Dragon's Tail

[pdub]

There's a road that's not but a few hours from here up in the mountains, a road folks have tried to talk me into driving ever since we moved here. I haven't done it.

It's a very public highway where bikers in particular try to see how fast they can do it.

Below, This is just the top-most website about it when you Google it. Maybe some of you are familiar with it, or may have even driven it. I don't believe I ever will.

It, to me and to me alone, looks and sounds like a bit of an illegal speed spectacle, with the rockets coming the other way at you even if you're minding your own business.

But that's just me. There are more sites than this one about it:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

[SuperBuickGuy]

35 mph speed zone on its length, and at least 10 cops per mile. If that weren't bad enough, everyone in their mobile houses (RVs) think it's a great thing to drive..... 80 year olds, large, mobile houses, cops, and speed zone.... to me it's simply the quickest route to homicidal insanity. When you go, do take pictures


my thought, for the next trip, is to ride it on my bicycle - so you can add stuck behind SBG in spandex to the list of attractions

[mustang13]

so you can add stuck behind SBG in spandex to the list of attractions

Well after reading that, HELL YEAH! LOL

Actually, my girlfriend and I were just talking about the Dragon's Tail, and how we want to drive while on a trip to Tenn. to see friends and family. RV's , nutty F-N motorcyclists, big rigs, or even SBG in tights peddling his Huffy, I still want to drive it!

[BigDad]

[pdub]

35 mph speed zone on its length, and at least 10 cops per mile. If that weren't bad enough, everyone in their mobile houses (RVs) think it's a great thing to drive..... 80 year olds, large, mobile houses, cops, and speed zone.... to me it's simply the quickest route to homicidal insanity. When you go, do take pictures


my thought, for the next trip, is to ride it on my bicycle - so you can add stuck behind SBG in spandex to the list of attractions

I dunno SBG I know and work with some medics. It would be just like them, while they're scraping up road pizza, to say, "Hey, this looks like Spandex mixed in with this stuff.....'

[SuperBuickGuy]

I dunno SBG I know and work with some medics. It would be just like them, while they're scraping up road pizza, to say, "Hey, this looks like Spandex mixed in with this stuff.....'

with as many times as I've been hit on my bike, it's nice to know the medics are at least getting humor out of it

[Gary 351C]

That was one of my favorite things to do back in my single days. To find great roads that nobody really knew about because once they get "discovered" they're no fun anymore. There's one named Cal-Bodfish road that runs south from Bakersfeild to Caliente about 20 miles through the hills. It has everything from high speed straights to 20 mph hairpins and lots of elevation changes. Best part is it's kept in nice shape despite the very low volume of traffic.

[pdub]

That was one of my favorite things to do back in my single days. To find great roads that nobody really knew about because once they get "discovered" they're no fun anymore. There's one named Cal-Bodfish road that runs south from Bakersfeild to Caliente about 20 miles through the hills. It has everything from high speed straights to 20 mph hairpins and lots of elevation changes. Best part is it's kept in nice shape despite the very low volume of traffic.

I think you just blew the big cover Gary. Next thing ya know there will be a website about it.....

[Gary 351C]

I think you just blew the big cover Gary. Next thing ya know there will be a website about it.....

Actually it's famous but for a different reason. It runs along the railroad tracks and thousands of train geeks like myself have been going up there for decades. Every once in awhile we see a few bike jockeys but that's about it.

[KeithTurk]

I've been to the Dragon 10-15 times on all kinds of Motorcycles.... it's where I went when I quit smoking by riding the bike for 3 days..

Genuinely insane road... most of it 35 is to fast... it's 318 turns in 11 miles.... and some of the switch backs are WAY to Tight.... great great fun....

I've done it on road race style bikes and my 550's...( very fun by the way )....

if your around there go to Wheels Through time in Maggie Valley and Stay at the Gear head in on the way.... it's what I do....

[Dan Barlow]

PeeWee, you must go. Timing is everything. If you're going to go, go in September or October, when the college kids are back in school and most others have already used their vacation days. Here are couple of links from when we went a couple of years ago. The bikes weren't too bad and didn't see any "traffic overseers". And don't worry about the bikes, they won't tear up a car much worse than a deer anyway. (just kidding I own a motorcycle) For the most part you only need to the first two gears. Because once you hit 50 you'll be slowing down as fast as you got there. If you have the patience to watch the 2nd one the speeds pick up a little bit as it straightens out and you can really hear the steering column creaking under the dash as this 3rd gen f body twists, and this is a non-
T-top car. I have to give my wife credit for shooting the video with her digital hand held camera. She did great all the way through and only felt queasy after the 2nd run to go and get a tshirt at the Deals Gap gift shop/restaurant. Unfortunately we had to run it one more time to go home. She's a trooper. If Sue Unit is thinking about going she should at least watch the first video. If you notice, about 3/4 of the way through there are cars parked on the left side, these are professional photographers, one was KillBoy.com. So if you go through go to their website and look through the photos of the date you went, there will probably be a picture, that you can by the download and print when and where you like. It's great to have a still shot of you and the car in action. Don't be confused about the poster's username as I had my son post it for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnOoDLBcFtE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CbB3wEtkGI

[oldsman496]

The road to Cades Cove is awsome PeeWee... try it at night... lotsa tourista on the weekends though... I used to go to gatlinburg regularly... also i believe it is 421 that goes to Bristol.. also a great road, a couple yrs ago it was freshly paved and very smooth......

Tenessee is FULL of great roads... lots a fun in that state. pretty too.

[Pumpkin]

pdub, I agree with Dan (HoosierL98GTA) the tail is great fun driving and watching others.

[pdub]

pdub, I agree with Dan (HoosierL98GTA) the tail is great fun driving and watching others.

Hmmmm.. In Dan's 1st video, I have gotta love the "curve" sign at 2:14. Okay, I think by now I get "it," DOT guys. I reckon all the rest of the curve signs have been knocked down already....

I haven't scared Sue Unit but once in a car that I know of. We had booked a rental cabin not far off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC, and I got us lost trying to find it (before GPS). I finally figured out where we were and what I had done to miss it, and I was in a hurry, trying to get there before dark, and dark was coming fast.

It was a short stretch of road about like that in the mountains, and we were going around a left-hand curve just about that sharp, but instead of trees on the outside of the curve, there was a guardrail. And four inches on the other side of the guardrail was a nine-mile drop to some unexplored territory. Sheer cliff, I mean. A good BASE jumping spot.

She squinched up in the passenger's seat, trying to be small, with both hands over her eyes.

[SuperBuickGuy]

"nine mile drop" ummm, you sure aren't prone to much exaggeration Pdub