This is a story about tradition, fun and (some) sadness. A long, long time ago I lived in Greenville, SC and, because there wasn't much to do there, I joined the local chapter of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).   This introduced me and my 1960 Corvette to sports car rallying and I had a terrific time once a month enjoying this new (to me) sport. When I moved to Atlanta some time later, my bride Gael and I decided it would be fun to organize an overnight rally for a group of friends.   What that little decision started has become a joyful part of our lives for nearly forty years. Briefly, the idea of a rally is to follow a set of fairly cryptic instructions from Point A to Point B -- in exactly the right amount of time.   To win, you need to follow instructions precisely and drive at precisely the prescribed rate of speed.   No problem...   (If you want to know more about rallying, click here.) We conducted a search for a suitable facility to host the rally -- and we found the perfect spot.   Near Chimney Rock, NC in a town called Bat Cave (really) we found The Esmeralda Inn.   The Esmeralda Inn was built in 1892 and had a long history of hospitality.   To say that the Esmeralda was rustic would paint an incomplete picture.   It had thirteen guest rooms and a private bathroom was a luxury only one or two rooms could boast.   Click here to read more about the history of the Esmeralda Inn. The Esmeralda Cup This cup is engraved with the winning team's names each year and is kept in their possession until the next Esmeralda Rally.   The winning team has the honor of helping the RallyMasters the next year, cleverly preventing anyone from winning two years in a row. The Rallies The Esmeralda Rally has been run FIFTEEN times! You can read about them all if you wish; just click on the links below: Esmeralda Rally I Spring, 1969 Esmeralda Rally II Fall, 1969 Esmeralda Rally III Spring, 1970 Esmeralda Rally IV Spring, 1971 Esmeralda Rally V Fall, 1991 Esmeralda Rally VI Fall, 1992 Esmeralda Rally VII Fall, 1993 Esmeralda Rally VIII Fall, 1994 Esmeralda Rally IX Fall, 1995 Oh, NO!!  The Esmeralda Inn burned to the ground! Esmeralda Rally X Fall, 1997 Esmeralda Rally XI Fall, 1998 Esmeralda Rally XII Fall, 2000 Esmeralda Rally XIII Fall, 2001 Esmeralda Rally XIV Fall, 2002 Esmeralda Rally XV (and Final?) Fall, 2004 No more Esmeralda Rallies? What then? Fall, 2005