The List #0011: Drive the Tail of the Dragon
Thu, 12 Dec 2013
After setting a world land speed record in a 50,000-horsepower jet car, we're bringing The List hosts Jessi Combs and Patrick McIntyre back down to Earth with a to-do item more accessible for the common enthusiast: drive the Tail of the Dragon.
If you're not yet in the know, the Tail of the Dragon is an 11-mile stretch of US Route 129 that straddles Tennessee and North Carolina. This windy, forested route runs in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains and is known for one thing: curves, and lots of them.
The bulk of its estimated 318 turns are located in The Volunteer State, and the good ones are given names like Crud Corner, Hog Pen Bend and The Whip. Many a motorist and motorcyclist have overestimated their driving abilities here and paid a tax in body panels and pride, and the police now have such a presence that tickets are a rite of passage.
Still, the Dragon comes up in any conversation about the very best driving roads in the US (dozens of you have written in and suggested we tackle it), so it's off to Tennessee we go to cross another major item off The List.
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By John Neff