Great riding today

Left around 9:30 heading out on route 19 for Fontana Dam. The dam was built in 1945 and is the highest dam east of the Rockies. Fontana Lake, which was created by the creation of the dam covers over 10,000 acres and covers a small town and the access roads to many other small communities. The lake is drained every 5 years and you can still see the town sleeping quietly beneath this watery grave. The Fontana Dam generates electricity for much of the Tennessee Valley. Next we traveled route 28 which is a very curvy road and is beginning to be recognized by the motorcycle crowd as one of the best riding roads in this area. This route is called the Moonshiner Run because it was a famous route for moonshiners to travel to avoid the Feds. As I slowed to a safe speed around some of the tight turns and then climbed the next grade I imagined the old cars speeding up and down the mountains loaded with illegal liquor. Then we arrived at our second destination for the day – The Tail of the Dragon. The Dragon can be entered from the North Carolina side and the whole 11 miles traveled but at the Tennessee end you have to turn around and travel the whole 11 miles back again. A stop first at the Tail of the Dragon resort and store. There must have been a hundred bikers – some had just ridden the Dragon and others, like us, were just getting ready to tackle this monster. Ok – I’m ready so off we go with Bill and Sandra in the lead. The first few curves were pretty smooth and then I see a tight hairpin up ahead. Around the curve, pull it tight, then up we climb into another tighter turn. No guard rails, just low shoulders and grass or woods. Another easy turn then suddenly you are upon a tight turn again; down shift and get ready to pull it tight and go into a climb. I do not like to drag my floorboards but it happened several times. At first I heard the metal scraping on the blacktop and instinct told me to straighten up slightly but no I cannot do that or I’ll be off the side of the road, in fact, I must lean even more to maneuver this turn. I feel the vibration of the metal dragging on the road. Don was behind me and he said he could hear the metal scraping the road. Along the way you see Killboy and a couple of others parked in a safe location taking pictures of the riders. You also see at least 4 police cars parked ready to pull over anyone riding this Dragon at unsafe speeds or passing illegally. Today or at least during our 22 miles trip everyone is enjoying their ride and testing their skills. Reaching the end we find a very nice turnaround. Bill stops and asks if I’m ready for the next 11 miles. I nod my head and off we go to tackle these curves and master this Dragon in the other direction. I’m ready as I first turn right, down shift, climb left, turn right and drag floorboards again. The Dragon is an 11 mile stretch of mountain road with 318 curves. The official name is Deals Gap. I found the Dragon fun to ride and yes challenging but I have found myself on many mountain roads with curves just as tight and challenging but never with so many curves in such as short distance. Coming down from the Dragon we head back to the motel and meet Dwayne and Sherry. We had dinner and sat and talked until late.