It turns
out that this part of the country, especially the area where Kentucky,
Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina meet, is known for having some of the
world famous stretches of highway in the world. Colectiva is parked very near
what is commonly referred to as the Dragon/Cherohala Loop.
Apparently
the highways out hear are of legend similar to Route 66 in the west. The
difference is that in the west, most of Route 66 has been replaced by I-40 and
such, because large swaths of land were available and high-speed multi-lane
road building was relatively easy. The highways in the east essentially follow
the paths the British traveled in the 1700’s to establish forts, or were used
to move supplies in the 1800’s during the civil war. Those original foot
trails, now widened to accommodate wagons, eventually became highways with the
advent of the automobile. Because of the hostile terrain and lack of any egress
suitable for more high speed travel, many of these highways have not gone the
way of Route 66 with much if its original roadway now just a memory.
So, it turns out that
the road we had driven as a last resort last evening, the Cherohala Skyway, is
known by bikers as the Mile High Legend. After learning this, I was surprised
that we hadn’t run into more Harleys than we did when we were on that stretch.
I am also really glad (was so at the time as well) that there were a fair
number of pull-outs for scenic views where I could let the little traffic there
was get by. Every time we see a symbol now for the Cherohala Skyway in the
local touristy literature, we see the Mile High Legend in small letters
underneath, and a picture of a big fanged viper wrapped around it.
We also learned that the
vehicle restricted section of US 129 we were turned back from is known
worldwide as the Tail of the Dragon – known by everyone apparently except for
Garmin and Google. After all, why should that little bit of information be
known by companies that specialize in road mapping anyway? Well, the rest of
the world knows of Tail of the Dragon as 11 miles of secluded mountain highway
with 318 curves that attracts Harley riders and sports car enthusiasts from
around the world.
We found
the Two Wheel Inn at the town of Deal’s Gap North Carolina, the self-proclaimed
start of the Tail of the Dragon. As you would guess, the Two Wheel Inn caters
to bikers – if you rent a room, you also get a small garage suitable for a
Harley. It felt a bit like we were back in Sturgis during the Run!
In the
courtyard of the Two Wheel Inn is the Tree of Shame (and pain). Started some 20
years ago, the Tree is a reminder of what could be if you ride above your
limits on the Tail of the Dragon. Legend has it that the Tree was started when
someone hung a piece of a Harley they had found on the roadway. Of course, the
idea took off and now the entire tree is covered with both motorcycle and car
parts from those trying to show off too much.
We drove
the 11 miles of the Tail of the Dragon and found ourselves in the actual truck
turnaround where we had turned Colectiva south the day before. All along the
Tail of the Dragon we saw the spirit of capitalism and technology combining in
fine form. There are at least a dozen guys sitting in camp chairs under sun
awnings with powerful digital cameras taking photos of everyone who drives by
on the Tail. After your drive by, you can go on line to their website and
download your photo – of course for a small but reasonable fee!
As you
can see, moonshiner.com was taking a photo of us at the exact time that I was
taking a photo of him. If you look really closely, you can see the reflection
of me taking his photo in his monstrous sized lens – and if you look even
closer, you can see his image reflected in my lens, and even closer …..
We
stopped to have a bubbly and a snack at the historic Tapoco Lodge. Back in the
early 40’s when the TVA was damming up all the creeks and rivers that ran
through these remote hills, the Tapoco Lodge was built as a central location
where the dam construction workers could hole up as they built no fewer than a
half dozen dams in this area. The Lodge conveniently rests alongside the
Cheoah River, and they have taken advantage of their back patio right on the
Creek, which catches the afternoon shade, to have an outdoor dining area.
As we sat
and listened to soothing sound of the water cascading down the rocks in the Creek,
an ambulance when screaming by on US 129 heading in the direction of the Tail
of the Dragon. We assumed that was a bad sign and could mean nothing good at
all. We hope there hasn’t been some additional motorcycle parts now added to
the Tree of Shame.
With all
this highway fun under our belt, we called it a day and gave the Vue a rest.
Talk to you soon!
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