The Zen of "The Dragon"
 

When I told people I was driving 8+hrs to drive a 11mi stretch of road, they thought I was crazy. They just couldn't understand the rationale. of driving all day, just to drive some more. Well, they have never taken a S200 down the Dragon. FF2Skip and Myself had a near pefect run Sat. and it was amazing. When your driving the car hard, in tune with it 110%;a model of determination. Each corner seemed to flow into next. Listening to the engine oscilate between 5500 and 9K with an occasional sqeek of the tires as you round a hairpin corner. The rest of the world is gone and its only you, your car and the road.

For me, it truely is a mediatation-like experience, a temporary escape from the daily grind. A time where I am not concerned about what I have do tomarrow, or what projects need to be completed.... the only thing that matters is that next turn and how hard I can push it.
The Dragon is a Zen experience.

So, am I the only one that thinks this way?:confused:

I'm right there with you bro :thumbup: Even though this was my first
dragon trip I have been thinking about it all day I couldn't have said it
better myself . BTW It was good to see you at the dragon and make sure
you post some more pictures after you get the rest of the stuff put on.

I agree 100% for those that doubt the dragon, i honestly feel bad for all of them. i live in the middle of the mountains with fucckin crazy azz backroads. but nothing compares to the dragon. 318 curves in 11 miles, nothing compares, i was driving so fast and so crazy that i could feel the blood rushing to my brain due to gravity. its a 125% adrenaline rush, if you didnt come to the dragon this time you should definatly come to dragon ball run in september!!!! If you didnt come i feeeeeellll reallly reallly reallly bad cause you missed out on so much fun!!!!

My friends/family didn't understand my first trip there - all 12+ hours of it (each way). Most still don't get it (I think this was my 7th or 8th time there?). Videos and pictures haven't convinced them.

Not sure I'd consider it a zen-like experience, but it is a simply amazing feeling. That there are so many other slightly neurotic owners there to share it with is all the better!

There is no place like it. It is like a great escape. It kind of let's you ease your mind of the normal daily sheeeooooooT!:drive:

Not sure if my call to Steve today prompted this thread or not. The more I thought of that one particular run and the looked at the pic that Dewain27 had of the two of us, the more I became aware of its importance to me.

This was my first Dragon. I was not prepared for what it had to offer. I did not have an understanding of its layout despite all the stories, pics, and videos. Nothing, I repeat- NOTHING has ever been said or shown to do justice to the Dragon. I've had some folks refer to a 9 mile stretch here by me as a "Mini-Dragon." I will never refer to that road ever again as such. :nono: It's more like a more technical Cherola... which isn't bad either! :D

Anytime something is your "first," you can never get that feeling again. You can get close, but never the same. There is a bit of history between Steve and me. :thumbup: Steve and I attended our first meet together- a Charlottesville run in Fall '02. We ended up following one another throughout the run. That run left my wife's right shoulder bruised from the seatbelt! :eek3: I couldn't stop smiling; it was if I had done 'shrooms or something(I wouldn't know, but have heard ;) )! Over the next year and a half, Steve and I have become true friends.

Then we headed out from the Deal's store, Steve leading. We have followed one another so many times that we know each other's style(I use that word loosely!) and are quite comfortable following at a very close distance. There were many times that there was about half a car-length between us. We only encountered three vehicles, one was one of our S2000 brethren, from start to finish and all pulled off as soon as possible. Turn after turn after turn, we rode that Dragon. I heard no one calling my name at work. I was not thinking about the reckless driving ticket I received on the way down. I was not thinking that I might get another ticket at any moment. My sinuses mattered not. Those four little cylinders played their full scale of notes, a sympthany we all know and love. More turns. Left, right, right, left. Right. Left. Nothing but the next turn matters. Nothing is as satisfying as that next turn; that next fix.

So how does this relate to my daily life. Some you know. The last 8 months have taken my father and very nearly took my wife, whom I love so much and depend on. I know that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Those few minutes that I was afforded on the Dragon that day were a gift; an affirmation and reminder that I am alive. It is an experience shared, making it all the more special. I can express my giddiness with someone that experienced the same thing at the same time, and it will never dull.

Saturday was very special to me. The Cherola was great as it was shared with people whose company I enjoy even out of the car. :thumbup: Even the "wrong" turn makes for a great story! I mean, how many times have folks joked about getting lost in that area and being made to squeal like a pig? :eek3: And it nearly happened... really glad Chiung was in the lead at that point! :rofl:

I can never look at driving the same. I can only hope that my first track day(May 9th) can hold a candle to the past weekend.

Two dimensional pictures don't properly give the impression of elevation changes and the ebb and flow of the turns.To understand fully one must drive the Dragon in a car befitting it's demands.

