"Dam" Good Trip.

DAM!!!

John and I @ Fontana Dam

So my son John and I planned a trip to The Dragon and surrounding area a few weeks back. John was so excited because it was his first real trip to the mountains on the bike. We trailered the bike up there on Saturday when I got done work and went to go riding on Sunday. When we got up that morning it was probably 37 degrees outside! Remember this is North Carolina at the end of April!!! It's not supposed to be 37 outside!! When I woke up I told John that we could take the car and explore the area and stay warm. Well, he would have none of THAT!!! He insisted on riding and I'm glad he did. I must say that I had one of the best weekends of my life riding around with him. The temps barely got to 45, but that didn't put a damper on the day.

John @ Chilhowee Dam

Calderwood Dam as seen from The Overlook

John and I on my '01 ZX9R

John and I @ Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort

As you can see from the photos John and I went to see some of the many dams that are in the area. Fontana Dam is the largest dam built east of the Mississippi. It is quite spectacular! One must experience it in person to fully appreciate how massive it is. Fontana Dam is 480 feet high and stretches 2,365 feet (that's almost 1/2 a mile!!!!) across the Little Tennessee River. The other dam of interest is Cheoah Dam. It is nicknamed Fugitive Dam because this is the dam that Harrison Ford's character jumped from in the movie The Fugitive. Needless to say we had a blast.

P.S. By the end of the day it was SNOWING!!!! That's right, SNOWING!!! John loved it!

John catching snowflakes in North Carolina @ the end of April!!!

The Addiction...

Hi, my name is Dan and I'm an addict. I can't stop thinking about motorcycles! I'm also addicted to curves! Three hundred and eighteen (318) of them to be exact! They call it "The Dragon". Simply put, asphalt bliss! This road is undoubtedly the best eleven (11) mile stretch of road on earth! There are no driveways, intersections, or cross streets of any kind; just curves!

I first felt the rush of The Dragon in September of 2005. Ever since then I can't get enough. So that is when it all started. The crazy 680+ mile day trips just to ride it one time! Spur of the moment overnights, sleeping on a picnic table, so I can ride all the next day kind of trips! If you haven't experienced it or don't have the passion for thrills then it is hard to explain. The picture below might give you a sense of what is so attractive about the Smoky Mountains and The Dragon.

This is from September 2005 (My first time!)
That was my 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS and my 2003 Vulcan Mean Streak!

The roads are as amazing as the scenery. What is even more fun is sharing your addiction with other addicts like my friend James! I have yet to drag a knee, but rest assured my day is coming! (see below)

James on his Buell XB9R! (as seen @ killboy.com)

Killboy.com, by the way, is the place you go to get your weekly dose of The Dragon When you can't be there in person. His blog rocks! He also takes awesome action shots of you riding! That is the other thing about this place that attracts me there. The people that you meet are so cool! I guess part of it has to do with our common interest, but the fact that I have yet to meet someone who isn't approachable is amazing.

I hope that this might help to explain my addiction to those who don't understand it. For those who do and those who just want to see what's next check back every now and then to see my adventures. I have some new pics and things to say about a recent trip to The Dragon with my son John, coming up very soon!