BULLETIN: Honda Hoot has canceled the June 2009 event in Knoxville. No reasons were given, but we suspect the low attendance in 2008, the economic slump, and perhaps the attitude of TN LEOs toward motorcycling. The entire state will suffer losses in the millions of dollars with the canceling of this event. Tennessee will need to be on wellfare soon. By the way, we hear bed taxes are going up in some areas to help compensate for the state and county's lack of funds. Don't change your vacation because of the Hoot, just come on anyway and plan to do some extra riding instead of hooting.

 

MAY 15-17: Those who stayed away because of the weather forecasts missed a couple of good days riding on Friday and Saturday. The sun was out most of both days. Sunday it rained a bit more. By Monday the weather was perfection. Lots of riders in the area taking advantage of perfect weather on Monday and Tuesday. The rest of this week is looking great. Come on out !!!

MAY 18: There was a motorcycle fatality on NC 28 at the Fontana Bridge Monday about 10:30 am. Rider went off the bank and hit a boulder. There was also a crash on the Cherohala at Mile Post 5 in the afternoon. Rider suffered possible back injuries. PLEASE RIDE SAFE

MAY 13: Nancy and I took the day off to ride for the first time in weeks. We took the backroad KLRs (with Continental knobbies) and headed up the Old Wagontrain Road, crossed the Cherohala Skyway and then motored down New River Road to Green Cove. From there we took Bald River Road, jogged up to Waucheesee Bald and back and then raced home across the Cherohala. Parts of the route were a little difficult after the heavy rains, but any average dual sport rider should have no problem.

MAY 8-10: The weather has been coming and going with heavy rains and then clear blue skies for much of the day. Many of the weather forecasts call for 30 percent rain. This is common in the mountains and showers are widely scattered with roads drying in an hour allowing for good riding the rest of the day. Don't assume that 30 perent rain means a washout for the entire day. Good crowd on Saturday with plenty of two-strokers,T-rexs and Mustangs.

MAY 1-4: Rain, rain and more rain. Very slow weekend because of the weather. It broke on Monday, but skies remain cloudy with widely scatterd showers predicted. Note that many of the weather forecasts call for rain, but much of the time it is 30 percent. This is common in the mountains and often widely scattered, ten minute showers come and go with roads drying in an hour allowing for good riding the rest of the day.

APRIL 23-26: Thursday Nancy and I were treated to an airplane ride over the area. The Dragon is unbelievable as seen from the air and the Cherohala is surprisingly twisty. You don't realize how remote the area is until you see the wide picture from 5,000 feet.

Friday and Saturday were the busiest days yet at the Dragon in 2009. The rallies in Cherokee and Maggie Valley attracted many cruisers and there were a number of smaller car and bike rallies. We saw a large group of original Minis heading up the Cherohala on Friday. The weather was warm with highs in the upper 80s.

We have had a wait and see attitude about reporting the LEOs activity on the Dragon this year. It looks like the THP has finally seen the light and is providing a more professional approach to enforcement. We have no problem with tickets for those who deserve them, but we can't understand the heavy handedness that we have seen in the past. Hopefully we'll see that no more. A special thanks the the THP officer who recently chased a wreckless driver who it turned out had a revoked license for DUI. He was escorted to jail in cuffs.

APRIL 17-19: Friday and Saturday brought good weather and lots of riders/drivers having fun on the Dragon and other area roads. Sunday was drizzly and chilly, but many braved the elements. The scenery is great again this week with Dogwoods and redbuds in full color and the other trees just greening-up. Remember that the LEOs are out and about. We saw a few cars stopped by THP on the Dragon Saturday.

APRIL 10 - 12: Saturday the weather turned bad again with a steady drizzle and temps in the low 50s. We were surprised to see so many riders braving the dampness. Sunday the weather turned back to the good .... sunshine and temps in the 60s. The Dragon was not crowded, but a good many riders turned up looking for Easter eggs. This will be one of the most scenic weeks of the year on the Dragon as the Dogwoods and redbuds are in full color and the other trees are just greening-up.

APRIL 9: The weather has improved and forecasts look good for the coming weekend. Still use caution on the Cherohala and other roads of higher elevations.
SPRING IS HERE: Be very cautious if you plan on riding the Cherohala Skyway where you might find damp roads well into April.  TWO WHEEL INN, IRONHORSE MOTORCYCLE LODGE, DRAGONS REST  are open for the season.  Other area businesses ready and open for the season include WHEELERS, THUNDERMOUNTAIN GENERAL STORE,  and the new SKYWAY CONVENIENCE at the corner of US129 and NC143.  And if you really want to something special, check out the big discounts at SNOWBIRD LODGE on the Cherohala Skyway where the innkeeper Robert parks his own BMW GS. Enough of winter, LET’S RIDE !!

APRIL 3-7: Friday weather kept many away, but Saturday was near perfection with many riders taking advantage. Sunday was slower and Monday was a rain/snow-out. Snow began on the Dragon at about 4 pm Monday and continued most of the night. Even more is falling Tuesday. Hopefully Wednesday will warm enought to improve riding. The roads are clear at lower elevations, but certain areas can be tricky. Stay off the Cherohala unless you have 4-wheel drive.

MARCH 27-29: Saturday was a rain-out and Sunday was on the chilly side. Slow weekend overall.

MARCH 20-22: Good weather and a good turn-out at the Dragon and other area roads. Lots of cars and a mixed bag of bikes. Things should be picking-up on the Dragon in the coming weeks.

MARCH 6-8: We finally had some good weather and many drivers/riders were taking advantage of it. We rode the Wayah Road/NC 28 Loop on Saturday and found good road conditions. The Dragon was fairly busy on the weekend. The remaining sand/salt didn't interfere with most of the riders. TDOT is preparing to make some upgrades to the Dragon. Plans that we have seen call for paving many of the pull-offs, improving the berms where most accidents occur, and installing some additional warning signs. There are no plans to install speed bumps.

JANUARY 21, 2009: We just returned from the Washington DC and New York City International Motorcycle Shows. We had a great time and saw many friends that we have made over the years. We were glad to hear a lot of people say they were planning first time trips to the Dragon in 2009. And the smiles on faces gave away those who had been here before.

DC was in the preparation stages for the inaugeration with some streets closed and security high. We got to see the complete practice including ceremonies at the Capitol and the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The New Yorkers were wonderful. People were friendly, operations efficient, and we got used to the crowds. Our visit to the 911 Memorial at the site of the World Trade Center was a moving experience. We also got to witness the US Air crash into the Hudson River right from our hotel room.

The economy didn't seem to have a negative affect on the attendance at either of the shows. CLICK HERE for complete details on our trip.