Z Event - Tail of the Dragon - Labor Day Weekend!
09-02-2003, 11:57 AM
#23
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oops... almost forgot... a photoset from me would not be complete with a nice "reflections" shot.
AAAaaaaaaugh... my car is being overrun with kudzu!!!!
AAAaaaaaaugh... my car is being overrun with kudzu!!!!
09-02-2003, 01:19 PM
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Deals Gap
Just a small hint at the number of bikes on Sunday. The picture is looking up at the crest of a small hill. Over the crest is a sea of motorcycles! LOL I should have ran up there and taken a picture of it. ;-)
09-05-2003, 06:45 PM
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Sorry this has taken so long, but I really got slammed at work this week. Barely had time to sleep.
Okay, I will follow the format of Andy’s review just so everyone can have another perspective.
Road Run #1 – Hwy 221 – Between Blowing Rock and Ashville
Andy and I have done this one before. We encountered more traffic this time, but it is still a great driving road. I agree with Andy that is a great combination of curves and straights that gives you a chance to accelerate hard. Like Andy said, part of the road was still wet and we had moderate traffic. Last time up there, we had no traffic and made two runs on this stretch without slowing down for anyone. Andy and I agree we would drive to Blowing Rock just to drive this road.
Hwy 221 Ratings…
Curves: 4 (out of 5) – I really like how some of the curves are sloped to create a “bank” effect
Straights: 4 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: High (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light to medium (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 4+ (out of 5)
Accommodations – Tapoco Lodge
Andy captured it nicely. Except, they did provide us a place to wash our cars.
Road Run #2 – Tail of The Dragon Uphill
Again Andy did a great summary. He is absolutely right about his approach (bouncing more between 2nd and 3rd) being more prudent. On the first run, I used mostly second, accelerated very hard on the short straights and struggled to get my speed down for the turns. In the end, I didn’t really run it any faster than Andy. He was smoother and made up the time that way. What I got was brake noise (and Andy says smoke). Like Andy says, we promptly went for a “cool down” drive and all was fine. No brake issues on 221 or the other two Dragon runs. So, I simply went too fast (top mph) and relied too much on the brakes to quickly bring the speed down for the turns.
Dragon Uphill Rating…
Curves: 5 (out of 5) – all you want
Straights: 1 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high) – could do all in 2nd, or almost all in 3rd
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: heavy (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Great curves, but like Andy, I also like some straights thrown in to open the throttle a little longer
Road Run #3 – Hwy 68
Nothing really to add to Andy’s comments here…nice road.
Hwy 68 Ratings…
Curves: 3 (out of 5)
Straights: 4 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: light
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 3+ (out of 5) – Nice driving experience. Would go a few miles out of my way to experience it.
Road Run #4 – Hwy 64
I don’t think I noticed the actual road as much as Andy. Between the traffic and law enforcement, I don’t remember the quality of curves or straights. I will even have to pass on ratings.
Road Run #5 – Hwy 30 & 315
My map said that we would turn off on Hwy 64 onto Hwy 315 and that would take us to Hwy 30. But the sign on Hwy 64 labeled our road, hwy 30. So, I am not sure which part of this road was 30 and which was 315. But, I really enjoyed this stretch. I am not sure if it was just that I was SO glad to get off Hwy 64, or if this was just a good combination of curves and straights for me, but I REALLY enjoyed this part of the drive. Some great twisties, and some really good twisties where you can accelerate hard through the turns onto nice straights. We hit highest top speeds here (versus other roads) in between curves. One thing to watch out for on this part of the drive is some spots with a fair amount of rural housing, so you have to slow-down to watch for people, dogs, etc.
Hwy 30 & 315 Ratings…
Curves: 4 (out of 5) – some true twisties, and some nice twisties you can accelerate hard through onto straights
Straights: 4+ (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light to medium (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 4+ (out of 5) – I had a lot of fun here. Nice combination of curves and speed. I would put it on the “must do” list when in the area.
Road Run #6 – TN Hwy 165/NC Hwy 143 – Cherohala Skyway
I disagree with Andy here. Not near as nice as the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) or Skyline Drive (VA). A complete waste of time.
TN Hwy 165/NC Hwy 143 – Cherohala Skyway
Curves: 1 (out of 5) – there are some
Straights: 2 (out of 5) – plenty of them, but they are not in between any nice curves and the speed limit is 30mph
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: light
Traffic: medium (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 1 (out of 5) – Complete waste of time. Not a very good driving experience and not that scenic.
The Dragon Review Part 2
Andy is a little confused with his part of the review. The above was the end to our Sunday (not Friday). Monday started with a surprise visit from Robert. Andy and I had another reason for running the Dragon again with Robert (beside the fact that he made a last minute 3 hour drive). While waiting for us, Robert met 4 other “Z” owners. After 10 or 15 minutes of conversation, Robert figured out that they were “Z3” owners. How did Robert reply after learning this? He says, “I thought you guys had real Z’s.”
