My 2022 Tail of the Dragon trip, 19th year!

**Klasse Act** · 10-15-2022, 11:21 AM

So I completed my 19th year in a row of going down to the Dragon and surrounding roads, time flies!

This year I took my g/f and we stayed at Dragon City I'm Maryville TN 2 nights and then down to my buddy's place in Decatur TN the last 2 nights.

We left right after work on Oct 4th and drove for a bit and got a room. I did this so we didn't have to get up and get going so early, a little more of a relaxed go.

October 5th was basically the "travel day" and we had no issues, weather was great! The usual construction zones but +5 mph w/cruize on netted me 38.4 on the first leg and then surprisingly 39.8 mpg through KY and through TN! I'm surprised because of the noticeable elevation change here and usually the mileage goes down but like I said some construction zones. A number of times I had to "go around" those who don't know freeway etiquette, so the "century mark" flashed itself a number of times, LOL.

Once there we unpacked the EN and went out and got some dinner at Poncho's Mexican restaurant in Maryville TN. This place is a little jewel, you wouldn't expect great Mexican food out there but it truely is! On the way back I took my g/f on the end of the Dragon to the Overlook, just for a "taste". Afterwards we headed back and got to bed as the next day would have us in the car ALL day.

So Thursday we got up and headed to Tellico Plains TN for breakfast @ The Tellico Bakery. This is now my go to for breakfast as the Town Square restaurant was closed a couple yrs ago due to the owner passing away, I'll always remember how nice he was and the great food we had there over the years!!

After breakfast we topped off the tank and I ran the EN through an old but good enough touch-free wash, the only wash of the trip mind you. We then headed up the Cherahola Skyway and stopped at a number of pull offs along the way for pics.

Our next stop was the Cherahola Market in Robinsville NC for bathroom break and light snack and chill time, up next we head towards the Dragon!

We passed Fugitive Dam and made the uphill S T E E P turn to head towards Deal's Gap for lunch, souvenirs and check out what's in the lot. We then walked across the street to Killboys store and chatted with some enthusiasts there as well.

Waiting to run the Dragon as late as possible we went up route 28 aka Moonshiners and headed for the Fontana Dam, the largest dam E of the Mississippi River...DAMN

My 2022 Tail of the Dragon trip, 19th year!

️This is a staple of the trip as the road going to the base and top of the Dam rivals the Dragon without a doubt IMO. My g/f is afraid of heights, even more than me and couldn't even look out and over the top of the observatory or the bridge, it's 480' high.

It was now time to run the Dragon and it didn't disappoint, no issues and more importantly NO COPS

We stopped at the Overlook but this time during the day, more great views! We continued back to our place where I waited for my buddy that I hadn't seen in 12 yrs and the 4 of us went to Poncho's for dinner.

Friday morning we packed up the EN and the 4 of us had breakfast at the on-site restaurant. Once done I had them follow us out to the Foothills Parkway and back down. Then out through the Dragon, Fontana Dam and across the Cherahola Skyway and into Tellico for a late lunch at the Tellico Bakery where we went our own ways.

We then headed down to Decatur TN to my buddy's place where I parked the EN till Sunday morning, someone else does the driving now. The 4 of us headed to Champy's in Chattanooga TN for dinner and then up to the hill for Lookout Mountain. We then headed back to their place and retired for the night, long day coming up Saturday.

Come Saturday we had breakfast and headed to Helen GA for Oktoberfest! This town is slice of Germany and couldn't miss lunch at Heildelburg, a small line but always worth it. We walked around a bit and headed out and the line to get into town was a MILE, good thing we got there early!

Sunday was our travel day back but first had a nice breakfast and headed out. The temps were 37 degrees and the Michelin Sport 4S' don't do well in that temp so I took it easy, especially since the freeway goes through the mountains. We did make a stop to see my g/f's friend in Evansville IN @Cheddars, pretty decent food. I should mention my mileage was identical to the trip down, I swear pushing the ECO button turns the 300 hp EN into a Prius, LOL.

So the 19th annual trip is in the books and we did a total of 1,960 miles (no driving on Sat at all) and I'm looking forward to next year's trip...TWO DECADES