Slaying the Dragon...

[Justin B.]

Suraklyn and I will be putting out to Deals Gap over the 4th in an attempt to "slay the Dragon".  We'll be leaving TX on 7/3/09 and hopefully getting there sometime on 7/4/09.  I imagine wel'' rest a bit after riding 950 miles in 2 days, spend 7/5/09 crawling around the Dragon, and head back to TX on 7/6/09.

We'd love to meet anybody that lives in "the area".

[Altritter]

Good luck to ya, Justin! I'm envious!!! Would love to make the trek, but stuff is very much in the way on my calendar. I'll be thinking about all of you there.

Are you taking a laptop so that you can kibitz the site while on the Road? (Remember what the mice do when unsupervised.  

If you continue east about 450-500 miles from Johnson City, give notice of your whereabouts.

Best wishes,
John

[donbmw]

Justin

I know that is a long weekend and would be a good time. But I would find someother roads that are just as good as the dragon and not have all the traffic that will be there on that weekend. I have run the dragon  during the week in the morning I myself would stay awy on the weekends and holidays.

Don

[Lucky_Lou]

Pardon my ignorance what is the "dragon"
Lou

[nhmaf]

Hi Lou,

It is a very popular, twisty road through the mountains in the North Carolina area -
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

[Justin B.]

Don, I am hoping that the "down economy" might thin the "herd" a bit.  We plan on cruising around that area all day Sunday, and heading back on Monday.  I feel I (at least) will need several recovery days to get ready to head back to work...    I haven't done a ride over 300 miles (one-way) in over 20 years.  Hopefully the RTP will make it a doable proposition.

[msbuck]

Sorry Justin...  I have a couple of gigs over the holidays.  Won't be able to make it.  Too bad.  I'd really love to meet you and suraklyn.  Steve's a little closer than me, maybe he'll be free to meet up.

Have a great trip and I hope the new RTP works well for you.  Take loads of pics and let us know how it goes.  Don't miss the Cherohala Skyway while you're in the area.  Personally, I like that better than the Dragon, but the Dragon is definitely a spectacle...  

[Lucky_Lou]

Hi Lou,

It is a very popular, twisty road through the mountains in the North Carolina area -
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

Thanks for the link that looks like a great ride if only i had the time and money....how much would it cost to get my 65 over there anyway? me thinks a rental would make sense anyone want to hire out a airhead???
Lou

[montmil]

Hi Lou,

It is a very popular, twisty road through the mountains in the North Carolina area -
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

Thanks for the link that looks like a great ride if only i had the time and money....how much would it cost to get my 65 over there anyway? me thinks a rental would make sense anyone want to hire out a airhead??? Lou

Lou, You ever get to Texas, you can pick one of my R65s. Monte

[SCJJR65]

Justin,

Where are you planning to stay while you're in the neighborhood of "The Dragon"?  Since I live only about three hours from the area, i've been up there several times, and there are a few nice "Motorcycle Only" campgrounds in the area.  One is the "Iron Horse Lodge" in Stecoah, which I've stayed at and love it!  Here's the link:  http://www.ironhorsenc.com/

Another one is "Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground", located in Cruso.  Here is their link:  http://www.blueridgemotorcyclecamp.com/

Both are really nice, the Iron horse Lodge newer, since 2003, I think.  Blue Ridge is much older, maybe opened up in the early 80s.

Expect the Dragon to be very, very crowded over the 4th of July weekend.  I would bet a couple of hundred bikes parked at any one time, with bikes arriving and leaving constantly.  And, as Aida mentioned, it is indeed a spectacle.  You probably will have to settle for being sandwiched in between bikes in front and back of you when you begin to ride up the Dragon, no matter what time you decide to make the assault during the day.  But, at least you can get a sticker to put on your helmet or bike and say, Yeah, been there, done that."

A MUCH less crowded ride is the Cherohala Skyway, which is close to the Dragon.  It rises up quite high in elevation, and provides some of the most beautiful vistas anywhere east of the Rockies.   Check out the link for this wonderful ride:  http://www.cherohala.com/  It may not be "the spectacle" that the Dragon is, but IMHO it is a much more enjoyable ride!

Wish I could meet you up there and ride it with you, but alas, I have to work that weekend.     I have used up all my vacation days for 2009 to go the BMWMOA rally in Johnson City next month!

[suraklyn]

A MUCH less crowded ride is the Cherohala Skyway, which is close to the Dragon

I think we're planning on hitting the entire 120mi loop that covers both the Cherohala Skyway along with the dragon's tail.

Hitting it during the middle of the week may be a bit less crowded, but that does put a damper on recovery time after the long ride.  There is a bit of a bright spot to having more traffic... the more traffic, the slower I'll be forced to go, and the better the chance I won't die.

[Justin B.]

It would have been nice if we could have scheduled this in sync with the Nationals...  I think we will be staying at a Microtel that appears to be very close, if not right in, the area we will be riding.

[Lucky_Lou]

Hi Lou,

It is a very popular, twisty road through the mountains in the North Carolina area -
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

Thanks for the link that looks like a great ride if only i had the time and money....how much would it cost to get my 65 over there anyway? me thinks a rental would make sense anyone want to hire out a airhead??? Lou

Lou, You ever get to Texas, you can pick one of my R65s. Monte

Thanks for the offer Monte i hope to take you up on it one day
Very Lucky-Lou  

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Justin, what route are you taking to get to Deals Gap?  Going to take the slab through Memphis?  I'm just curious because I'm planning the route to the national rally, except I have to route it through Charlotte, NC.

[Justin B.]

Yeah, interstate all the way there and back - I 20 most of the way...