May 31, 2010 - Deal's Gap and Tail of the Dragon....

May 31, 2010

Deal's Gap, North Carolina

Its Raining.

I look at my watch, hit the Indiglo button and see that its 3:10 am. Its not a light rain, its not a drizzle. Its a full on, hard rain. Like the rain you get with a thunderstorm, only I've heard no thunder and seen no lightning. Its gonna be a long night.

When I awake in the morning, my tent resembles that Brad Pitt and Tom Skerritt movie...a River Runs Through It. Nothing important is wet...but everything is damp. Great. I just LOVE camping in the rain.

We make our way to the outdoor kitchen. The VFR guys are making one helluva breakfast. There's French Toast, Eggs, Pancakes, Toast and plenty of good, hot coffee. Its around 7:30 in the morning and with the way the rain is coming down....we're not riding any time soon. The fog over the mountains is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Oh well....time for more coffee.

The weather finally breaks mid morning. I wander back to our campsite and Larry is getting his gear on...wondering if I'm coming. So, as he is riding up to the office to meet up with the VFR guys..I grab my gear, suit up and haul ass to meet everyone else. We leave in a group of about 10 bikes..all VFR 800s except for Larry's Connie 14 and my Vulcan 900. If you're wondering...I feel a little out of place.

We run up NC 28, aka "Hellbender Road" towards Fontanna Dam. A stop for fuel and we're on our way again. The road has nice twisties, all with a Speed Limit of 35 mph..the group is riding nicely together and no one is really exceeding the limit. However, my bike, with its limited lean angle, is the one furthest over. I start dragging floorboards early....at least I'm having fun.

After taking pictures at the top of the dam, we make our way to the bottom and shoot a few more. From there...we head to the Deal's Gap Motorcycle Resort. For me...this is the place of legend. (http://www.dealsgap.com). As we get a little closer, it starts raining again. Most of the group decided to run the Dragon...I'm not feeling the love with the rain and decide to hold back. I talk with a couple of the VFR members who decide to hang back as well..and like all good bikers we discuss the advantages and attributes of bikes and motorcycle travel.

About 35 minutes or so later..the boys return with big grins on their faces. Now I'm sorry I didn't go. The sun starts to peek out..and I ask Larry if he's interested in going again. He says he needs a bite...and then the anticipation kills me. I throw on my helmet, fire up the bike and now I'm headed up US129...the Tail of the Dragon.

I have to say...its an incredible road for a motorcycle. Its narrow..the curves are all tight, many are decreasing radius and there are no guardrails. Its a long way down. It also starts to rain. HARD. I'm not pushing it..and am noting the route on my Magellan GPS. It indicates my speed at 36 mph..and I'm quite comfortable going that speed. I'm following two Pirates on Harley's and obviously I'm being a little aggressive, as the pull out of my way at the first pullout. US129 is a very technical road...and one of the most challenging that I have ever ridden. By mile 4..I'm grinning from ear to ear despite the rain.

I thumbed the starter again after changing my visor and start my run down. For some reason..its much more challenging the other way. But, after the 22 mile run...I know that I've done it. I slayed the Dragon However, the dragon bit back two or three times..I did cross the yellow line. Happy, but disappointed with my performance...we decide to head back to the campground via Hellbender Road.

We didn't get much more riding in today, but returned to the Campground where dinner was starting. I had a beer (or four) and had a great dinner. Chicken, salad, slaw and cake for dessert. It doesn't get much better than this.

But too much rambling..y'all wanna see pics..so here they are!

Low Res Proof from http://www.killboy.com/

My bike is so small...you can't even see it among all those Sport-Tourers!

Fontanna Dam.  I've been to the dams around here...and there is no comparisons in the size!

Incredible View...can you spot the fisherman?

How much fun would it be to ride THAT waterslide???

Seeing how those are 2' increments spray painted on the concrete, you may get an idea the size of those chain links.

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The lake created by Fontanna Dam

The dam from the low side...its IMMENSE!

I'm beginning to see a pattern of twisty roads, wherever I go...

That "Speed Limit 20" is just a guidline, right?

That building was large..now compare the previous photos to get an idea of the scale.

Here in person!  No more dreaming on the interweb!

The Tree of Shame.  Wish I had a piece of Barney to leave behind.  Would have been fitting.

Proof I was there.  The next set of photos happened entirely by accident.  I was leading and had gotten quite far ahead of Larry.  I pulled off here and then saw the picture opportunity...