Asheville to Chattanooga via the Tail of the Dragon

Amazing day. Up early and coffeed up in Asheville. Went to top off gas before heading out and as happens almost every single time I stop, there are a couple of guys there on bikes that want to chat. These folks were riding Maggie Valley and then the Tail of the Dragon. We chatted for a bit and I told them I’d probably see them there. I didn’t but I easily could have lost them in the noise. More on that later.

Off to a decent start but shortly after getting on the Smokey Mountain expressway, I was coming down a hill on a rightward curve and saw a sea of brake lights in front of me. Braking hard myself I managed to avoid everyone and filtered forward a bit through the now parking lot. It was a pretty bad accident. A police car was just arriving at the scene and more piled on quickly. I could see a champagne sedan with a crushed front end facing about 120 degrees right of where it should have been and people rushing in, out of and around the car. It looked like everyone was moving. Off to the right in a field however was a pickup truck that, judging by its smashed in roof and the skid marks heading off the road looks like it did a barrel roll into the grass. Nobody was moving over there… I found out later from the police that it was in fact pretty serious and probably life threatening. No pictures of that because… morbid.

They closed the highway down and turned everyone back on the shoulder to where they’d closed the previous exit to let us off. The cop directing traffic across the grass median said “nice bike” and asked where I was headed. I told him and he gave me directions to Deals Gap via Maggie Valley so I guess I’m headed there too.

Maggie Valley was all biker gear stores (the harley kind, lots of chaps) and very touristy but the road out of there and down to the Cherokee reservations was super curvy as most of these moutain roads are. I’d been warned about the ‘tourists’ making the road dangerous by a nice older lady who I chatted with while hydrating after all that sitting in traffic. I don’t think she was talking about me but you never know.

The reservation was dominated by a massive resort and very slow traffic (seriously one little town had a 20 mph speed limit). It seems like a long ride from there to Deals Gap but once you get to it, it’s worth the wait.

The number of bikes on the road rises as you get closer. But not enough on a mid-week day to make me certain I was heading in the right direction. One minute you’re alone on a weird little curvy uphill road and the next you burst out onto a spectacle of the Deals Gap Motorcycle resort with restaurant, gift shop, gear shop and a large parking lot filled with every bike imaginable (but a lot of harleys). I wont’ do into details on the Tail of the Dragon as much is written but in essence it’s 11 miles of road crossing the NC/TN border with 318 curves, no two alike over the span. It’s a motorcyclist mecca.

And the infamous Tree of Shame festooned with parts of bikes that crashed on the Tail of the Dragon. I’m happy to say I’ve not contributed anything to the tree (yet).

I grabbed lunch at the cafe but had the misfortune to be behind a gang of 20 or so Norwegian riders all sporting Norway-USA vests. Here they are suiting up to head out as a bunch. I wolfed my lunch and got out just before them. They must have been slow because I wasn’t fast by any means but they never caught me. The Norwegians are on the left.

Here’s some footage of the ride.

And now the pannier has its first sticker (and apparently some lingering bird shit).

And some action shots from the photographers hanging at the turns.

From the Dragon, it’s a nice ride through rolling Tennesee countryside. Everyone is so friendly and I felt totally comfortable asking directions from a couple of old guys sipping soda in front of general store. Turns out they were right. Finally made my way to the highway and into Chattanooga, none of which I’ll see as I’m beat and want an early start so am staying in a motel near the highway.

Tomorrow is unclear. I’ll probably head to either Tuscaloosa or Meridian. Basically I have two riding days to make New Orleans. I like options.