How was your saturday ride? wish I coulda stood for it. I still have to bring the wifes bike back up there to ride the dragon if my list is gonna get crossed off.
Talked to a friend in alabama last night, he might be able to buy the little 250 honda rebel, so thats one I won't have to ride the dragon with.....lol....
Just got done eatin' breakfast and takin' my meds...so i'll be hot footin' it for home in about an hour, we'll see how far I can get.

Rolled in a few hours ago; the  drive home was difficult with headaches plaguing most of the way but I'm now in loving and comforting hands. )

Sounds like you guys had a great time!  How are you feeling now Old Rider, any better? And thanks for posting pics up for those of us that couldn't make it but would have loved to be there  

dragon...hope the folks up there can stand someone who would corner about 15mph....LOL !

My first year had a lot of 15 mph curves in it too !  

and

The more the better !  

besides  ... She can't call ya if she is riding right behind ya ...  

After Action Report and Discussion


OK, everybody said they liked the Blue Ridge Campground for being more peaceful and serene.   Dave admitted it was peaceful, sometimes too peaceful at times and that he missed the Dragon Lodge "hectic" at times.

I found that I slept better at Blue Ridge, but that has to do with me most likely.   Traded off against that was the walk across the grass to the bathroom, but that wasn't a real big price to pay for the birds singing and the butterflies and such.

Major trip distances are less when based from BRC even with us making a full day loop out of Fontana Dam Road, Dragon and then Cherohala Skyway then down to dinner and then back home.   We picked up a new dragon like road when going to the knife store, Hwy 32 is going to be a big plus for future trips.

Nobody got screwed on room rent at BRC (this always happens at the Dragon Lodge, BTW)

Cabin #4 was an unexpected deal as we could have put 4 people inside it which would have been CHEAPER than even tenting as a one person tent.

Meals are a snap since they feed you every weekend night and we go by Waynesville and Cruso every trip so stopping for dinner is easy.

They have a massive library of bike magazines and books that folks have donated over the years sitting in the lodge area.  Folks have also donated neat stuff like boot dryers and such for folks to use.   Coffee is free in the lodge area 24 hours a day.

Last positive was the all the people our age from all over North America for you to talk to --- when you sit down at the camp fire at BRC the wives keep feeding you free jerky and chips and some hubby is always offering you a mixed drink or a beer.   Most of the folks are couples and the women all ride.  Some are pretty good looking for being our age bracket.  We had folks from Canada to Florida to Oklahoma at our camp fire, so you get a much wider spread of folks riding all sorts of non-crotch rocket bikes.

Compare that to listening to drunk crotch rocket guys brag about how far they slid and how well their leathers protected them from road rash (which is the most common discussion topic at Dragon Lodge camp fire).

Negatives:  

I think BRC seduces the folks who aren't feeling 100% into skipping out on a ride whereas the Dragon Lodge would have encouraged you to ride partially wounded as it is so busy and noisy all the time that nobody wants to stay there during the day.   BRC can keep you in by offering you nice couches and reading material and free coffee and people to go visit with .... and when the ride you are skipping out on is likely gonna be a nasty one then heck yeah, it gets considered.

BRC facilities are not in prime shape compared to years past, the current owner is letting it go downhill a bit.   The TV definitely needs replacing.  Paint in the shower area needs repainting.  Me, I miss the all the little people and all the fairy lights in the bushes .... I miss the previous owners cooking and the wife's skills in landscaping/gardening the place into spots of astonishing beauty.

I titled most pics, can't see what they say?  I added tags today, check again to see if you can see those.

http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Orphistle/library/#/user/Orphistle/library/...

OldFellow:

I might ride smoooth.....but I believe that you and MMRanch are stilll faster riders than I am.  Those tight corners can really come up fast and I have a hard time opening up the throttle too much on the straights, only to find a really sharp curve at the end waiting to take a taste of my flesh.  Those curves can be realy sneaky and start out kind of gentle at the beginning....then get really tight.  I always tried to leave some extra margin for braking hard....in case I needed it.

I have learned a lot on those corners.  I have learned that our bikes are fun, far more nimble than big cruisers and tourers....and that they can't compete with a good rider on a sport bike.  (I did pass one rider on a sport bike that was not very good at cornering).  The tires on the sport bikes are far more glue-like than what we can buy for our bikes, and at one stop I saw a sport bike with racing slicks....big ole soft, sticky, glue like tires.......we don't stand a chance with those guys!

For those considering the Dragon Trip.....we all ride at our own pace and we stop and collect everyone up at the next intersection.  The trips are planned with stops and rest periods that match the temperment and durability of the group....we are not trying to set any endurance records.  It is a fun trip.