Dragon's Tail, Tennessee/North Carolina

 Sometimes you just have to get out of the house and take a drive... that's what we did one day... and ended up on the Tail of the Dragon.

The drive started out as a simple drive through the Smokey Mountains, which would be even more beautiful in the spring and changing of the leaves of fall.

The driving trail we were on allowed visitors the opportunity to pull off the road at nice paved parking areas, to enjoy the surrounding beauty.

In the early days the Cherokee described the area as being shaconage, meaning blue, like smoke. After the rains the mountains had a smokey look because of the mist-like clouds rising from the ground. Unfortunately, todays haze is much different than what the Cherokee saw, thanks to industrialization. The acid rain has damaged the environment, both plants and animals.

Moving up the road we stopped at Lookout Rock. 

The lookout was created over several large boulders, with spectacular views. This part of the drive was part of the Foothills Parkway drive.

At the end of Foothills Parkway we hung a left, not knowing where we would end up... that being Tail of the Dragon. This 11 mile stretch of road is not for those that get car sick through mountain roads with curves.

Courtesy of 129 Deals Gap.

Here is how it is advertised:

"Designated US 129, the road is bordered by the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cherokee National Forest with no intersecting roads or driveways to hamper your travel. It is considered “the destination” for thousands of motorcycle and sports car fans throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Can you brave it? It’s best to be cautious as the turns are tight, but the Tail of the Dragon is guaranteed to be the ride of your life".

This 11 mile stretch of road has 318 curves, all designed for sports cars and motorcycles... NOT F350 PICKUP TRUCKS... but it was fun, even at a slower pace. There a  couple of pullouts, but don't plan on stopping to often. Our first stop before the souvenir shop, was Tail of the Dragon Lookout. 

That dam in the distance is Calderwood Dam.

Zoomed in on Calderwood dam.

Continuing through the curves, and being passed by little rockets, we made our way to the souvenir shop 129 Deals Gap, with some unique sculptures.

Did I forget to mention that riding the "tail" takes drivers into North Carolina... well it does, and the souvenir shop is the first stop.

Continuing through Tail of the Dragon, we stopped at Fontana Dam. The visitor center closed down due to COVID, but visitors can still view the dam.

View from Visitor Center

Gate for Diversion Tunnel 

Looking down Water Diversion Tunnel

Motors used to open Diversion Tunnel Gates

This is one of the many dams in the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) system of dams, standing at a height of 480 feet, and nearly a half mile long. Construction took three years to complete, and was completed in 1945.

I am not sure the time frame between our visit and the photo provided by greatsmokies.com, but you can see the lack of rainfall, and water usage has taken a toll on the lake behind the dam.

Courtesy of greatsmokies.com.

Our visit in 2021.

Instead of driving across the dam, we back tracked to get to the bottom.

These are the exits (circle lower right) for the water diversion during dam construction. 

Today was a nice outing. Here are your pins for coming along on the drive, and surviving the "dragon's tail".

The fun is over for the day, we now need to think about chores again. See you later.