EMAIL: INFO @ TAILOFTHEDRAGON.COM

February 6, 2010: Thanks to Darryl and Lori of Killboy.com for doing the Cleveland Show this past weekend. They will also be in Chicago Show Feb 19-21. Stop in and say hello.

The local roads are still clear after dodging another bullet. We had a torrential downpour on Friday, and the forecast is for flurries on Saturday. As of now it doesn't look like anything serious. We suggest that you stay off the Cherohala. Be sure to check the weather before heading this way this time of year. Watch-out for rock slides!!

Another landslide February 5 on the southbound spur road of US 321 from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg had traffic rerouted for a while. We expect even more of these after all the rain and freezing temperatures we've had lately. Stay alert when driving on these mountain roads.

Our Recent Trip to Charleston Read about one of the interesting restaurants you will ever hear about. Bowens Island Restaurant on the way to Folly Island is something out of the past. CLICK HERE

The Greenville SC International Motorcycle Show was great and we enjoyed some of the great places in that city. Too bad the 30 degree weather was too cold for golf. We were forced to practice putting on the hotel room floor.

The show seems to improve each year. Friday, Saturday and Sunday saw large crowds with visitors coming from Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and of course South Carolina.

This year's Ducati stunt riding show was something new. And Ducati offered free expresso at the booth.

The McCoy Motorsports crew had three T-Rexes that had Nancy and I wanting one really bad. The video they had playing was wild. We are working to have some T-Rex Dragon action in our upcoming Tail of the Dragon DVD Volume 5 available in March. CLICK HERE to see more about the McCoys

It is always good to see our friend Lee Parks. He offers one of the best riding courses available in his Total Control Level One and Level Two. Even the most experienced riders can learn more than they could imagine. See more about these classes at DragonSafe.com

We stayed at the Embassy Suites and had an excellent room. We especially enjoyed the hot breakfasts with omelettes made to order. The happy hour is always good for a free drink or two. We spent a lot of time in the pool and hot tub.

We found a good place for lunch at the Pita House on Pleasantburg Drive. This middle-eastern fare is as good as it gets, rated as one of the Ten Best Restaurants by a number of reviewers. Garlicy hummus, fresh baked pitas and meat sampler platter with tahini salad. I'm salivating as I write.

And for dinner we splurged ..... at Northhampton Wines and Cafe in downtown Greenville. Here we tasted some of the best food and wine we have ever had. First night Nancy had grilled quail with bigarade sauce and I had the mixed grill with venison, wild boar and quail. The wine, chosen by our waiter, was a perfect pino noir.

We just had to return and on the second visit Nancy had halibut while I chose the scallops. Truely exceptional was the pomegranate glaze on the scallops and the bread pudding desert. The wine, this night a white, was once again perfect.

Another treat was visiting the Whole Foods Market on Woodruff Road. It reminded us of the St Lawrence Market in Toronto, although much smaller, with a wide selection of quality foods. The third night dinner for us was pizza from the market.

We were impressed with Greenville in many ways. Not only were there great places to eat and shop, but the roads were well planned, maintained and nor overly crowded. It was easy to find our way around. Nancy went downtown every moring to run on the Richland Creek/Reedy River Trails and on the Furman University campus.

EMAIL FROM A TRUCKER DECEMBER 20: "Friday December 19, 2009 I had to come down 129 because of the winter storm. I was driving a 53 foot 18 wheeler and it was 9 PM. I had aleast 75 to 100 cars following me thanks to it being dark I didn't relize how bad it was cause if it would have been daylight I would have just parked and got out and quit. It was snowing. It was a hell of a ride. Took 4 hours to go from one end to the other! My heart has never slowed down from being so damn worked up. Worse road for a truck in the United States!"

Tail of the Dragon hopes that other truckers take note !!!

The season is about over for most riders at the Dragon. There are still good riding days ahead during the winter months, but you’ll have to plan your visits based on the weather forecast. Cages (cars) can run the Dragon just about the entire winter and have the road to themselves. There might be a day or two of snow, but it doesn’t last long.

We’d like to thank all of you who came to the Dragon and had fun this past year. We made a lot of new friends and seeing the many smiles makes it all worth while.

We were impressed with the recent Good Morning America video which brought a group of Indian Motorcycles made in North Carolina to enjoy the Tail of the Dragon. Most people agreed that GMA produced a positive review that saw the good side of it all. We don’t understand those few who criticized this entirely upbeat segment.

We are looking forward to meeting a lot more riders and drivers in 2010. We will be at the usual motorcycle shows this winter, namely Toronto (Dec 11-13), Greenville SC (Jan 8-10), Washington DC (Jan 15-17), New York NY, (Jan 22-24), Cleveland OH (Jan 29-31), and Chicago IL (Feb 19-21). Stop by our booth and say hello.

We will continue to provide breaking news about the Dragon and other area roads during the winter months. Regular updates will resume in March. We now have our 2010 Event Calendar posted. Let us know when your group plans to be here. Watch the site for a winter contest or two.

November 10 - Another rock slide, this time blocking US64 between Cleveland TN and the NC border in the Ocoee River Gorge. Looks like it will be a couple months before US64 is open again. Click here for Article. There is an AMAZING video of the second slide as it occurred Click here for video. Photo from timesfreepress.com

Rockslide on I-40 at the TN/NC state line closes both lanes. NCDOT reports that getting 2 lanes open using the eastbound side will take up to 4 months, and the entire cleanup could take 5 months. Click here for Article. Photos from Asheville Citizens Times

There is still good weather ahead. We suggest keeping a close eye on the weather web sites and pick your times to get in a few more days at the Dragon before winter sets in. We have even had some good riding Christmas and New Years.

The coming months are also great times for the cagers (cars) to have the local roads to themselves. The Dragon is at a low altitude and is not affected by snow as much as the Cherohala, Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains. The Tail of the Dragon will post when road conditions are bad.