Gliding with A Dragon
"The ride was as smooth as a hot knife through butter": A story of cruising the infamous "Tail of The Dragon" at Deals Gap.
On the North Carolina and Tennessee line, there rests a fiery asphalt dragon with 318 curves rolled into an 11-mile stretch. My father and I woke up early to take on the dragon one pleasant July morning and I remember him giving me thorough instructions (as usual) before we set out on our journey, even though I was just a passenger and backseat spectator in our little adventures. "I need you to pay close attention and lean with me, keeping your hands and legs close to the bike always," he firmly directed as we slipped on our riding boots and headed out the door. I soon realized why he was so clear and stern about safety rules on this particular ride.
I've always been a thrill-seeker and I clearly remember feeling the excitement within me grow and the cheesy grin that spread across my dad's face as we approached the dragon... this elusive, beautiful and dangerous extension of Highway 129. I was sitting very comfortable on his Harley Street Glide when we took off. It may have been a mixture of being on a well-built bike and having a very experienced driver, but those white lines were hugged so tightly as we wound our way on the historic road. I was sort of rocked into a hypnotic state as we swayed effortlessly along the curves. I imagined myself as a Cherokee Indian following a herd of buffalo along this same worn path as they actually did then. Also, hunters and trappers used this trail in the 1700's and I felt brief moments of time travel in history while riding the magical dragon. There were many issues between the Cherokee natives and the settlers who invaded their space back then. In fact, this very path I was joyously cruising with my dad was used by Native Americans to evade the army that was sent to wipe them out.
There is also a grave-site located at mile 6.5 of the Dragon giving testimony to the bloodshed of the Civil War. It is the site where Bas Shaw was buried after being killed by Confederates as he was transported to prison in Asheville. I'm sure there are many more stories along this road, mostly lost tales. The Dragon through the 1920's was still just lightly traveled, but the tourism has dramatically increased every decade since then and I totally get the appeal!
As the road came to an end, I noticed the photographers were taking pictures of us gliding by. I also noticed the smile on their faces before they snapped their shots and I assume that came from seeing the constant joy, awe, and sometimes fear of the people they were capturing. Whatever the emotion beaming from the different faces and speeds of the passerbys, one thing is certain, the dragon is a truly unique experience to all that take it on!
The end of the dragon wasn't really the end because we had to fulfill the urge of repeating the experience and then we sat outside the "Tail of The Dragon" stores to watch the other vehicles ride by. Of course I needed some documentation of this thrilling experience so I headed in the shops for a t-shirt and dragon keychain. I left the building with my materialistic trinkets and felt as if these memorabilia were more like mini trophies for bravely taking on a famous mythical creature. I also noticed the collection of vehicle parts hanging on a large tree that were from folks who crashed during their experience with the dragon. I appreciated my father's mundane safety rules that much more and our smooth- gliding experience.
When we finished up and chatted with other family members that also conquered the dragon, my dad asked "So what did you think Ashley?". My immediate thoughts and response came from something my grandfather used to say... "The ride was as smooth as a hot knife through butter." My dad shot yet another cheesy grin and we hopped back on the Harley and headed over to Cherokee North Carolina, to make more riding memories.