Better than the Dragon?

Cabot trail not only has the roads but it also has spectacular ocean side scenery.

And it is not just a ten mile drive, this one will keep you busy for the day.

In reply to NOHOME :

My Triumph club is planning a trip up there next year.  I'm looking forward to it.

In reply to Ian F :

It is an awesome drive. I did it in 92 with the Miata.  Some good elevation changes that will challenge the brakes. The rest of the province is a good place to check out in a laid back way.

I got lucky (or the wife really planned it well) the one time I drove the Dragon. Early afternoon on 4th of July. Nobody was out, I think we saw two cars and a couple of spirited but not stupid motorcyclists. I cannot imagine it being an enjoyable experience with any significant amount of traffic.

Cherohala Skyway was a fantastic road. That whole region has a lot of nice driving roads.

At the other end of the country, I'll throw in Hwy 1 out of northwest San Fran between Marin City and Bolinas. Holy carp.

NorCal Hwy 1 in the Fort Bragg area was also pretty spectacular.

Not in the area, but there are A TON of fantastic roads in Northwestern Arkansas, Southwestern Missouri, and a few in NE Oklahoma.

I don't remember all the highway numbers, I just remember how to get to them. 

In reply to z31maniac :

Plus, there's the OZ Trails for mtn biking. I really want to get down there some day.  

North GA.  Hwy 60 from Dahlonega to Blue Ridge.

Its an incredible road, and generally lightly traveled. 

It was built during the depression by the CCC. Dug by hand. Nearly every turn is perfectly banked- it’s very intuitive. 

It puts the Dragon to shame.

I’ve got a cabin there. 

Ian F said:

In reply to z31maniac :

Plus, there's the OZ Trails for mtn biking. I really want to get down there some day.  

NW AR is really beautiful. The better half and I toss around the idea of living there some day, but we are still focused on getting out of OKC and into a market with more opportunities for my employment. 

As a Tech Writer, I basically have the best job you can get in the entire state. 

In reply to z31maniac :

Northwest Arkansas is Highway 23, also known as the Pigtrail.  Runs between Ozark at I-40 north to Highway 16 that takes you into Fayetteville.  Much fun was had there during my undergrad years.  As far as NC, my current favorite is 226-A/Diamondback between Marion and Little Switzerland.  Great little cafe stop at the top to refuel before the run back down.

ToplesS2 said:

In reply to z31maniac :

Northwest Arkansas is Highway 23, also known as the Pigtrail.  Runs between Ozark at I-40 north to Highway 16 that takes you into Fayetteville.  Much fun was had there during my undergrad years.  As far as NC, my current favorite is 226-A/Diamondback between Marion and Little Switzerland.  Great little cafe stop at the top to refuel before the run back down.

Pig Trail is one of many I used to ride on. 90 between Noel and Washburn (this one used to catch people out because it's very fast, very flowing and lots blind curves after a rise in the road), drop down through the Roaring River park into Eureka, 341 near Mountain Home, 127 is another great one.

Orchard Gap road off the Blue Ridge Parkway reminds me a lot of roads in the Mediterranean.  In particular southern France.  Unfortunately that vibe only lasts for a few miles.

 I was told the history of it by a fellow at the general store one day.  Evidently it was constructed in the ‘30’s at around the same time as the parkway by a man who put a toll on it.  Private road.  This old fellow gave his name and all that.  Funny thing he says about the road builder “...when he died they went through his stuff and found a secret he’d kept.  He was a member of the communist party.  He was red!”  

It may of not even been true.  It was just funny how the old man said it like it was the most shameful thing in the world.

In reply to vwcorvette :

I used to go to Americade every year and one of my favorite early morning rides was to ride up along Lake Champlain on 22A?? and cut over to the road that goes past Mad River Glen and then south on 100 and cut back over towards 7 on 125, then south on 7and  there was another road that crossed back over to 100 and south again on 100, then headed back to Lake George I think on RT4 passing by Killington. Beautiful riding up there. 

NOHOME said:

Cabot trail not only has the roads but it also has spectacular ocean side scenery

Just... if a woman named Fletcher is in town, get outta there.  People have a tendency to die around her.

...wait was it Jessica Fletcher, or "Hawkeye" Pierce who was from Cabot Cove?

In reply to Knurled. :

Hawkeye was from Crabapple Cove, Maine, although it is a fictional location. 

I like the Dragon, went a few times in the old Scion xB both with a Scion group and with a few friends.  Then went 3 years in a row with the Fiat on the Dragon group.  But personally now if I want something with twisty turns I prefer the Devil's Triangle about an hour away.  Less traffic, more twists and turns, and a few really tight switch-backs like above that I finally was brave enough to stay in 2nd and throttle through the second year we went.

Last year we took SWMBO's Fiat 500X with the youngling, and she got to drive the Dragon on the way to our Gatlingburg cabin.  She liked it, I was more nervous about people crossing the yellow the other way than her driving.

We did the same drive/hike to Clingman's dome in June. We did it in the rain and fog. Couldn't see squat. Great road though

In reply to Jerry :

I am going to NC for a wedding next week and have been told the Dragon is close so I was going to drive it.  If I google the Devil's Triangle will I find it?

Aaron_King said:

In reply to Jerry :

I am going to NC for a wedding next week and have been told the Dragon is close so I was going to drive it.  If I google the Devil's Triangle will I find it?

you want this https://devilstriangletn.com/

googling devils triangle is very NSFW btw.

Going to just say all of the Ozarks in Arkansas.

309 to Mt Magazine area is great but you could hit all of Hwy 12, 16, 7, 27, 14, 43, 74, 123, 21, 23 over a couple days and the variety/views are amazing. I've been riding motorcycles out there for over a decade, but in a car it's equally gratifying. That's just a brief list of what the Ozarks have to offer too.

In reply to MrChaos :

Thanks. 

captainawesome said:

Going to just say all of the Ozarks in Arkansas.

309 to Mt Magazine area is great but you could hit all of Hwy 12, 16, 7, 27, 14, 43, 74, 123, 21, 23 over a couple days and the variety/views are amazing. I've been riding motorcycles out there for over a decade, but in a car it's equally gratifying. That's just a brief list of what the Ozarks have to offer too.

Thank you for naming a bunch of the highway numbers I couldn't remember. It's been more than a decade since I used to spend nearly every weekend in the spring/fall, riding from Tulsa over the NW Ark and enjoy the roads and scenery there. 

In reply to z31maniac :

I've got some friends on your side of the "grid" as they call it, that visit every year as well. My favorite has to be 123, which is aptly nicknamed the Arkansas Dragon. It's really hard to go a wrong direction though as the variety is pretty rad in every direction.

There is a route in Ohio that I find fun to drive.  It starts east of Columbus off of 16 and end not too far west of Steubenville.   If anyone is interested I can dig up the actual roads    

Aaron_King said:

There is a route in Ohio that I find fun to drive.  It starts east of Columbus off of 16 and end not too far west of Steubenville.   If anyone is interested I can dig up the actual roads    

I'd be interested in the road numbers.  I may end up taking Kazoo Jr. to the USAF Museum and the John Glenn Astronomy Park on a long weekend.  We could also use info on good driving roads in the area.