Tail of the Dragon

[Sammy]

Count me in for next year's trip to the TOD. I have to be a little pickier in terms of weekends because of school and a wedding, but am definitely planning for the trip. Maybe mid to late September? Getting into October risks getting into mid-terms.

[Mantis]

Ah Nick, thanks for the reminder with the pictures! Of course, I would go again in the fall with the stipulation that we find better dining facilities!

As far as a Jan/Feb trip, it would depend on the weekend....keep me in mind when you get a date...

[Frodo]

A couple of related links:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/maps.html

http://www.lexusdragon.com/routes_maps.html

Unfortunately, I haven't experienced TOD first hand, but I'd like to...

[derb]

Count me in for another trip to the Dragon. Maybe the weather won't be wet and slippery like this past May. I thought went we pretty fast considering the conditions but I can't wait to see what the car can do on dry pavement.
Maybe we'll avoid the Mini Cooper gathering this time.
Hey Nick, I just looked at some of the pictures from last May- I love that 'Save The Tatas' sticker.

[dmcutter]

Western NC and southwest VA and over into TN is just crawling with that kind of road with a lot less traffic and law enforcement attention. I should probably make the ultimate sacrifice and go scout out more roads for another gathering.

[simbob]

Western NC and southwest VA and over into TN is just crawling with that kind of road with a lot less traffic and law enforcement attention.

Exactly.

The Dragon is now a nightmare of families in minivans being treated as moving chicanes by imitation Rossis and Schumacher wannabes with no training, experience or ability. You may know what you're doing, but that doesn't matter when somebody coming the other way overcooks a corner and swings wide into you or somebody behind you decides to pinch you into the rocks with a combination outside pass and late apex transitioning into a lowside with a shower of parts and sparks.

And then there are the people who pull over to watch the fun, pull out to join the mayhem and crowd the verge. It's like driving the old Chimney Rock Hillclimb with audience participation.

No thanks.

The bad news is that the publicity has ruined the Dragon on all but rare off-season occasions. The good news is that the marketing of the Dragon has made it an idiot magnet which has cleared some of the fools off of the other good roads -- at least those which don't lead directly to the Dragon. It's also a target-rich environment which now draws the police to generate revenue and to clean up the mess as the herd is thinned.

I think of the Dragon in Yogi Berra terms.

[NickCats]

Sim,

I hope you're not just saying that to dissuade us tourists from visiting ?

( just kidding - thanks for the head's up )

Nick

[FTD]

Good points - its not what it used to be.
In the last ten years, everyone that ever wanted a motorcycle or suddenly decided they wanted a motorcycle bought one - and soon over crowded where I used to play. And national publications in every motorcycle and car magazine really dropped a bomb.
But see, this is why I suggest a Dragon Tail trip in the Winter. It won't be so congested.

I also agree that anywhere there are mountains there is opportunity for finding great roads. I should put more effort into that discovery. There is plenty of mountainous eastern TN that I haven't explored. I haven't driven / ridden much of VA because I would have to pound highway miles to make time getting there and back. [Yuk]. dmcutter, let me know if you find new adventures for me to explore. :dance:

[RandallNeighbour]

I am up for another road trip to NC or thereabouts in the first or second week in September.

The Dragon would be fun, even crawling with cops. I don't think I exceeded the speed limit by more than 5-8 mph ... 40 miles per hour was reckless enough for this old man, that's for sure! <-- if you've never driven the TOD, don't judge me as a slow poke. It's awfully hard to go faster than this on four wheels.

I will not do another spring drive in that area of the country. Tom was right... it always rains in the Smokey Mountains in May! He recommended another trip this year for us, but in September. Said the weather was absolutely fabulous every time he's gone to Deals Gap in September.

Would anyone like to do the legwork on this year's trip? I did it last year and it wasn't much work, but between now and the time I would start driving that way I must complete a rather difficult book I am writing, so I don't think I'll be able to take the time to do it.

I'll have my new rotors, pads, glass top replacement, and SSK installed before then and I'd love to take another road trip!