My wife and I had an invite to friends in Western North Carolina so being in Michigan and looking at the map I promoted a slight detour through The Dragon which she accepted along with taking the S2000 instead of our other car. This raised several issues which I would like to comment on. Particularly for potential noobies.

Where does all the stuff for an 8 day, 1700 mile trip go? Turns out two roller airline carryon bags just stack in the trunk well if the expansions are zipped down and they are not packed too tight. We used the space next to the bags on the right for a soft shoe bag. Married guys will understand this. This left the space on the left for cameras, laptop etc. Verdict is it's workable. Downside is all this weight can be felt.

Would the air conditioning be good enough? We ran into 100deg+ temps. Putting the air on full blast and using recirc cooled the car off very quickly and we could back off the fan and recirc. But the system is fairly noisy at high fan levels and combined with road noise made the sound system semi useless on the freeway. All in all I was pleased though because it did keep us comfortable.

Is the Dragon worth it? We went though west to east on a weekday morning, top down and I have not been on a road like it. What fun. Didn't see another sports car the whole way, only bikers and they weren't a problem. What was a problem was a Kroger 18 wheeler doing about 5 miles an hour and using all of the road, both lanes to navigate the hairpins. We found a turnout and sat for about 10 minutes and didn't see him again. Most of the oncoming traffic was pretty good but more than a few had wheels on the yellow line. The rule about not touching the yellow is mandatory. Saw one cop. He was sitting at the end of a series of turns with what looked like a radar gun. Think he was policing the yellow line because I was over 35 but in the lines and he let us go. This road demands 100% attention and I have little idea of what the scenery looks like there. We were also on a number of other roads that were excellent particularly crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway.

How is the S2000 as long range freeway cruiser? Even with the weight and air running the car cruised all day at 75 without breathing hard. It is noisy and you feel expansion joints but it feels solid. Setting the mirrors correctly helps the blind spot issue but you still need to pay attention when switching lanes to avoid surprises. I found myself needing to get out and stretch more often than I might of in another car. Mileage was 28-29. All in all very acceptable tradeoffs for the all the twisty fun.

How would the RE 050A PP's do? Have about 2500 miles on them and am very happy. Was able to drive them on the freeway in heavy rain and yet I never used all the grip that was available in the dry.

Would we do this trip again? In a heart beat.

 

the dragon is awesome! glad you didn't have any problems with law enforcement as well. i agree with what you wrote about the dragon and the S on the highway.

 

awsome!
i thought the Dragon was cracking down on people hard!

 

wasnt that in the news

 

If they are cracking down it might be on weekends. Wasn't that much traffic on the Monday we were there.

 

nice post, I got'a get back east and drive that road sometime

 

Skyway was always my fav. Used to go up there on my street bike every weekend. Then realized that its time to get on the track.

 

I'm going down at the end of september, and plan on spending a good amount of time on roads like this on the way home. There's a few roads like this in WV but with a 55mph speed limit, and little oversight from law enforcement.

Next time you do a long trip, check out one of the motorcycle roads databases. There's plenty of good twisty roads out there, not many as long or as twisty as the dragon, but still worth your time.

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/

Here's its listing on the Dragon:
http://www.motorcycleroads.us/roads/nc_us129.html

Also:
http://www.motorcycleroads.com/

 

There was a group of us that went over there on Sunday since the Dragon is just a rock toss away from us. There were 3 cops positioned in turns with radar guns and 2 other cops roaming the Dragon. The oncoming traffic was VERY helpful in letting us know where cops were by offering up basic hand signals to tell us to slow down or thumbs up if we're clear. However, once we got into NC and drove on the Hellbender, there was NO cops around anywhere. Granted, a monsoon quickly ensued, but thats besides the point. All in all, Id definitely make the trip down. I travel from Cincinnati, OH to Jefferson City, TN a fair amount, and the S is more than a suitable driver for that. (Granted Im 20, and coming from a lowered Civic Si, so the S (an ap1) feels like Im riding on air). Make the trip, you wont regret it!

-Matt

 

I did the drive from Ottawa Canada to the Tail of the Dragon, and the trip down was both comfortable and doable. Granted, my partner travelled more lightly than was her norm, but there was plenty of room in the trunk for our things. We drove long distances, particularly on the first day when we travelled from Ottawa to Gettysburg PA, and I was not uncomfortable in the car. The air conditioner handled July weather effortlessly, even in the middle of a heat wave when we went on to Charleston. So, make your travel plans with no worries at all. The S2000 is fine as a highway cruiser, and you'll have the time of your life with the turns and views on the Skyway on the way down.

Just a tip -- after doing the Tail of the Dragon, we spent the night in Dillard Georgia at the Dillard House. Dinner and accommodations were bargain-priced - they have an all you can eat Southern dinner that has to be seen to be believed. We had a brand-new suite, with king-sized bed, living room, full kitchen, and a balcony overlooking a wooded valley with nature trails (and rocking chairs from which to enjoy the view) for $99 a night.