It's nice when you can plan something 7 months in advance, put it on the calendar and no unforeseen life altering events step in to muddy the water. Last Thursday evening, Mike K, Ryan P, and I met at the Chick-fil-a in Hagerstown, MD, set our GPS's after a little "chickin" and headed on our way to realizing the destination - a twisty-windy portion of Rt129 in Tennessee otherwise known as "The Tail of the Dragon". Along the 3-day trip, there would be American Idol contests over the 2-ways, a beard growing competition, hiking at a State Park in TN, and every attempt made at keeping our nose clean for the ever-present po-po.
Thursday evening was (thankfully) uneventful on Rt 81 south and we found ourselves rolling in to our hotel about 9:30pm in Salem, VA. The next morning, we would head out with the destination of Athens, TN after a good Holiday Inn Express breakfast. Along the way, we stopped at Panther State Park near Morristown, TN after an incredibly unsatisfying lunch at a local Sonic. Thankfully, the trip proved uneventful still as we rolled into our hotel in Athens after a tall-one in a frosty mug and some appetizers at a very busy Outback. Saturday was the big day. We would head East from Athens to Tellico Plains and along the Cherlohola Skyway to the base of the Dragon which commences at what is referred to as the "Fugitive Dam". We spent the entire afternoon taking runs on the Dragon, picking up a few souvenirs, and enjoying some grub at the Deals Gap resort. Towards evening, we loaded up and ventured out to see the Fontana Dam on our way back North where we eventually arrived back in Salem, VA in the wee hours of Sunday Morning. The final leg home on Sunday was run mostly in the rain with some heavy traffic at times on Rt 81N where we were treated to some unbelievable moves being executed by our fellow motorists <read f*cking nit-wits>. It was a great trip and fun was had by all.
Enjoy the pics:
Our line-up at the Sonic.
View 400ft above Cherokee Lake along Point Lookout Trail in Panther State Park, TN.
The "Fugitive Dam" at the base of the Dragon.
Another pic of our herd while exploring the Dam.
A couple photos of the Resort Lodge at Deals Gap where we had some grub. This is largely a Motorcycle hang-out where people fuel up, buy souvenirs, and socialize between runs.
This is a memorial to the error in judgement (easily) made by some along the Dragon. It's referred to as "The Tree of Shame".
Here are a few pics of my FIA cobra with the LeMans top and a youtube vid during one of our runs. These were taken by Mike K.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcrFdCcZKGg
The ever-present you-in-a-heap-of-trouble-boy, po-po.
A couple snaps taken while visiting the Fontana Dam. This dam was built by TVA over 1942-1945 (about half the time it would have normally taken) made largely of reinforced concrete because of steel shortages during the war. The spillways were absolutely breathtaking.
Here's what the GPS indicated when I arrived back home.
- Allen.