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Tail of the Dragon


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If you get near the Dragon, by all means run it. It may not be as fast as you might expect, but the severity and frequency of the curves makes it great.

 

Here's a pic of my car at the Dragon, the weekend we spnt there with the USA7s group in 2007. Photo purchased from Killboy.

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A question for anyone who has done both: How would you compare Tail of the Dragon to Angeles Crest or Bouquet Canyon or Caliente-Bodfish?

 

 

+1 to Slomove's answer. There are very comparable roads in many locations in California. Many were my local roads in San Diego county. But also around Lake Tahoe and the central coast.

 

When it is not too crowded, where TOTD excels is the camber changes or swoopiness, and the fact it is beautiful country. It is not just the driving... it the stopping at the dam, at the tree of shame, at the overlook. Surrounded by green trees and plenty of water.

 

To me, the comparable road is California is Big Sur Highway 1. Not because of the number of turns... but because of the epic scenery.

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We came down tail o dragon with the RV pulling the Storker on a car trailer......thanks to Garmin.....that was fun. The kid that kindly helped stop oncoming traffic on tight curves got killed the next day ... On the same road on his motor cycle ..... Posted on the Kill Boy site.

Gale

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I now live 20 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway but I grew up in the Northern Va. suburb of Great Falls. I traveled Georgetown Pike almost daily--a very curvy road with hills and trees a few inches from the pavement. Late at night, early in the morning and everything in between.

 

I once ran out of gas late at night and had to walk a ways home. i found a stolen Pantera de Tomaso abandoned at the foot of the driveway. I'll always regret that I called it in to the cops instead of parking it in the back of the barn and stacking hay bales all around until the statute of limitations expired.

 

The best car that I ever drove that road with was an old Saab.

 

Anybody here ever driven it in a Seven?

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Traffic wasn't bad, the few cars in our way moved over for us. Gotta love that southern hospitality.

 

I was blatting around North GA last Fall, and several drivers pulled over for me. I guess they figured I wasn't running to the store for a doz. eggs or a gal. of milk.

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I was blatting around North GA last Fall, and several drivers pulled over for me. I guess they figured I wasn't running to the store for a doz. eggs or a gal. of milk.

We also let a few sport bikes and nice Honda 2000 go by. Being polite can be contagious.

Edited by lucky dawg
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Went over today near the TOD, instead went over to see Fontana Dam, about 20 miles north. One heck of a nice road for a sports car like my Z06. This dam is the largest dam east of the Mississippi River at 480 feet. I've done the TOD, raced Chasing the Dragon and drive the Cherohala Skyway, and it's as good as any. Great lodge at Fontana Village with a great restaurant. Great recreation area too with boat rentals, horseback riding, fishing, hiking, canoeing, etc. if you get up here, try it.

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I first did the dragon about 15 years ago with the Spurious MG V8/V6 group in my mgbgt with a 60 degree v6 in it...Mrs. Maloney's fingerprints remained imbedded in the dash of that mg for the remainder of my stewardship of that car...the closest I ever came to death on the dragon was on vacation in my then brand new 1989 Chrysler Lebaron...I was going up the hill with my drivers window down and a dump truck was coming down the hill with a load of big rocks bouncing around...one bounced out and hit the B pillar of my car ...came within inches of my head...beware of dump trucks bearing bick rocks on the dragon

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