Deal's Gap Photos/Ride to Deal's Gap

I posted some photos of a ride last month at Deal's Gap in the Album. The Swing sure does look nice leaning in the curves. These were taken by "Zeephoto.com" This was taken when the Tennessee side was closed back in June. They opened up the Tennessee Side about a week and a half ago. I went down to ride today. Lucky me..... the rain followed us wherever we went. And just when it was almost dry after lunch.... more rain. We had to take it easy today but still had a nice ride. We went to Fontana Dam and there was a black bear cub eating out of a tree. There was also a beautiful rainbow on the Foothills Parkway along with a nice steamy fog on top of the surface of the river. Even with the rain, a very nice trip and lots of good scenery. I love living in the southern Appalachians. For those who might be wanting to visit, you can know approach the Dragon from 129 on the Tennessee side as well as from Cherohala and 28 on the Carolina sides. The road is still in very good shape. Watch out for the State Troopers and Blount County Sherriff's Dept. They are back out in full force.

I was just there a week ago and rode the Dragon twice (saw 2 Silverwing trikes, 1 burgundy and 1 silver), once on Monday and once on Tuesday. Unfortunately all I got was 1 photo by killboy and that was from behind!

Hey Hammy,

Sorry they didn't get more photos of you. That's pretty unusual. Everytime I'm down there, there are usually at least 3 of 4 companys taking photos including zeephoto, moonshine photos, U.S. 129 photos, and of course Killboy.com. Today, they were not as good about taking the photos due to the rain as they were hiding in the truck or their canopies. Hopefully, you can make it down again.

Hmm.. maybe I don't know how to find the photos from the companies other than killboy.com? How do you even try to find them?

I rode the Dragon on Saturday 7/24 and did not see another Silverwing.
I was with a group of 4 Harleys, 1 Goldwing, 1 Reflex, and my Silverwing.

Ron, I am not familiar with the Deals Gap. Why do they close in June?

It was actually closed because of rockslides. It's usually open. There's a road up there that has 318 curves in 11 miles. It's called the Tail of the Dragon. My buddies and I just did that last week: my Swing, a Burgman 650 Danson trike, a Yamaha Majesty, and a SYM RV250. It was fun!

Hi Hammy,

These are the links to the other 3 companies that shoot photos at the gap. Normally, these guys are prominently in the corners shooting you with their cameras and it may be that you went through at an off time. If you saw several guys shooting pics in the curves, then there's a pretty good chance that one or more of these below shot pics of you. Once you get to the sites you'll have to select your date and the class of bike you are. Sometimes, scoots are mixed with other types of bikes but it will tell you this. For example, it might say Super Motards, Trikes, and scooters. And of course just click on that category. These guys are pretty good and know their bikes so they should have you in the right category. Another thing to keep in mind.... I you are riding with other bikes, they will probably only be able to get 1 pic of you. If you distance yourself back a few hundred feet or ride by yourself, they will probably take 6-10 shots like the ones I posted in the album so you can see your entry, middle, and off corner shots. Hope this helps some.

http://www.zeefoto.com/

http://www.us129photos.com/

http://www.moonshinephoto.com/dragon.html

www.tailofthedragon.com has all the info. There's a lot of fun and very scenic and windy roads there and it's like a mecca for motorcyclists, but can be dangerous. There's a tree of shame with all the parts from bikes that have crashed. I took pictures on my ride. I also took a helmetcam video that I'll edit and upload to youtube eventually.

I FOUND IT!!!! It was on Moonshinephoto.com!!! THANKS!!!! That's from my second run when I did it with all my saddlebags and gear! WHEEEEEE! Um... I'm a little happy.

Ditto on what Hammy said. Also, I encourage anyone who comes out here to spend 4 or 5 days so you can travel other roads in the area. The dragon (A.K.A. Deal's Gap/U.S. 129) is the place to put your bike through its paces (if you choose) or just kick back and enjoy the ride. But aside from the Dragon, there are many beautiful scenic roads that you can just kick back and enjoy the mountains, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls that are abundant in the area. You really need a week just to hit the highlights of all the wonderful rides through here. If you ever come up this way, just PM me and I'll be happy to give you some routes and with a little luck in the work schedule, join you for a ride.

Good Deal Hammy! It's always really cool to be able to see yourself on your own bike! These guys do take great shots! I've tried to shoot my friends but without the right kind of camera that is good for action shots, it is very hard to get good pics. Glad you found em'

That's the video of the Tail of the Dragon I took from my ride on Monday, July 19.

Hammy,

That's actually one of the best Videos I've seen of the Dragon. Most are on sport bikes trying to set a land speed record, and are very shakey.

Great Job!

Hammy, I agree, that is great video. How far did you have ride from home to get there? I am certainly adding that to my bucket list. Thanks for posting that.

The video was sped up -- actual road speeds are 30mph on the Dragon. Deal's Gap is about 750 miles from my home in Philadelphia, but you'll have to go through the Smokeys to get there (at least, the way I went). Very lovely area -- you could call it a motorist's mecca.

Hammy:
That is a great video. If you guys are into those kind of roads, then you really need to come to Colorado. Along the front range we have 7 or 8 roads that follow along rivers that are coming out of the mountains. These roads are every bit as twisty as the Tail and are a lot of fun to ride. Let me know if you ever get out here and I will take you for a sweet ride.
DCC

I sure would love to ride in Colorado. I drove through in my car and had a great time. It'll have to be an extended trip though, cos I don't think anyone wants to do a 50CC (coast to coast in under 50hrs) with me and then take their time back.

Hi Scoot... I second the idea of making the trip to Colorado. My wife and I made that trip back last fall to Colorado Springs and then made the trip from Royal George around the west side of the mountain range along the Arkansas River for most of that. Wonderful ride.

The really bad (if there is a bad) part of that trip is the gazillion miles through Western Kansas going and Western OK coming home. The first half gazillion was all right, but the last half was forever. Flat plains start to look alike after a few hours. I guess if you are raised on the side of a mountain, flat country might be fun to see just because it is new. We loved the trip and will probably do it again, because Colorado IS worth the effort. AND I love Kansas and Oklahoma. Lot of sights to see in those states. But as a superintendent once told me when he was talking to me about coming to his school to teach. "We are out here where you look 'Out, not up' " He wasn't exaggerating. The roads were great and if you want to go fast, go for it.

If you get here, stop in one of the local bike shops and pick up a copy of this little pocket map that shows a lot of local rides that take you in a loop through the foothills. The rides vary from 50 to 60 miles up to more than 300 miles or so. There are so many options.
DCC