One of the things R wanted to do was drive the Tail of the Dragon in the Smoky Mountains, so that was destination number 1 after arriving in Townsend on Sunday evening of the 2nd. We had "breakfast" at almost noon Monday and then drove up the Foothills Parkway.
The Dragon's Tail is a favorite destination of motorcyclists who want to drive the series of switchbacks and curves--allegedly 318 of them in 11 miles. It carries a lot of legends, myths, and half-truths, like so much of anything "famous" so it is hard to sort out the truth from fiction. While there are deaths, likely related to speed, it is low compared to the number of riders. Fatalities have also been associated with other causes than the actual riding of the motorcycle.
It was definitely a challenge in a big ole Ford truck, so I am not minimizing the risks, but those may be more likely in those riding the so-called "crotch rockets" who lie forward on the motorcycle, and who may have a proclivity to faster travel. Most of the riders we saw were driving touring or cruising bikes, and seemed somewhat sedate. I will follow up in the next post with a little more flair for the drama on the Tail.
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