The last couple of days we rode from Louisiana, through Arkansas, to Tennessee. And it was boring, long, taxing, lotsa HWY driving, and very tiring. So let’s get to today, which finally included some fun riding.
We met Zach and Daisy when we stopped for a short break — and to figure out which way we should be going, and where we should head for the night — in Marshall, TX. Zach happened to also be a motorcycle rider, and while we hung out for a few, he glowed about how he was “training” to ride this very dangerous and almost mythical motorcycle road called The Tail of the Dragon. This is the kind of riding we’ve been looking for as we drive across the country, so without hesitation, we changed our plans that minute, and decided to head towards it.
The Tail of the Dragon goes up the mountains of Tennessee and in to North Carolina, then back in to Tenneessee. Its beautiful up here.
I was feeling really hesitant to ride this road today, because the weather called for rain. And sure enough, it rained on us all day. And as we came up to the road, HWY 129, it started raining a bit more, and as we climbed in elevation, a thick fog engulfed us all around. To the point, that at or near the top, I couldn’t see more than 30 feet in front of me. At first I thought my glasses were just fogging up, so I kept on lifting my visor on my helmet. But nope, that was just thick fog. This stuff was dense.
The road was slippery, visibility was poor at best, and these turns were supposed to be, actually, deadly. I looked it up on the interwebs, and apparently people on motorcycles die on this road, at least a few a year.
But I don’t mind saying, that it really let us down. It wasn’t quite that technical, and I didn’t get why it would have required training. Even with the road wet. Or maybe these BMW motorcycles just ride that well. But we were taking each and every tight turn with speed and confidence. I even felt the back tire slide off a bit — both actually slipped a bit at one point — but it was no problem. The bike grabbed tarmac, and held tight. Good technique, and great bikes, did all the work.
In the places where you could see, and there was a few split seconds you could steal to look around, the beauty of the nature we were in was astounding. It was pure Appalachian forest. All the fog actually made it look even better. Everything was either verdant green, dark and mossy, or a brilliant brown. And the slick wet roads made everything glisten. Plus you’d be riding along, and you’d be driving next to a creek, or river, or a waterfall was naturally falling off of the side of the road, and falling in to that aforementioned creek or river. Very cool.
What this road did remind me of, was Palomar Mountain back home. Now that’s a technical ride. Look at all those turns and chicanes. Just roads turning in on each other. Fun stuff, I’ve scraped my motorcycle’s pegs there, but not at Tail of the Dragon.
Long story short: the scenery of the roads and forests you go through out here are well worth it. But if you’re looking for a technical motorcycle ride, look elsewhere.
And in that spirit, tomorrow we’ll be riding quite a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Heard quite a bit about it, lookin’ forward to it.
—ish.
