Have your ever dreamed about being a dragon slayer? About conquering endless curves,
just you and your vehicle? Here is where your dreams become reality. (intense music) Ride with me from
Tennessee to North Carolina at the southwest boundary of the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, on one of America's most famous roads, the Tail of the Dragon
and the Cherohala Skyway. (upbeat music) - It's a new day, all is packed. And after the tick misery yesterday, I will finally be able to
enjoy some nice roads here. And I gonna ride one of the
most famous motorcycle roads of the U.S. today. It is called the Tail of the Dragon, or the Dragon's Tail. So stay tuned. - This is a much better start to the day than knowing that your ride
takes you to a hospital. So much better to deal
with dragons than ticks if you ask me. (soft music) From Townsend, where my hotel was, the ride to reach The Dragon first took me on the
so-called Foothills Parkway. I was traveling to southernmost 17 miles of Foothill Parkway, running from U.S. 321 to U.S. 129. - Now stopping here at
this viewing platform. You know, I would say that's pretty nice. This southern section of Foothills Parkway offers spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains on one side, and to Tennessee Valley on the other. On clear days, one can see all the way to
the Cumberland Mountains, 50 miles or 80 kilometers to the west. - So this was a beautiful
start of the day. We're riding Foothills Parkway. But now we are doing what we are here for. On this lake or better at this dam here, I turn left on Highway 129, and this is where the famous
dragon is about to start. Chilhowee Lake provides
part of the boundary between the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest. This shallow 10 mile,
or 16 kilometer long, cool water reservoir is more river like, flowing a narrow twisted route. (soft music) - Welcome to the start
of the Tail of the Dragon that starts here at the dam. (intense music) - Okay, party people, let's do this. I have heard really a lot
about the Tail of the Dragon. And so many people told me
that I have to come here, and ride it. And you might wander why, and it's named The Dragon,
because it has so many curves. And when I say many,
it really means a lot. So my expectations are very high now, and it for sure has a
very scenic start here with this lake on my right side. (dramatic music) - Oh, so here we get warned to be careful, because there are a lot of
motorcycle accidents here. So I will drive careful too. According to the Sheriff's Office, there were 178 crashes on The Dragon between November 2015 and April 2017. Of those, 90 resulted in
injuries, and three were deadly. The Dragon, also known as
the Tail of the Dragon, begins at Tabcat Creek
Bridge in Tennessee, and ends in North Carolina
at the intersection of NC 28 and U.S. 129. It has 318 curves in 11
miles, or 18 kilometers. And is one of the most popular roads for motorcycle riders in the
United States of America. The twisting road through the dense forest has several pull offs to stop. Watch the riders and the
surrounding Great Smoky Mountains. (upbeat music) - This is really fun
with all these curves, because they are not too
tight, and just nice to ride. But during the whole ride so far, I was more or less surrounded by forest. So you don't see as
much of the surroundings as I would have hoped. (engine revving)
(upbeat music) - So that's the famous dragon. And I would say it's
not that much more curvy than a usual road in the Alps, but it's a lot of fun to ride. Along The Dragon, you find the famous Deals
Gap motorcycle resort, that is also called
the Home of the Dragon. And for sure the destination
to stop for lunch, or even a night, if you try to tame The
Dragon with your motorcycle. - So, here The Dragon enters from Tennessee to North Carolina. It's great to be here. And it's so funny that
the sign here just said, state law: riders wear helmet, because there are still a lot
of states here in the U.S. where it's not obligatory
to wear a motorcycle helmet. That feels completely interesting, and even a bit crazy to me as a European. (upbeat music) At the end of The Dragon, I continued on Highway
129, along Cheoah Lake, all the way to Cheoah Dam. (upbeat music) - So here I turn off to go
to this Joyce Kilmer Road, the sign says. Honoring the famous poet, Joyce Kilmer, for the line: 'I think that I shall never
see a poem lovely as a tree', this road winds along Lake Santeetlah, which is one of the most
unspoiled lakes in North Carolina. And is often even referred to as one of the most beautiful
in the whole country. (soft music) - Yes, so this is where I go next, the Cherohala Skyway,
sounds very promising. - Here, let's turn right. Not here, next one. And now I'm on Highway 143, which is as well the Cherohala Skyway, and which is, of course, a scenic byway here in North Carolina. - The nice thing is that all
these beautiful roads here are connected, so right after The Dragon, I'm now doing the so
called... I think Cherohala? I don't know how to pronounce it. Cherohala Skyway. And it's actually a stunning scenery here. You see a bit more, because The Dragon is more in the forest, and this one is a bit more open. (soft music) The Cherohala Skyway in Graham County is a 42 mile or 67 kilometer long winding national scenic byway, and definitely one of
the most scenic drives in the Blue Ridge Mountains
of North Carolina. The Skyway opened in 1996
after 34 years of construction. It is North Carolina's
most expensive highway at a cost of $100 million,
about 3 million a mile. I would say it was worth it though. The views on the
surroundings are priceless. The Cherohala Skyway winds up
the ridge for about 18 miles, or 29 kilometers in North Carolina, and descends another 24
miles, or 38 kilometers, into the back country of Tennessee. The road crosses through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. This is where the name
comes from, Cherohala. (soft music) - I really love this ride
here on the Cherohala Skyway. I actually think I liked
it more than The Dragon. You guys, you know me. So you know that I would ride
everywhere for a great view. And the views here were
really, really stunning, and it felt as well less
busy than The Dragon, and a bit more remote. So I really liked this ride, I highly recommend it to
everyone who is here in the area. (soft music) - Maybe this is the opportunity
to get something to eat, and this looks like an
imbiss, and has a huge line. So it should be good, no? Places with huge lines
normally are always not bad. (upbeat music) After my late lunch, I continued my ride to Tellico Plains, and south to Brasstown, on
my way to the next state, on my way to Georgia. Thanks for taming The Dragon with me. If you rode all 318 curves with me, and accompanied me until here, give this video a thumbs
up, leave a comment, and subscribe my channel to
continue the ride with me. The next episode will take me
to the next state, to Georgia. Tune in next Thursday to join a foggy ride to the
highest elevation of the state, and all the way to the ocean. (upbeat music) (engine revving)
