I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!!

Good news if you are one of the lucky ones to have or are going to ride “The Dragon”.

If you ever watch any of the hundreds of videos of folks riding or driving this stretch of US Route 129 or if you have ridden on the road yourself you know at large trucks are as much as a hazard as anything else on the highway. Often times these truck take up more than both lanes as they try and navigate the 318 turns in 11miles and way to many times have caused terrible accidents.

The good news is that Tennessee is now following the lead of North Carolina in banning truck over 30 feet in length from traveling on the Dragon. While I am sure this will not end accidents on this highway, the ban can only improve the situation.

According to this article “1.4 million vehicles that traversed the Tennessee side of the Dragon between 2010 and 2012, there were total of 204 crashes — with motorcycles making up 82 percent of them.” During that period there were six deaths and one was due to an accident with a tractor trailer.

Signs informing truck drivers of the new restrictions will be installed in early 2015.

Debbie and road the Dragon and the nearby Cherohala Skyway a few years ago with a bunch of our friends. We left Northern Virginia, taking the Blue Ridge Parkway to Deal’s Gap. After riding those two road we went north through Chattanooga to Louisville, KY then to Parkersburg, WV.

 STORM CHASER POWERS ACTIVATE!

The trip from Parkersburg back to Virginia was the hardest part of the entire 1400 mile ride. Hurricane Irene, which was not supposed to make landfall here, turned right into us. We rode through at least three squall lines before pulling into the garage just minutes before the main storm hit us.

STORM CHASER POWERS DEACTIVATE!

If you have not ridden the Tail of the Dragon, you need to add it to your bucket list. It is well worth your time.