The view is amazing. Every inch of the sculpted terrain is covered in shades of green. Instead of the road being built through the mountains via tunnels and bridges, it was built around them. The Dragon hosts every type of turn imaginable, including decreasing radius, long sweepers, off-camber and even a few humps that will slingshot you off the road if you're not careful, the most notorious being Gravity Cavity.
Next, we come upon probably the single most annoying thing in the entire world. Slow traffic. Unfortunately, with this being a public road, anyone with a valid driver's license is able to enjoy the treasure of Highway 129. This includes minivans packed for a family vacation to Aunt Edna's, packs of Harleys with handlebar tassels (traveling at half the speed limit) and even a few, regrettable truckers. It's not uncommon to hear stories about 18-wheelers getting stuck on the extremely tight sections. You never know what you're going to get at each corner, so Ingersoll's conscience kicks in and tells his brain to give the car a little less gas and a little more brake.
By now you're probably asking: if this is a public road, where are the men in blue? Yet another reason to keep your lead foot and Schumacher-esque mentality from getting carried away. Due to the large number of severe crashes, some of them fatal, Tennessee lowered the speed limit on Highway 129 to 30mph and increased both marked and un-marked patrols along the Dragon. Even the mighty Dragon has fallen prey to the same fate that sections of the autobahn and old Montana highways have suffered. But don't be too discouraged, if you can find a way out of your vicious daily grind and come during the week, or the colder seasons of the year, the man in blue won't be sniffing your exhaust gas at every turn.
For a public road, the Dragon is probably as close as it gets to a technical track. Most people behind the wheel or on a motorcycle are enthusiasts and the drive is absolutely tiring. But let's not connect the dots completely because, remember, this is a public road.
Starting in North Carolina, Ingersoll and I have finally reached what he calls "the top of the Dragon." After approximately 20 minutes of vomit-inducing turns, we've reached the top for a much-needed rest. My seat smells a bit funny, but I think my boxers are still the same color as when they were washed two days ago. The view from the top is the reward for a long day's drive and the 318 mind-numbing curves required to reach it. Swarms of enthusiasts gather to reminisce about their experience, while the constant buzzing of crotch rockets, sport compacts and thundering hogs echo into the distance surrounding them.
It's a good thing that road builders decided to go around mountains, instead of blasting through them when they made mega-freeways in the old days, otherwise there wouldn't be roads like the Dragon. Hopefully, in the future, all the Aunt Edna-bound minivans will take the modern super-highway and leave the mountain roads empty. I'm heading back down the Dragon, this time in the driver's seat. I'll be watching out for tassels.