Day 69

The Tail of the Dragon - 318 curves in 11 miles

October 12, 2018 - Wine Spring Horse Camp to Pine Glen

The guy who makes the Wild Mountain Rides brochure in the McDonalds at Robinsville, North Carolina, USA

Wine Spring Horse Camp to Pine Glen Campground

Summary

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Journal

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Day 69 - The Tail of the Dragon 🐉 318 curves in 11 miles. I got out of my wet mountain camp and slithered past the gate. It was below 4C and most of my gear was wet and unusable. I was freezing. I prayed the road would hit the sunny side and it rarely did. My hands were half exposed to the chilling air as I moved at 40mph to reduce the wind. I couldn’t handle it. My body shook and I pulled into the first McDonalds I could. Here I met Smitty an ‘Iron Butt’. He makes the local tourist map and had huge experience travelling the US. He pioneered the motorbike rally in Washington D.C for veterans called “Rolling Thunder - A Ride for Freedom” at 2500 bikes and attended them all. I warmed and headed to the Dragon in the midday sun. The corners began to tighten as sports cars and bikes became more frequent. There were two stops where it began filled with riders and murals. I’d never seen purpose built stores just for a stretch of road. I heard two people died on it this month. I entered and passed a sign “Enjoy the ride”. It was tight, real tight and undulating. I passed a slower Harley cruising. It’s too tight for Harley’s or sports bikes. It’s a motard road and I saw plenty. Cops had victims on a shoulder, I slowed. That’s what happens when it’s busy. I continued and met muscle cars, fisherman, photographers on corners making a buck and got stuck behind inexperienced slower riders. It’s too busy. There was a Harley-Davidson branded store and a man selling stickers at the end. People carrying Souvenirs as trophies. I looked for a sticker and stopped myself when I saw the Harley brand on everything. I pulled back and told the sticker man I didn’t want anything. It was ruined by commercialism. The Belly of the Dragon is what a true rider needs. No traffic, police or silly gimmicks to steal your money. The road is great for notarised and small sports/rally cars. It’s no trophy or claim. Just a busy road that’s now dangerous to ride at speed. Do it once, then avoid it at all costs. I continued to Talladega Superspeedway where a haze of barbecue and RVs filled the air. It’s race weekend 🏁

A post shared by Adventure Rider | Melbourne 🇦🇺 (@dylan_george_field) on Oct 18, 2018 at 10:47am PDT

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Day 68

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