For die-hard motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts, few roads on Earth have the mystic of the Tail of the Dragon. This twisty 11-mile stretch of pavement showcases 318 corners of banked perfection in every conceivable shape and style.
We recently had an opportunity to talk with Ron Johnson, a 20-year veteran of the Dragon and the owner of the Tail of the Dragon store. What follows is an adaptation of our interview with Ron for our new “Vettes of Atlanta” podcast.
This final article is the third of three that cover that interview. If you want to get caught up, we have the first article, Ron Johnson – Keeper of the Dragon, and the second article Ron Johnson – Keeper of the Dragon Part 2, here.
Enjoy!
Driving The Dragon
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR – I can only imagine how many times you have been on the Dragon. Are there any tips you can give the first-time Corvette driver?
RON JOHNSON – OWNER OF THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON – The most important thing for anyone, first-time or not, is to stay in control of your vehicle. Most of the accidents involve people who lose control for stupid reasons, such as over-braking in a corner.
Use your gears over your brakes. When I ride our motorcycles on the Dragon, I don’t think I use the brake maybe once or twice on the whole road.
The most important thing is to stay in your lane. You do not want to cross the double yellow line.
Meaning Behind The Names
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR – You’ve named just about everything on the 11-mile route. Where do you come up with the names, and which part of the drive is your favorite?
RON JOHNSON – OWNER OF THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON – The names come from several places. Initially, there was a map done by Doug Snavely, who started a riding club up there in 1993.
He had a little map that he drew on a piece of paper. He named a couple of the corners like “The Wall” and “Gravity Cavity.”
Some of the names come from U.S.G.S. maps; some of the names come from road conditions such as “Crud Corner.” Several have been named after events that happened there, such as “Rock Slide Corner.”
“Swift Corner” is where a Swift 18-wheeler got stuck way back before they banned them. And then Booza Basher’s is where a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle crashed.
There are also some historical spots. Shaw Grave Gap is where Bas Shaw was killed and buried by Confederates on his way to prison in Asheville.
A lot of people ask me how much is the toll. Well, there’s no toll booth now. But there was a toll booth from the late 1800s until about 1915. One guy owned the land and used to charge a toll to cross it.
One of my favorite corners is “Beginners End.” That’s the first corner at each end of the Dragon. It’s where a lot of newcomers crash before they even get on the actual Dragon itself.
Another one of my favorites, Rod, is “The Hump, or sometimes called Gravity Cavity.” There’s nothing like it on any other road I’ve ever been on in my life. It’s like you ride into a bowl and then come out. Those are some of my favorites.
Sports Cars Gain Popularity
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR – You know, while the Dragon is a mecca for motorcycles, it’s gaining momentum as a rite of passage for Corvette owners as well.
I believe I saw photos of the new C8s testing on the road. So, if you had to guess, what do you think the percentage of motorcycles versus cars would be? And are sports cars gaining popularity?
RON JOHNSON – OWNER OF THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON – When we first started in 2000, I would venture to guess that 80 percent of the traffic was motorcycles, maybe 10 percent was local traffic, and 10 percent sports cars.
One day in the early years, we were sitting at the Overlook selling T-shirts, and this new strange-looking car pulled up. It was one of the first Cadillac sports cars. A couple of engineers drove it down from Kentucky.
They’d heard about the road and just decided to bring this prototype car down to the Dragon. It wasn’t even a production model yet. That was back in 2001.
Nowadays, I would say that it’s probably about 50/50 motorcycles and cars Rod. I think sports cars come here, more than motorcycles, just to be seen in their special cars. Everybody loves their cars. It’s a treat to look out in the parking lot and see everybody with their hoods up and arguing over this and that.
I have an old beater car, it is a 1986 Toyota Golf. It looks like a piece of junk. My mechanic put in a diesel Volkswagen racing engine, and this thing sounds like a race car even though it looks like a 30-year-old piece of junk.
We never know what to expect out there. One year, we had a group of about 24 steamcars come through. We also see cars worth millions of dollars.
One of our favorite rallies is the B.A.B.E. Rally. It’s a rally from the Big Apple to the Big Easy. The rules to that rally are you have to buy a car for less than two hundred fifty dollars in New York and drive it to New Orleans.
They drive them through the Tail of the Dragon. Usually, about 20 are 30 cars and some of the wildest things you will ever see on the highway.
We’ve seen three-wheeled Toyotas’. One car wrapped in tin foil, they called the “Baked Potato.” That car got three tickets on its way down here from littering because tinfoil was flying off the car.
The other cars are decorated with just about everything you can imagine. Crazy stuff piled and glued on them. It’s an interesting time in May when they come by.
Other Great Drives
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR – Besides Tail the Dragon, you also promote several other adventurous drives in these mountains. Can you take a few minutes and talk about the other adventurous rides you recommend?
RON JOHNSON – OWNER OF THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON – Well, there are hundreds of great roads in the North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia corners here. There are so many good roads that you could spend a week up here and not drive them all. The Cherohala Parkway loop crosses mile-high mountains.
It’s a 120-mile loop with the Dragon. It’s got some of the best scenery in the country.
We’ve got Moonshiner 28, which starts near our store at the Tail of the Dragon. That scenic road stretches 105 miles into South Carolina. You pass the waterfalls, mountain lakes, and twisty roads, and it’s just a great way to spend a whole day touring on a motorcycle or sports car.
The Devil’s Triangle in Tennessee is one crazy road Rod. On that road, there are four severe, steep switchbacks. It’s difficult, really difficult, for anybody on a motorcycle who’s not an experienced rider.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, which is near here, goes 500 miles up into Virginia. Take three days to explore that road, and then off the side of that road, going down the mountains on each side are some great twisty roads like the Rattler or the Diamondback.
The Gambler is near Hart’s Hot Springs in North Carolina. There are just so many great roads all around here. It’s hard even to name them all.
All Consuming Dragon
ROD WORLEY – EDITOR – We’ve covered a lot of ground today, but is there one question that I should’ve asked you but didn’t?
RON JOHNSON – OWNER OF THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON – I could go for hours with the tales we’ve had over the 20 years on the Dragon. You think you’ve seen it all, and then you go there one day, and there’s something else there is just totally out of this world.
I’m in the process of writing a detailed history of the Dragon itself. And I just finished writing a history of the complete U.S. 129. It runs from Schieffelin, Florida, to Knoxville, Tennessee, with some great history.
You can find it on the Web at Scenic 129. com.
The Tale of Dragon store consumes my wife Nancy and me. We do most of the work for the store, the web, the artwork, and even shipping worldwide.
We’ve met thousands of great people from all over the world. For us, it’s not even a job. It’s just an experience that has been awesome for us.
I want to thank you, Rod, for the opportunity to enlighten your audience about our Tail of the Dragon. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
Articles We Recommend:
The Tail Of The Dragon – A Voice That Drives My Heel
Ron Johnson – Keeper Of The Dragon
Ron Johnson – Keeper of the Dragon Part 2
Ron Johnson – Keeper of the Dragon Part 3
Darryl “Killboy” Cannon – The Eyes Of The Dragon
Darryl “Killboy” Cannon – The Eyes Of The Dragon Part 2
Darryl “Killboy” Cannon – The Eyes Of The Dragon Part 3
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