Probably a repost but I haven't seen it in a while.
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2006...-in-world.html

Here's a sample....if it will ME let post the pic.

 

The dragon

Tail of the Dragon
About 70 miles from the Inn are two more musts for great rides. Perhaps the most famous drive in the East is The Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap with 318 curves in 11 miles. It's called America's number one motorcycle and sports car road. The nearby Cherohala Skyway is quickly becoming number two with its remote 60 miles of scenic mountain highway.

Crossing Deals Gap at the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, the Dragon is considered by many as one of the world's best motorcycling and sports car roads. Anyone looking for an exciting highway will enjoy this stretch of US 129.

The Tail of the Dragon begins on the North Carolina side at Fugitive Bridge with a view of the Cheoah Dam where Harrison Ford jumped in the movie The Fugitive. It ends 14 miles across the mountain at the Tabcat Creek Bridge in Tennessee. US 129 climbs through The Slide, a steep series of "S" curves where one would not want to meet a tractor-trailer. The road then levels and straightens until a series of curves approaching the Crossroads of Time, one of the main hangouts for cyclists. Next comes Deals Gap and the Tennessee State Line.

The road is desolate and can be a real adventure in the winter months. Drivers deal with bears, turkeys, deer, and wild boars in the road, trees down, ice/snow, and tractor-trailers taking-up both lanes in the curves. It is not a road for the squeamish, but if you're looking for a little excitement don't miss this one. Like any public highway there is enforcement at times. The speed limit is 30 mph, so stay within reason.

On summer weekends, the Dragon may get 15,000 motorcycles and sport cars a day. It's certainly a favorite with sport car clubs. Many of the Dragon's curves have names: the Pearly Gates, Thunder Road Bend, Carousel Corner, the Whip, Brake or Bust Bend, the Wall, the Hump, Little Whip, Crud Corner, Shaw Grave Corner, Gravity Cavity, Horns of the Dragon and Hog Pen Bend.
For the latest updates on the Tail of the Dragon, go tailofthedragon.com.

 

dad went to tail of the dragon a couple times, tried to get me to go, but i didn't want to ride one of his bikes that i didn't like all that way

 

oh hell no!!! no way in hell would i ever get near that road, and how would emergency crews respond to a call on that road if there was an accident where someone did go over the edge?

 

They just wait for them at the bottom.

 

Actually, thats one of my friends driving. I used to have an s2k. He was actually there and a car in front of him went over the ledge and down about 100'. The guy was able to walk back to the top. The s2k does really well as a single car crash. I mean REALLY well. I dont think it fair well against a large vehicle but people do walk away from some serious crashes.

 

Tail of the Dragon has received so much attention in the past 5 or 10 years that it is no longer a great place to visit. There has been as many as 4 radar posts along the drive, and a mile or two over the limit will get you close scrutiny and probably a ticket. If you go for the curves and the scenery and a nice drive on a pretty day, then it's worth it. If you're going to test your machine and get a thrill, better take it to the track.

 

Blount Co. Rescue posts two units up there along with a rural metro ambulance response times are not bad at all. I grew up less than ten minutes from the dragon and trust me its something everyone should experience

 

I'd rather not experience it but gladly take your word for it. The Ice Road Truckers bunch did a series on that road. The program was named IRT Deadliest Roads. If you have high speed internet:
http://www.free-tv-video-online.info.../season_2.html

 

I don't want to die yet so no I wouldn't dare pass by that road.