7 Days, 3K Miles, Tail of the Dragon, Solo Road Trip

[kyzrex]

Great report.  

[Orson]

Looks like you really enjoyed the trip  

excellent report   thanks for the maps

[coho]

+1 on the liking of the daily maps. Good way to ride along with you vicariously and after the fact.  

[Jay S.]

Thanks for the ride report. I love riding in the NC/TN mountains.

Like I said before, that was the best riding I have ever seen. I used to think riding in Idaho and Washington were the best...until I saw NC/TN/SC, simply amazing. I suggest everyone who rides make a trip there. It's a bit funny to me that the Dragon was the point of the trip, only to be trumped by the ride southeast of the Dragon. On my map of day 4, points A to D still linger in my mind. Such outstanding riding I almost can't describe it well enough.

I'm glad y'all liked the report. I know I sure love reading the ride reports so I'm happy to finally contribute.

 

[k0guz]

+1   Great report.  Thanks!

[naustin]

Heading that direction later this summer - thanks for the preview!

[Mastros2]

Great ride report!  I really enjoyed the state sign pics, especially your face at the SC and GA signs!

Never rode in the Smoky Mountains but from what I hear, you hit it dead on.  Do the Dragon but there is so much more.  Thanks for the motivation to get down there.  

[ConPilot1]

Yeah, I like the mug shots too.  

[BlueMan]

THat sounds like an amazing trip.  Good for you, good times!!

Cheers.

[sagerat]

I love the pic of the bike underneath the two bridges.  Excellent ride report.

Cool that you did it on the 600; those are amazing all-arounders.  

[Jay S.]

I love the pic of the bike underneath the two bridges.  Excellent ride report.

Cool that you did it on the 600; those are amazing all-arounders.

I've never been a fan of bigger (heavier) bikes. I will ride a 600 for a very long time. In my opinion, the perfect power to weight ratio.



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[R Doug]

I'm starting to find out that there are some pretty decent roads in NW South Carolina.  I see you were in the area.  The waterfalls off of 64 in NC are amazing, eh?  

[medswife]

If you like camping, I would suggest taking the family to Lost Mine Campground in Bryson City NC.  You can bring the bike and ride, and there's lots for the family to do.  It's just a mile from Nanthala Outdoor Center, which has a lot to do all by it's self.  There is also tubing, ruby/gem mining, and going to the Cherokee Reservation.  

[sammyseaman]

Like I said before, that was the best riding I have ever seen. I used to think riding in Idaho and Washington were the best...until I saw NC/TN/SC, simply amazing. I suggest everyone who rides make a trip there. It's a bit funny to me that the Dragon was the point of the trip, only to be trumped by the ride southeast of the Dragon. On my map of day 4, points A to D still linger in my mind. Such outstanding riding I almost can't describe it well enough.

I'm glad y'all liked the report. I know I sure love reading the ride reports so I'm happy to finally contribute.

 

The Dragon brings 'em in. The rest of the area keeps 'em coming back  

[Jay S.]

I'm starting to find out that there are some pretty decent roads in NW South Carolina.  I see you were in the area.  The waterfalls off of 64 in NC are amazing, eh?  

The waterfalls are beautiful. I can't believe how many of them there are. I must have stopped 8-10 times.

[Jay S.]

If you like camping, I would suggest taking the family to Lost Mine Campground in Bryson City NC.  You can bring the bike and ride, and there's lots for the family to do.  It's just a mile from Nanthala Outdoor Center, which has a lot to do all by it's self.  There is also tubing, ruby/gem mining, and going to the Cherokee Reservation.  

Thanks for the tips. However, my wife's idea of camping in a Holiday Inn.

Hence my "solo" road trip.  

[Jay S.]

The Dragon brings 'em in. The rest of the area keeps 'em coming back  

That certainly is true for me!   Loved every mile of that area.

[HPTuner]

Enjoyed the report & pics! I agree, everybody needs to make the trip around the area of your Day 4. I live in South Ga., but we have a cabin up in the corner where Ga.-S.C.-N.C. merge. The good part is I can be up there in 4 hrs.!

[Jay S.]

Enjoyed the report & pics! I agree, everybody needs to make the trip around the area of your Day 4. I live in South Ga., but we have a cabin up in the corner where Ga.-S.C.-N.C. merge. The good part is I can be up there in 4 hrs.!

Glad you enjoyed it. Your cabin is in a perfect location to see some great roads! I've been telling everyone I ride with here in TX, it is totally worth the trip, even if it takes 2-3 days to get there. I'll ride there again someday, but I have a lot of unseen (from the bike) states to cover before I start seeing things twice.

 

[Breaker19]

Just when I thought the Dragon was cool, I then rode through Franklin, North Carolina into South Carolina and northern Georgia. This was much more fun than the Dragon. It was wide open, sweeping curves into and out of many mountains. There were lakes, rivers, and streams everywhere. I got to fully explore 4th and 5th gear through the fast sweepers. It was the best and most beautiful riding I have ever done in my life. I tried to convince my wife to move there...she denied that request.

Right. The Moonshiner 28 is an awesome road, as is Wayla Road. We took 28 down to Warwoman Road, cut across too. Another day, did Joe Brown Parkway (or highway?)... And of course, the Cherohala Skyway, that's a heck of a road compared to 129! We got rained out several days, but it was still pretty good. I put 2,100 miles on the big Connie riding up and back also.

Tom/Florida