2010 5th Annual Solstice Skys at the Dragon
WHEN: August 5th to the 8th
WHERE: Fontana Village Tenn
TIME: 5:00pm Drivers Meeting..... Everyone must be present.....
WHEN: August 5th to the 8th
WHERE: Fontana Village Tenn
TIME: 5:00pm Drivers Meeting..... Everyone must be present.....
Once again we will take on the Dragon..... We have lots of plans in store for you including another trip to the Zip Line, wow that was fun..
All information is on our website: 2010 Solstice/Sky at the Dragon - Home
Please check there often for all updated information. The hotel again will be Fontana Village phone is 1-800-849-2258
Lodge rooms: 45 rooms reserved @ Rate of $81.75 for the Thurs-Sun that is a savings of $ 37.00 a night...
Be sure and they them you are with the Solstice Sky Group to get the discounted rate...
Dragon Fee for the Event gets you a T-shirt and your Sat Buffet and will be announced soon.....
You must go to the Website to register All registrations and payments must be made by July 1st.....
The Charity this year will be The American Lung Assc.
So who will join us this year.... !!!!!!!
Remember to check the Website to get all updated information.....!!!!!!
What is the Dragon?
The Dragon, as many have found, is truly a unique road. In 14 miles there are only two intersections; NC28 to Fontana Dam and the lightly traveled gravel road at Parsons Branch. There are no buildings other than the Crossroads of Time. There are 318 curves in the 11 miles located on the Tennessee side. Most of the time there is very little traffic and the vehicles that do use this road are primarily motorcycle riders and sports car drivers looking for the thrill of their lives. It is remote - there is very little evidence of human population within 20 miles in any direction. Most of the roadway is bounded by United States Forest Service property, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and forested land owned by Alcoa Aluminum who operates the dams located along US129.
To those coming from the North Carolina side, the Dragon begins at Fugitive Bridge with a view of the Cheoah Dam where Harrison Ford jumped in the movie The Fugitive. It ends 14 miles across the mountain at the Tabcat Creek Bridge in Tennessee. From Fugitive Dam US129 climbs through The Slide, a steep series of "S" curves where one would not want to meet one of the tractor-trailers that comes this way at times. The road then levels and straightens until a series of curves approaching the Crossroads of Time, one of the main hangouts for visitors. Next comes Deals Gap and the Tennessee State Line. For the next eleven miles most people just remember curve after curve after curve and surviving the run of their lives.
After riding many other twisties, we always come home to the Dragon and rate it the best of them all.
In addition to the 1993 The Fugitive, three other movies have been filmed along this road. The first feature film made on US 129 was Thunder Road. This 1958 Robert Mitchum film about backwoods moonshining had scenes at the power line easement at about mile 4.5 on the Dragon map and you can see the old wooden "safety" posts on the corner. A few of the posts still remain.
Part of the 1971 classic movie Two-Lane Blacktop was filmed on the Dragon. There are scenes of the state line sign, some of the curves, the old Esso Gas Station, Macs Motel and Café, and the original single lane bridge at Tapoco Dam. These scenes are at the end of the movie.
Part of In Dreams (1998) with Annette Bening was filmed at Tapoco Dam and Calderwood Dam.
The Tail of the Dragon may have a checkered history, but today it is becoming “the destination” for hundreds of thousands of riders, drivers, and even bicyclists looking to tame the beast.