Day 8: To Tail of the Dragon on the TN/NC border
Monday 17 Jun 2024
Miles ridden: 296
The riding days are here, and the 'travel' days won't be back for a few weeks. A clear dry start to the day, with a spur-of-the-moment decision at breakfast to avoid I-40 as much as possible and head towards the western end of the Cherohala Skyway, then connect to Tail of the Dragon.
I gathered my cruft and left Ryan's at sunrise (thanks again) and puttered over to Mt Joliet for a gas stop and caffeine. A daddy cop (Lt something or another) filling his patrol truck said "that's a mighty nice stache. Bike looks great too. Just getting back from the mountains?" and I said nope, heading to the mountains, came from southern California and he proceeded to ask about all softs of things about the bike, and chatter on about his Sportster 883 and how he wants to go to Sturgis. It was charming, and I wasn't minding at all, showing him how to move the windscreen up and down and the heated grips and all... until he said "gotta run" after some bleeps from his truck. Bye.
There was a Starbucks down the street, so I took the devices in for a planning session. It's 180 miles directly, but I-40 was no fun yesterday. Decided that TN 30 might be a good highway up and over a few ridge lines to Tellico Plains, and it was--though I was surprised how good and wide the road was, even multilane for many miles. Tennessee has pretty good roads I must say, far better than a week ago in Arizona for sure. Texas and Oklahoma are good too. A water stop in cute Pikesville, and I was at the start of the Cherohala Skyway at the base of the Smokey Mountains.
And the CHerohala Parkway was my kinda of road... engineered and modern and sweeping curves. After a few miles along a gorgeous river, it went up and up and up, past many lookouts and into the cool piney air, rather than the 85 degree sludge down below. I thoroughly enjoyed just zoning out and following it around. No surprises and great views, though some clouds worried me a bit.
After the NC state line, it dropped rapidly then became, well, another road with slower turns and all before it connected with US 129, which is the Tail of the Dragon road. At first it didn't seem hard. "what this is it" as I swept around at 55mph heading west. Then oh, there's the Deals Gap resort and back into Tennessee and fresh pavement and 15mph turns with steep cambers and a 40mph speed limit I think? I don't believe I hit that once in the 11+ miles of the Tail of the Dragon.
The slow speed curves... well, they weren't to my taste, and I didn't like finessing them... they were right on the border between counter-steering and tricycle steering, and usually in second gear as well, with a fair bit of clutch friction zone feeling and some braking as needed. (I generally use engine braking to slow which might be wrong? but hey works for me). It felt more like a high-speed parking lot cone drill, just on and on, and I wasn't really getting into it at all; it was the end of my riding day and there was still 20 miles to go on this silly road with dozens of 15mph curves. I tried to remember the photographers along the way, maybe I'll scope out what pictures they took of me and see how silly I look.
After the last photo op (129photos.com I think) the drippy drizzle just turned to rain and then a drenching. Ugh, 15 miles to go said the Garmin? Just better push on, this will be a memorable first Dragon run and maybe all the bugs will wash off the bike. It wasn't cold, maybe 70F, and the engine heat was keeping me warm, but oh I'm gonna be soggy, and I took it really slow and careful around those curves. I had tested the new paint back in the dry section by intentionally powering out of a curve and my back tire slipped easily on it. Avoid avoid avoid either paint line. The downpour lasted all about 10 miles, past the end of the dragon and stopped somewhere along the lakeshore... then it was sunny and dry and 85F again. OK, I'll be poached now.
Finally got off the bike at in the room and got a sticker and an odd dinner... it was a BBQ Sundae... with cornbread on the bottom and BBQ pork on top of it? Served in a small cup that looks like a trash can? With a 'sundae topping bar' of queso and mac and cheese and mashed potatoes? It was food but it was kinda good and kinda special.
Some more planning for tomorrow for sure. Then bed.