Doing the Dragon

What does one do four days after getting their motorcycle license? Well, they go ride the most technical road in the United States of course! It’s called The Dragon and it lives at Deal’s Gap, NC. It has 318 curves in 11 miles, and that’s me and Suzi on it above (photo from Killboy.com).

I’d been riding every day since getting my license on Sunday and everything was going very smoothly and natural. So I decided to take Suzi up to meet our friends, Steve and Pam Mielnicki from Pittsburgh, who were taking part in a Mini Cooper rally at Fontana Village. I didn’t intend upon riding the Dragon myself--I figured I’d ride two-up with Shawn on BeBe. But when the time came to do the deed, I just had to do it myself. Those minis were zipping around the Dragon at speeds I could not believe! Needless to say, Shawn and I went much slower, but I still managed to drag pegs on many a curve. Tons of pictures live here.

The whole experience of riding the Dragon has changed my perspective on lots of things. No longer do I fear deadlines as much or get worked up over a project, because you know what? Those things won’t *kill* me! And if you don’t respect the Dragon, it’ll eat you for lunch.