Doh

The feeling when you open the box from the camping gear company and realize they sent you the wrong item:

Stage 7: The Dragon

Friday morning.... 

While the rest of the world woke up and got ready for work, I slept in a bit, enjoying the clean air and cool breezes flowing through my tent.

After a little extra sleepytime, it was time to wake up and ride the Dragon.

The Tail of the Dragon crosses Deal's Gap at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, and is considered by many to be one of the world's best motorcycling (and sports car) roads.  This 11 mile stretch of US Highway 129 comes complete with 318 curves, twisting its way through some of the most beautiful scenery you'll see anywhere.

My bucket list just got a bit shorter.

 

 One of the coolest things about this road is the professional photographers who hang out and shoot cars and riders as they go past. "Killboy" (www.killboy.com) has been doing this for a long time now, and has some really amazing shots up on his site.  For a small fee, you can download high quality pictures of yourself hitting some of the best curves.

 

The scenery is amazing, but this isn't the place to sight see.  The curves come at you rapid fire, and demand your full attention.  Oncoming traffic can very often make a mistake and wind up on your side of the road, and underestimating the curves can have disastrous results.  Angering the Dragon often doesn't end well for the rider.

There's pieces from hundreds of bikes here

For years now, riders have been leaving items on this tree at the Deal's Gap Resort, as a warning to others, or perhaps as an offering to appease the Dragon. 

Mirror from a $25,000 bike 

The Dragon cares not what you ride, it demands respect.

Wear your riding gear, kids.

Deer, turkey, and even bears have been seen crossing the highway

Ouch indeed.

After paying our respects at the Tree, it was time for some lunch.  We'd skipped breakfast with the intent of going crazy for lunch, and this double meat, double bacon, double cheese burger on onion roll sure hit the spot.  They call it the Pig Pen burger, and it was delicious.

Health food.

With our bellies full and one run under our belts, it was time to head back up the highway from the other direction.  I took advantage of some of the pulloffs to snag a few pictures this time.

Unfortunately rain was starting to move into the area and we already had a few drops hitting our visors.  Since  we'd left most of our rain gear at the campsite, we decided to head back.  I'd planned to get my gear and head back out, but "the tired" hit me like a ton of bricks at the campsite, so I spent the evening writing, catching up with my wife and downloading pictures from my camera.  Around midnight the rains came down hard and heavy, and after I got used to the sound of it hitting my tent, I had a very good night's sleep.

Stage 6: Into Tennessee

There are over 4 million miles of road in the United States' highway system, most of which is just your standard A to B normal pavement.  These roads are just a means to an end for most folks, a way to work, a way home, a way to a place to play.  It's no different for those of us with 93 octane coursing through our veins.  These normal roads are just a way to get to the fun stuff, to the good stuff. 

A means to an end, indeed. 

Some of these roads earn spots on on people's Bucket Lists.  Roads that people detour hours out of the way to see, that offer amazing views, or technical riding, or both.

The Moki Dugway
The Blue Ridge Parkway
Skyline Drive
The Natchez Trace
The Pacific Coast Highway
Monument Valley
Alaska Highway
Million Dollar Highway
Angeles Crest Highway
Going to the Sun Road
Mulholland Drive
Beartooth and Chief Joseph Highways

There are dozens more: some locally known, most nationally known, some even internationally known.  If you ask any motorcyclist or automotive enthusiast for a top ten, you'll likely never get the same answer.

But down there in this part of the South East, it's hard to find a bad road.  This is the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the good roads are treacherous mountainside twists with steep drop-offs, no shoulders, and only light duty guardrails.  High risk, but oh so worth the reward.

Today, we packed up our camp and headed north, into North Carolina, riding mile after mile of great roads.  We eventually arrived in Robbinsville, NC, where we started up the Cherohala Skyway.  

The Cherohala Skyway was completed in the fall of 1996 after being under construction for some thirty-four years. It is North Carolina's most expensive highway carrying a pricetag of $100,000,000. Winding up and over 5,400 foot mountains for 15 miles in North Carolina and descending another 21 miles into the deeply forested backcountry of Tennessee, the road crosses through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests.... thus the name "Chero...hala"

Beginning at Santeetlah Gap on the North Carolina side (at elevation 2660 feet), the road quickly twists and ascends to Santeetlah, earning the "Mile High" part of its nickname at an elevation of 5377 feet.

It was a lot cooler up here than we'd expected.  It was still in the 60's, but after being at lower elevations and in full mesh gear in 80 - 90 degree temperatures, it was almost chilly.

We love mountains!

It's ridiculously beautiful up here.  But, don't let that distract you....  There are skid marks on many of the curves; a warning of what can happen if you aren't paying attention, or are riding beyond your abilities. Sudden decreasing radius turns, obscured sight lines, and a false sense of bravado from sections of the Skyway that beg to be ridden faster than the 45MPH speed limit.

... this Snake's bite can be incredibly painful.

This was an $18,000 motorcycle.

The view....   well, let's just say that I'll never get tired of looking out over stuff like this.  

With the end of the day approaching, we made our way over to Hunts Lodge Motorcycle Campground (www.huntslodge.com).  The Hunts are great folks, and they are riders too, and it shows - everything here is set up specifically for riders.  Free wi-fi, hot showers, free laundry machines, motorcycle odds and ends in the vending machine, free ice, coolers to borrow, gas and charcoal grills available, lots of nice grassy places to put up a tent, and a huge covered pavilion for relaxing, all for less than $14 a person.