Day 3
May 17th 2004
Today I tamed the Dragon ! For those of you not familiar with the "Tail of The Dragon", or as it's officially known "Deal's Gap", it's a short section of twisty roads just within the Tennessee border not too far from where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends. It's sort of the Sportbike Rider's Mecca, where riders come from all over North America to try to "Tame the Dragon". What better way to end the Blue Ridge Parkway than with this ?
Let's not get too excited just yet. I stayed in Boone, North Carolina the night before and had another 400 km of twisties to go before even reaching Deal's Gap. The forecast was once again not too optimistic for the day, calling for scattered showers and thundershowers. When I got up, it was dry outside, so I left in good spirits.
This second half of the Blue Ridge Parkway was a bit more 'sweeperish' than the first half. Most corners were able to be taken in 5th gear. It wasn't too foggy either, just cloudy, as you can see here.
I'm also realizing that I'm starting to be in the South. I'm seeing wildlife that I've never seen before, like wild turkeys. Geez those are big, wouldn't want to hit one, but thankfully they were all behaving, just standing by the side of the road. I'm also pretty sure I saw a small owl just sitting on the shoulder of the road. Didn't seem to make sense, that it would just be sitting there, but unless it was a plastic model of one, I can't see what else it could be. So there I was, finding a nice rhythm in these parts, enjoying a peaceful and serene ride. So peaceful that I only met something like 10 cars and didn't catch up to anyone in the first 150 km. Yep, all was well until...
I was in such a zen-like state riding these sweepers that even a ticket couldn't have put a damper on my spirits. When I got pulled over (for doing 63 in a 45 MPH zone), I just took off my helmet and earplugs and just smiled at the officer and plainly said "Sorry about that, I just got carried away a bit in these nice roads". The guy was very nice and I suspected I might be in luck when he didn't ask to see my registration, only my driver's licence. Sure enough, a few minutes later he came back to me and wished me a nice trip, 'Just watch the speed' ...Thanks ! (I've got to start sending positive zen-like vibes like this more often)
I guess he's right about "watching the speed". Sometimes you don't know what may be just beyond the next bend, such as this...
Around noonish I finally arrived at Deal's Gap. There were probably about a hundred motorcycles around the beginning or the end or actually doing the 8 mile ride (I think it's 8 miles, something like that anyways). Most were sport bikes and there was quite a bit of exotica to be seen, Ducatis were omnipresent and also a few Aprillias with some "Surely those can't be street legal" exhaust pipes.
I was sure the Deal's Gap would be a bit of a letdown, after all, I'd just finished over 900 km of rollercoaster-like roads. Well, let me assure you, dear reader, that all the hype is well founded. The banking on that road is more intense than in most racetracks. Some corners I'm sure had about 15 to 20 degrees of banking and the pavement was billiard-table-smooth. The fully-laden BMW held it's own really well and didn't drag anything thanks to all that banking. The tires were also doing well, with only a bit of squishy sliding out of the rear under acceleration on the last legs as I was returning to the starting point.
I thought this was a bit interesting
It's the "Tree of Shame" at the entrance to the Gap. These are people who got bit by the Dragon. Each piece of bike has inscriptions on it indicating the date and the name of the "Bitten". Pieces of fairing from a Ducati 999 *ouch* ($$$)
It was past 1:00 PM when I was done with Deal's Gap. I still had about 500 km to go today, so I initially decided to try secondary roads to avoid Interstates. I soon discovered that Georgia has very bad traffic congestion EVERYWHERE and every 20th car is a police car. Limits are 45 MPH on secondary highways and people tend to drive slower than that. All this without mentioning all the construction sites. Nothing worse than being stuck behind a line of cars during a big downpour and the only reaction from the cars in front of you is to SLOW RIGHT DOWN, so the biker will get the soaking he deserves. Aaaaargh !
Needless to say, I made my peace with the Interstates after a frustrating 200 km of secondary highways that were neither scenic nor any fun to be on. I think from now on, I will use interstates to get from one interesting road to another, at least while the traffic is so heavy. Hopefully out West things will be lighter.
Good grief what was that ! Oh, I just discovered that my hotel room, which seemed to be particular bargain at $ 45 US for a Ramada, seems to be situated just adjacent to a railroad track and the trains have to sound their whistle as they go by. Hope the night traffic isn't too busy... By the way, I just missed a major thunderstorm and downpour when I got to the hotel. I just had time to unload the bike when the first drops of rain started. I've been here for 3 hours or so and it's still pouring out there...
Well, another day gone by, another entertaining one for me. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings...
Day Stats;
Total Distance: 1002 km
Total Time: 12h 12 min
Overall Average 78.8 km / h