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"The Dragon" is one
of the most famous sections of curvy, mountain
roads in the United States. This scenic road
bends around the western edges of Great
Smoky National Park along US-129 between
Tapaco, North Carolina and Calderwood, TN. The
Dragon is an eleven-mile stretch of road that
boasts 318 turns, many of them steep hairpins.
At the southern end of the Dragon sits the Deals
Gap Motorcycle Resort, which is also home to
a little-known distant cousin of that well-documented
North American native, the
shoe tree.
This odd -- and apparently deciduous
-- tree is a living tribute to the motorcycle
enthusiasts who have faced the fury of The Dragon.
(Scroll down for a close-up picture.) Bits and
pieces of bikes that the Dragon has mauled have
found new life -- nay, immortality! -- on a
tree in the parking lot of the Deals Gap motel.
Location:
The Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort is located at
17548 Tapoco Road, Tapoco, NC 28771, which is
where US-129 crosses NC state road 28.
GPS Coordinates: N35*27.968'
by W083*55.174'
More
information about the Motorcycle Resort
Current
road conditions and more photos of The Dragon
Aerial
View of The Dragon" taken from 10,000 feet
Photographed by
Judy Ness 2/13/08
Posted on RoadTrip America 2/08
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