Our car does just that;and to drive the family sedan or SUV there is a loss of the sheer viseral enjoyment of this driving enviorment.

Grasshopper~

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FF2Skip
I can never look at driving the same.

I cannot stop thinking about running the Dragon - there is a deep craving in my gut that is eating away at me as I know there are nothing but flat roads around me.

I don't know about the Dragon being Zen-like for me, but I can certainly say:

:hello: my name is Poindexter and I am an addict!

I agree with you. I think we talked about this at dinner how people just do not get it when you tell them what you are doing, and that you are driving all that way to drive on another road. I drove from northern Indiana and would do it again in a second. The Dragon experience was VERY Zen-like for me as well. I also am very busy, and often work about 18 hours per day 6 days a week. Getting to totally zone out from all of that and focus on only the road and nothing else is like a divine reward for me. It was like being granted a temporary pass to forget about the problems and responsibilities of the 'real world'. I will be there again, and I look forward to seeing you there as well. It was fun to get to run The Dragon with another nutball like me... :) :drive:

The Dragon for me was an awakening of the driver I left behind four years ago at the scene of a bad accident and redemption of that wreck. I used to own an MR2 turbo, modified quite a bit. Well one day on my way home to make up with the girl I was dating at the time, (to skip thru alot of details)... I railed a tree headon in a corner somewhere around 80-85mph. Pinned the car longways between a tree and a telephone pole, nearly severed the car in half from door to door from the anchor cable of the telephone pole and separated the frame of the car from the body. I walked away while my girl at the time was not so fortunate, she was pinned in the car, BUT we are both alive with all our limbs and toes today. The wreck could have been caused by 1 of 2 things. Instead of going into 4th gear it went into 2nd gear OR the tensioner pulley broke locking up the rear wheels. 3 weeks ago I bought my s2000, and for the most part never really pushed it at all, just enjoyed finally being back in the seat of a real sports car again. THEN... I go to the Dragon. I was excited, nervous and everything else all at the same time. I only had one thing on my mind, to redeem myself from that wreck and to prove to myself that I could do it. And I DID! What a rush it was! That was THE ultimate test of driver/ car skills that I could possibly imagine. And being up there with the whole group made it that much more enjoyable as well as the whole group being really great drivers and that was proved by no wrecks up there! As much as I wanted to drive it the rest of the day the fun came to a stop when I managed to do SOMETHING :confused: to the suspension in the back of the car which I have yet to isolate what it is and the cops coming up there to ruin the fun. But it was worth it and Im already anticipating the next run on the Dragon! People were concerned when I bought another sports car and asked why Id want to risk my life for it, and I simply tell them "If you get bucked off the horse, what are you supposed to do?? Get back up on it and ride it again!" :rev:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Meeyatch1

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tenblade2001

:rofl:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FF2Skip
Anytime something is your "first," you can never get that feeling again.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WestSideBilly
Keep going - you'll see what I mean.

i have to agree with everyone. luckily i have great friends who are not of the s2000 community and understand or at least say that they understand what this car, driving and this community do for me. once you get into the seat of you S and you know that you have a great road ahead of you, your minds clears and the only thoughts are about the car, the road and listening to the beautiful sound of the engine.

i ended up going off bymyself for a few runs and kept going back and forth, long enough to the point where i started getting dizzy and had to take a break *now you know thats a great road if it can do that*

everytime i get in my car, yes this is so cheesy but hey if anyone will understand it will be you guys, before i go on a run/meet/drive ect i always say "ok baby ill take care of you and you take care of me" give her a pat and get in the drivers seat and go. i feel as though i am one with the car, it is not just a car but an energy that understands me as well as i do her. at teh dragon the experience was multiplied, no brakes in the road to say wow what a turn they keep coming and coming testing you more and more and with each turn the smile grows bigger and the adrenaline increases, there is never a better feeling than driving an S2000 down a road that the car was meant to live on, and thats what the dragon is, the home in which the S2000 is meant to be on, no matter if it is once in your life or 100 times no matter what you will still have the same effect, a clear mind, escape from the world and the satisfaction that you know you just drove your ass off and you just have a great feeling abotu yourself and teh car.

i am so glad that i am a part of this great community and i have gotten to meet most of the owners in teh community, i couldnt ask for a better bunch of people to share my love for my car with, for they have the same feelings and we all just get it.

Can you believe it? :ponder: A thread that doesn't have any post whores trashing it up. :LOL: A good read and an interesting impression about discovering twisty roads even if it is a very old thread.

I agree, nice to hear Dragon virgin stories (Skip is in Texas now and that's a LONG drive to get to the Dragon). My first time was at night following the OKI group. A great introduction to the road and the people who make the Dragon what it is.