OK everyone, I have read about DGRR, I would like to go, but I need some serious convincing.
I'm bordering on a hermit-like existence, and I rarely socialize with anyone.
Please share your experiences and thoughts on it.
Thanks!

 

Fun roads, good people, unique cars, and lots of night time drinking at the resort.

 

That's one, thanks.
Unfortunately, I've had to curtail my drinking quite a bit, so that puts a dent into my fun factor.
I can probably knock back a few without harm, though.

I see on the map that it's not far from Gatlinburg as the crow flies, but do you have any idea of how long a drive it is?

 

It's about an hour and a half from the resort. Not a bad spot to visit. It's a bit of a tourist trap, but nice.

There's also the Cherokee Casino which is about 30 min away.

 

We've been there a few times, Pigeon Forge is the bigger trap.
Gatlinburg's more scenic. If I could talk my wife into going, she'd probably would want to stop there for a day or two, but I doubt she'll want to go.
She hates long road trips, I love them.

 

^^This, plus.... 318 turns in 11 miles!

And that's just one of the awesome roads up there...

Enough said

.

 

So, does everyone get together and drive at the same time, or do people just come and go and drive whenever they feel like it?
Are there meeting spots like a pub crawl?

 

All driving is kind of self organized. There are constantly groups and individuals going out driving.

People usually meet up at the Deals Gap Motorcycle resort or the shop on the hellbender.


BTW, registration is moved to the 5th.

 

810 miles from here, 12.5 hours according to one website.
I assume that's actual driving time, not counting stops, which I need plenty of.
2 days there, 2 days back.
Plus running around for a couple of days once I get there, that's a lot of gas.
It would pretty much be a whole week in my case.

 

Its 830 for me. Google says 14 hours i think i can do it in 10. One day drive. Hummm. Sounds fun.

 

I drove from quebec to get there. 17+hours, we did it in 2 days going there, came back 1 shot. Was a very nice week, saw lots of awsome cars and drove amazing roads. Would do it again

 

bc its a great time

 

I did it once and its an experience. I would have gone last year but was short on vacation time and money since I was buying a house. I def plan on going again once my life quiets down. What really made the trip great for me was the camaraderie. You meet so many rotary owners and everyone wants to talk and not just about cars. You make friends.

Make sure your car is 100%. Make sure you have fresh tires and brakes. I would also recommend some hi temp brake fluid. And maybe some stainless steel lines. You don't need power. You just need the ability to scrub off speed and turn. If you want to drive more careful, definitely find a group looking to drive slower and maybe stay towards the back of the group. There are all skill levels there so it should be no problem.

 

Just be wary of any Prius you see! Right 200 ?? lol

 

lol eat a dick mike

 

My wife and I were talking over breakfast this morning, and she said she might want to make a longer trip out of the weekend wedding trip to go visit family.
That means more time & money.
I just wanted to go for the weekend.
That definitely throws a monkey in the wrench.

 

monkeys fling poo. go to dgrr

 

I may able to use it to my advantage since it's her family she wants to spend time with.
It's around her birthday, so I'm sure she's going to want to go to a nice restaurant in New Orleans.
$$$$$

 

All new brakes & tires, my suspension may need to be addressed.
Where do you get SS brake lines?

 

brakes and tires get a real workout on the dragon. i think my ss lines are goodridge

 

I took my family up into the Smokies to Clingman's Dome in my Battlestar Fleetwood Brougham.
I was wondering what all those "USE LOW GEAR" signs were for.
O_o
We were coming down when I stopped at a scenic overlook, got out and my front brakes were smoking & the rotors were blue.
That's when I realized what the signs meant.

 

im dead serious bc. brakes and tires will save your life if your gonna push it. the road is very unforgiving. drive at your own pace and whatever you do dont follow slvrstreak on your first run lol

 

Oh yeah, I know.
I have a very healthy respect for those roads, and I definitely believe in good brakes, tires, & suspension.

If you ever get to Maui, drive the Road to Hana.
That is an amazing drive, there's no room for error there either.

 

BC, the biggest concern that i've got for Tail of the Dragon is other people. I've driven quite a few roads across the US that are very similar to what I see in videos of TotD, and the single biggest difference i see is that TotD is crowded. I'm unenthusiastic about driving 8-10 hours to go hop on a road with dozens or hundreds of other people on it. Either they are far slower and will annoy me, or they are far faster and I will annoy them, or they are just idiots and I don't want to be remotely near them. And the more enthusiasts there are, the more people will let out the inner idiot.

Highway 1 from Legget CA down to the coast is pretty close to TotD, covering 19 miles of roadway over 8 miles in a straight line i believe, and despite having driven it 3 times, i've encountered less than 15 cars total, including passing heading the other way.

It's easy to stay within your limits if you have a solid mature head on your shoulders. But you can't do anything about the idiot in the 4,000lb Mercedes doing 80mph trying to pass someone else over the double yellow on a blind curve.... (been there. Not fun)

I'll drive TotD some day, but it will be by myself, probably midweek, with no one else that i'm there "with". Packs of people invites trouble, 1-day + away from home.

Just something to think about.

 

lol i knew your were gonna bring that up. for real pearl i didnt think you could look any whiter