ve run into with the applications I’ve been using. I did have some frustrating moments with the app I was using for this event, but it didn’t stop the enjoyment thankfully.

If you would like to join in on the ABR fun there’s a private Facebook group (Just search Atlanta Breakfast Rally and answer the questions to join) where events are posted and discussed for each month. If you’re not on Facebook, there’s also an Instagram and if that also doesn’t work for you, reach out and we will get you in touch!