After a wonderful few days in Nashville it was time to get rolling again and what better way to get back into the groove than with the famous Tail of the Dragon. This road is a mecca for bikers from all over and it can get pretty crowded. Also we heard that there is police lurking around to snag you for a speeding ticket. Fortunately we had no problems with either one. There were no bikers on the road but when we got to the halfway spot there were hundreds of bikers stopped there. We must have gotten very lucky that day because we felt by ourselves when riding through most of this road.
The famous Tail of the Dragon is one of those roads that was on my bucket list and it did not disappoint. The way the road is banked is perfect for carving up the road and feeling connected. The sun was out and the weather couldn't have been any better. Feeling the tree canopy fly by and all the greenery everywhere, along with the banked road it felt amazing.
At the halfway spot we got a drink and checked out the scene. Bikes of all kinds and styles were there. Dave had a little windscreen on his for most of the trip up until this point. He was adjusting it and it snapped in half in his hands. A group of bikers started laughing and he tossed it in the trash. Oh well, no need for that anymore. Little did we know that the next day the weather would drastically change.
We head east toward Asheville though the great smoky moutains. There are some backwoods feeling places here for sure. The clouds hung on the mountains which must be where they get the name. The road opened up into fast sweepers, which was nice after all the tight twisties we had. We were hauling ass at this point, but also enjoying the views.
We made it all the way to Asheville and not only was it dark now but the sky was getting cloudy and you feel the rain coming. After stopping at a few hotels and motels we figure out there are no rooms to be had in Asheville. We couldn't figure it out. Asheville was a big place why were there no rooms available anywhere? So we headed back west on the road we came in on for about ten miles or so and we found a motel that had a room. By that time it had started raining pretty hard and we were soaked. Thank goodness we found a dry room just in time.
With some time off the bike we looked at the weather report and we found out that a hurricane was blasting straight into North Carolina and that is why there were no hotel rooms. Everyone was fleeing the coast.