Is the Back of the Dragon the best motorcycle road ever? (TDT EP 9)
Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары
May 6, 2023
Day 9 of the Tail of the Dragon Tour.
Today was an amazing day of riding and the Back of the Dragon far exceeded my wildest expectations!
Welcome to day 9 of our Tail of the Dragon Tour.
The temperature got down near freezing overnight so it was chilly when we rolled out of our tents this morning. Fortunately, our fantastic and unique campground had a lovely bakery and coffee shop onsite and we indulged ourselves until the sun warmed the day. I highly recommend the Creeper Trail Campground as a place to stay or a base camp to explore the local mountains.
Our reward for having fresh coffee and baked goods was sunshine and by the time we left the campsite at 10:30 the temperature was already 15°.
The beauty of staying here last night was that we knew that we would get to ride the amazing Jeb Stuart Hwy back to Damascus.
We left Damascus and headed towards Lindell to pick up VA- Route 80. Unfortunately, this route doesn't have a nickname so Spike and I have named it the Leg of the Muzzy. It was incredible! One of the best on an already epic trip.
Our next stop was to be Tazeville, where we would join the world famous Back of the Dragon route. But, first we had to say goodbye to Muzzy as today was the day he had to head home.
Spike and I continued on to the Back of the Dragon Brewery for lunch. Of course, we didn't have a beer because we never drink when we are riding! But, we did have the tourist lunch that included overpriced food, with poor service and disappointing grub. Oh well, riders come here for the ride and not the cuisine.
Once the obligatory photos were taken we were on the road again.
The Back of the Dragon, VA- Route 16, itself was shockingly good. I am not sure if I love it as much as the Rattler from yesterday. They are both great! This is like deciding between Mars Bar and a Crispy Crunch. They are both fantastic.
Wait, this is just in from the decision desk it is now settled, they are tied for number one and the Tail is a close runner up for best road on this trip!
We continued past Marion, VA on amazing roads and then south to pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway for an hour.
Our route to the Parkway took us through the beautiful and sleepy town of Galax. We followed a classic car down mainstreet and would believe that you were on a movie set from the 1950s. I thought that it was beautiful! We didn’t stop because it was getting late and we had miles to cover but it left me wanting more and I will go back there for sure. I dream that they will have a beautiful ice cream shop to get a chocolate sundae or a classic diner where Potsy and Ralph are getting a burger.
Our destination this evening was the Meadows of Dan and the Willville Motorcycle Campground. This is a motorcycle only campground and is an unbelievably cool place!
After setting up camp we went up the road and grabbed dinner at Jane's Country Diner and had a fine dinner at reasonable prices. It seemed just right!
The evening concluded with a big campfire going and all of the campers are sitting around swapping lies about life and about riding.
Undoubtedly, today was the greatest day of riding in my life. Well since yesterday anyway!
I love you all and I already miss Muzzy.
Good night from the Meadows of Dan.
Пікірлер: 29
Awesome .
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
I’ll be riding The Back of the Dragon next month. And I live less than 2 hours away from The Tail of the Dragon in NC & TN. 😎👍
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
Nice! I am jealous. Have a great ride. Let me know what you think.
I discovered "Willville Bike Camp" earlier this year. Will, the fella that own/runs the place, invited me to join him and a couple of his buddies for a ride to go get some lunch. That ride was as sweet and technical and fun as any named ride within 500 miles. Hangin' out with the regulars and visitors at Willville confirmed for me that motorcycle touring and camping is seriously under appreciated therapy for what bugs ya.
@tigercoward
10 ай бұрын
Too right, Mike! I wish that I had known about Willville before. We lucked upon it, and it will be central to my next trip to the area. Motorcycle therapy is a theory that has been studied, but you only need to ask a few riders to confirm the power of two wheels. Thanks for watching! Ride safe. TC
Too bad you missed The Snake, you were pretty near it in Damascus. Next time, try 16 the other direction too, and also find your way to Nebo Mountain Road, a real hidden gem near Tazewell. Last trip I stayed in Tazewell a couple days, and rode over the Back of the Dragon at dawn twice to start some great days of riding; my last day included 16 out of Tazewell, then down US11 to VA 175 (if I remember the number right), that takes you to the start of The Snake, then over that, and up US58; that part alone gives you around 1000 curves or so in a morning's ride.
@tigercoward
9 ай бұрын
Amazing! The Snake is a must for next time. I have no regrets because I had great rising every day, but a bit of planning will make my next trip even better!
The Leg of the Muzzy! 🙌 Putting it on the list. Following along
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
Thanks @advmike It was a great road! We headed out to the coast for a few days, my next video, but came back to the Smoky Mountains as soon as we could! When we got back, we just made up routes by connecting the curviest roads we could find on the map. Thanks for watching!
cool
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Tazewell is actually pronounced "Taz-well" by the locals. I love Back of the Dragon. I'm about 1.5 hours away and have ridden it three times this year.
@tigercoward
9 ай бұрын
Oops! Thanks for the correction. I hope to be there again soon, and I will try and get right the next time. Thanks for watching!
gave you a like and a sub, good video.
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching, and thanks for the support!
I've ridden the rattler and the back of the dragon as well as the dragon. I pick the back of the Dragon for #1!
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
The Back was fantastic. I would like to ride them all again to make up my mind on which is the best. I was spoiled by the great roads around there! I would like to be spoiled again. Thanks for tuning in!
Don't forget Squrill Spur to n.c. down the mountain...next to poor farmers market before the Parkway... great road...
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
I will have to look that one up.
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
I see it now! I am sorry that I missed it! I was right in the vicinity too. One more reason to come back. 😁
The Back is definitely better than the Tail. BUT, the best of them all is the Dragon Slayer 160. Ride it! VA-KY
@tigercoward
9 ай бұрын
Sounds good! I will look it up. Thanks for watching!
sounds good
@tigercoward
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching and listening. I assume that you like the music. You should check out Billy & The Devil on Spotify.
Again I’ll respectfully disagree that BOTD is better than Deals Gap. Again this is a road local to me and I ride it often. While it’s a great road in a beautiful area, the road is usually pretty dirty with different forms of debris. It’s Taz-Well and Gay-Lax btw😉 Too bad you found the food underwhelming, I’ve always had good food there, but it is pricey no doubt. Meadows of Dan and Willville is 15 minutes from my house, glad you enjoyed the area I call my back yard.
@tigercoward
9 ай бұрын
I think that the only thing to do is to come back and ride them all again! I truly enjoyed all of these roads, and I think that your "backyard" is amazing! You live in a beautiful part of the world that also has the best motorcycle roads that I have ever ridden. The order in which I rode these roads likely impacted how I felt. Each day of my trip (minus the Outerbanks part) made me happier and happier. Perhaps next time, I will make the Tail of the Dragon the grand finale! Thanks for watching!🙂 TC
It's just the hype that draws these opinions. I'd bet 80 percent of us know better roads than the advertised ones. They just don't have nick nacks or patches to buy. I live in North Georgia and I know at least 4 routes here. Not to mention Tennessee and North Carolina. And no traffic like the popular routes. They all great, because
@tigercoward
9 ай бұрын
I tend to agree with you. There is no science to saying o ne is better than the other. I just go with which one makes me happiest. I am a country boy, and crowds make me uncomfortable, so the quieter, the better. My favorite ever road is the Trans Labrador Highway. It is not technically challenging, and the views are beautiful for the sub-arctic but not pretty. It is the isolation and remoteness that I loved! Anyway, there are lots of great roads to ride and I want to ride as many as possible! I have never made it as far south as Georgia. Maybe I should add that to my bucket list! Thanks for watching. TC