Monday, June 1, 2009

Day 2, Mile 810, Dillsboro, NC

What can I say about the Dragon that has not yet been said? It is justifiably the #1 motorcycle road in the US.
US 129 meanders down from Maryville, preparing you gently and progressively for the curves ahead.
The lake formed downstream from the Fontana dam is a saphire gem that extends infinitely in both directions. It concentrates and amplifies the blue of the sky beyond belief.
I enjoyed the Dragon. I would say that it is not so much a question of difficulty as it is a question of concentration. On each curve, you try to remember everything you have learned and then execute. You have to do that 318 times.
I found that a reasonable speed of 35 +/- worked well. I stayed mostly in second, occaisionally third gear. Of course there were a bunch of sport bike riders who zipped by on a number of dangerous occaisions. I can understand why there have been deaths here.
Then you arrive at Deal's Gap: the motorcycle equivalent of the cantina scene from Star Wars. Bikers of every flavor and then some either coming down from the rush or gearing up to go. I get the impression that some of the racers (why would they wear track suits with knee plates if they weren't racers) go back and forth a few times in a day. Yet a lot of casual tourists, yours truly included.
The way out on the NC side takes 28 S through more of the same: twisty passages of green (with a quick stop at the Fontana dam for some grey/brown concrete). Smoky Moutain National Park goes on forever but I finally found a road and more importantly a hotel in the outside world.
All in all a great experience.



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