And Then
In 1992 Doug Snavely, hearing about a great ride in the Smokies, came up from Road Atlanta to ride his motorcycle on US129 and see the highway for himself. The ride proved even more exciting than he had been told. He met Pete Leary, the current owner of the Crossroads of Time located at the junction of US129 and NC28. At the time Pete catered to fishermen, hunters, and the few lost travelers. Doug sold Pete on promoting the road to motorcyclists and got a job as manager at the motel/store/gas station, which had been in existence since the 1940s.
Snavely began to publish the monthly Deals Gap Hot Lap newsletter on September 1, 1992. He also got the road mentioned in Rider Magazine. Snavely was not welcomed by everyone. His promotion of the highway to the motorcycle crowd did not sit well with many of the locals. He received many threats and was even shot at as he rode down one of the local roads.
Pete Leary was retired from law enforcement in Auburn, New York. In an attempt to appease some of the locals he set-up an EMS Jug on the counter top for donations to the Graham County Rescue Squad manned by volunteers. There had been some resentment in the ranks due to the Dragon being in Swain County, but Graham County had the closest responding units. This odd locational problem would resurface in later years.
Snavely also created the Deals Gap Riding Society. There are some 350 members from all over the United States. The organization more or less folded when Snavely left the Crossroads of Time after a few years. He lived in Knoxville for a while and later moved to Virginia. We met him at the Tail of the Dragon Overlook in 2000. He provided us with a lot of oral history and a few relics from the past. He has made several return trips to the Dragon.
In the next few years motorcycle riding increased dramatically at the Dragon. Each year since then the number of motorcycles and sports cars has seemingly doubled. Today riders and drivers from across the US, Canada, and many other foreign countries come to test their riding skills on the Dragon. There is always an unplanned show on the weekends from April through October.
The Dragon, as many have found, is truly a unique road. In 14 miles there are only two intersections; NC28 to Fontana Dam and the lightly traveled gravel road at Parsons Branch. There are only two buildings; the Tail of the Dragon T-Shirt Shack and Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort (formerly the Crossroads of Time). There are 318 curves in the 11 miles located on the Tennessee side. Most of the time there is very little traffic and the vehicles that do use this road are primarily motorcycle riders and sports car drivers looking for the thrill of their lives. It is remote; there is very little evidence of human population within 20 miles in any direction. Most of the roadway is bounded by United States Forest Service property, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and forested land owned by Alcoa Aluminum who operates the dams located along US129.
Deals Gap, the name that many riders know the Dragon by, is actually the pass in the mountains that the road follows. Deals Gap, located at the North Carolina and Tennessee State Line, is the highest point on the Dragon at 1962 feet above sea level. It was named for one of the early families who settled here and operated a trading post.
The road is still desolate today and can be a real adventure in the winter months. We've had to deal with bears, wild boars, snakes, deer and turkeys in the road. Trees down, and tractor-trailers taking-up both lanes in the curves are not at all rare. There was even a Big Foot sighting a few miles away. It is not a road for the squeamish, but if you're looking for a little excitement don't miss this one.