HWY 129 is and has always been "The Dragon".


When I hear people say they have ridden "The Tail of the Dragon" I have to wonder if they have ever even been in the area.





No one has ever ridden the "Tail of the Dragon", unless you somehow got your scoot up on the roof.


Just puttin' the truth out there...

 

There is also the back of the dragon. Much closer to me and almost as much fun with a lot less traffic.

 

on our last trip down there the Son and I enjoyed the Cherohala Skyway as much at riding the dragon. I actually enjoyed it more...

Lots of excellent roads to ride in that area.....

 

You say that its called "The Dragon" instead of "The Tail of The Drragon" but you post a picture that calls it "The Tail of The Dragon"? If you go to their website, tailofthedragon.com , it says tail of the dragon all over it, not the dragon. Just saying.

 

That sign looks like an ad for a tourist trap. The lower left part of the sign shows the name of the road.

 

Hmm looks like Tail of the Dragon to me http://tailofthedragon.com/

I have ridden the Florida Dragon - 11 curves in 318 miles.

 

If you weren't riding 129 when Pete Leery owned the motel and gas station at 129 and 28 then you ain't the one to be telling someone what to call it. Beat it rookie

 

I just rode that area on Monday and there is a lot more of 129 than just what is thought of as "The Dragon"

 

Clever marketing I suppose that has gotten the name "Tail of the Dragon" associated with the highway itself.

Before the "Tail of the Dragon" was ever a concept, "The Dragon" was there.

Again, if you ever actually go there you will discover what I am telling you is true. The Tail of the Dragon is a little shop at Deals Gap that sell stickers, pins, pictures of yourself n the road etc.

That's exactly what it is.

"Florida Dragon - 11 curves in 318 miles" LOL I like it!

How about this from Wikipedia?

US-129 enters Tennessee through Deals Gap, where it twists and turns along the Little Tennessee River. This section is known as "The Dragon", popular to driving enthusiasts (of motorcycles and sports cars). At Clover Hill, US-129 joins US-441 to Maryville; from this point US-129 continues on as a 4-lane highway/expressway. Bypassing east around Maryville and Alcoa, it connects with Pellissippi Parkway (I-140) before entering Knoxville, where it ends at I-40. SR-115 is the hidden state route that overlaps the entire route.

LOL First time I rode the dragon was in 1977. Although we rode the area a lot, I didn't go back to that particular road for many years.

 

I thought winter was over...