Supernam
Well-known member
I am in a very nice Airbnb in Waynesboro right now which is between Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway.
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Tail of the Dragon
- Thread starter C109Knight
- Start date
I am in a very nice Airbnb in Waynesboro right now which is between Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway.
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Last year I rode back in one day 14 hours all highway (route in blue). 2 days down by highway (grey route) so how much time do you want to devote to get there is the question. You can back road it down but probably take days.
Thanks, I live in durham and riding from home to Niagara falls is the last thing I'd like to do in my life! Easiest and fairly fast way is taking I-81 all the way and it takes 2 days for us to get to some city close (i call Bristol or Blountville close enough!). But I know there are MANY beautiful roads in Pennsylvania. I was wondering if there is some way to take backroads and get close to TOD in 2 days with no more than 10-11 hrs riding/day.
Was in the Dragon last week and pretty sure i saw a dead guy in the lane, nobody near him but two state troopers and half a dozen people nearby. He had a head-on with another bike on the yellow line, very sad to see. Then we stopped at the dam and were blocked leaving because a medevac heli came in to pick up a guy that went off just south of the dam and bounced down 100 feet of hillside. The risks are higher here than anywhere else I have ridden so play safe and don't get Kodak courage from all the photo companies taking your picture, when you cross the line it could be game over!
One thing that picture depicts is 18 wheelers on the dragon but they have banned big trucks from the roadway.
Trucks on the Dragon – Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap
Trucks on the Dragon – Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap
I love this picture. I used to read the Killboy Dragon Failure Thread over on ADVrider and this brought back good memories. Love the sasquatch and yellow wolf.
As for the transport trucks, just cuz their banned doesn't mean mean they don't somehow get on there.
Yes you can do this, but you lose so much time/distance travelled by taking the back roads that you have to incorporate a good amount of highway to make the run under 22hours. Leave early and there's no issue with going through Fort Erie. Figure it takes around 13-14 hours to get there by highway in a straight shot: Toronto to Robbinsville
Add in just a few nicer roads and you are up to 20 hours. Toronto to Robbinsville
If you want to have a good time exploring the back roads to stay off the highway, then it has to be 3 days down and 3 days back if you are only going to ride 10-11hrs per day. I've done it before doing the 3 days down and 3 days back a few times and I'm doing around 12hrs/day of only back roads just to get to Deals and I don't stop much. PA is an overnight trip to hit up the good stuff there, so no need to slow down a Deals Gap trip with those backroads, unless you have extended days to ride.
C109Knight
Well-known member
We took Interstate all the Way. We were a group of 15 and this made perfect sense for us. We reached Robbinsville, NC on the second day.
Day 1....We loved I79 and 19. They were scenic, curvy and fast. All these stops are Gas Stations with good choice for food. Some of us stopped on each stop, others on alternative stops. We covered 900kms in about 12 hours. I79/19 are like 118 in Ontario but four lanes and faster traffic. Our night stop was in Beckley WV.
Day2
Our Day 2 was from Beckley, WV to Robbinsville, NC. We covered Back of the Dragon and Devil's Whip, but for travelling I stuck to Interstate. Again, it was a wonderful day and we reached Two Wheels Inn, NC as per our schedule.
If you are comfortable on Interstate, then do that as it will give you everything you want....Speed, Scenic, Curves and Time saving. 219 is very nice road but 1 Law Abiding Driver can add hours to your day. We traveled to Robbinsville, NC on Friday of the Memorial day Weekend, not even once we hit any traffic. You will find many back roads near TOD, which are very good. We stuck to Interstate to reach in time, but in no way we were prepared for such amazing highways. We had a Blast.
We took the same route back with some changes.
Well....me and 2 friends were supposed to be leaving Sunday for a 4 day trip including the tail, moonshiners, back of the tail, and then back up through VA. Unfortunately the weather down there ranges from ****, to total ****...for not just 1 or 2 days, but the entire 4 days.
And by total ****, I mean "flash food advisories possible" type ****. So yeah, extra ******. And the areas that aren't under total **** advisories are under "it's gonna rain a ****-ton" advisories. With ****** passing thunderstorms mixed in for fun.
Across pretty much the whole freakin' souther states.
Ugh....considering last second alternatives now....
And by total ****, I mean "flash food advisories possible" type ****. So yeah, extra ******. And the areas that aren't under total **** advisories are under "it's gonna rain a ****-ton" advisories. With ****** passing thunderstorms mixed in for fun.
Across pretty much the whole freakin' souther states.
Ugh....considering last second alternatives now....
C109Knight
Well-known member
We were blessed with 30 degree for all six days. Just an hour long thunderstorm in PA on our last day journey to home.
Best of luck. Have fun.
Best of luck. Have fun.
Just got off the phone with the other guys....looks like we are going to head SE instead...back to the Lake Placid / Whiteface mountain area, down towards Lake George (but staying out of Town, Americade is on...we were there last year and don't really want to be in that direct area again, but the roads in that area to/from were incredible) and then head west. Rain overnight Tuesday and part of Tuesday itself looks inevitable, but whatever...better than 4 full days of it trying to make the original plans work. Tuesday afternoon (once we ride through it) and Wednesday look solid again in the upper NY/PA area, so going with that plan.
Need suggestions for great PA roads. A bit off topic to the thread, but...appreciated.
Need suggestions for great PA roads. A bit off topic to the thread, but...appreciated.
Maybe this will start you off.
Pennsylvania Ride - Canada Day overnight trip
and
Stateside Roads - the twistier the better!
Consider Old Forge. Different part of the Adirondacks but I like the town better than Lake Placid and you’re in some interesting areas for roads. Also easy access to Lake George. If you head north from Lake George then Ausable Chasm has a neat rafting trip that’s a lot of fun.
you got that right ...took me half hour to find a route out,
PA roads need to include 44/144 both directions out of Renovo.
Start at the north end of 44/144
Also in that area is I think Cherry Hill coming off 6 and it's wicked good with new pavement. 6 has a lot of frost heaves and not that much fun compared to
Careful with cops in New York they have a ticket agreement ,,,,PA on the other hand is REALLLLY bike friendly.
Cops around Lake Placid set up radar traps and make a fortune,,,,very crowded on weekends,,,,there are some nice roads and Whiteface for sure is worth doing.
Looks like I might be taking a week off work between June 15-23 and this thread has motivated me to go back down south.
Time to go find some new roads!
Time to go find some new roads!
wonderings
Well-known member
+1 on Old Forge. Great town, lots of options for hotels/motels and also a great campground if you are tenting Old Forge Camping Resort: Adirondack Vacation Camping, NY, Cabins, Cottages, RV, Tent Sites
Prices for the camp ground were more then reasonable and has great facilities. Just a minute out of town.
Was in Old Forge last year with some friends and we decided to ride out to Americade for the day to check it out. Not something I would do again. Super busy and loud (bike rally duh). Would rather just enjoy the amazing roads in the Adirondacks and explore.
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