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2010 5th Annual Dragon..... August 5 to 8

19K views 108 replies 35 participants last post by  MID NYT 
#1 · (Edited)
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.....​


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.
 
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#39 ·
as on Sol-side

no point in starting a new thread

THE DRAGON IS CLOSED FOR A MONTH OR MORE

*******************

From tailofthedragon.com:

March14, 2010: The rock slide on US 129 is located between the Dragon and Happy Valley Road/Foothills Parkway. Removal is scheduled to take several weeks. The road will likely be blocked completely at times, but for now there is one lane open with flaggers. There is no guarantee the one-lane will remain open and as of today we know of no way to check ahead. The only alternatives are the Cherohala Skyway which got more snow this morning and US 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains. Remember it’s a long way to backtrack if the road is completely closed.
 
#43 ·
Event Fee!!!
Here we go folks!

The event fee for the 2010 Solstice/Sky at the Dragon is:

$55.00 per person and
must be received before July 1st


Fee covers per person:

Sat. night banquet and room fee.
T-shirt
Lanyard and badge



Driving the Dragon with Friends: PRICELESS

If you want to mail a check the address to send it to is:

JrsNo1Fan
C/O: K. Evans
335 Furrow Creek Ct.
Jackson, Ga., 30233

Make check or money order payable to:

K Evans

or you can go to the
Dragon website to use PayPal to make payment
(there is an additional fee for this)..... Thanks​
 
#44 · (Edited)
There was a rock slide this past week and the Dragon is closed from the TN boarder all the way to Tabcat Bridge. The contract for cleanup will be awarded on Monday and cleanup will not be completed until the end of July. :(

I feel bad for all of the vendors who rely of the summer business to keep their companies running.

For now the Dragon event in August is still a go, but we will be on alert for any schedule changes in the cleanup process.
 
#46 ·
Mid Nyt has signed up

I drove the Dragon last year.

We drove acoss the Foothills Parkway north of the Dragon. The foothills is a nice drive as well in the convertible, the view along the hilltops was great.

Looking forward to August.

Later
Mid Nyt
 
#49 ·
I would LOVE to go! Sounds like a blast. If only TN were closer to south GA....... what's that, a 8 hour drive or so from Savannah? :/

I'm keeping the option open, though!
 
#52 ·
fee paid - see you all there!
 
#63 ·
Yikes! Am I too late??

I saw on the dragon site I needed to pay by the 15th...I'll go ahead and pay, but wanted to make sure I wasn't too late....:(
 
#64 ·
I saw on the dragon site I needed to pay by the 15th...I'll go ahead and pay, but wanted to make sure I wasn't too late....:(
Rhonda, no you are not to late we are extending the date to the 15th... so glad you are joining us I was worried...... we have so many new roads to explore.... one I think is better than the dragon or hellbender 28..... no traffic and no other cars... just a great twisty road........
 
#65 ·
Great!! Thanks Kim! The check will be in the mail! Can't wait to see everyone!
 
#66 ·
Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort: Update from TDOT is sometime tomorrow afternoon the Dragon will be alive and well with all lanes open. They just need to finish paving and putting the guard rail back up

The following is from the TDOT website:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Crews are working on the final phase of the rockslide repairs on U.S. 129/State Route 115 in Blount County and plan to reopen the road completely this weekend, three weeks ahead of schedule.

Tennessee Department of Transportation emergency contractor Pacific Blasting & Demolition Ltd. finished with the scaling operations on the slide area the weekend of July 3 and 4. A total of 236 truckloads of rock were removed from the site over the course of a week. Installation of the wire mesh in the slide area was completed on Tuesday.

Workers will now focus on installing guardrail, paving and striping the roadway, weather permitting.
 
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