Road Run #7 - Dragon Uphill #2
Andy led us, and I went second. This time around I used 3rd gear mostly, and second for the toughest curves. The combination of less shifting, lighter accelerating, and watching Andy’s tail lights, allowed me to use much less brakes. This was a much smoother run and a much more enjoyable drive. Andy did a very good job of leading this run.
Dragon Uphill Rating…
Curves: 5 (out of 5) – just watch for cycles and cars in your lane – I had several on the first run and I noticed Andy had one on this run
Straights: 1 (out of 5) – unlike Andy, I found a few straight places to hit the gas
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high) – could do all in 2nd, or almost all in 3rd
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock) – of our 3 runs, Andy had the best luck with traffic
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Great curves, but I also like some straights thrown in to open the throttle a little longer
Road Run #8 - Dragon Downhill
Robert led us back downhill. Robert had more traffic and either Andy or I did on our leads. We gave the traffic space (slowed down or stopped) several times. In between traffic, Robert showed us something. This guy can drive!! He definitely ran the course faster than either Andy or I. In between the traffic, I found this really enjoyable. By watching Robert, I could tell want the car could do in these conditions. I would like to follow Robert down or up the dragon for the whole stretch without traffic. Great job Robert! Too bad this was a heavy traffic trip.
Dragon Uphill Rating…
Curves: 5 (out of 5) – just watch for cycles and cars in your lane
Straights: 1 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high) – could do all in 2nd, or almost all in 3rd
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock) – of our 3 runs, Andy had the best luck with traffic
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Great curves, but I also like some straights thrown in to open the throttle a little longer
Road Run #9 – Hwy 28
Well, I led us down this road. My wife said two memorable things on this trip. On two of our Dragon runs, she said, “I feel like I am on a roller coaster.” And, on this drive, she said, “this is where they should have filmed the 350Z DVD.”
When I started out, I told Andy I was going to take it easy since it was Labor Day. However, I could NOT resist this combination of curves and straights. A really, really good combination.
Hwy 28 ratings…
Curves: 4 (out of 5) – the first par of this drive was what I like, a few really tight twisties and then a few twisties where you can accelerate hard
Straights: 4 (out of 5) – I found there were a few straights begging me to accelerate hard between curves
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock) – my only negative from this run was an SUV pulling a trailer with 2 bikes on it. He had plenty of opportunities to pull over and let us pas, but never even thought about it
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Very enjoyable way to end the real driving before hitting the “highway” to come home
Andy, thanks for the idea for the drive and for the review format.
Okay, I will follow the format of Andy’s review just so everyone can have another perspective.
Road Run #1 – Hwy 221 – Between Blowing Rock and Ashville
Andy and I have done this one before. We encountered more traffic this time, but it is still a great driving road. I agree with Andy that is a great combination of curves and straights that gives you a chance to accelerate hard. Like Andy said, part of the road was still wet and we had moderate traffic. Last time up there, we had no traffic and made two runs on this stretch without slowing down for anyone. Andy and I agree we would drive to Blowing Rock just to drive this road.
Hwy 221 Ratings…
Curves: 4 (out of 5) – I really like how some of the curves are sloped to create a “bank” effect
Straights: 4 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: High (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light to medium (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 4+ (out of 5)
Accommodations – Tapoco Lodge
Andy captured it nicely. Except, they did provide us a place to wash our cars.
Road Run #2 – Tail of The Dragon Uphill
Again Andy did a great summary. He is absolutely right about his approach (bouncing more between 2nd and 3rd) being more prudent. On the first run, I used mostly second, accelerated very hard on the short straights and struggled to get my speed down for the turns. In the end, I didn’t really run it any faster than Andy. He was smoother and made up the time that way. What I got was brake noise (and Andy says smoke). Like Andy says, we promptly went for a “cool down” drive and all was fine. No brake issues on 221 or the other two Dragon runs. So, I simply went too fast (top mph) and relied too much on the brakes to quickly bring the speed down for the turns.
Dragon Uphill Rating…
Curves: 5 (out of 5) – all you want
Straights: 1 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high) – could do all in 2nd, or almost all in 3rd
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: heavy (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Great curves, but like Andy, I also like some straights thrown in to open the throttle a little longer
Road Run #3 – Hwy 68
Nothing really to add to Andy’s comments here…nice road.
Hwy 68 Ratings…
Curves: 3 (out of 5)
Straights: 4 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: light
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 3+ (out of 5) – Nice driving experience. Would go a few miles out of my way to experience it.
Road Run #4 – Hwy 64
I don’t think I noticed the actual road as much as Andy. Between the traffic and law enforcement, I don’t remember the quality of curves or straights. I will even have to pass on ratings.
Road Run #5 – Hwy 30 & 315
My map said that we would turn off on Hwy 64 onto Hwy 315 and that would take us to Hwy 30. But the sign on Hwy 64 labeled our road, hwy 30. So, I am not sure which part of this road was 30 and which was 315. But, I really enjoyed this stretch. I am not sure if it was just that I was SO glad to get off Hwy 64, or if this was just a good combination of curves and straights for me, but I REALLY enjoyed this part of the drive. Some great twisties, and some really good twisties where you can accelerate hard through the turns onto nice straights. We hit highest top speeds here (versus other roads) in between curves. One thing to watch out for on this part of the drive is some spots with a fair amount of rural housing, so you have to slow-down to watch for people, dogs, etc.
Hwy 30 & 315 Ratings…
Curves: 4 (out of 5) – some true twisties, and some nice twisties you can accelerate hard through onto straights
Straights: 4+ (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light to medium (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 4+ (out of 5) – I had a lot of fun here. Nice combination of curves and speed. I would put it on the “must do” list when in the area.
Road Run #6 – TN Hwy 165/NC Hwy 143 – Cherohala Skyway
I disagree with Andy here. Not near as nice as the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) or Skyline Drive (VA). A complete waste of time.
TN Hwy 165/NC Hwy 143 – Cherohala Skyway
Curves: 1 (out of 5) – there are some
Straights: 2 (out of 5) – plenty of them, but they are not in between any nice curves and the speed limit is 30mph
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: light
Traffic: medium (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock)
Overall: 1 (out of 5) – Complete waste of time. Not a very good driving experience and not that scenic.
The Dragon Review Part 2
Andy is a little confused with his part of the review. The above was the end to our Sunday (not Friday). Monday started with a surprise visit from Robert. Andy and I had another reason for running the Dragon again with Robert (beside the fact that he made a last minute 3 hour drive). While waiting for us, Robert met 4 other “Z” owners. After 10 or 15 minutes of conversation, Robert figured out that they were “Z3” owners. How did Robert reply after learning this? He says, “I thought you guys had real Z’s.”
Road Run #7 - Dragon Uphill #2
Andy led us, and I went second. This time around I used 3rd gear mostly, and second for the toughest curves. The combination of less shifting, lighter accelerating, and watching Andy’s tail lights, allowed me to use much less brakes. This was a much smoother run and a much more enjoyable drive. Andy did a very good job of leading this run.
Dragon Uphill Rating…
Curves: 5 (out of 5) – just watch for cycles and cars in your lane – I had several on the first run and I noticed Andy had one on this run
Straights: 1 (out of 5) – unlike Andy, I found a few straight places to hit the gas
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high) – could do all in 2nd, or almost all in 3rd
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock) – of our 3 runs, Andy had the best luck with traffic
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Great curves, but I also like some straights thrown in to open the throttle a little longer
Road Run #8 - Dragon Downhill
Robert led us back downhill. Robert had more traffic and either Andy or I did on our leads. We gave the traffic space (slowed down or stopped) several times. In between traffic, Robert showed us something. This guy can drive!! He definitely ran the course faster than either Andy or I. In between the traffic, I found this really enjoyable. By watching Robert, I could tell want the car could do in these conditions. I would like to follow Robert down or up the dragon for the whole stretch without traffic. Great job Robert! Too bad this was a heavy traffic trip.
Dragon Uphill Rating…
Curves: 5 (out of 5) – just watch for cycles and cars in your lane
Straights: 1 (out of 5)
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high) – could do all in 2nd, or almost all in 3rd
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock) – of our 3 runs, Andy had the best luck with traffic
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Great curves, but I also like some straights thrown in to open the throttle a little longer
Road Run #9 – Hwy 28
Well, I led us down this road. My wife said two memorable things on this trip. On two of our Dragon runs, she said, “I feel like I am on a roller coaster.” And, on this drive, she said, “this is where they should have filmed the 350Z DVD.”
When I started out, I told Andy I was going to take it easy since it was Labor Day. However, I could NOT resist this combination of curves and straights. A really, really good combination.
Hwy 28 ratings…
Curves: 4 (out of 5) – the first par of this drive was what I like, a few really tight twisties and then a few twisties where you can accelerate hard
Straights: 4 (out of 5) – I found there were a few straights begging me to accelerate hard between curves
Shifting Requirements: low (low, medium, or high)
Observed Law Enforcement: none
Traffic: light (none, light, medium, heavy, gridlock) – my only negative from this run was an SUV pulling a trailer with 2 bikes on it. He had plenty of opportunities to pull over and let us pas, but never even thought about it
Overall: 4 (out of 5) – Very enjoyable way to end the real driving before hitting the “highway” to come home
Andy, thanks for the idea for the drive and for the review format.
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